Chat: Use it, don’t abuse it!
Chat is an important part of any online MMO, and today Mr. Lincoln from Wizard101 Customer Support has some helpful tips to keep you and your character safe and out of trouble!
Chat is a feature of online games that many players find extremely rewarding. It can assist you in making new friends and form groups to quest for adventure in online worlds. Chat in KingsIsle games, however, is a privilege and should always be used with judgment and caution. Choosing your words carefully is very important when online!
It can be difficult to understand someone’s tone of voice when they are online, which can lead to communication problems. Choosing to be sensitive to those around you is a great way to approach chatting with others in any game.
When playing online games, you will run into all kinds of people. Some you will like to chat with, and some you just won’t. Remember, in our games you always have the “Ignore” option to ignore someone or you can escape them by switching to a new realm in a flash! Rather than getting into an argument or picking a fight, it’s really quite easy just to move on and talk to other people you enjoy.
We also appreciate you reporting any inappropriate chat using the in-game reporting tool. It really works and it helps us quickly identify and investigate chat to see if it fits into our guidelines and rules.
Another very important tip is to NEVER, EVER give your password to ANYONE for ANY reason. A KingsIsle employee will NEVER ask you for your password and you certainly shouldn’t be sharing it with anyone else. If or when your account gets hacked due to you sharing your password, the account can be permanently muted or banned depending on the hacker’s actions! That kind of risk just isn’t worth it. So if anyone ever asks for your password, just say NO.
In Wizard101 and Pirate101 there are 3 different types of chat:
- Text Chat
- Filtered Chat
- Open Chat
Text Chat is preselected for you when you start playing our games, and only allows you to chat with KingsIsle approved sayings. Open Chat in contrast lets you say a great deal. For Filtered Chat and Open Chat, there are certain words that have been removed from the game because of their inappropriate or potentially inappropriate nature. Trying to “get around the filter” is against the Terms of Use. Our Player Forums and in-game chat rules are one and the same.
A good rule to follow is “Just because you can say it, doesn’t mean you should”. Again, chat is a privilege in our games, not a right. It can be taken away if you choose to expose other players to vulgarity, inappropriate language or harassment. When you play online we’re all about having fun, but never at the expense of others.
Being kind to other players can pay off by meeting some really nice online friends. If you are lucky enough to play with family members or real life friends, definitely consider using True Friend codes. You can give these to the people who are really special, but always use your best judgment. If ever you should need assistance with your chat features (or any other issue) you can write to Customer Support at help@KingsIsle.com.
Following the rules makes for a happy gaming experience for you, and for all the other players around you!
Mr. Lincoln
KingsIsle Customer Support
KingsIsle Blog 
what shouldn’t be allowed is something like you are fat, I hate your family, stuff that are offensive to anybody, but “stop annoying me” should be left because some people creep me and follow me so, there is no way to report them for following you. So, I think there should be like people that work for KingsIsle that play and watch especially wizard city
ok now that you guys said this we are gonna follow the rules now
true but uselly some guys ignore others for no reasons that is bad so ignore system should be removed or find a new way
i have many friends but half these friends abuse there chat. “noob” yes noob used to bully lower levels. i have been called a noob and i’m level 65. not even level 5’s are noobs. noob should no longer be in chat. also spaces are used to get aroung the chat filter. i think the chat filter should be a little more filtered.
Nicole Moondust lvl 65
I agree with this person on what she said. I have been called that as well and do not care for that word it rude to be honest it does not matter what level the player is in the game you should respect ppl no matter what. I also do not like when i enter someone battle by accident and ppl are rude to me and call me noob or leave out of the battle and just be nasty about it. We all have a right to play the game their for such behavior like that is just not called for.
I think it should be left in because “Noob”, is used everywhere in Gaming and helps in Competitive ways. Like when someone beats you then they call you a Noob but they face you again and you win it makes it that much better.
your right.i have over 200 friends online and nearly all of them just annoy other people. i have the dino bundle and i don’t let people ride with me anny more because of abuse. NOAH BATTLE MASK LEVEL 95
There is no lvl 95
What the.. Ok first of all there is no lvl 95 LOL
well I got false reported for telling my friends stalker to leave her alone. He was a stalker but being a kind hearted lady she believed his sob story about how awful his life was etc. we finally got her to delete him. As for the language issue. The kids seem to swear more than the adults do and yeah all it takes is a simple use of a common word that sounds like something else. just depends where u use it. noob is nothing compared to what ive seen used . not to mention when u are as old as me your language is way different than a kid
Yes, you bring up a good point. I have had the same experience. I am a kid as well, but I don’t go around saying things like that. I talk like an adult most of the time, so I see things from an adults point of view. People can be very mean and I believe they should have some sort of way to control childish people like that.
