Private/Crew chat between me and my cousin! These instances were within the context of PRIVATE chat that no one but me and my cousin could see. I've never sworn outside of private chat, and I hardly talk to other people at all.

Here's the majority of the email they sent me:

"We are writing to inform you that inappropriate language has been found within a chat log attached to your account, shown below:

*a bunch of examples of me swearing to my cousin and no one else, in a 100% private chat area*

Due to the nature of the language, we have placed your account on a 72-hour hold. To regain access to your account after the 72 hours, please review and agree to our Terms of Use and House Rules here: http://disney.go.com/corporate/legal/terms.html."

Wtf... they penalize me for PERSONAL conversations? This is pure bullshit, even if it is Disney! Other than this, I barely talk to other people at all, let alone say anything bad! They shouldn't be locking my account for 3 days for shit that I've said in private situations, where the person doesn't mind and no one else sees it!

The funny thing is, they have some really retarded systems. I got the e-mail about 2 hours ago, but I'm still in-game! I assume that if I log out, the tempban will then be enacted. The idiots! When I'm going to leave, I'll just go AFK in a quiet area and leave the game open! I can play through the entire account lock, and laugh about it the entire time!

This is retarded, even for Disney.

BAHAHAHAHA!

Sorry, don't mean to laugh... but that is retarded.

Hmmm.   Maybe your cousin turned you in.  In which case, the ban would be appropriate

As it is Disney and is a game catered towards a pre-adult crowd this is an unfortunate but necessary precaution.  As the chat happens in game, using their software it travels through their servers.  In an effort to protect children from the evil of the internets you used language that set off flags in their monitoring software.  I would not be in the least bit surprised if it said in their EULA or TOS that all chat channels are monitored, whether it be group, guild, or personal whisper.

I would suggest that, if you are incapable of carrying on a discussion without profanity then, you should most likely stick to using skype or one of the many messenger programs.

How do they know it's your cousin?  You could be swearing at some little kid.  Also, you have no expectation of privacy.  You agree to the rules when you initiate play.  If you can't abide by them, then go elsewhere. It's their game, their rules.

~Ripper

I agree with the other posters. Its their game so its their rules. It is a Disney game and Disney caters to the younger generation of gamers. They will naturally has stricter rules with regards to things like swearing and other inappropriate behavior.

If your post is any indication of how you carry on in-game, then I believe the ban is appropriate. I am curious why you are playing a Disney game anyway. You should know that it is for a younger crowd and such behavior will not be tolerated in the game. As the other poster said, I would not be surprised in the EULA/TOS states that Disney will monitor anything and everything you say.

Just because its a private chat or channel, doesn't make it right or prevent it from falling under their terms of service. My advice is to move on from the game if this is the type of language you like to use - it has no place in a Disney game.

Was it under True Friend Chat?

Originally posted by Steed

Was it under True Friend Chat?

No, I think only younger players get true friend codes, because they aren't allowed to talk to anyone else. Or some stupid thing like that, idk..

And of course, you also have to call to cancel your subscription. Because instead of hitting a cancel button online, obviously I'd enjoy sitting on the phone for 10 minutes, explaining to the PR idiot why I don't want to continue playing the game.

well...swear on line and they'll cancel it for you?

Thats wierd. I assume the only was to be caught cuzzing is if someone turns you in. I've been playing for a little over a week now and I cuss constantly. So far never had anything happen to me.

i got a warning and never could get them to tell me what it was i did or show me a log so i can't really say for sure,  I just know i do not cuss in open channel so ...

I'm presuming they're combing the logs with some kind of program.  they *might* have lightened up since launch, i do not know.

I was banned release night for giving my email address to a fellow guild member so we could hook up on msn and then meet in game when the game was released, i agree it's crap but they monitor everything just find ways around it.

Although it was private chat, Disney does not know who you are cursing at.  Mabye it is an eight year old boy you met, and then was added to your friends list.  The next day you curse ALOT at him.  Now they did not know this person was your cousin.

On the fact that this game was based on a lower-aged audience (although I am sure some older people play it as well), I believe that Disney should do this, because no 8 year old children to be looking at people cursing.  This is good, so now younger people will not learn bad  language from a game produced by Disney =p.

This is just my opinion, but I think that this is good, due to the fact that this game is based for younger children

~mike470~

Yeah, as said, you could be cursing/swearing at a little kid. Think about it, kids probably over populate teen agers playing this. So chances are you're talking to a kid.

And whether private or personal chat, it's still cursing. The game prohibits cursing overall. So just don't curse, you're not supposed to, you're not allowed to, and now you've been warned with a 72 Hour ban. That's you're fault. Now you know to obey their rules.

Seriously people?

"How do you know it was your cousin?"

um... news flash - I think people would know who their relative is. Most people don't just walk up to other people and assume they are their cousin. Sheesh.

I understand the whole, "it is a younger audience of players... so they are trying to avoid them learning bad words". So I agree with the temp-ban.

