Slog
News & ArtsWednesday, February 25, 2009
Homo / Games Getting Gay on Xbox Live
Posted by Sam Machkovech on Wed, Feb 25, 2009 at 2:55 PM
Today, The Consumerist blasted Microsoft's Xbox Live service with an anonymous accusation: that a user who identified herself as a lesbian in her Xbox profile was harassed while playing online games by other users, then found herself banned from the service. The story doesn't entirely add up—mostly because The Consumerist prefers to hit copy+paste than do any research or fact-checking (no user name? no request from Microsoft for a response? hello libel?), but also because the way Xbox Live works, this user wouldn't have necessarily broadcast her sexual preference as described. But a user can find him/herself temporarily banned if a boatload of people send complaints through Xbox Live's reporting system, so maybe this poor lesbian just pwned the wrong n00bs.
But, the Internet being the Internet, the story's spreading, and so Xbox Live employee Stephen Toulouse has responded to the story on his Twitter feed:
re: the consumerist story. Expression of any sexual orientation (straight or gay or otherswise) is not allowed in gamertags. However we've heard from the user base they want that capability, so I am examining how we can provide it in a way that wont get misused. I can't say any more at the moment, except to say I'm working right now in finding a way to safely express relationship preference.
Here, Toulouse is referring to someone making up a username like "AllNightCarpetMunch" or "CantGetEnoughDick," rather than someone going by "Cindy459" who states in her profile, "Hi, I'm 33, and I love my partner Jill." MS has filters in place to auto-block words in an Xbox username like "Jew" and "gay," assumedly to prevent assholes from coming up with abusive usernames. Considering how many moronic, underage homophobes troll Xbox Live, I don't know why any gamer would feel like a Halo deathmatch is the place to bring up their personal life, but it's good to hear an immediate, sensible response from MS for those who'd like to.
Now, if they could get around to magically filtering the system's voice chat, then maybe I wouldn't hear tweens call me a "fucking niggerfagjew" whenever I kill them.
UPDATE: Toulouse has since posted a much more eloquent response to the matter. @14, what more do you want?
1
Hasn't this been a problem in the past? I remember a story not too long ago about someone else who had been banned for having a username that was something like "Gay Gamer."
3
@1: Yes, for the reasons I explain in the next-to-last graf. For MS, it's probably easier to ban certain words than to approve sensible uses of 'em on a case-by-case basis. But typically, nobody gets banned; rather, the system automatically denies that username at the outset and asks you to try again.
5
Or how about the guy whose actual name, in actual real life, for real, was something like "Richard Gaywood." Sorry, can't use your name as your gamertag, Dick.
8
It's quaint how they ban segments like "gay" or "Jew" but you see players with names like fullblownaids or afag (so e.g. after someone kills them, the game might report "Snuffy232 killed afag").
My guess is most of the assholey homophobes there on other similar services are actually men in their late 20s to mid 30s, too...
My guess is most of the assholey homophobes there on other similar services are actually men in their late 20s to mid 30s, too...
9
So does micrsoft ban gamertags like "ladiesman5" or any other expression of heterosexuality? Because if they don't, their system is hypocritical discriminatory bullshit. Although I can see where they're coming from on the preventing offensive usernames like "deathtofags" or something. But if that's really their aim, they need to enforce it on both sides.
10
I pretty much avoid playing specific games on Xbox live because of the over the top tween language abuse. It gets really annoying.
Not to mention all the kids playing Halo who probably shouldn't be. Hearing a voice from a kid that can't be older than 10 coming through my mic telling me to "stab stab stab" is briefly funny and ultimately disturbing.
That said, some games are better than others in this regard, and I actually really appreciate the depth of the voice, messaging, and user feedback support on the Xbox.
Not to mention all the kids playing Halo who probably shouldn't be. Hearing a voice from a kid that can't be older than 10 coming through my mic telling me to "stab stab stab" is briefly funny and ultimately disturbing.
That said, some games are better than others in this regard, and I actually really appreciate the depth of the voice, messaging, and user feedback support on the Xbox.
11
Sam, I know it's hard to come up with examples on the fly, but did you have to post my screen name on Slog? Geez.
13
There have not been enough posts about gay buttsex on Slog today. Please post at least ten more items about gay buttsex by the end of the work day. Thank you.
14
I'm glad to see that even though the Consumerist may have shown their inherent bias towards consumers (as a consumer watchdog group), you (as a video game advocate) followed up on the story- not only did you get a statement from Microsoft, but you also interviewed the lesbian in question before immediately slamming her statement as false.
Oh wait, you didn't? Fucking hypocrite.
Oh wait, you didn't? Fucking hypocrite.
15
9, great point, because so many people are trolling straight people and making fun of them. The whole point of it is so people can't make fun of gays, straight people usually aren't targeted.