i agree with all said i go into the commons sometimes and here people saying bad words by using loopholes like people are saying. i like this game alot and this should not be happenning. why do people have to do foul language? if they can’t say something nice don’t say anything at all. btw i love friending newbies cause they are fun to help. i also help my friends even when they don’t ask for help cause thats the nice thing to do.
it fun to help
i think you are right destiny shadowglade thats what i do too you would be a good friend. 🙂
hope you consiter adding me as a friend
i agree i will go to merle ambrose house add add all the newbies i can and i will help them btw you sound like a good friend in wizard101 you should add me ill give true friend code and if you are on twitter ill give you the code there
Same here I always help out new pplz.. I just don’t mind it
Agreed that Chat Is important at Kingsisle, but why you didnt Make The Open chat with more words needs to be filtered? a lot of Wizards in the commons keeps saying inappropriate words, Was just my Suggestion anyway 😀 thx for the post
True.. but I guess no matter what you block in W101 or P101 someone is gonna get around it ._.
i remember once i was with my friend and one of her friends came. (it was a long time ago so i don’t remember the names) when i was trying to talk they said “we don’t care” it got so out of hand i had to remove BOTH those friends 😦
In this game for under 18+ users, no. Sorry, might want to find a new game.
NOOB:
a newbie, especially a person who is new to an online community and whose online participation and interactions display a lack of skill or knowledge.
this is dictionary.com definition of the word.
yup. I say all the time that I am a noob. I am. Shure I have been playing or two months but I am still a noob, and you know what there is nothing wrong with it. I am learning. as a matter of fact I have gotten quite a bit of help simply by saying “hay I have a noob question. can someone help?” as far as the chat restrictions go, I have found it unfortunately difficult to tell others how many more monsters I need. or at what level you can get said spell or gear. I do not understand why numbers have been removed form chat. 😦
i’d like to be your friend and help you out.maybe we could meet in the game my w101 name is {juan dark hunter} {lvl 16} if you ever see me you can add me.or maybe you can tell me a spot to meet you at.
the only reason why numbers are filtered is so people don’t give away phone numbers, or street addresses or something similar… In other words it’s for safety purposes
Well i got muted for a false report so this isn’t really helpful but thnx anyways if I ever get my chat back i’ll use these tips
Heres a idea: Let the game count your age!! Example: when you started your 16. Then your 18. You should let them get open chat automaticly. 🙂 B-)
If you are 18 and can pay for your account yourself then you can change it to open chat.
You should make a daily prize and if your lucky enough you can win a pagoda or winterbane 😀 ty if you do that 🙂 —–Tasha Stormmask—–
i think this is the best blog I’ve seen on appropriate language. this might increase more friendly people than meanies 🙂
i think players that have text chat should be allowed to say numbers. It makes it easier to talk to friends and can help others understand what you are saying.
i think the word noob should be taken out of the chat filter i am level 42 and i have been called a noob many times
noob should be taken out because its a slang term for newbie
it can upset people
yes it should be removed and other words that are simply ways around the filter
Nah it should be kept, it’s a word that means “a new person to any community”. Now, to fix it when someone finds it rude, they should have KI employees go into the game and be able to play along with everyone else, and instead of some random person deciding if it’s rude or not, let them decide.
The part I find funny is how people will say swear words, yet you call them out on it an they say “Sorry it’s a habit”. But you actually HAVE TO THINK about how to get around the system. So your brain has to process what your doing and it just doesn’t happen “Naturally”. You are 100% in control of what you type in this game and whatever you say you should be held responsible for.
“whatever you say can and will be used against you in the court of wizards!”
I agree. Whenever I see people “swearing” in the game, I report them. One just said don’t report me just put me on ignore. Yes ignore will work but the others around them are still subjected to the same language. I am an adult but the language still offends me. To me it is a disrespect and I don’t like it. I know I don’t want my children listening to that language and if I catch them saying it they will get more than “banned.”
