No ‘GGEZ’? Gaming Giant EA Drops Hammer on Player for Popular Gamer Slang

A shared screenshot shows EA suspended a Battlefield 6 user for a week for using a common post-game slang, preventing the user from playing the game. 

Electronic Arts (EA) has censored a user for using common in-game text slang, according to a post from FullA.market on X Oct. 29. A user who was playing EA’s newest entry in its first-person shooter game franchise Battlefield 6 shared a screenshot showing that the video game company suspended his account for replying to an in-game text using the abbreviation “GGEZ.” This common gamer slang is a typically sarcastic remark that means “good game, easy,” and is usually intended as a taunt aimed at losing players. 

The suspended user explained that his message was in response to another user who had used the same abbreviation, according to the post. EA alerted the user that his comment violated its “Rules of Conduct,” claiming that the comment constituted “Hateful Conduct.” EA suspended the user’s account for 168 hours for the infraction.

The screenshot read:

“YOU CAN PLAY AGAIN WHEN YOUR SUSPENSION ENDS. YOUR ACCOUNT IS SUSPENDED DUE TO REPEATED OR SEVERE RULE VIOLATIONS. IF YOU BREAK THE RULES AGAIN, IT MIGHT BE PERMANENTLY BANNED.” 

EA’s message further elaborated on its rules at the bottom of the screenshot: “Being part of a gaming community should mean that all players are safe, welcome, and included.”

Battlefield 6 is a popular game that EA sells subscriptions across a variety of gaming platforms, including Sony’s PlayStation and Microsoft’s Xbox consoles. While playing the game, users can communicate with each other through voice chat or text messaging. Communication can be an integral part of the multiplayer game, as team members can coordinate and work together to complete missions or objectives. 

However, as this situation makes clear, gaming giants like EA are using the long arm of censorship in order to dictate what users can and cannot say to each other in the throes of competition.