A list of words set to be banned at E3 2021, including “Canada” and “Toejam” as well as the phrase “Women Rapping”, has caused controversy online.
As covered by VGC and spotted on Resetera, a JavaScript file listed the words that were set to be banned during E3 2021, relating to its code of conduct.
Along with “Canada” and “ToeJam”, a number of religious and political words made the list, as well as some words that are more severe:
“Religion: alah, allah, azazel, christ, god […] jewish, lucifer, koran, nimrod, omfg, omg, qu’ran, quran, surah
“Geography, nationality: canada, Canadian
“Political: black president, democratic socialism, right side broadcast, trump train
“???: toejam, women rapping”
The ESA, who is responsible for running E3, said: “E3 strives to provide a safe, inclusive, harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, color, caste, religion, national origin, immigration status, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, marital status, veteran status, and other protected categories.
“Participating in a global event brings with it the responsibility to be mindful of different cultures and customs. ESA does not tolerate discrimination, harassment, hateful conduct, or abusive treatment in any manner, including verbal harassment, intimidation or threats, and sexually explicit, suggestive, or provocative behavior.”
Following the release of the banned words for E3, which posed a lot of questions from the community, the ESA released a statement, stating the leaked words were a “test” list, and not the final product:
“The team working on the E3 portal and app used a sampling of words that came from a third party software company only for the purpose of functionality testing on the portal. This is not the final list, only a test list. The primary goal of curating this final list is to ensure the moderation functionality is being properly implemented to create a safe environment for all users.”
Thankfully, the ESA has now revised its list of banned words, so both Canada and ToeJam are welcome at E3 this year. Rejoice!
What are your thoughts on the previously banned words for E3 2021? Let us know across our social media channels. E3 2021 will take place between June 12th to June 15th.
EDIT: Article updated for clarity to confirm the list was a “test post.”
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