Unfair Name Suspension?

#1 - July 20, 2013, 9:20 p.m.

I’m new to Guild Wars, having started playing 2 just a couple days ago. I was playing without incident today when without warning I was banned and suspended for 72 hours for having an inappropriate name.

I named my Asura thief Phuca after a mischief spreading fae creature from irish folklore with a few different spellings called a Pooka/Puca/Phouka/Phooka: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pooka. I had a problem finding a spelling that wasn’t taken, so I found an available alternative that was a combination of them. I didn’t realize my name was offensive, I feel like the suspension/ban is unfair. I can change my character’s name but I’d really like to keep it because of it’s meaning. I’d at least like to not be suspended for 3 days for something I didn’t realize I did wrong.

I filed a support ticket for it, I hope to get some feedback about it.

Gaile Gray

#15 - July 22, 2013, 11:12 a.m.

I disagree that we’re “ultra strict” but we are keenly aware that we serve players from around the world: different languages, cultures, genders, ages, and degrees of sensitivity to name issues. What you need to know is that if a name is allowed in the game it cannot be blocked by a player. So if someone uses “creative spelling” for a curse word, everyone is going to see that. And that is why we react: Not to be politically correct, but to ensure that our players are comfortable in the game.

The name your chose, for whatever reason, is going to be misunderstood by a large number of people as being “creative spelling” for an offensive word. I personally can’t see how someone would use the “f” sound to try to emulate the letter “p” but maybe I’m just too literal. The instant I saw the name (in my review) I thought “That’s not going to do.” As did the agent who reviewed. As did my team.

The name must be changed, but because this was your first name issue, you were unblocked less than five minutes after the name was reviewed, and you are free to continue to play any time.

Thank you for understanding.