16
It's evident to anyone who is familiar with Xbox Live that there are some issues with the original story.
Not to mention the fact that the burden of evidence for a blog post is often equal to or approaching zero.
Not to mention the fact that the burden of evidence for a blog post is often equal to or approaching zero.
17
When I go on a raid in Rainbow Six I judge my partners by they handle an assault rifle and frag grenade...not by who we pork after hostage rescue.
When I'm breaking into the poker room, and the terrorists have a lady gagged under a slot machine, I don't ask if the guy or gal laying down suppression fire for me whether he or she gets it on in the showers afterward.
Man, up gamers.
When I'm breaking into the poker room, and the terrorists have a lady gagged under a slot machine, I don't ask if the guy or gal laying down suppression fire for me whether he or she gets it on in the showers afterward.
Man, up gamers.
18
After being matched up with "CrazyHomoKilla" during a Street Fighter IV match over PSN, I sort of like MS's Gamertag naming policy.
20
It's been over a year since I've logged on, but I had to stop using my headphones to play because I was tired of the racist and homophobic crap I was hearing from teenagers. You don't need to hear the other gamers when you ar playing Uno.
21
In response to:
"Now, if they could get around to magically filtering the system's voice chat, then maybe I wouldn't hear tweens call me a "fucking niggerfagjew" whenever I kill them."
I'm an audio designer who works on video games. This is an issue that we want to fix as well. A few options are available, muting offensive players, hosting "no-foul-language" rooms and reducing the number of players that you can communicate with at any given point in time. Each of these comes with it's own technical challenges. Voice recognition isn't to the point where it can filter speech in real time based off of keywords. One of the issues with this technology is that the speech would need to be delayed so that there would be time to analyze the content before broadcasting it. Even if this did happen, the keyword database would need to be continually updated as gamers found more creative ways to insult each other. Gamers might resort to insults such as "glutton of scatalogical effluence!" or "Flacid manhandler!" All homophones to potentially foul language could get banned. The censors would need to ask themselves if words like cockeyed, manhole and uranus should be banned. I'm sure if this happened, there would be even more complaints about censorship, freedom of speech, etc... Nonetheless, it is an issue that we all want to address so as to create the best game experience possible for all gamers.
"Now, if they could get around to magically filtering the system's voice chat, then maybe I wouldn't hear tweens call me a "fucking niggerfagjew" whenever I kill them."
I'm an audio designer who works on video games. This is an issue that we want to fix as well. A few options are available, muting offensive players, hosting "no-foul-language" rooms and reducing the number of players that you can communicate with at any given point in time. Each of these comes with it's own technical challenges. Voice recognition isn't to the point where it can filter speech in real time based off of keywords. One of the issues with this technology is that the speech would need to be delayed so that there would be time to analyze the content before broadcasting it. Even if this did happen, the keyword database would need to be continually updated as gamers found more creative ways to insult each other. Gamers might resort to insults such as "glutton of scatalogical effluence!" or "Flacid manhandler!" All homophones to potentially foul language could get banned. The censors would need to ask themselves if words like cockeyed, manhole and uranus should be banned. I'm sure if this happened, there would be even more complaints about censorship, freedom of speech, etc... Nonetheless, it is an issue that we all want to address so as to create the best game experience possible for all gamers.
22
Xbox live is a cesspool of racism. And I avoid and report every egregious instance I see, making no visible difference. I believe there is absolutely no policing of in-game voice. None. And we pay for this verbal abuse. Take the headset off unless you're playing with friends only.
23
@21: This cracked me up. But if you're actually being serious, I assume the Xbox's processing power is better used to run a game than to handle a vocal-recognition mega-matrix.
24
I take exception with you casually throwing around the word libel. While more ideal for consumerist to get comment from microsoft, it is in no way libelous for them to print this consumer complaint and raise questions about it.
Also: it's sexual orientation, not "preference."
Also: it's sexual orientation, not "preference."
26
@23: As you probably know, speech recognition and voice communication are two things which have been in games for a while. Back in the day, SOCOM on PS2 had speech recognition enabling AI characters to respond to spoken commands. It would be a relatively simple process to add a delay and keyword based volume control to that system.
The problem is that doing that would make using voice communication all sorts of lame because of the lag. Also, people would find a way around the roadblocks by changing the pitch or tempo of their voice or publishing the banned words and creating new ones. But yes, you're absolutely right, the processing would be better spent on creating fun rather than limitations.
For those who are intolerant of the language on XBox live or any other gaming chat rooms, I second #22's suggestion about taking the headphones off and playing with friends.
Maybe I'm being a little inflammatory here but I'd wager to say that while there is quite a bit of homophobia out there, the majority of the language on XBox live is more a reflection of the personal sexual insecurities of young adults and the transferrence of angst in other parts of their lives to a venue that feels safe to verbally abuse strangers. Not unlike the comments section in the SLOG (see #25). I believe that this is the case, rather than a reflection of the actual moral and social opinions of smack talking gamers.
