darkSpyro

Like on Wizard 101, they have a dictionary for all words that we can type. So then, we won't all feel so closed in!

Just saying, since I think it's a good idea to have a chat dictionary that the engine can use so you can say certain things and such.

Not gonna happen... sorry but it just won't.

I know why you want it and I would like a more relaxed chat system myself but the game is for kids as young as 7 and I know for a fact kids younger than that play the console version (so presumably also the online game). You'd be suprised how people can misuse even the most innocent of words/phrases to create something horrible you wouldn't want your child/little sibling/etc. to read.

I can see them adding more phrases to use but at the end of the day it isn't safe in a game where people can contact each other privately to have any kind of system that might allow misuse.

Quote: Deandria

Not gonna happen... sorry but it just won't.

I know why you want it and I would like a more relaxed chat system myself but the game is for kids as young as 7 and I know for a fact kids younger than that play the console version (so presumably also the online game). You'd be suprised how people can misuse even the most innocent of words/phrases to create something horrible you wouldn't want your child/little sibling/etc. to read.

I can see them adding more phrases to use but at the end of the day it isn't safe in a game where people can contact each other privately to have any kind of system that might allow misuse.

Exactly, but again, dictionary.

hurpdurp

You need to realise that not just 7 year olds and under play this.

Quote: spyrathedragon

Exactly, but again, dictionary.

hurpdurp

You need to realise that not just 7 year olds and under play this.

1) A dictionary of innocent words can be arranged in such a way to make innapropriate comments. As I said in my earlier post.
2) I know over 7 year olds play this game, I never said they didn't but just because they do doesn't mean we should cater for the older users and ignore the safety of kids. As I implied in my earlier post.

How is anything I said hurpdurpish?

See the problem is that Skylanders has a very large base of players. Not to say Wizard 101 doesn't, but I have to imagine that they have one that's larger. Factor that in with our friendly neighborhood children lovers and you've got yourself a recipe for solicitation.

Of course, that's just being on the safe side. With preset chat things, you don't have to worry about what people say because you already know. And there's not really much of anything else to say in the game besides what's already preset there; if it was a much bigger MMORPG, then yeah, we'd totally need a chat system.

For fun, take a look at some of the Trainer cards people have worked around in Pokemon Black and White. Some of the things that you can still have on there are downright frightening.

^This.

And the fact that imagine just 1 single child gets groomed in SSU somehow (people can be very creative, they could find a way) Activition/Toys for Bob/Frima Studio(the people who made SSU) and to a lesser extent all the console manufacturers will suddenly get a reputation, thousands (hundreds of thousands maybe) of parents will suddenly ban their children from playing, they lose customers and profit, and potentially the whole franchise could collapse. Okay it's a worst case scenario but big corperations are constantly fearful of legal action and any kind of incident that could damage their reputation so they would be very unlikely to relax their chat system enough to allow anything much more than they have now.

That said, I would LOVE to be able to tell all those pillar campers that you can't get any money out of them unless you destroy an elemental block (the present doesn't count).

Edit: After remembering about the news article mentioned in This article (original news article and video have since been removed, warning the comments at the bottom of this article contain bad language) I have to point out that it is very important that games companies are perceived to be doing as much as possible to prevent the endangerment of children even when said endangerment is near-to-impossible. Imagined danger is just as serious in the online-games-for-kids business.

That's why, like on Wizard 101, they can make it so certain arranged words aren't able to be said.

simple

Quote: spyrathedragon

That's why, like on Wizard 101, they can make it so certain arranged words aren't able to be said.

simple

You can't stop everything and that is the point, I know games with very strict chat systems where you can bypass it by posting a letter/word per chat post... you can't make these things foolproof... however this isn't the full point.

It's perceived danger that counts regardless of the real danger, if a company is considered to not be doing enough to protect children (even if they are) it damages their reputation and therefore sales, money being the bottom line to most (if not all) games manufacturers they will scrifice the playability and freedom of speech in order to maximize safety and their reputation.

A more flexible chat system would be nice, and in an ideal world we shouldn't need to be restricted in such a way but while there are dangerous people or even the idea of dangerous people it is in a company's best interest to be seen to have the 'safest' system possible.

Heck if they just allowed us to talk to about our Skylander's level we could (in a roundabout way) exchange ages and/or phone numbers. It's hard and not everyone will understand meaning but if the wrong people see it could be serious.

Example conversation:

Stranger Danger: Be my friend.
Stranger Danger: Talk to me.
Stranger Danger: My Skylander is level 5.
Stranger Danger: My Skylander is level 5.
Stranger Danger: My Skylander is level 5.
Stranger Danger: !
Stranger Danger: My Skylander is level 1.
Stranger Danger: My Skylander is level 2.
Stranger Danger: My Skylander is level 3.
Stranger Danger: My Skylander is level 4.

If 1 in 1,000 children (and by that I include anyone who is a minor and in danger of being 'groomed' therefore anyone 17 or under) could recognise that as a phone number BANG child is now in unrestricted communication with a dangerous person. If just one of them gets hurt/abducted/abused then suddenly there is media outrage and parents campaigning to have the game banned, someone gets sued for a lot of money and the companies involved are damaged to the extent they close the game down.

I don't like it any more than you but you would be amazed at the ingenuity of people.