I agree so much!! Many times I’ve been in the Commons (other places too, but it’s worst in the Commons), and I’ve seen people using spaces and extra letters to say words that not only offend me, but are insulting in the extreme, and NOT the kind of thing that should or need to be said in a game. I’m an adult who plays and I have a teen daughter who plays; most of the people I meet are very friendly and nice, but more and more I see people using language that has no business being used, period. If I or my daughter see it, we report it. I know I’m preaching to the choir here, but if you can’t find another way to say something that isn’t profane or insulting, maybe you need to get on a game with lower standards (also, you need to get a bigger vocabulary!) Thanks for working as hard as you do to keep this game fun for everyone, KingsIsle!
Some people get so used to swearing that they start doing it everytime they type a sentence, it turns into a habit for some people, like I had a friend once(he been removed from my list about a year ago), and me and him were questing in Marleybone and he saw this one guy cursing out someone who had joined his battle. So he walks up to the battle and joins it himself, the dude starts cursing at him and like 10 minutes later after my friend beat him in a pvp, he’s like “i’m sorry, its a habit that i’ve had for 2 years now, I just can’t stop”. so it’s very possible to develop bad habits…
I think noob should be allowed because its not a bad word. It stands for newbie which means new to the game. Saying Go ed for God should be allowed too because people like to express their religons. The realm that needs the most help is Realm Wu because its gotten to the point where they had to send hall monitors in. Kingsisle is doing a great job overall though. 😀
People just need to learn the appropriate time to use it though. I was called a “noob”, my character is level 84. His words “let me show you how to do this noob.” I said “ok”, went into the dungeon with him and the had to keep healing him. Then I said “noob huh?” He said sorry so it all good. Yes he is on my friends list but I’ve let him know when the proper time to use the word would be, I talk to him a lot and he doing much better. He’s actually a good gamer. KI, yes, great job!!!!
if you say god some might think its being used in vain
i am a level 35 fire wizard and i got called a noob how the heck am a noob and they where level 15 and 10 i wish you would black the word noob
my wizards name is connor ghosthunter if you see me friends me
I agree with this article, but very sadly, not may people are going to listen. It is hurtful to see that there is effort put into things that no one will listen too. I will spread the word of use it don’t abuse it! 🙂 I hope that the wizard101 community pays attention to this article!
~Hannah Shadowrider
same here because somebody is making game shows like for example total drama island from cartoon network this is not cool and reply if you agree
I do not chat much on the game. I am an adult, and one of my children plays the game. He’s actually the reason we have the accounts. I love this game, but I am cautious regarding chatting with others due to age differences. You are not able to tell if somebody is an adult or child, and I’m not about to have complications arise due to me talking with a child. It takes me quite a while of having a person as a friend and dealing with that person before I’ll do any long chatting. It’s nice having others to talk with while in a long dungeon and the like, but I’m here for the game, not to make new friends. Do not get me wrong, though. I have found some friends on the game. They’re just few and far between.
Don’t Discrimin-age
Some things that have to use a Apostrephe shouldnt be needed in Text Chat and it drives me crazy when I have to repeat it again and fail.
Right, you should never say substitutions for “bad words” and you should always ignore people who annoy you.
BTW the name for a new person is “newb”, while the name for an inexperienced person is “noob”.
Add me if you see me, i am Valkoor HawkHunter
i think that there should be random people who sit there and report and one who speaks bad word or be mean
I also think that kids begging for crown items to be gifted to them is a real problem as well and those wanting to trade TC’s for crown items. First of all if you are asking for a crown item, it costs REAL money for the person gifting it. On more than one occasion I would be playing and in a battle with someone I only just met, enjoying the game play and chat then suddenly they ask for something. I do not like anyone who wants me to BUY their friendship and also I think that if my grandson were on asking for gifts like that I would never let him on again. It is opening a door to danger later on down the road. Personally I think that begging should also be a reportable offense.
I do think the word “noob” should be taken off the whitelist and replaced with “newbie” instead. Both of them technically mean the same thing, but “noob” has insulting overtones. I am a level 37 Magus and have been called a noob by players that were full ranks below me.
I also think there should be additions to the chat menu that let you tell someone that the house does not belong to you, and who it does belong to. I remember one such occasion where one of my friends with Menu Chat teleported to me while I was at a friend’s house and told me they liked my house, and I was unable to tell them to whom it actually belonged.
~Mary TrollHunter
Magus Sorcerer
People are raging in the Commons about this already.
