Hate Speech should cause an automatic timeout

General Discussion
1

Why does this game not have an automatic chat timeout system for hate speech? I understand that there is a profanity filter, but there is a huge difference between profanity and hate speech, and even then most people just get around the profanity filter anyway by using replacement letters/numbers. Every time I enter a game I’m flooded with homophobic and racist comments from other players. I’m sick of having to report them every game and having to wait and hope for a ban to appear for them.

I know that other games have automatic timeouts for hate speech, why can’t this one? If they really want to remove toxicity, this should be the first and easiest step.

Basic toxicity will always be difficult to remove and I know that people will just figure out ways to get around the system, but that’s why we have the reporting function. Most people believe they can say what they want and stop after they finally receive a communication ban of some kind (voice/text) in fear of permanently losing their account. If an automatic timeout (1 hour -> 12 hours -> 24 hours for repeated offenders etc) would just be implemented for hate speech I believe it’ll help improve the community at least a small amount and scare enough of the general population who find its somehow appropriate to use those comments into stopping.

Tl:dr - Auto Timeout common Hate speech phrases and words with varying levels of chat bans/voice bans based on amount of times a timeout has been applied to the account.

Edit: Y’all need to google the definition of hate speech. I’m not referring to profanity. I’m referring to Racist, Homophobic, Transphobic etc slurs.

Edit 2: A warning should occur when you try to type the filtered words into chat, stating that by using the slurs you’re breaking the TOS of the game. If you type the words again then the timeouts start.

Edit 3: I’m going to bed. Please keep the discussion about the implementation of an Automatic moderation system that prevents words from being sent while sending a warning, and please keep political opinions out of it to prevent the thread locking. If you want to argue for or against implementing the system, please do so. But please try and do so without personally attacking each other, or the reasons behind implementing it in the first place. Discussion is important, but personal attacks derail and don’t help either side.

Further note: Using hate speech is directly against the TOS of Overwatch that you all agreed upon before playing the game. Don’t discuss whether its appropriate to use it or not, discuss whether a system should be implemented to prevent the use instead of react to the use.

Edit 4: I am now awake. It seems like people are trying to argue for “innocent” words being used to ban like the Overwatch League Twitch chat. I’m not referring to words that “might be” considered offensive in the right context. I’m specifically referring to words that have no way of ever being considered non-offensive in the right context. The strongest example being the “N” word.

Edit 5: I want to thank everyone who has genuinely discussed the specific topic and tried to not derail the thread, on Both SIDES of the argument. This is something a lot of people feel needs to be discussed and both for and against arguments are very much welcome. Please try to keep your own personal feelings and political opinions out of the discussion. Blizzard has already made their stance on the use of the words in question with the TOS, this thread should be about the merits and demerits of having an automated prevention system in place. Discussion is very healthy and important for a game of this size, and shouldn’t be prevented on either end.

38 Likes
2

Oh god imagine if in game had the OWL chat filter

“Who’s your fav owl player, enemy Tracer”

“Climax”

Enemy Tracer was banned

“E A S Y WIN LADS”

51 Likes
3

Its what the ignore/block feature is for, and reporting it. Active mitigation just means people find new ways to say it that the filter won’t pick up on.

EDIT: And when they find other ways to be hurtful, they oddly get a cloak to hide behind if its vague enough. Better people be allowed to show their true nature in a way that’s indisputable and easily reported.

2 Likes
4

“What do you think of Junkrat’s kit?”
“Well I think his trap…”
User has been banned

53 Likes
5

What a luck you have, in all my time playing i might have seen one or two of those.

11 Likes
6

Mute.
And.
Move on.
The game gives you all the tools you need to avoid this, use them.

29 Likes
7

Sorry I guess it wasn’t easy to understand when I said hate speech and not basic profanity.

3 Likes
8

It’s funny because I was silenced for saying that on the forums lol

3 Likes
9

Avoidance isn’t the issue. People should be more heavily punished more often for using hate speech.

15 Likes
10

Avoidance is the answer.
You can’t stop people from being offensive, not without either A) Catching non-offenders in the crossfire or B) Starting a slippery slope in which the definition of “hate speech” blur".

The safest and easiest way to block out people who say things you don’t like is to mute them, how hard is that to understand?

11 Likes
11

what about in Voice Chat…how do you prevent hate in VC?

12

…You mute them?
It’s not rocket science.

7 Likes
13

I’m not referring to voice chat. I’m referring to simple text chat communication.

14

Again, you mute them.

7 Likes
15

This is true, but you can punish them in the aftermath.

No different from the leaver penalties.

All you’d have to do is set up an autofilter that applies suspensions to detections of offensive words and misspellings. I’ve done as such on a forum I used to moderate. Works wonders. And Blizzard already has the autofilter infrastructure in place.

I’m not interested in only ignoring them. I want them to not play anymore. Bigots shouldn’t be allowed to reign unchecked.

6 Likes
16

You want to censor even further?..christ.

3 Likes
17

The only reason you could have for defending racist and homophobic communication in text is if you use those yourself. Regardless of if it personally affects you or not, you should be able to sympathise with those it affects negatively and understand that there is a very simple fix that many other media and game forms use, which is to block specific words from being used. Yes, people will always find ways around the system, but if it at least gives a warning to those who use them to stop using them or suffer communication bans and further action if repeated, and then following through with that threat, then the general population won’t care enough to work ways around the system. And regardless of if I mute them or report them, what about the next game or the game after that. Where they continue to do it and insult others in other games. There are simple preventative measures that can be taken to at least stem the tide.

I’m not referring to insulting other players, or just being a bit of a jerk in communication to teammates. I’m specifically referring to homophobic, transphobic, racist etc comments that so many players have started to use more and more.

7 Likes
18

Unfortunately you don’t have the power to stop people who bought this game from playing, like I said it’s a dangerous slippery slope that we should avoid.
The mute button does it’s purpose well, in fact if that’s not good enough for you then just ask for avoid player back, it does exactly the same thing.

Seriously though the mute button has been a great solution for years now, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.

Aaaand there it is.
“If you don’t want this over the top method of dealing with bigots then YOU must be a bigot too!”
I’m not defending these people, i’m telling you that the system we have in place is just fine.

16 Likes
19

What is hate speech?

  1. Having a different opinion than you?
    2.Saying words that are totally normal but got misused by the lefties?
    3.or what I just said in point 2?

Tell me.

5 Likes
20

Easy solution. Just take away text and voice chat. People don’t use them to communicate with their teams anyway, and why would you want to talk to the enemy team?