They should let you use any word. If a kid actually tells someone there address that means they are just an idiot.

yeah but like deandria said they won't do it because they want an impenetrable security so they will not get sued if an accident arrive

Quote: nitendofan92

yeah but like deandria said they won't do it because they want an impenetrable security so they will not get sued if an accident arrive

They will never get sued. It was the child's fault if he/she is an idiot.

Quote: Rays

They will never get sued. It was the child's fault if he/she is an idiot.

You'd be surprised what people will sue over.

Well, go talk to the developers of Wizard 101 then, don't complain to me. I don't want to hear it. All I wanted was a yes or no, not an argument.

again:
complain to wizard 101 developers not me

Quote: spyroflame0487

Quote: Rays

They will never get sued. It was the child's fault if he/she is an idiot.

You'd be surprised what people will sue over.

^This... many times this...

Besides, (to spyroflame0487) if a child of 7 gets molested it's not their fault. 7 year olds are dumb and naive... it's not their fault they just are. If you had a kid/little brother or sister/neice/nephew who was molested and/or killed would you blame them? Of course not.... geeze...

Quote: spyrathedragon

Well, go talk to the developers of Wizard 101 then, don't complain to me. I don't want to hear it. All I wanted was a yes or no, not an argument.

again:
complain to wizard 101 developers not me

I'm not complaining, why would I complain about a game I've never heard of and no one I know plays? Heck, I'm happy playing games with little to no chat control but then I'm an adult and experience has taught me how to look after myself. I'm not saying it's wrong to do it like Wizard 101 do, in fact it's better I'm sure but it's not my opinion that I'm talking about it's the rediculous "sue everyone" culture combined with the fact that very bad people exist and the fact that some parents are paranoid and see danger where there is little to none... Frima Studio (who made SSU) are just covering themselves as best they can and if you think that's bad then blame the culture we live in that has meant that people and companies are in constant fear of being sued.

Quote: Deandria

Quote: spyroflame0487

Quote: Rays

They will never get sued. It was the child's fault if he/she is an idiot.

You'd be surprised what people will sue over.

^This... many times this...

Besides, (to spyroflame0487) if a child of 7 gets molested it's not their fault. 7 year olds are dumb and naive... it's not their fault they just are. If you had a kid/little brother or sister/neice/nephew who was molested and/or killed would you blame them? Of course not.... geeze...

Quote: spyrathedragon

Well, go talk to the developers of Wizard 101 then, don't complain to me. I don't want to hear it. All I wanted was a yes or no, not an argument.

again:
complain to wizard 101 developers not me

I'm not complaining, why would I complain about a game I've never heard of and no one I know plays? Heck, I'm happy playing games with little to no chat control but then I'm an adult and experience has taught me how to look after myself. I'm not saying it's wrong to do it like Wizard 101 do, in fact it's better I'm sure but it's not my opinion that I'm talking about it's the rediculous "sue everyone" culture combined with the fact that very bad people exist and the fact that some parents are paranoid and see danger where there is little to none... Frima Studio (who made SSU) are just covering themselves as best they can and if you think that's bad then blame the culture we live in that has meant that people and companies are in constant fear of being sued.

ill take that as a good thing then i guess

/durpdurp/

Any believe me, W101 is VERY popular. You just have to be in the right places. They have at least over a million players, and a bunch of stuff... jeeze. I've been playing it for almost 4 or 5 years now.

hey i feel old dsgihbhdihn

(Sorry, I couldn't do one quote. I couldn't figure the stupid thing out, and I was already late for dinner.)

Quote: spyrathedragon

ill take that as a good thing then i guess

/durpdurp/

Any believe me, W101 is VERY popular. You just have to be in the right places. They have at least over a million players, and a bunch of stuff... jeeze. I've been playing it for almost 4 or 5 years now.

hey i feel old dsgihbhdihn

(Sorry, I couldn't do one quote. I couldn't figure the stupid thing out, and I was already late for dinner.)

I'm not quite sure why you have something against me but I have nothing against you or that game you like... it's just that I think your attitude is overly wishful when it comes to the chat in SSU... maybe they'll relax it but I highly doubt it...

I never chat to people there as the system is totally useless and I only added friends there to get the medal... I basically see it in the same way I see the games on my phone... sure they have online conectivity but it's totally irelevant that anyone other than myself plays it.

Basically I agree with you... the chat system there has no point, I could have a better conversation with someone who speaks no English at all... but wanting it to be better is like wanting to win the lottery... it's not going to happen. Sorry but it's not my fault.

As long as the web game is focused at the 7 to 12 age group then the chat should be limited. There are tons, literally, of games out there that have free chat and are focused to an older teen/tween crowd. The younger audience gets to have few enough games that a parent feels safe in letting them play. Even WITH The safeguards they have in place I still sit next to the computer when my 7 year old is online in the web version of the game, I just feel safe enough to not have to read the screen constantly if there is a limited amount of text interplay that can happen.

Quote: Nilus

As long as the web game is focused at the 7 to 12 age group then the chat should be limited. There are tons, literally, of games out there that have free chat and are focused to an older teen/tween crowd. The younger audience gets to have few enough games that a parent feels safe in letting them play. Even WITH The safeguards they have in place I still sit next to the computer when my 7 year old is online in the web version of the game, I just feel safe enough to not have to read the screen constantly if there is a limited amount of text interplay that can happen.

that's what i'm tryin' to say

you get a cookie