Xbox, PS4 Games Hitting Swearing Gamers With Technical Fouls

from the Nintendo's-Cooking-Mama-apparently-washes-mouths-out-with-soap dept

Wed, Dec 4th 2013 9:53am — Tim Cushing

Recently, Xbox users uploading gameplay videos with recorded commentary were surprised to find themselves booted from Upload Studio for their use of "adult" language. Microsoft apparently intends to run a very clean service, but it also bans a common slang word for penis, which also happens to be the co-op player's name in Dead Rising 3. So, you can see where the ideal begins to clash with reality.

The clash turns to cognitive disconnect when you take into account the number of foul-mouthed protagonists of popular M-rated games. Microsoft apparently has no problem with the actual gameplay consisting mainly of gunplay and f-bombs, but its customer base had better not be adding in any colorful verbal explosions of their own.

Microsoft's sliding ban scale still allows most swearing players to access other areas of its online offerings, but temporary-to-complete bans of all services are still an option for those who can't keep a civil tongue in their headset.

Following on the heels of this news is the discovery that swearing too much during gameplay can have consequences within the games themselves.

In a video that's both amazing and a little creepy, one gamer playing NBA 2K14 shows how he was given a technical foul after the Kinect heard him curse. In an actual NBA game, referees can hand out technicals if players swear excessively, and it looks like the same happens in NBA 2K14.

Here's the video. (SFW? Well, it obviously contains swearing…)

And it's not just basketball. Players of Unamerican Football are being served with sternly-worded notices from their club's board of directors.

These same "features" were noted on the PS4 versions, which means it was a developer decision rather than a Microsoft "exclusive." Both games do offer the option to toggle off the potty mouth penalties, thus allowing gamers to play them as God intended when He/She/It gave them expansive four-letter-dependent vocabularies.

Now, while Microsoft has been dealing with degenerate vernacular, Sony has taken a decidedly hands-off approach to user-generated content. Its system also utilizes an (optional) camera and mic. PS4 users are (well, were) able to stream video live thanks to Sony's partnership with Twitch and its pre-loaded alternate-reality game, The Playroom.

The Playroom gives PS4 users a squad of tiny digital "robots" to interact with. And interact they have, often bypassing the digital playmates completely in favor of interacting with other players.

To date, there have been no users banned for talking like over-caffeinated sailors. Sony gave its users the freedom to use the system however they'd like. And users responded by doing exactly that.

[The users have] put shoes on their head at the exhortation of others watching their broadcast live. They've had sex in front of their TV screen. They've stripped their wife naked as she lay seemingly unconscious on a couch. They've had to explain to a local police department that they didn't have a child locked up in their basement after viewers called to tip the cops off to the suspected crime.

Other bizarre and disturbing behavior has also been noted. A user tormented a young child by pretending he was lurking outside his house. The hosts of "The Spartan Show," a call-in show that swiftly gained a following on Twitch, was besieged by trolls who taunted the hosts and hit them with a barrage of cruel questions.

Twitch has now banned streams from Sony's "Playroom." It says it will consider reconnecting the two once PS4 users "become more familiar with the games-only focus of Twitch content." In other words, you can have your stuff back when you've shown me you've matured.

So, did Microsoft make the right move by using a version of the "broken windows theory" (ban small-time swearing and the larger problems vanish)? Or is its policy simply unreasonable consider the number of M-rated titles it supports? Or did Sony just screw up by assuming its customers would create nothing but beauty and kindness (and unit-moving videos) when given access to live-streaming?

The only way you learn is by trying. Sony erred on side of the freedom while Microsoft erred on the side of caution. Points will be scored by Microsoft simply because its users have yet to upload rapey videos. Treating the average gamer (still hovering around age 30 despite the influx of younger gamers using tablets and mobile devices) like a child will only get you so far. Any platform will be misused by a certain subset of humanity --that's a given -- but that's no reason to overreact far in advance of potential issues.