But honestly, I'm appauled at some other posters that think that you don't know your own cousin. Seriously - that is the stupidest thing I've ever heard.

Originally posted by Rexion

Seriously people?

"How do you know it was your cousin?"

um... news flash - I think people would know who their relative is. Most people don't just walk up to other people and assume they are their cousin. Sheesh.

I understand the whole, "it is a younger audience of players... so they are trying to avoid them learning bad words". So I agree with the temp-ban.

But honestly, I'm appauled at some other posters that think that you don't know your own cousin. Seriously - that is the stupidest thing I've ever heard.

The person knows who they are cursing at.  Disney Does not know, which is why I said that Disney does not know who this person is cursing at.  They do not know if it is his cousin or an 8 year old boy.  Sure, the one who is cursing might, but Disney does not know.

I dont understand how half of you people take this so lightly. Who is Disney to tell anyone how to talk as long as the channel is private? Even if it was not private - there should be a feature called chat-filter to filter out "bad" words. And as long as noone is reporting sb else no action should be taken anyway, except in extreme cases (what is extreme could be open to discussion tho, spamming "bad" language on some open channel for example).

Tbh, imho, if above mentioned tools are available (i.e. chat-filter), it would be the responsibility of the parent to set up the game in a way their kids wont be able to read "bad" language. I remember some MMORPGs, including WoW, whose chat-filter settings filtered half of the words any normal human uses on a day-by-day basis, like "dog" and similar words .... even in npc-chat xD

Last but not least: What is "bad" language? As long as I dont use words to attack another person, I should be able to use any word I want to. Its not the word which is "bad", but the intention I might have by using certain words. If that intention is left out the word itself is absolutely harmless. Im sick of having to watch what I am writing, only because some overzelous christians decided to censor language at some point in the past. Im no christian, so why do I have to watch my language? Because thou shalt not swear? Or because I shall not use the name of the lord in vain? Now excuse me if I feel that I as a non-christian dont want to abide to those rules. After all, many readers here wouldnt want to have to abide to certain rules other religions set up in the past.

Im also asking myself what is worse: having kids use or hear(read) censored words or try to manipulate kids into manipulating their parents to pay for a service. Or weather killing zombies and destroying ships is morally any better than using certain words.

For all I care Disney can go and *censored* themselves. The game is crap, it would not motivate me to spend my time grinding for more than 2-3 days if it was - even if they allowed me to swear all day.

Who is Disney to tell anyone how to talk as long as the channel is private?

For one, it's Disney. Family-friendly is their middle name. Of course they do not want any form of "bad language" used in their game.

Secondly, it's their game. I'm sure if you read the EULA, you'd see provisions for language use, and what not to use. They pretty much have every right to tell you what you can and can not do in their game. If you don't like it, don't play.

A language filter is a nice feature, but not one they have to add. Especialy if they want to discourage bad language all together.

One thing to keep in mind is, POTC is one  of Disney's few franchises that is of a more mature level. They will be cautious in the who's and what's of their game. If Disney had been doing PG-13 / T movies and games all along, I'm sure we'd have a Conan like POTC... Well maybe not, but that would be cool.

Theres nothing really wrong with your arguments. My point though was a different one, namely that it is not a moral question at all weather a person uses swear-words (if not actually intending to hurt another person). It does become a moral question if marking certain words as "bad" will affect peoples social status. For example giving tardies to kids at school for using "bad" language (and consequently, after 3 tardies, expelling them from school). This will actually hurt the kid and therefore is immoral imho. Half the grown-ups in america use "bad" language at times - the president does. But kids get tardies at school if they do.

The other point is, and that is where I do disagree to an extend, that I dont think it is OK for a GM to monitor private chat and ban anyone just for the use of certain words. If you consider that I am coming from a country with a formerly communistic and controlling government you might guess why. I do agree though, even considering my first point, that it would be ok to ban people if swearing in public channels. Also, people are also saying stuff like "Its their rule.. its in the EULA!" So what? An EULA is a contract, and as any other contract can have points which are not binding (i.e. the paragraph against reverse engineering in many EULAs is not valid in several countries which have laws that explicitly allow reverse engineering).

And yes, absolutely, its my choice to play this game - or not. And I choose not to.

...Disney is not family-friendly. They simply wrap themselves in programing that seems geared more towards children. But a lot of their movies, shows, et cetera, have been very...non-child. I mean, PoTC, for one...many people took their children to the first movie, thinking "It's Disney, it will be fine." And then, the skeletons came about. Now, I'd think most could handle dead folks, but I've heard from more than a few people that the younger crowd was a bit taken aback by the scene.

That, and it is not like Disney is teaching children any morals or anything. A lot of mindless fluff, that lacks a message or real content. Clean fluff is no better for a child than foul language and violence, and the like. Also, their movies have always had a subtext for an older crowd, something to pass just over the heads of the young, and get a chuckle from the old. So, really, a ban for private chat that passed unreported by either party is just...wrong. Use filters, and moniter reports, not -every- single word passed between two people.