Forced Namechange due to unprofessional support

Hello,

My name is Nhomo. I am from the server Halls of Fate and I am using the forum account of my friend. Recently, someone trolled me by reporting the name Nhomo with the reason the name would be "offensive". The word **** in the name Nhomo can be regarded offensive, I guess. I don't see why, **** can stand for homosexual or **** sapien (I am an ogre, ofcourse I am a no-**** sapien if that no-**** could be regarded as offensive) which are both NOT offensive unless Daybreak Customer Support is homophobic. The name of my character has been changed from Nhomo to Nhimo (no free namechange). Himo means gigolo or **** in slang, which I DO find offensive.

The mail I got from Daybreak stated that my name was found offensive. I replied with the question WHY it would be offensive. This was the response I got from Lead GM Emwon:
The reason your name was changed is because it was found to be in violation of our official naming policy. Customer Service Management reserves the right, at its discretion, to determine whether any name is inappropriate for use in-game and to effect its immediate change. Decisions by Customer Service Management as to whether or not a name violates this policy are final.

The part that states that the decisions made by Customer Service Management as to whether or not the name violates this policy are final, are very insane to me. Basically Lead GM Emwon is implying that if you can convince Customer Support Management to change the name of someone in game, you can change all names. I find this abusive. I know many players that have names that actually aren't allowed by the naming policy. Names such as Katniss are violating the policy because you may not have a name that is from a company:"Trademarked names, even if misspelled, are not allowed". Quoted from the official policy. Yet, there are 11 players named Katniss.

The only reason why my name was changed was because someone reported me to TROLL me. If my name won't be changed back without an explanation that is other than the decision of Customer Support Management, I am going to start a petition, starting serverwide. If nothing changes, I guess I might as well start abusing it to help me get people that support me in changing the names back.

My last response to customer support got completely ignored, the one after that aswell.

This is absolutely UNACCEPTABLE. I would like to see my name changed back from Nhimo to Nhomo or at LEAST a free name change.

Please leave your opinion about this, I will appreciate it whether it is against my opinion or not.
Thanks.

TL;DR My name has been changed without a reasonable explanation from Nhomo to Nhimo because some troll reported me and Customer Support Management fell for it. Abuse.

**** = the short version of homosexual or **** sapien.
Besides, horno means equal. The rn is read as m because it will be **** otherwise.

I have to agree with you that in the very least they are very inconsistent with their name policing.

I don't see how your original name itself would have actually been offensive, I assume someone just got peeved at you and reported you. There are absolutely some actually offensive names on HoF and absolutely more than one famous name.

I wont debate whether it can be offensive or not, but they should at least let you change your name to something of your choosing that they wont consider offensive.

Back when EQ1 first launched my friend was made to change his name. His name was Wizoflore and that wasn't allowed for whatever reason. He played for an entire year with that name and one day they made him change it.

here's why it's offensive. your name can be read as 'no ****' and is offensive to the gay community. pretty plain and simple there.

and soluss your friend got it changed for the same reason my frind had to fight for hers with a GM for like and hour. there's a rule that says your name can't be a 'phrase'. hers was justwysper with a last name wyndrider. so the GM took it as the phrase 'just whisper wyndrider' and she had to fight for it and she did get to keep it.

your friends name coudl be read as wizard of lore, thus a phrase that got it flagged.

Ahhh, I know this name well from Halls of Fate. The question of whether the chosen name is offensive might be up for debate, however, your general comments and drivel in chat certainly are not. I'd say offhand I know of maybe eight persons that have petitioned you for various offenses over the past few months, so they probably see this as vindication. Personally, I'd say you were fortunate not to be banned for some of the comments I've witnessed.

Whether what happened to your name is subject to review, well, we are in their world, now.

Yes, I can be breaking taboos in general chat. I got warned for it and I will stay polite now. It doesn't justify why my name has been changed.

**** means equal, a disrespectful definition of a homosexual is "******" or something else like that. **** is not offensive, really!
If the N in Nhomo can be interpreted as No, then I guess the N in your name can also be interpreted as No, which changes your name to Rainomare. Mare sound similar to the french word Mere which means mother. According to this farfetched occurance your name can be interpreted as Rain-o-mere, raining (something...) on mothers. Which I find offensive.

Seriously, isn't this what I just wrote abuse if I would write it to Customer Support Management to get Rain's name changed?

Lol @ my name. Don't remove Bhromosexuality from the game!

(1) Take your time and read the Naming Privilege Policy very carefully.

(2) Simply accept that "Nhomo" is never going to be allowed. At least some people find it offensive as it stands, and it doesn't matter what YOU think it means. Simply changing the spelling a little would keep the sound of the name very similar and would fix the issue. Nhoemo, Nhaumo, Nhomu, etc. might work. Or you could have a lot of fun picking up a little-known historical name. In the Middle Ages, the Mongols were the feared "ogres" of their time, maybe try a Mongol name?

(3) Reopen your petition, apologize for anything you said that was pushy or rude. Be very polite, and say "I understand why my name had to be changed, can we please make it {new name that does not include the banned four letter string} instead of {whatever random thing they gave you}?"