The problem is that doing that would make using voice communication all sorts of lame because of the lag. Also, people would find a way around the roadblocks by changing the pitch or tempo of their voice or publishing the banned words and creating new ones. But yes, you're absolutely right, the processing would be better spent on creating fun rather than limitations.
For those who are intolerant of the language on XBox live or any other gaming chat rooms, I second #22's suggestion about taking the headphones off and playing with friends.
Maybe I'm being a little inflammatory here but I'd wager to say that while there is quite a bit of homophobia out there, the majority of the language on XBox live is more a reflection of the personal sexual insecurities of young adults and the transferrence of angst in other parts of their lives to a venue that feels safe to verbally abuse strangers. Not unlike the comments section in the SLOG (see #25). I believe that this is the case, rather than a reflection of the actual moral and social opinions of smack talking gamers.
27
@26: Yes, that's the case, even better summed up by Gabe's Internet Fuckwad Theory. Thanks for your thoughtful comments--I didn't mean to dismiss them before. I just couldn't believe someone on Slog was that passionate about speech recognition, which is totally cool by me. Bring on more devs!
28
@27 I just looked up the Internet Fuckwad Theory.
"Normal Person + Anonymity + Audience = Total Fuckwad"
Man that's hilarious! Thanks! BTW, I didn't think that you were being dismissive. Cheers!
"Normal Person + Anonymity + Audience = Total Fuckwad"
Man that's hilarious! Thanks! BTW, I didn't think that you were being dismissive. Cheers!
29
My favorite line from Consumerist's reporting by Meg Marco on this issue is this:
"As far as we know, Microsoft is unwlling to reconsider this position"
Way to absolve yourself of doing any actual journalism, Meg.
Despite scepticism from other blogs that bias is a factor and evidence from Microsoft that it has been working on a solution, likely since the issue originally arose last year, there is still no update at Consumerist. I guess it's all about the pageviews after all.
Meg Marco - Getting it wrong and leaving it that way at Internet speed.
"As far as we know, Microsoft is unwlling to reconsider this position"
Way to absolve yourself of doing any actual journalism, Meg.
Despite scepticism from other blogs that bias is a factor and evidence from Microsoft that it has been working on a solution, likely since the issue originally arose last year, there is still no update at Consumerist. I guess it's all about the pageviews after all.
Meg Marco - Getting it wrong and leaving it that way at Internet speed.
30
@19 I just checked his twitter because I thought the same thing, but it's 3 tweets that were just combined here.
31
I'm being sexually repressed!
By 8 year old boys on xBox Live!
(at least that's what they sound like on my headset)
By 8 year old boys on xBox Live!
(at least that's what they sound like on my headset)
32
RE: The Gay Curmudgeon - Although The Consumerist writer certainly was lazy in failing to contact MS for comment, I can assure you she wouldn't have gotten one even if she had tried.
I worked on an article about this very subject (MS banning Richard Gaywood and other gamers who included the word gay in their gamertags/usernames) for a national monthly magazine last year (unfortunately the story was killed because of MS' refusal to comment), and MS refused to comment in any way. My contact pointed to the Xbox Live terms of service and that was it. He did not indicate that MS thought it was a problem or that it was being looked into. One of MS' employees has posted a bit about the situation on his blog and on Twitter, but even then the basic explanation is "it's against our terms of service."
All you have to do is talk to a few of the folks who have been banned in this manner (esp. Richard Gaywood) to understand how inept MS has been to date in addressing this situation...
I worked on an article about this very subject (MS banning Richard Gaywood and other gamers who included the word gay in their gamertags/usernames) for a national monthly magazine last year (unfortunately the story was killed because of MS' refusal to comment), and MS refused to comment in any way. My contact pointed to the Xbox Live terms of service and that was it. He did not indicate that MS thought it was a problem or that it was being looked into. One of MS' employees has posted a bit about the situation on his blog and on Twitter, but even then the basic explanation is "it's against our terms of service."
All you have to do is talk to a few of the folks who have been banned in this manner (esp. Richard Gaywood) to understand how inept MS has been to date in addressing this situation...
33
My name is Justin Cole and I'm the Director of Digital & Online Media at GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation).
I've been in constructive discussions with Microsoft since the beginning of this year with regards to their gamertag and other XBox Live policies.
I have a post up about it here - http://glaadblog.org/2009/02/26/xbox-liv…
Please check it out.
I've been in constructive discussions with Microsoft since the beginning of this year with regards to their gamertag and other XBox Live policies.
I have a post up about it here - http://glaadblog.org/2009/02/26/xbox-liv…
Please check it out.
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