The word noob hurts many peoples feelings. I am a level 90 fire wizard and I have completed everything in every world in order crafts, gardening highest level of each … two days ago I was called a noob by a level 22 fire wizard. I feel the word is rude to say the least. You hear people say common cuss words all the time and they are ignored, but noob is like spitting in someone’s face.
To me noob means you are so new to this game that you are dumb so we do not want you to play here. I truly dislike how disrespectful the word sounds and how rudely it is used. I also think 18 and above should be marked somehow so you know when you are talking to an adult and not a 15 year old just acting like an adult. By the way I am a 50 year old grandma that has played from the wizard101 beginning. I have 2 accounts 12 wizards and I am far more than a NOOB. I too love to help people the only problem is there is only one of me and so many smiling young wizards wanting to learn.(many young wizards are old grandmas and grandpas just like me and we deserve respect as such my young friends. Respect should be given and taken. Have fun that’s what this is all about. 🙂
That is sad I am so sorry I play w101 my name Elizabeth hawk whisper it has happened to me before 😦 if you see me friend me 🙂
yeah sometmes peole are really rudein wizard101 but just like you said got to another realm or just ingnore them 🙂
when will this meet wizard 101, pus i wonder what whoud happend if wizard 101 meat this? dont you think so..
I like this game its just some people think they are they alpha but nobody is its annoying!!
– Elizabeth hawk whisper –
if ya see me friend me 😀
i agree with this i will start telling everyone about this it so sad that nobody listens to this post
Thanks for writing this I have played this game for a long time and can understand how difficult this can be for new users this must have really helped
Noob is nothing compered to the things i have seen being typed the last couple of week. i am sorry to say there is no reason for foul talk on here if you don’t like the way the game is or the way someone is playing leave that simple and if you can’t leave and think you need to keep bothering people you should be the one taken off the game and blocked. there is no reason for people to use foul talk on this GAME thats right it’s a Game and some people need to realize that. we have children playing on here and they are just learning how to play and you have so older ones playing on here that think they know everything. But i am sorry to say it is a form of bulling and needs to stop. people really do need to watch what they are typing. if you can’t read it it don’t need to be said. I love this game it is awesome and fun and i enjoy it a great deal. but i do not enjoy the foul talk and people making fun of others . and as far as being called a NOOB i could careless about being called that but the foul down grading talk is way worse. i am level 90 on 2 of my wizards so if i am a NOOB so be it but you don’t get there by doing nothing
i have always told people to leave others alone and told them to change worlds or change realms which ever it takes to get away from them even if it is to ignor them i don’t like to play with people that want to be bossy so i just wait till they leave or i do the leaving. But something really needs to be done about all the foul talk that is going on it has gotten way out of hand. i think people should start getting suspended for it. thank you for your time .
i also agree with you olivia spiritwhisper 100% is how much i agree
hey brandon here and i think you should make an update and put a family thing cause i have a family in the game but we dont know what kind of family are we
we dont have same last names
we dont have same powers so i think u should put a kind of family thing on here so like when you click add family on ur friends page the person who decided to do this is the owner of the family so the owner decides what school his family should be what last name and what the person should be like sister brother cousin husband or wife whoever agrees with me say i
i was called a noob I am a lvl 80
I’m glad there is Filtered Chat, that is very good, but sometimes i stumble upon words that isn’t even one bit of cussing, or like ikr “I know right” Were kids, and we have to have some limits, but i understand how that is. i’m thinking you added in every word you would most likely say, or you just got out of a dictionary? I think you should put it like “allow everything” and take off everything that is cussing, but that’s just me, and every time i’m in Wizard City commons, there’s always people saying something that relates to dating, personally i wouldn’t mind if its offline and online dating, but if its just online here that’s when i get annoyed. Plus when people say “Noob” that’s offensive, because, its calling someone new here, like they don’t belong? Could you fix that? I would really hate it if i got called noob, i mean, i’m lvl 73. Could you look into these possible errors?
