Now that Tesco lets you scan your own shopping and you can pay for petrol at the pump, there's really no need to 'talk' to anyone anymore. SPOnG staff can now feed theirselves and drive to the cinema (alone - at which we pick up pre-paid tickets from a machine) without ever having to speak to a single person in that awkward way we have. Especially when it's 'a girl'.
However, we have found it surprisingly easy to speak to people over Xbox Live. We only say things like "please stop it, that's not very nice," and "I know you won. But I'm not black and my parents were married." to the various pubescent racists from all corners of the globe who congregate over Microsoft's on-line gaming service.
The bad news is that this futuristic redneck tin-can-and-wire-set-up is going to be down between 0700 and 1100 GMT on June 27.
We would urge Microsoft to spend some time in the near future putting in a more stringent level of moderation aimed at ridding the endemic racism on Live that is an embarassment to the entire games industry .
However, we have found it surprisingly easy to speak to people over Xbox Live. We only say things like "please stop it, that's not very nice," and "I know you won. But I'm not black and my parents were married." to the various pubescent racists from all corners of the globe who congregate over Microsoft's on-line gaming service.
The bad news is that this futuristic redneck tin-can-and-wire-set-up is going to be down between 0700 and 1100 GMT on June 27.
We would urge Microsoft to spend some time in the near future putting in a more stringent level of moderation aimed at ridding the endemic racism on Live that is an embarassment to the entire games industry .
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Comments
hollywooda 27 Jun 2006 10:52
1/7
Come on Spong, dont lower yourself!?, dont slate Xbox live because of a few racsit t**ts!
Bitterman 27 Jun 2006 12:20
2/7
Leave feedback. It's completely impossible for Microsoft to "moderate" this - what are they going to do, listen in to everyone's conversations? There's what, a million people online, they're going to have a million people listening are they? - so just use the feedback system to lower the person's rating and make sure you never get matched in a game with them again.
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tyrion 27 Jun 2006 12:33
3/7
hollywooda wrote:
Come on Spong, dont lower yourself!?, dont slate Xbox live because of a few racsit t**ts!
Like unscrupulous lawyers, a minority of racist t**ts on Live are giving the other 5% a bad name.
Joke! It's a joke!
SPInGSPOnG 27 Jun 2006 12:44
4/7
Bitterman wrote:
Leave feedback. It's completely impossible for Microsoft to "moderate" this - what are they going to do, listen in to everyone's conversations?
Governments with less money and greater populations than Microsoft do exactly that.
There's what, a million people online, they're going to have a million people listening are they?
There isn't a million people on-line at any one time. Nowhere near. There are fewer than 3,000,000 signed, some of those with trial accounts. If we consider regional time differences, it would require everyone in a given region to be on-line simultaneously to get 1,000,000 on-line. Only if XBox owners don't have lives would this be possible, your call!
Micrsoft doesn't have to listen in. They just use voice-rec to flag users prone to racism, then listen in and fine/kick/ban them or whatever.
Technically, it's possible, if they wanted to do it. That they don't want to warrants criticism.
PreciousRoi 27 Jun 2006 15:41
5/7
Rod Todd wrote:
Bitterman wrote:
Leave feedback. It's completely impossible for Microsoft to "moderate" this - what are they going to do, listen in to everyone's conversations?
Governments with less money and greater populations than Microsoft do exactly that.
Twit, OK so its not impossible, just expensive, intrusive, unnecessary, and stupid...not to mention that theres already a mechanism in place to deal with this issue.
If you are on LIVE! and object to what you deem to be inappropriate behavior, then fail to leave feedback then you are as demonstrably negligent as someone in a democracy who doesn't vote. I am curious as to how much feedback the author of this article left in his adventures...
I would much prefer the current state of affairs rather than see an increase in cost. Regulating the content of voice traffic on LIVE! independent of feedback is a ludicrous proposition, though if Nintendo wanted to try it on their online sevice more power to them. If I had a child, and were concerned about this issue, I might not let my child play on LIVE!. Assume LIVE! is rated M for Mature and go from there.
Then theres the whole donnybrook of what is inappropriate. I'm not very PC myself and wouldn't care to get a warning or banning for an innocent comment like "What the (appropriate inappropriate expletive) was that for you poxy (inappropriate expletive denoting illegitimate birth)?" after someone team killed me for example. I am also quite capable of hearing any number of things other people might find offensive without serious damage to my psyche or feeling my civil rights infringed. I would humbly suggest that others develop similar skills.
I would also note that the actual racism involved is several orders of magnituide below what is apparent. The most popular racist epithet the "n-bomb" has become severely devalued as a currency of hatred. Of the myriad usages and shadings of meaning of the "n-bomb" most of those popular in current usage do not qualify in my book as racism, per se. Now I'm not going to say that there aren't classicly racist individuals using LIVE! to vent their feelings, just fewer than you imagine.
