Ten Ton Hammer - Taking MMO Gamers to the Next Level!

Welcome to the 1,201st edition of Loading...

Loading... is the premier daily MMORPG news, coverage, and commentary newsletter, only from Ten Ton Hammer.

We all have different tolerance thresholds when it comes to language--what some find offensive, others shrug off. Words aren't innately bad; it's the intention behind them that matters. But are some words always derogatory, and thus people who use them always offensive? Despite a gaming culture littered with a certain offensive word, to the point that we're all but immune to it, I say yes. Read up on the latest video gaming bad word scandal in today's Loading... No Bad Words.

The Pulse You vote with what you view at Ten Ton Hammer, and the result is the Ten Ton Pulse (What is The Pulse?). Here's today's top 5 Pulse results: World of Warcraft Star Trek Online (Up 2) Dungeons & Dragons Online (Down 1) EverQuest 2 (Up 1) Lord of the Rings Online (Down 2) Biggest movers today: Dragon Age Origins (Up 6 to #6) Torchlight (Up 4 to #10) Aion  (Down 2 to #8)	Recent Releases 9/1 - Champions Online (release date) 9/9 - Dungeons & Dragons Online Unlimited (release date) 9/15 - Runes of Magic "The Elven Prophecy" (expansion) 9/22 - Fallen Earth (release date) 9/22 - Aion (release date) 10/8 - Cities XL (release date) 11/3 - Dragon Age: Origins (release date)
	Upcoming Releases 12/1 - LotRO: Siege of Mirkwood (expansion) 12/1 - EVE Online: Dominion (expansion) 12/2 - DOFUS 2.0 (release date) 12/15 - EverQuest: Underfoot (expansion) Early 2010 - APB Feb. 2010 - EverQuest 2: Sentinel's Fate (expansion)

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I've always loved the late George Carlin's take on bad words. Before giving his infamous list of the 7 Words You Can't Say on Television, he would say that there were no bad words, only bad intentions. And I agree with him. While I'd like to think I have a respectable vocabulary, I've also been known to swear like a sailor. I let my teenage kids swear, too. Prohibiting certain words, to me, is pointless, since they'll likely drop an f-bomb or two when they're among friends anyhow. I'd rather teach them to have respect for their fellow human beings than banish specific disrespectful words.

Despite my liberal use of colorful language, respect for my fellow human beings is the reason that there are certain words, such as ethnic slurs, I do not use. It seems no matter how you use these words, directed at a group of people you're not a part of, they're going to come off as loaded with bad intentions.

Now, let's shift gears for a second. I'm not a big fan of first person shooters, primarily because they seem to bring on severe motion sickness for me, but secondarily because the whole FPS culture isn't appealing. I've watched my son play HALO 3 often enough to understand that maturity isn't an inherent quality of the FPS crowd, at least not generally speaking. But if you're a developer catering to that crowd, you might want to get right down to their level, and so you might do something controversial playing off a word that's a staple of the FPS lingo.

Last week, Infinity Ward, makers of the FPS that's on many a gamer's radar, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, published what I'm sure they thought was a fun and edgy video aimed squarely at the FPS crowd. The video, a satirical public service announcement that appeared on their YouTube channel, used an in-game iteration of Phillies pitcher Cole Hamel who proclaimed that the act of grenade spamming was "for pussies." The announcement was supported by a fictional group called Fight Against Grenade Spamming--F.A.G.S.

You really can't use the word "fag" with pure intentions, can you? Just about any way you slice it, it's derogatory. (Unless you're in jolly old England and you're referring to a cigarette.) One could certainly argue that it's all part of the FPS culture, and that its usage has become so diluted that it's harmless, but...I think that's a cop out. I can't quite wrap my head around the notion of "everybody does it" being a legitimate reason to promote hateful language.

You may disagree with me, and I respect your opinion. As I've said, I don't believe that words in and of themselves are ever innately bad. I'll also concede that there's a possibility there are some gay people out there who don't find the use of "fag" offensive within the framework of an FPS. And maybe it's tough to fight the system--people use the term in-game, and there's really nothing much any player or developer is going to be able to do, short of including language filters which are useless in voice chat anyhow, to make the problem go away.

But while developers may not want to police their in-game communities to eradicate problem language (nor should they; no one wants to be censored and, juvenile behavior and young players aside, we're all adults here), I believe they do have a responsibility when it comes to what they put out into the community at large. There's a difference between irreverence and irresponsibility. Infinity Ward's viral video, which has since been pulled due to community outrage, was irresponsible. Language that most developers and gaming communities filter from their forums should never have made it into a video promoting a game that's nearing launch.

