The User Agreement

User agreement

This is going to be a very touchy subject I was strolling through the Square Enix Terms of Service and seems some things has changed from FFXI to FFXIV for the better, but still unbearable on one of their zero tolerance Profanity/Offensive language. Square Enix really needs to loosen up on the communications in the rule "3.3". Everyone swears in the game including Japanese players that many often aren't even filtered out (say NA/UK filter settings) that I've noticed on many conversation chats. And believe me, we got Japanese players who are bilingual in the linkshell that notices swear words clearly unfiltered of the eyes of English reading players.

Aside from Square Enix seeing a different perspective of freedom of speech, we know that all games online interaction will always have a swear and it's 2010. Who's going to not swear at a moment when one slips up or a conversation that was meant for a linkshell chat end up being said in open communication? It's ridiculous. They need to understand that words are just words.

Filter box is there for a reason & black list is emphasized is another beauty at the tips of our finger. Spamming is one thing, but profanity and other is another thing.

What really ticked me off the most was this statement in their Final Fantasy XIV Service Account:

SQUARE ENIX MAY SUSPEND, TERMINATE, MODIFY, OR DELETE FINAL FANTASY XIV SERVICE ACCOUNTS, CHARACTERS, VIRTUAL GOODS, OR THE SERVICE ALTOGETHER, AT ANY TIME FOR ANY REASON OR FOR NO REASON, WITH OR WITHOUT NOTICE OR LIABILITY TO YOU.

Square Enix is really going to lose their validity if they can't be realistic what conversations are to be bared. Even though their statement says the game is for ages 13 and up, but even so 9/10 of those ages are likely to violate that rule.

In short, profanity is universalism (hope this is the right word) no matter how you look at it. They are meant to express the emotion in those words rather than the person to express them physically. Racial comments is one thing argued not to be used in game but profanity restricted is childish under the eyes of Square Enix.

I gave Square Enix a piece of my mind from one of my essay papers used in psychology on words and physical emotion used in school. Hopefully it will sway them into taking into consideration that the rule is redundant, unethical, & and most likely unrealistic in the gaming industry. Unfortunately, I wouldn't be surprised my letter to them would end up in their registry spam fold on their "feed back" system.

Yes, Square Enix can do what they please but cultural realism is something they lack. I hope many of you open your eyes on this heavily empathized issue.

I really doubt you have much to worry about.. Just don't cuss like a sailor in /sh or get 'verbally' (textually? lol) abusive towards someone and all should be good.

Pretty sure that was in XI aswell.

It's just legal BS so you can't sue them when you get banned.

I wouldn't say suing would be result from this based on the rule being unethical, but most likely this will be argued heavily sooner or later. While the readable English language is filtering out some terms in their filter, the Japanese language however are not which will make others frown that this rule seems a little mysterious.

One thing comes to mind critically is either racial motive or a favorable rule content in different regions of the rule. Are there any players here whom are Japanese or EU probably can shed some light on this information of their Terms of Service or are the rules applied to everyone?

You will never get suspended for couple of curse words, I don't really see the issue. No one care about the policy, including SE. First, if you do not get reported, you do not get suspended, plain and simple.

Second, if, as stated above, you don't go /shouting in crowded places, then nothing will happen. At worse you will get a warning if you insult someone badly. Racism in another story however.

It was, and very few people received bans/suspensions for merely cussing. With the exception of racism(which is "Harassment" and covered by another section, iirc) most "cussing" won't get you banned.

Most cases result in "We apologize for the inconvenience and will look into this issue." This is usually followed by instructions on the Black List function.


That aside:


Don't know much about the 1st Amendment, do you? Here, let me help:




I think the rest is pretty much just nit-picky bitching. Words are words, though, and I really don't care, but don't make the choice to go into someone's house and tell them how to live.(Bad analogy is bad)


Hell, I'm surprised you're not bitching about 3.5 instead:

does that mean we can get anyone named Naruto/cloud/sephiroth/so on banned? that would be wonderful

It takes a consious effort in typing you cant have a "slip of he lip" when you type something. you know what your typing when you do it. you can still express yourself with differetn words. when you get asked for a party how does it get started. "hello" or "excuse me". And when you accept it its "yes, please" or "no thank you" it's alittle bit of respceting the other person playin the game. Whats so wrong with them trying to have ppl respcet each other?
I know I'd nvr join a party if i was asked " hey a**hole come to crawler's nest so i can leave this party". the only ppl that would have a problem with this is the ppl scared that they gonna get suspened or kicked from the game from trying to belittle someone by useing foul launage at them.

if u think that foul language is only used when belittling others u are not that smart

id say i swear casually in partys and linkshells

so if i were to just say something in a party and then get banned id be pretty pissed

if i were the GM i'd probly ban the person calling them tho, they have the option to block out the swears so why not use it, it shouldnt be a bannable offense at all

It says age 12 on my copy.

1) If you use foul language at someone yes your useing it to belittle there a dfiffence bewteen "thats f@@ked up" and "you f@@king noob"
do you see the difference? i didnt say all foul laungage was to belittle i said "useing it AT them".

2) you say you use it in casual pty's if it became a problem id ask you to refrain from useing it and if you couldnt find other words to express youself then i'd say your intelligence is whats in question.

3) you say you would ban the one calling about the violation you got blist just use it how about just some common courtsey and not use it if someone is that bothered by it. yes it only words but there are alot of words that dont get used cause they bother someone.