I to believe the report option is used as a blackmail device. I had a child tell me if I did not gift her she would report me for being rude. What I had said to the child was please stop bothering us we are talking ask your mother for crowns. My kids and my grand children both play on my accounts and if one of them ever and I mean EVER ask for a gift or said something like what this child said I would erase their wizard and they would never play again. The report a person option needs to be monitored much much more closely. If I had been muted or closed all 14 grand parents that were talking when that happened were going to close all our accounts and bring public the problem but after I told her to go ahead report worked both ways I guess she decided better. If the kid I read about really used no cuss words and the person caused another of his friends to be muted wizard101 really needs to find a judgment team to investigate the accused and the accuser. Report is like 911 use it right or take the punishment for the false call.
lol
I could see that someone using the word noob gets really old and that should be blocked. And i also think that people slipping through the chat filter to say something rude is totally whacked and the filters should be improved. I also think that people with filter chat are very under privledged because open chats make fun of filter chats all the time and a filter chat can’t understand what an open chat is saying to them, and also if you’re a filter chat you can’t communicate well. like if you make a friend and want to tell them about a cool movie you saw you have to say it all weird and its not fair. I think everyone should be allowed to use open chat with slightly more restrictions than traditional open chat.
i dont like it my friends ask for help and i go and tell them you got to help me after and when we fineshed his quest he removed me and i said you got the help and he said whatever noob and he was 7 lvl in front of me
How do you get text chat?
my account has been muted for about a month now and still has 3,500 something days to go and i was going to report the wizard101 website but i noticed i wasn’t the only one who played so i didn’t so anyways a gift from the company to me would to get my account unmuted
what i think is really immature is the dateing in the game everybody who dates on wizard101 i have one thing to tell you this is not a dateing website its a game for friends and family
thanks for the advice
rock on wizards
yeah the wizards rock
wizards rock!
James fireblade lvl 90 pyromancer
lol XD WIZARDS RULE!
WIZARD101 IS SO AWSOME ROCK ON
i know you are awesome so is w101
Another thing is if you play on a shared computer, if one person gets muted, then all the people in the family gets muted. I learned that the hard way when my two sons and myself got a ten year mute because my teen got muted. KI mutes computers, not accounts, so be careful people!!
As the forum mods have said many times, sanctions depend on what rule was broken and how badly your son/daughter violated the terms of use.
For minor/first infractions, it’s my understanding that the account is usually muted etc. for a few days/months; if the violation was severe, or the person is a repeat offender, then yes- KI blocks the IP address, which prevents that person from creating new accounts to get around the ban… and, unfortunately, means no chat privileges for anyone who uses that computer.
When I first started playing 3 years ago, I was annoyed about something or other, and I let loose with a verbal barrage that included a very-bad word. It wasn’t directed at anyone- more just frustration with a particular situation, and the friend I was with knew that. Once I saw the ellipses, I caught myself and freaked out, thinking I was going to get banned or something… I didn’t, probably because 1) I was new to the game, and 2) it was my first (and, to this day, only) infraction.
We’re only human, and KI gets that; a one-off wouldn’t warrant a 10-year mute, so my guess is that this was not your teen’s first offense.
This is why parents need to pay attention to what their kids are doing online.
yes of course it is but like shadowstar said some kids are young and some aren’t. there needs to be restrictions.
Get rid of “noob”
Your right Chase get ride of noob they call me a noob and i not i am lvl 52
ya yor good man your no noob at all
no.
I do not understand why people think “Noob” is offensive! People are up in arms just because someone calls them new at the game. I have played for three and a half years, and have been called noob countless times. It’s not like a racial slur or anything offensive! I have found that most the people who are offended by the word “Noob” are under 11 years old, and have no clue what it is. My friend’s little brother is 9 and came in crying because he was called a Noob. When we explained it to him, he was cool with it.
thank you
people say I am a noob so they pick on me 😦 I don’t like it .. I lvl 44 ~ balance wiz..
Yeah please get rid of noob! I get called a noob for the clothes I wear on the game..and it hurts my feelings! 😦
I’m gonna have to agree with you Chase. Never Been a Fan of the Word “Noob” are at least the way most people use it in context in Wizard101. Most People don’t even call the newbie’s to the game noob. Instead they use it as an insult to other players because they are a higher level then them.
lol if you get upset over a word noob then you might as well wear ear plugs because out there in real life even on tv and radio you hear much worse. yes some names are insulting but noob? i can think of much worse names to get upset over
well i get called noob all the time, but i could honestly care less.
i think that people sometimes get a little obssesed over the game and filtered chat isnt always clean
people learn to get around words to say them.
i think the people who have menue chat should be able to read open chat because that is just annoying, but you know they cant respond with open chat….
alex earth eyes lvl 10 wizard 101