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Filed Under: ps4, swearing, video games, xbox

41 Comments

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That One Guy (profile), 4 Dec 2013 @ 8:08am

How's this for a filter...
Users get 'strikes' for every violation(excessive swearing, harassing other players, whatever), and each user is able to set a 'strikes threshold', where once someone gets enough 'strikes', they are muted/blocked for players who's strikes threshold they've exceeded.

Of important note is that the second half, the 'mute/block' bit, would be entirely opt-in, so if someone felt they were up to dealing with even those that had accumulated dozens/hundreds of strikes, they could simply keep the filter deactivated, or set it so high that only the worst would be filtered out.
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Ninja (profile), 4 Dec 2013 @ 8:47am

Re: How's this for a filter...
I'm with the strikes system if there are kids playing (to which the server should clearly tell that one or more players are underage) or simply prevent kids from playing with adults in random encounters.

Other than that, if it's adults playing let the verbal carnage run loose. Don't like the cursing party? just /mute
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TheResidentSkeptic (profile), 4 Dec 2013 @ 9:08am

John Spartan
You have been fined one credit for violation of the verbal morality standard.
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Violynne (profile), 4 Dec 2013 @ 9:09am

Nintendo's laughing its fucking ass off right now.

Wait. Is Techdirt going to ban me for saying "Nintendo"?
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Dark Helmet (profile), 4 Dec 2013 @ 10:07am

Shit...
Well, I'm mega-fucked....
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Deranged Poster (profile), 4 Dec 2013 @ 10:07am

Re: John Spartan
LOL He doesn't know how to use the shells :D
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Anonymous Coward, 4 Dec 2013 @ 10:09am

What a fucking bullshit policy
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Anonymous Coward, 4 Dec 2013 @ 10:10am

I once got censored on Yahoo News for speaking of **** Cheney, **** York, **** Sargent, and Tricky **** Nixon.
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out_of_the_blue, 4 Dec 2013 @ 10:21am

So either don't use it or don't complain of corporate control!
If you're going to be consistent and not worry about Google -- or Microsoft with Kinect -- spying on you full time, then why object to this? Just small sample of how the people control system is being put in place, right in front of your willfully blind eyes. Just quit paying and playing. You're not going to get mega-corporations to stop at any level of spying or control: they want ALL of you.
Mike often tells us that he knows how teh internets work, but never really shows a grasp of human nature in practice, the fraud and control to gain money any way can.
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Anonymous Coward, 4 Dec 2013 @ 10:22am

LOL I don't have these issues on my PC and it looks like I was better off in putting my cash on a new card over PS or Xbox.

Just curious tell me what you think about this
STFU
GTFO
SMFH
OMFG
Tell me how you read those, are you reading it in your head as S T F U or Shut the fuck up?

Exactly
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silverscarcat (profile), 4 Dec 2013 @ 10:30am

Re: So either don't use it or don't complain of corporate control!
You're still an idiot.

of course I'm not going to use it or play those games, but, blue, think of it like this...

How long until other companies see "hey, they can get away with curbing people's speech, let's do the same thing"?

It's the same reason why, despite not getting certain games or electronics, I can still complain about certain "features" that those things contain, like on-disk DLC and Micro-transactions, among other things.

Because, if you buy the stuff, you're supporting the whole "less is good" mentality that corporations want to shove down your throat.

Sure, you could NOT buy, but not speaking up about it is JUST as bad!
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Anonymous Coward, 4 Dec 2013 @ 10:32am

Re: So either don't use it or don't complain of corporate control!
There was an objection to this? I thought it was about how two opposite approaches to policies and how they will turn out.
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Anonymous Coward, 4 Dec 2013 @ 10:37am

Re: So either don't use it or don't complain of corporate control!
You're making the same argument for two separate situations.

Situation 1: Your usually Google rant. Google is getting a ton of information on us and is going to know more than we want. Okay, but you're choosing to share information with them by using their system. They aren't restricting you in any way, just watching what you do.

Situation 2: Microsoft vocal censorship. They listen to you and gather inforamtion that allow them to censor or punish you for not acting properly. You have no choice in the penalties that affect what you do. It's restrictive.