I have read the policy very carefully and my name turns out to be not offensive. I asked people on my server if they thought my name was offensive. Everybody who I talked to told me they thought it was nonsense.

Also, I have been very polite to the GMs in the petitions.

A Mongol name would be cool I guess! Sadly, I told them that I could agree with my name change, but I did not get a free name change. I asked them for either my old name back or a free name change.

I have had the name Nhomo for over a year and I paid for it. There is also someone running around with the name Bhromo, which hasn't be changed and can be regarded equally offensive (I still don't get the offensive part but okay). If my name would be Nfaggot, I would completely understand it, but Nhomo has nothing to do with homosexuality! As I said multiple times before, our race is called **** sapien! **** = equal, filterless: Horno = equal.

Daybreak seems to be very particular on things in this game. Just came back last night and bought the xpac and all access and now am already suspended. Some friends were helping to PL me from 95 and boom right in the middle at 98 it was suspended. So told them in vent and then 2 mins later the tank that was PL'n me got suspended as well. In the middle of trying to figure out whats going on but if they are just going to run it like this then I can spend my money elsewhere and deal with the fact that they ruined EQ2 from it was in the past. #pantiesinabunch

For any homosexuals that feel offended by this thread, I mean no hate in anyway to homosexuals. I live in a very tolerant country where homosexuality isn't regarded as a bad thing. The fact that homosexuality is regarded as a bad thing (according to people who agree that my name change was me being justified) is concerning me though, homophobic community? Hate speech is something that is against the official policy (and law), my old name, isn't.

OFF TOPIC

I recommend you and your friend petition it. There are some weird bans/suspension happening that are considered bugs according to Daybreak. Good luck getting your account back, I am sure they will give it back unless you did something that heavily violates the policy. Powerleveling is not against the policy as far as I am aware. Otherwise they might as well ban 99% of the community

OFF TOPIC

you just don't get it... it's the h o m o part that is not allowed in no matter what context you might want to put on it. it's a nasty common slang against gay men in a lot of english speaking countries. DGB doesn't care that you see it as something else, the other use is far more common and that is why it's not allowed. time to suck it up and realise you are not going to win this.

"Bhromo" that R makes this a different word entirely, it's not a good example. now you might be able to get the name changed to something more acceptable to you, as you said it's another nasty slang term, but good luck with that after this thread.

I'll report you for being too close to Nimo hah!. Or you can enjoy your time as Nhimo and add a last name of N'Dory or Found or Still`Looking


On the other hand googling Nhimo reveals urbandictionary reporting that " Nhimo. a short asian with big boobs and ugg boots. she loves to party, make out with ugly boys/girls and get new hickies. =) but... overall she's a good, sweet, fun..."

How about them apples

your name can be read a en-****, which in the US can be a referance to 'no ****' often used as a mannerism of 'I don't want any homosexuals around'. hence why some people may very well find it offensive. Yes there's plenty of people that just don't care what you name your character. and some that might see it as a tongue in cheek joke.

but it only takes 1 or 2 to report it, to get it looked at, and if the GM agrees with them, your name is getting changed. and technically, it would violate the naming policy, in the very first rule:


1. Vile, profane, rude, offensive, or racist names, including common swear words, anatomical references, racial slurs, terrorism references, and homonyms of such words are not allowed.

'h***' is a rude/offensive term to someone that is gay in the US.

I never found the name offensive, I can see how others "may" see it as offensive in this PC world.
If you Google it, you will find this as an acryonym. NHOMO - Next Highest Occupied Molecular Orbital. So, you could say that it is being used in an official capacity and is not trademarked.

While I am well aware of what h*** is in the US, having the N really does change it imo. I never would have read into it that it was something horrible and I personally think it's a stretch to find it offensive. If just containing a certain string of letters in a name is offensive, then assassin really should be doubly so as well as quite a few other things. If one looks you can find that an incredible number of common words/names are offensive in some circle or another. If it is that particular string of letters that is an issue, the GMs better get busy because there are a whole lot of them in game and some of those are actually really offensive. But I think the real issue is something else.

The real issue isn't the name itself. I think Nhomo only got his name changed because he made someone or enough someones mad in chat. Perhaps he was being particularly rude. Now I don't pay THAT much attention to people in general chat so I don't know what he might have said or done, but judging by the number of other names that run around for years violating naming policy and never getting changed (even after they have been reported at least once), I think it's fair to say the rules governing who gets their name changed and who doesn't are mostly decided on the fly. If you get the wrong GM with the wrong person reporting you for the wrong thing, your name will get changed.




One does wonder when they stopped giving the ability to change your own name after a GM changes it though. They had that policy in place (GM changes rule breaking name, player gets 1 name change to change it to something that follows the rules that they choose) since at least Luclin in EQ1 (I had 2 guild mates that got hit around Luclin with name changes, both got to choose new ones for themselves).

Similarly, Daybreak should remove the word "shoe" from item names, because "hoe" is a derogatory term when referring to a female. Honestly, it does seem a bit ridiculous to me.