It's often said that there's no such thing as bad publicity, but in this case that adage just might be wrong. Will Infinity Ward pay for its foolishness? If the blogs and Twitters I've seen, along with comments from gaming community managers I associate with, are any indication, the answer is yes, at least to some small degree. I know several people within my own limited circle who have cancelled their preorders as a direct result of the F.A.G.S video.

Is the use of the term fag in video games a slur against people of a certain sexual orientation, or has it simply become a harmless part of the culture? I know where I stand, and now I'd like to hear from you. Join the discussion in the Loading... forum.

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Shayalyn's Epic Thread of the Day

From our STO General Discussion

Star Trek vs. Star Wars

One of our forum denizens necroed this post back to life, and far be it for me to deny its right to live. 

When it comes to sci-fi games, two big titles spring to mind: Star Trek Online and Star Wars: The Old Republic. Back in May, Spare wanted to know which one was a clear winner for you. And now that STO is in beta and gearing up for a launch early next year, the question seems all the more relevant. So, which will it be: Star Trek or Star Wars? (Keeping in mind that you can have both, of course.) Join the chat!

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Awesome Quotes from the Epic Thread

"...all of the Bioware games I have played thus far have been very good. That and the Old Republic games have proven themselves already."

- raotek

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Have you spotted an Epic Thread on our forums? Tell us!

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6 New Ten Ton Hammer MMOG features today! 14 in November! 2,086 in 2009!

Today's New Features & Guides

• Global Agenda Assault Class Q&A with Exec. Producer Todd Harris
  http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/76310
  

  Absorbing damage wielding heavy weapons like rocket launchers and miniguns, Global Agenda's Assault class players will be large and in charge on Global Agenda's battlefields when Hi-Rez's premier MMO shooter launches next year. But a host of interesting devices, off-hand weapons, and shielding technology extend this class far beyond its Rambo-esque overtones. Executive Producer Todd Harris, who was kind enough to introduce us to Global Agenda's Recon class in October, continues our class Q&A series with part 2 - a look at Global Agenda's Assault class.
  
• Champions Online Developer Diary - Systems Balancing, Pt 1.
  http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/76328
  
  Ever wonder how the numbers in Champions Online work? Or have you figured it out, and wondered why they are set the way they are? This week, Champions Online Systems Designer, Brian Urbanek explains how energy equates into damage, and how balancing these numbers is just as much art as it is math. Urbanek reveals how the systems were worked out and the reasoning behind the choices.
  
  
• Sins of a Solar Spymaster #31 - Lessons from a Failed Invasion
  http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/76313
  
  Love 'em or hate 'em, invasions abound in nullsec in EVE Online. Most invasions are failed invasions, but that can be avoided with some careful planning and good judgment calls. Most folk, though, tend to lack that sort of judgment. This week The Mittani recounts a failed Goonswarm invasion, and perhaps for the first time ever, discusses why it failed, and what could have been done to avoid it.
  
  
• Trick or Treat - Halloween Event Overload
  http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/76315
  
  The holiday season is in full swing and the kick off event, Halloween, is in the books. With most games offering an in game celebration, or some candles and a lore lesson if you play Aion, comparisons become inevitable. Who offered the most bang for the buck this year? Who served up the treats and who left us holding a bag full of tricks? Two games personified all that is wrong and right about in game holiday tie-ins, join Medawky this week as he looks at these two games and at the broader picture in celebration immersion.
  
  
• Aion Asmodean Vitality Extraction Guide 100-199
  http://www.tentonhammer.com/aion/guides/general/asmovitality_pt2
  
  The hills of Morheim may seem sparsely populated with vitality extraction nodes. Fear not! We've got you covered in our next vitality extraction segment to carry you into the 200 range!
  
  
• An MMO Evolution: Connecting Players to the Story
  http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/76296
  
  The importance of story in an MMOG is different for every gamer. Some like feeling as though tales within a game have been custom crafted for them, while others are content with an overall story encompassing a race, nation, or world. Join Eric “Dalmarus” Campbell as he delves into the world of storytelling and its effect on the gamers of today.
  
  

Hottest Content:

1. Managing Fan Expectations - An Interview with Vanguard Visionary Brad McQuaid
2. Star Trek Online Space Combat Q&A with Craig Zinkievich
3. Global Agenda Assault Class Q&A with Exec. Producer Todd Harris
4. Champions Online Developer Diary - Systems Balancing, Pt 1.
5. The Cleric's Guide to Healing in Aion
6. Lord of the Rings Online - Siege of Mirkwood Live Preview
7. DOFUS 2.0 Beta Key Giveaway
8. EVE Online – Ten Tips to Go From Noob to Noobtastic
9. Sins of a Solar Spymaster #31 - Lessons from a Failed Invasion
10. Global Agenda: Conquest and Pricing Interview

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Thanks for visiting the Ten Ton Hammer network! 

- Karen "Shayalyn" Hertzberg and the Ten Ton Hammer team