Rod Todd wrote:
Micrsoft doesn't have to listen in. They just use voice-rec to flag users prone to racism, then listen in and fine/kick/ban them or whatever.
Technically, it's possible, if they wanted to do it. That they don't want to warrants criticism.
Technically, it's possible, if they wanted to do it. That they don't want to warrants criticism.
I rather think MS actually doing something like this is a good deal more frightening than some prepubescent racists.
thane_jaw 27 Jun 2006 21:04
6/7
Meh. I'd prefer that there was a two-tiered system, under 21s get to play with each other and over 21's get the option of playing with more mature gamers or with the general population.
Of course I imagine this could concievably already be set up within the existing parental controls (which would get into all sorts of difficulties because all parents would need to be involved in setting up and maintaining LIVE! accounts - a prospect which seems rather unlikely) however the segregation of the gaming population would probably have such a detrimental affect on actually setting up and playing any given game (aside from Halo 2, which although has a sizable online community, to understate it, is unable to take advantage of existing 360 LIVE! functions) to be rendered useless.
In part wasn't this meant to be addressed in some way with the gamer zone? You were more likely to be placed in a game with someone with a corresponding gamer zone was the impression I got. Instead, for reasons probably connected to the relatively small online game sizes, I find that I'm consistently playing with members of the "Underground" - where anything goes - when I'd much rather be playing with all the people looking to relax, e.g. the drunks and drug addicts in the recreation zone.
Anyway, consistently being badgered by abusive tweens (who go as far to send me a friend's request post game with a voice attachment insulting me for being a "dirty limey") has rather put me off LIVE! to the extent that I'll only play with strangers occasionally and will generally pre-arrange games amongst my "real life" friends.
Just because something is a particularily hard topic to police does not excuse the lack of policing. I believe MS has attempted to create a system with merit, but there needs to be more of that "community spirit" that Peter Moore and Major Nelson are always banging on about before the self policing becomes worthwhile. And lets face it, unless you're a new 360 gamertag everyone has a 5 star rating for Reputation so filtering on that front alone is worthless. Its a tricky thing to deal with, but it ultimately requires more time and effort on behalf of people like me to deal with these problems. Until we see results (a name and shame of gamertags who have been banned website would be great motivation, but could attract a bad media reaction) its hard to get enthusiastic about it.
In short less of the bullshit "community lanuage" questionaires and more of the big f**k off "we're going to cancel your account and tell your parents you're a racist homophobic little s**t" stick.
Of course I imagine this could concievably already be set up within the existing parental controls (which would get into all sorts of difficulties because all parents would need to be involved in setting up and maintaining LIVE! accounts - a prospect which seems rather unlikely) however the segregation of the gaming population would probably have such a detrimental affect on actually setting up and playing any given game (aside from Halo 2, which although has a sizable online community, to understate it, is unable to take advantage of existing 360 LIVE! functions) to be rendered useless.
In part wasn't this meant to be addressed in some way with the gamer zone? You were more likely to be placed in a game with someone with a corresponding gamer zone was the impression I got. Instead, for reasons probably connected to the relatively small online game sizes, I find that I'm consistently playing with members of the "Underground" - where anything goes - when I'd much rather be playing with all the people looking to relax, e.g. the drunks and drug addicts in the recreation zone.
Anyway, consistently being badgered by abusive tweens (who go as far to send me a friend's request post game with a voice attachment insulting me for being a "dirty limey") has rather put me off LIVE! to the extent that I'll only play with strangers occasionally and will generally pre-arrange games amongst my "real life" friends.
Just because something is a particularily hard topic to police does not excuse the lack of policing. I believe MS has attempted to create a system with merit, but there needs to be more of that "community spirit" that Peter Moore and Major Nelson are always banging on about before the self policing becomes worthwhile. And lets face it, unless you're a new 360 gamertag everyone has a 5 star rating for Reputation so filtering on that front alone is worthless. Its a tricky thing to deal with, but it ultimately requires more time and effort on behalf of people like me to deal with these problems. Until we see results (a name and shame of gamertags who have been banned website would be great motivation, but could attract a bad media reaction) its hard to get enthusiastic about it.
In short less of the bullshit "community lanuage" questionaires and more of the big f**k off "we're going to cancel your account and tell your parents you're a racist homophobic little s**t" stick.
SPInGSPOnG 27 Jun 2006 21:52
7/7
thane_jaw wrote:
In short less of the bullshit "community lanuage" questionaires and more of the big f**k off "we're going to cancel your account and tell your parents you're a racist homophobic little s**t" stick.
A-men to that. I say, when tackling this problem, there needs to be a "carrot and stick" approach.
First you beat them with the stick, and then you shove the carrot up their asses!