FEDERATION 2 GAME RULES SUPPLEMENT: ACCEPTABLE LANGUAGE

This document was last updated on June 25, 2004

INTRODUCTION

This supplement to the Fed2 Rules is a serious discussion of the use of language in Federation 2. It discusses which words are acceptable and not acceptable, under what circumstances.

Our games are written for adults and always have been, and we assume that our players are able to consider the question of "dirty words" in a rational, adult fashion.

It is impossible to talk about acceptable language without actually using the words which we consider unacceptable. This document does use those words, so if you are likely to be offended by seeing them in print, you'd better stop reading now.

THE IBGAMES PHILOSOPHY

We have in the past called Federation an "adult" game. We do not mean that anything goes, from rampant pornography to offensive vulgarity - we mean that we are catering to grown-ups.

All of our rules have one aim, and one aim only: to enable a large number of people to interact with each other without being annoyed or offended.

We try to treat our players like adults and assume that you are able to behave yourselves without constant supervision. However, we do come down hard on people who step over the line. If you can't behave in a civilized fashion, you don't belong in Federation.

DIFFERENT CULTURES

The Internet is international, and Federation attracts people from all over the world. Different cultures have different ideas about what is acceptable and what is not. Even within one culture, different people have different standards. Some people use the word "Fuck" as part of their everyday speech and would think nothing of hearing it used in a game, whereas another person might be shocked to hear the word "Damn".

We have no intention of making our rules to conform to the lowest common denominator. If we disallowed everything that someone, somewhere, might possibly find offensive, you wouldn't be allowed to say anything.

To use an extreme example, some cultures would not allow women to use the Internet. We are not going to ban women from our games just in case their presence offends someone.

I have heard some people say that we should be more vigorous in controlling language used in our games, because they sometimes play with their children watching, or they allow their children to play our games. Well, sorry, but our games are designed for adults, not children. Children are welcome to play but they must expect to run into adult-type things from time to time. If you as a parent are not happy with that, then you shouldn't let your children play, or allow them to watch while you play.

PRIVACY

We do not concern ourselves with what you do in private. Private conversations, or two people in an obscure room somewhere that no-one else is likely to stumble across, can do what you like.

For a discussion on the definition of "public" and "private", see the supplement on Public and Private Behavior.

CHECKLIST OF BAD WORDS

Wouldn't it be nice if I could provide you with a checklist of unacceptable words, so you were in no doubt about what is allowed and what isn't?

The bad news is that I can't. It doesn't work that way. Very little in life is black and white - absolutely good or totally bad - and that applies to language too. Everything is conditional, depending on the way a word is used, the situation, the intent.

UNCONDITIONALLY BAD WORDS

There are really only four words that I consider should be unconditionally banned. They are:

I can't think of a legitimate use for any of these words. Variants such as shithead or motherfucker are also not allowed.

MASKING AND EUPHEMISMS

Trying to disguise one of these words by substituting another letter or a symbol - masking - doesn't make it OK. If FUCK is a bad word, so is FCK, F*CK, even F***. (However, **** is OK.)

We all know exactly what you mean to say, so masking does not lessen the severity.

However, substituting one or more letters with another to create a euphemism is acceptable. Frag, feck and fugg are all allowed. (Thanks to B5, Father Ted, and Mohammed al Fayed!)

CONDITIONAL WORDS

There are a lot of words that have different meanings:

and so on... there are lots of examples.

These words on their own are neither good nor bad; what counts is the way they are used. Rather than the individual word, on its own, being offensive, we have to look at the subject of the conversation they are used in.

UNACCEPTABLE SUBJECTS

There are some subjects of conversation that are not suitable for public discussion, regardless of what words are actually being used. The most obvious are:

Sexual subjects

Frank discussion of sexual issues is not suitable in public, whether it's salacious gossip about the sexual act, or a serious discussion of sexual technique.