Can you see the difference? Or am I asking too much?
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haik (profile), 4 Dec 2013 @ 10:41am

When you put aside the controversy, and focus on pure gameplay: I like the idea.
I don't play sports games much, more of a simracer (yeah, yeah, racing guys aren't athletes, I know Donovan...) - but knowing that that I can be fouled (or served a penalty, or earned a $$ fine in a career mode, etc..), yeah, I think it can open up a new whole experience. Maybe helping to feel even more immersed in the game.
But - like in any game - if you got the option to turn it off.
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Anonymous Coward, 4 Dec 2013 @ 11:00am

Okay, I'm all for freedom to do what you want but in this instance what happened with Sony is whwn you give people TOO MUCH freedom.
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Zakida Paul (profile), 4 Dec 2013 @ 11:25am

One of the many reasons I will never bother with any form of online gaming.
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CK20XX (profile), 4 Dec 2013 @ 11:36am

I'm reminded of what happened to Mister Torgue High-Five Flexington in Borderlands 2.

"LOTTA PEOPLE BEEN ASKING ME WHY MY VOICE BEEPS ALL THE F*CKIN TIME. THE TORGUE SHAREHOLDERS WIRED MY VOICEBOX WITH A DIGITAL CENSOR SO I CAN'T SAY STUFF LIKE SH*T, C*CK, OR P*SSY-F*CKIN'-D*CKBALLS! THATS HALF MY F*CKIN' VOCABULARY, IT'S GODDAMN BULLSH*T!"
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Nick (profile), 4 Dec 2013 @ 11:57am

Re: So either don't use it or don't complain of corporate control!
Um, you're telling us not to do these articles that inform us of abusive "language filtering" settings. You are trying to claim that if we don't like it, to not support the behavior (by purchasing the product).

These two arguments DO NOT MIX. If sites like this did not report on the issue (as you are so apt to demand), then people would not know about the issue, thus wouldn't be informed enough to avoid it. In this day and age, return policies are slim to nil, and by the time a customer knows about it, it is too late to refund.

So, Blue, you should NOT be arguing against these articles. They aren't the site itself "complaining, yet still supporting" the behavior. If the site didn't "complain" (or what is called REPORTING), then nobody would know.
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Anonymous Coward, 4 Dec 2013 @ 12:06pm

Re:
What is too much freedom?
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out_of_the_blue, 4 Dec 2013 @ 12:20pm

someone called me a poopsock on CoD, this was clearly offensive to my nerdy natures, the world needs more censorship to ensure no one will never have to put up with being called a poopsock again
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out_of_the_blue, 4 Dec 2013 @ 12:27pm

If you haven't figured it out by now, I'm telling you to stop making these articles because I DON'T WANT you to inform people so they can boycott. Every person is a potential troller you know like what happens to me in every single comments section.

Just more proof that this place is out of control and the world needs more censorship.
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out_of_the_blue, 4 Dec 2013 @ 12:29pm

What difference they are both greedy corporations who routinely ignore their users with 'updates' and 'newer versions' which suck ass and refuse to change it back.
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Anonymous Coward, 4 Dec 2013 @ 12:30pm

Re: Re:
An oxymoron.
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out_of_the_blue, 4 Dec 2013 @ 12:31pm

The internet
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Anonymous Coward, 4 Dec 2013 @ 12:51pm

wow so they're preventing you from using adult language in an adult rated game? If they intended there console to be only used by kids they they should have informed the game developers to not release adult games on their system
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Wally (profile), 4 Dec 2013 @ 1:11pm

Wii
When Nintenfo fans saw this coming, they got laughed at because the WiiU wasn't "powerful" enough and therefore the worst system or "downgrade"...all I can say Wii told U so ;-)
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Nick (profile), 4 Dec 2013 @ 2:45pm

Re:
Strange, you want people to

"Just quit paying and playing. You're not going to get mega-corporations to stop at any level of spying or control: they want ALL of you."

