If you are a fan of dropping racist and homophobic slurs whilst playing Rainbow Six Siege, which isn't something you should be proud of, your days enjoying that game are numbered. That is unless you alter your vocabulary and stop spouting hate speech. Ubisoft has implemented a new automatic instant ban system which detects racist or homophobic slurs in text chat.
Once these slurs are detected by the automated system, players will receive a 27-minute ban after their first offence, which prevents the player from engaging in any aspect of Siege. Besides staring at the menu, that is. If a player continues to use homophobic and racist slurs, a second and third ban will increase the timer to 2 hours. If the player continues past a third ban, Ubisoft will launch an official investigation into the account and the player could be permanently banned from playing Rainbow Six Siege. Currently, this system is only availble within the PC release.
The reactions to Ubisoft's automated banning system has been mainly met with praise, hoping that it will help remove some of the toxicity that has crept up in recent months. One Reddit user going by the name MolitovMichellx posted on the Rainbow Six Siege subreddit praising the new system. "If you act like an asshat online/in-game then you will be treated like one.
But some aren't too happy with the idea. A Reddit user going by the name Whodamamuh believes that the automatic banning system targetting hate speech and homophobic slurs should be met with a boycott. "I'd like to suggest a boycott of the game for a certain amount of time. I really don't think it's okay for Ubisoft to censor what we say in a game we paid for." This user must not be aware of the terms of service they agree to when playing the game, or know about the Siege Code of Conduct. Under 'Forbidden Conduct', it is clearly stated that "any language or content deemed threatening, abusive, obscene, vulgar, hateful, racist, ethically offensive or constituting harassment" can lead to disciplinary action.
Personally, the removal of racist and homophobic slurs is a great move. It shows that the team behind Rainbow Six Siege care about their community. Also, this system removes people who enjoy being racist and homophobic. It is a win/win really. Gaming is supposed to an inclusive and enjoyable hobby. This is just another step in ensuring that it continues to move in that direction.