Discussion of homosexuality is OK so long as it is kept general. The morality or the political implications are fine. Detailed discussion of sexual technique is no more acceptable in this context than it is for heterosexual issues!

Other sexual variations - s&m, paedophilia, and so on - should not be discussed in public. We don't consider Federation to be the appropriate forum for this sort of discussion.

A special mention should go to sexual innuendo and double entendre. This can be witty and funny, indeed is part of the great British tradition of humor. However you should take care not to get too smutty or risque if you use it.

Drugs

Serious discussions of the moral or social issues of drug-taking are OK.

Jokes about lighting up joints, dropping some E, or role-playing using some of the objects found in our games (such as the syringe or the drugs in Fed) are borderline. Jokes about hard drugs such as heroin, crack cocaine, etc, or talk of injecting, mainlining etc, are not allowed.

Talk of cultivating, scoring, or selling any drugs is not allowed and neither is encouraging others to use them.

Insulting language or behaviour

Gratuitous, out of character insults directed at other people, whether they are present in the game or not, are unacceptable. This applies whether bad language is used or not - calling someone completely brain-dead can be just as hurtful as calling someone a shithead!

The exception to this is that in a role-playing situation, in-character insults are ok so long as you don't use vulgar words. If you have just been killed in a game battle, it is legitimate to use in-character insults against your killer - that's just part of the game.

Racism, sexism, and other isms

Hateful or insulting remarks used against any group of people is not allowed. This includes insults aimed at groups of people or individuals because of their race, sex, sexuality, religion, and so on.

We generally feel that it is acceptable for a Jewish person to make jokes about jews, fine for a person of color to call themselves a nigger, not a problem for a lesbian or gay man to call themselves dyke or faggot. This is called reclaiming language, turning a hurtful word into something powerful and strong. It is yet another example of the importance of the intent behind the use of the word. However, online it is hard to know who is making the joke and we won't accept this as an excuse to make hurtful remarks about other people.

Discussion of hacking, password phishing, phone phreaking, credit card fraud etc

Not allowed, period. We do not agree with or tolerate hacking, etc and will not allow Federation 2 to be used for discussion of this kind of illegal activity. Hacking isn't funny or clever; it's a criminal offence and can be very damaging.

Bad Taste

Just because something is in bad taste, doesn't mean it's inappropriate. There are plenty of bad taste things programmed into Fed2. But like all these subjects, there are degrees and if something is too gross then it will not be allowed.

As you can see, there are few definite rules here; just use your common sense when talking about any of the borderline subjects, and if a member of staff tells you that you are going too far - change the subject.

SPECIAL NOTE ABOUT THE WORD BITCH

Strangely enough, the thing that I received the most impassioned complaints about was when a player chose to use the name Bitch.

It is acceptable for you to call yourself Bitch in one of our games. Bitch is a word that has a number of meanings and usages, and is only offensive if used in a certain way. Obviously, the word can be used to refer to a female dog, and without any other clues from the context it is used in, we can assume that's what is meant.

However, even if the word bitch is not used to mean a female dog, it is not, in itself, disallowed. The common phrase, "Life's a bitch, and then you die" points to another non-offensive usage. The word simply refers to something going wrong, or something unpleasant.

The word bitch is only a problem if it is used as an insult against another player, or any other person. Saying to someone, "You are a bitch", or claiming that "PlayerX is a bitch" or even "Michelle Pfeiffer is a bitch" are all insults and are therefore not allowed.

However, saying "I am a bitch" is poking fun at yourself and is not an insult. Naming yourself bitch is therefore acceptable.

Naming yourself Janesabitch would not be because that would be insulting to another person.

This rule also applies to other, similar words.


This Supplement was written by Fi Craig, Director of Game Management for ibgames

Read the other supplements:

Public/Private Behavior
Harassment
Electronic Noticeboard

Read the full version of the Fed2 Rules

Read the Terms and Conditions