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I remember being obsessed with Runescape 10 years ago! I can remember pretty peculiar stuff from the game, now from my perspective as a programmer. I remember

I remember being obsessed with Runescape 10 years ago! I can remember pretty peculiar stuff from the game, now from my perspective as a programmer. I remember that the anti-swearing algorithms detected bad words in a lot of ways, but those ways were so much that you would get your normal conversations sensored (oh man, I hated those asterisks so much). You would always find a way to say the bad word anyway... I guess that with today's advances in machine learning those ambiguities could be removed in a better way. Love the 'null' story by the way.

carlio 10y ago
Yeah the 'bad words' thing was hard, it's your classic Scunthorpe problem. Since the game was mainly targeted at people 12 years old and up, it was important to get right. However no matter how good the filter got, people would find creative ways to get around it, including a short period where players started using lots of fires and arranging them to spell out swear words.
- x1798DE 10y ago
  > Since the game was mainly targeted at people 12 years old and up, it was important to get right Let's be honest, this is not important. Even if 12 year olds didn't constantly see/hear/use "bad words", there are really no ill effects of lack of censorship in that way.
  - BillinghamJ 10y ago
    It's important for the subscription revenue - which comes from their parents.
    - carlio 10y ago
      Exactly, this wasn't puritanical zeal from Jagex but a realistic decision based on the fact that parents are the ones who control the credit cards.
      - x1798DE 10y ago
        Then it's even less important to get "right", since the consumers who actually see the results don't care if they accidentally see swear words, and almost any token effort at censorship (a "parental control" option mode, for example) will probably be satisfactory. You might lose some subscribers from extremely zealous parents who bother to read logs and see some stuff "accidentally" get through because the filter is too permissive, but I imagine the vast majority will give you the benefit of the doubt.
        nl 10y ago
        Are you a parent? Speaking as one, it doesn't work like that. One parent sees a dick pic/swearing in a game, they ban the game, tell all their friends and then someone puts it in a school FB group, which is then shared around the country. (Yes, Runescape was before much of this. That just made it slower, but the same process happens)
        derefr 10y ago
        The best thing here, I think, would be to create an informational pamphlet kids could print out and give to their parents, showing examples of dick pics and swearing in literally every game imaginable, with the message of "this is just what 12-year-olds do to other 12-year-olds when given microphones and the ability to upload pictures; there is no way to stop this. Even if you ban them from games altogether, other 12-year-olds are just going to swear and draw graffiti dicks in places your child can see at school. Just give up already."

carlio 10y ago

Yeah the 'bad words' thing was hard, it's your classic Scunthorpe problem. Since the game was mainly targeted at people 12 years old and up, it was important to get right. However no matter how good the filter got, people would find creative ways to get around it, including a short period where players started using lots of fires and arranging them to spell out swear words.

x1798DE 10y ago
> Since the game was mainly targeted at people 12 years old and up, it was important to get right Let's be honest, this is not important. Even if 12 year olds didn't constantly see/hear/use "bad words", there are really no ill effects of lack of censorship in that way.
- BillinghamJ 10y ago
  It's important for the subscription revenue - which comes from their parents.
  - carlio 10y ago
    Exactly, this wasn't puritanical zeal from Jagex but a realistic decision based on the fact that parents are the ones who control the credit cards.
    - x1798DE 10y ago
      Then it's even less important to get "right", since the consumers who actually see the results don't care if they accidentally see swear words, and almost any token effort at censorship (a "parental control" option mode, for example) will probably be satisfactory. You might lose some subscribers from extremely zealous parents who bother to read logs and see some stuff "accidentally" get through because the filter is too permissive, but I imagine the vast majority will give you the benefit of the doubt.
      - nl 10y ago
        Are you a parent? Speaking as one, it doesn't work like that. One parent sees a dick pic/swearing in a game, they ban the game, tell all their friends and then someone puts it in a school FB group, which is then shared around the country. (Yes, Runescape was before much of this. That just made it slower, but the same process happens)
        derefr 10y ago
        The best thing here, I think, would be to create an informational pamphlet kids could print out and give to their parents, showing examples of dick pics and swearing in literally every game imaginable, with the message of "this is just what 12-year-olds do to other 12-year-olds when given microphones and the ability to upload pictures; there is no way to stop this. Even if you ban them from games altogether, other 12-year-olds are just going to swear and draw graffiti dicks in places your child can see at school. Just give up already."