4) its just respecting the person your playing with not a huge deal

not the blist the foul language filter

Tousou of Ramuh, while under your eyes my post topic may seem "bitching" but much of it is very monotone argument. Respect comes and goes in various ways; it is earned, it is shared as a proper simplification of being courteous, & a norm. Swearing, can be an implication of being it as a norm as well. This exists in many parts of the world as a normal basis, which wouldn't be surprising to notice a youngster swearing off regularly in a sentence NOT directed at anyone.

In fact, there are some youtube videos that entertain me out of point of interest some words not even profanity are accountable being a violation of sorts. Let's take "douche" for a reason. It's not filtered yet still accountable for violating the terms of service. It's a double meaning just like Co-- (rooster).

Point is, the game is public. It is online interaction with worldly players. The Terms of Service has so many loop holes one can often get away from initiating a problem and the victim can fall into the hands of a Gamemaster for a penalty. Gamemasters are most likely to favor the rule who violated it than the person who started it. If a Japanese player can get away with swearing, then why can't English players can't?

As for the name rule, well I didn't want to get into that. The safe way to go was not use anything related or owned from Square Enix.

Your logic is flawed. If you pay money to access, then it's not
public. Try going to and amusement park or a movie theater and walk in without paying and see how public those are. Even beyond that. even if this was a F2P game. the game is hosted on a privately owned sever. A server that isn't located with in the scope of the united states. Your tax dollars do not support this game. So where does your first amendment rights come in to play here. No damn where. This doesn't even have to be a JP thing or a SE thing. You are playing in a world that is created by a private company. THEY are the Alpha and Omega.
Your rights don't mean dingish in there domain. Get Use to it.
It's a game, get over it.

ok, he's wrong, that goes without saying, as heitheim pointed out

but it's also hilarious how he's throwing the biggest words he knows in there to try to buttress his argument

and how he is failing miserably at using them correctly

What's hilarious is you go out of your way to point out what other people type. Thank you for letting people know since they're capable of reading. I highly recomend you working at a fast food location wearing an animal costume with a giant bill board standing right out the side walk. Just another person with no supportive or logical replier to defend his or her argument.


Consumers>Company. You missed completly what I typed above about besides freedom of speech. I'm very sory you're a liablity chained "customer" to Square Enix, but having a robotic like Terms of Service behavior is just getting to the point of being out of the norm than making this an enjoyable public MMORPG game.

Their game is exposed to the public, their game is going to have swears, and their game is going to turn the other way for JP players to swear at their comfortable leisure when other English speaking players get panalized, that's just not ethically fair.

If you can't support an arguement, don't boot lick Square Enix.

Alright! Since it seems you are not able to see your errors I will point every single one of them out. This may take 2 or 3 post.


I underlined the flaw in your argument in this statement. To simply this for you since you don't seem to understand your own argument. Your complaint is that JP players can swear in open chat and your NA client doesn't filter out the chicken scratch that is the Japanese language.
WHO CARES? Obviously only you do. If you can find me atleast 2 MMO's that have multi-language. Supports Both English and Japaneses or another Asian pictographic type language, and the English client filters out words deemed offensive typed in Said Asian language, then you have an argument.
It is not SE censoring you because they don't like us smelly Americans, or whatever other reasoning you can come up with. SE or any other game software company that makes multi-language, Multi-national games release these games in multiple clients. these clients are the result of a process called "LOCALIZATION". This means that your Client is going to be set-up to the standards and the moralities of your region. Since your region is not a Japanesse speaking region. your client is not going to be loaded to support most features in that language. SUCH AS A CHAT FILTER.


I could just refer this back to my earlier post, this is SE's game. they can do whatever they want. There is no such thing as freedom of speech. Beside the fact that your high school government teacher fail to explain what the First Amendment is to you. Your argument that it's 2010 is not excuse for bad manors. Swearing is in bad taste. Your argument is solely based on your believe that one language is able to do it and your not.
the game masters in XI have never been on the hunt for people swearing in the game. If you slip up and drop a f bomb in open chat nothing is going to happen to you. The only way a game master would ever know you said anything is if somebody reported you. It is completely possible that somebody would pull a *** move like that. but the chances of that happening is slim. that is unless your just the type of person that seems to piss off the player base, and give them ammo like that would be a god send to them. For the most part if you where ever reported a game master would just give you a slap on the wrist and send you on your way.


Obviously you have never read a terms of service agreement before. every company's says about the same thing. for example here is blizzards for world of warcraft.

It doesn't even have to be a game. here's Alltel's

It was.

So now we are back full circle to where I started. so Let's now pick apart to last little gems of "logic" you have stated.


So your come back at me is the fact that you do not know what
"LIABILITY" means. So you have to categorize the TOS (terms of service) as robotic. I like how you try to put on a show like you know what you are talking about by saying you feel sorry for me.
I also would like to point out, SE has never set out to make this game a "enjoyable public MMORPG game". Maybe one day you will grow up and finally realize just because you can freely pay for a "Service" does not make it public.



Their product is exposed to a group of people willing to pay for a service. While using this service, persons with Subscriptions can freely do whatever they want within the terms of this service.
the portion of these terms you have a problem with.



Now this is where I will drive this whole thing home. Pay attention now. Your whole argument is You Can't be a jackass and
swear to your hearts content and Japaneses players can swear all they want in Japaneses and your English client doesn't put **** in the text that 99.8% of the people that have the English client didn't even understand. The reason JP players don't get banned is nobody reports them. It's not some conspiracy to oppress your non-existent freedom of speech. Life is not fair, get use to it.



Maybe you should have supported your argument before trying to insinuating that I'm "Boot licking" A company. I supported my argument with your "boot licking". just because it was above your understanding doesn't detrack from the truth of it all..

GROW THE HELL UP! You are pissy because it's against the rules to swear in a Game.

Urial get out of the middle of my rant! lol :)