Thoughts on client-side chat filter?

[Madmod]

Considering Dota is a game with many players, and sometimes children at very low age is playing the game, and some people cant stay constructive or even remotely friendly in some situations in games, what are your thoughts on client-side chat filter? I'm not saying remove the words, i'm saying have some words changed into more innocent and less offensive meaning. For example, if I call someone "d**kshit", it would maybe simply say "fertilizer" on the client side.


One more thing: I know there's a mute function, both for texts and voice, and yes, it's possible to have the habbit of "allways muting all people", even before anyone have said anything. But that's a really bad case, and not really practical, given dota's need for teamwork and complexity, communication is really important. So, in addtion to having the option to mute people, i suggest a chat filter.


From a programming perspective, it's super easy to make, and shouldnt take a developer more than a couple of hours to make it (assuming it is only client sided).


What are your thoughts on this?

Ps. I'm not saying this for me, i'm saying it for all those kids out there who probably have horrible experiences online in this game.

Edit: regarding concerns about "freedom of speech" - You have a right to say whatever you want. You dont have a right to be heard, people dont want to hear your insults, and should be able to put on a filter if they want to.

[Duchess Minty]

"it's not for me, think of teh childrunz!!!!!11!!"


That's not a reason for even client side censoring when as you even pointed out, there is a mute function. Don't like someone swearing? Mute them, don't make an appeal to emotion using hypothetical kids.

[Madmod]

@Lady Mint , how many 12- year olds do you believe frequent the Dota Steam Forum, as players of the game? I would love to hear your opinion on that.

You're missing the point I tried to make in the OP: Muting is retroactive, it's a reaction. The insult/damage would allready be done. What are your opinion on the chat filter ?

[Ais Wallenstein]

You have answered your own question.

[Madmod]

Why are you against the chat filter? I dont see any arguments at all.

[Ais Wallenstein]

Originally posted by Madmod:

Why are you against the chat filter? I dont see any arguments at all.

Ok. Let me explain it to you.

Your question : Thoughts on client-side chat filter

Your answer :

Originally posted by Madmod:

For example, if I call someone "d**kshit"

Don't get it? Alright. All you need to do is bypass the filter. Problem solved.

So your idea is useless.

That's why i said this :

Originally posted by Ais Wallenstein:

You have answered your own question.

[Madmod]

It's very easy to compare words with a list of insults. Sure, you can D0 LlkE Thlz, but modern Ai developement can easely be trained to make a list of creative words of a insults, and similar words, such that even the most creative way to write Dlckzhit is covered.

Any other concerns, or does this satisfy your concern about "bypassing the filter" ?

[Madmod]

@Gimpy. This is a game, a private company (Valve) running online servers across the world where players in all ages play the game. If you cant respect rules the game sets for you, maybe the game isn't for you? There's plenty of freedom of speech on the internet - if you want to discuss political or religious concepts, sure, go ahead. But I've never seen anyone do that in game. On the contrary, i see people yell : "I WANNA INSULT. DONT RESTRAIN MY RIGHT TO INSULT PEOPLE, I HAVE FREEDOM OF SPEECH". But it's a game man. It's not an arena to compare virtual ♥♥♥♥ sizes, support left or right wing politicians or talk about communism. It's about having fun. And some people cant manage to be nice to people, and the ones that want to have fun, particulary kids, should be shielded from the nasty side of other people in a online game. .

Also, Valve is by no means required to follow "freedom of speech" in their product. They set the rules and framework for what people can do in their game, and if you call that an infringement of your "freedom of speech", I think you will find other, and more suited places on the internet, where you can speak your mind freeely.

[joj0.st4r]

why do you think children need protection from swearing?
they are on the internet and probably the moment mom and dad are not watching what they do
they watch porn on whatever site they can find it on
swear all they want and do all the other fun things u do when ur young

have u ever been 7 ?
have u forgotten what u did when u were 12?

[Yeti.^^]

Originally posted by joj0.st4r:

why do you think children need protection from swearing?
they are on the internet and probably the moment mom and dad are not watching what they do
they watch porn on whatever site they can find it on
swear all they want and do all the other fun things u do when ur young

have u ever been 7 ?
have u forgotten what u did when u were 12?

I really don't want to remind myself of what i did when i was that age.Obnoxious lil' bugger.
Your filter will do absolutely nothing since there's a whole internet for them to explore , and trust me.If they want to , they will.

[Girlgamer87]

Seems like the people who need to be filtered are not keen on the idea.

[Zagryzaec]

It is absolutely impossible to implement against living unwishing people unless full muting them.
They will always find a way around any filter.
Like "Fиск" (sorry for practical example)

[Kiappa Kiss 😘]

Once you have a profanity filter in place then the sensitive player becomes responsible for keeping it on, and the trash-talker becomes entitled to talk all the trash he wants because, well, you don't want to hear it? Your fault for playing without filter.

I believe that the current mute and report system works wonders the way it is. As someone has already stated, DotA is meant for a mature audience. I know of no other game that manages to deliver the good, the bad and the ugly the way DotA does.

Alleged 12 year olds have totally no shortage of games that better cater to them.

Also, but this is a tiny detail just to top it off, a filter can work wonders with one language, but when you mix languages it's a wild guess who means what.

[Madmod]

@Zagryzaed, did you read what I wrote earlier? It's fully possible to use AI to counter those methods. Also, I do think a client filter should be toogle-able, like a setting in the menu (with default beeing ON).

[Ais Wallenstein]

Originally posted by Madmod:

but modern Ai developement can easely be trained to make a list of creative words of a insults,

Why they should create an AI just to censor those words?

[MxHabit]

I never thought I would see such vehement arguments against a simple thing like a chat filter, but the internet never ceases to amaze me XD

I would like to first say that I don't think the default of a chat filter option should be 'on', but I do think the option should be there.Honestly chat filters are the norm, and I have seen streamers playing DotA 2 who would dearly love to filter out most of the profanity and racial slurs a degenerate few seem to feel is ok to sling around.

Questions of 'freedom of speech' don't even come into it. You can swear all you like, but you don't know if your words are being filtered out for those who would rather not hear it. Get your anger out by swearing, raging, whatever. But don't bring up the freedom of speech argument when what you're saying is 'I want people to read my swear words'. There are real issues of freedom of speech in the world, don't be an ass.

If you're scared your precious message that you have chosen to express in profanity and racial slurs is going unheard, find a new way to express yourself. If you don't care enough or don't believe in your message of '♥♥♥♥ your mother noob', or whatever, to find new and more palatable ways to convey your message, then don't bother saying it in the first time.

My last point is this: If you want to swear, fine. If you want to see people swearing, fine. But you must understand that there are other people out there, some of whom would rather not. What is wrong with giving them that option?