But you don't want people to know about this so they can "quit paying"?
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Internet Zen Master (profile), 4 Dec 2013 @ 4:40pm

Actually..
Getting a technical foul for swearing in sports games sounds rather realistic and something that could happen in the real world as well. Of course, I'm basing this on my 9 years experience as a baseball umpire for various little league, where if a player/coach is heard swearing within earshot of an umpire the offender receives one warning to stop and gets thrown out of the game if the umpires hear them swearing after that. Don't know how much of that that translates over to the professional leagues of basketball and soccer, but I wouldn't be surprised if it did. Is it kinda dumb since it's a video game? Eh.

On the flipside, those PS4 users in the playroom are probably going to end up as "why we can't have nice things" within a year or so.

Not s fan of XB1's swear-filter, but considering the potty-mouthed teenagers I've encountered while playing Halo 4's multiplayer on live, I can't say I'm too surprised this happened.

Hopefully Microsoft will relax the swearing restrictions at some point in 2014. Let's just pray they don't grow that disturbing brand of puritanism that seems to permeate Apple's walled garden these days.

As the Zen Master says, "We'll see."
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Anonymous Coward, 4 Dec 2013 @ 4:48pm

Re: So either don't use it or don't complain of corporate control!
Translation: "I hate corporations so much, I know they're going to keep doing what they're doing so I've decided to suck them off anyway."

Stay classy, blue boy.
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Spectate Swamp (profile), 4 Dec 2013 @ 5:51pm

You don't want to be in the same room
There is nothing worse than a 13 year old screaming obscenities 10 feet from you. I can't believe this kind of language doesn't carry over into the rest of the day. I know I got potty mouth from spending too much time in the pool hall.
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Bergman (profile), 4 Dec 2013 @ 7:00pm

Re:
Well, for STFU, I read it as 'stoofoo' thanks to a certain online game that has a silence spell by that name...

But the rest I do read as the full phrase.
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Bergman (profile), 4 Dec 2013 @ 7:06pm

Re: Actually..
You'd be surprised how many terms in common usage such a ban might sweep up.

Scum bag, for example, compares the target to a used condom. Scum has a similar meaning. A nice person is someone too stupid/retarded to be mean to people in the original meaning. Retarded used to be a clinical term before it was an insult. Most people would be astounded what a properly programmed bad language filter might block.
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G Thompson (profile), 4 Dec 2013 @ 9:19pm

Re: Shit...
>> Well, I'm mega-fucked....
For us old hands here at TD this is NOT an unusual or new concept ;)
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G Thompson (profile), 4 Dec 2013 @ 9:22pm

Re:
does the cognitive dissonance hurt much?
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Anonymous Coward, 5 Dec 2013 @ 12:32am

Re:
Your description sounds like another industry that you love to brown nose.
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btrussell (profile), 5 Dec 2013 @ 2:17am

Holy moses batman, I am destined to be robin forever!
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Donglebert the Needlessly Obtuse, 5 Dec 2013 @ 3:42am

The irony of using Man City as an example
when they only have about 4 players on the pitch with english as a first language. Does xbox1 filter out spanish sweaaring too?
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Kronomex, 5 Dec 2013 @ 1:47pm

(gets caught in very sticky situation in game) "Oh gosh, this is very bad. Gee, what can I do to extricate myself from being killed? Darn, this is bad. Golly, gosh, I have saved myself. Phew, that was close."

What a load rubbish. What lobby group has been pressuring Microsoft into introducing this nonsense?
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Cant Toucj, 17 Feb 2014 @ 12:02pm

Get This
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gw_LM4XhqME&feature=youtu.be

I found this its amazing for NBA 2k14
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Cheapest PS4, 30 Apr 2014 @ 1:53am

I was not planning on buying any PS4 launch titles, but with a deal like this going on combined with some spare Amazon credit I have banked.
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HI, 2 Aug 2016 @ 5:29pm

6
FUCK YOU HOW DO YOU THINK YOUR TELLING ME NOT TO SWEAR I LIVE IN A FREE COUNTRY WTF I HAVE BANNED 4 TIMES FROM THIS POLICY UNSUSPEND ME NOW YOU FUCKS
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