The name filter: smart, not strict

A name is the first thing other players see: over your head on the map, on your card, at the top of a club. So names need some rules. But a name filter that's too strict is its own problem: it blocks a town's name because a rude word hides inside it, and it turns signing up into a guessing game. Malta Living's name filter, which went live on 20 October, is built to be smart, not strict.

What it stops, and where

The filter knows a few categories, and each applies only where it matters:

• Everywhere, chat included: slurs, hate, and anything sexual about children.
• Usernames, club names and group chat names: also explicit sexual words, dagħa and drug names.
• Usernames only: also names that look like the team or an official body.

Dagħa is swearing against God or the saints, which Maltese treats as a thing of its own. "Looking like the team" means usernames such as admin, moderator or police, so nobody can pretend to speak for the game.

Chat refuses only the worst three. People can talk about a hangover, a film or a drug in the news; a username or a club name, though, is on show to everyone, all the time.

What it leaves alone

Malta Living is an 18+ game, so ordinary swearing is fine in names and chat. The filter also matches whole words, and short words only on their own. That keeps it clear of the famous Scunthorpe problem, where a filter blocks innocent names because of letters inside them: "Methodist" and "Heroine" pass.

It also has an allow-list that our tests check: all 68 of Malta's localities and the common Maltese surnames always pass, whatever letters they happen to contain.

When a name is refused, you get one plain line, "That name isn't allowed. Try another.", never the word it caught. A message refused in chat stays in the box, so you can edit it.

Counts, not copies

We count how many names are refused, as numbers only. We never keep the name someone tried. If refusals jump, say a word on the list is catching ordinary names, the team gets an alert, and an admin can switch the filter off for names or for chat at once while they fix the list. Admins can test a name with "Would this block?" before adding a word, and each look at the word list is logged.

When a name is already in the game

Some names were picked before the filter, and some slip through. Anyone can report a message, and moderators who see a rude username can ask the player to rename. From that moment, others see a neutral name like player_4821. The next time the player opens the game, they pick a new username before they play. It's free, and their homes, money and friends all stay; their character keeps its first name. An admin can undo it until they've picked.

Clubs work the same way. Anyone who can see a club can tap 🚩 Report name on its page, once per club. A moderator looks, and if the name has to go, the club gets a plain stand-in and its chat says "A moderator renamed this club. Its admins can pick a new name in ✏️ Edit club." The members and the link stay.

Why we built it this way

We wanted a filter that rarely gets in the way of anyone signing up, and that is firm on the few things that hurt people. Each choice above came from that: categories by place, whole words, the allow-list, counts instead of copies, a switch to turn it off, and people, not the filter, deciding on renames. You can read how renames fit with the rest of moderation in volunteer moderators, and the whole picture in how we keep Malta Living safe.

Picking your name is the first step of a new life. Tourist, permit or local explains the next one, what Malta Living is explains the rest, and you can play Malta Living free right now.

Questions people ask

Why was my username refused?

It matched one of the serious categories: slurs, hate, anything sexual about children, explicit sexual words, dagħa, drug names, or a name that looks like the team. Ordinary swearing isn't one of them. If you think it's a mistake, tell us in Help & feedback.

Can I change my username?

Not by yourself yet. If the team asks you to rename, you pick a new one for free the next time you open the game.

Does the filter read my chat?

Only to refuse slurs, hate and anything sexual about children as you send. It keeps no copy of what it refuses.

Can a club name be reported?

Yes: 🚩 Report name on the club's page. A moderator looks, and only a person decides to rename it.