This stands out too much.
It should be more gray, like “Message …” or even instead of it.
5 Likes
that text eats attention when you play, more than any real chat
So why don’t you say hello?
If you just type “hi”, “glhf” etc. then the message will disappear. That’s too much effort?
Crosslink to Is 'gg' becoming a meaninless phrase?
4 Likes
Always say hi to yourself in a demo board and a review you’re doing for just yourself, and in the games in your sgf library 
10 Likes
Do you know why the chat messages were changed at all?
It could be interesting to hear some guesses. Hint: there is no end to the stupidity of people, and the quest to make everyone happy…
3 Likes
so from these opening posts and answers:
1 should come from some moderation needs
2 could have a reduced size
3 it’s quick to erase
4 it’s no use in other places as a running game
I add that on a phone I don’t see the chat when playing a game
2 Likes
be nice
3 Likes
I fear this change has not taken “reverse psychology” into account.
I would perhaps replace it with a once-off link to a TOS inspired statement like this one: Chatting & Getting Involved in the Community · online-go/online-go.com Wiki · GitHub which can be permanently closed once viewed.
4 Likes
My instinct response to reverse psychology was "let’s have it say ‘be absolutely mean and terrible to your opponent’? " lol…
“Please remember that your opponent is also a real person (except if they are a bot).”
5 Likes
How about “The floggings will continue until behavior improves” instead? 
7 Likes
TBH, I like the “be nice” suggestion … few people learn the netiquette first thing now when they join the net (as it was in the 90s, when I became a netizen) … and it’s definitely better than “don’t be bad” 
10 Likes
Positive reinforcement is significantly better than negative.
3 Likes
“Peace & love”
3 Likes
4 Likes
Not sure how serious you are about this or whether you’re being ironic, but I for one totally dig the “Love and Peace” thing, much the more as I have witnessed—and been part of— the opposite: hate and fighting.
Also, it might be good to view “Love and Peace” not as an allegation about oneself, i.e. “I am pure love and peace”—hardly anyone can honestly say this about themselves; definitely not me, knowing how sometimes I can lose my temper and be quite vitriolic—but rather as an aspiration, an ideal that we strive towards, like: I try to be a more peaceful and loving person than I was yesterday. It’s all small steps, but having such a positive ideal to aim at makes it a lot easier.
6 Likes
It’s completely serious, why would you doubt on that? If the historical references may be too strong and deterrent, nonetheless it’s mean to think a bit deeper on the meaning of a “be nice” and help to formulate or elaborate on what and how to communicate.
I don’t see hate and fighting in this words.
Actually I don’t see where the discussion on “allegation about oneself” is coming from, when we are considering how to give a (small) message on how to respect someone in a chat.
3 Likes
No worries, @Groin—it’s just that I have seen this slogan used ironically too often.
Totally with you here.
2 Likes
Just have the line
“It’s just a game…”
I imagine it might upset more people that the current one 
11 Likes
I like the “please be nice” line in the game chat. Wish we had some more lines like that.
5 Likes
I love that suggestion!
Maybe the hint should be randomly sampled from a list of lessons that we want to push on people.
- Please be nice in chat.
- It’s just a game.
- Don’t be sour if you lose, everybody does.
- Go out into the sunshine from time to time.
- Don’t play Go in your underwear.
- Don’t smoke or drink alcohol, it’s unhealthy.
- Don’t request undo after a misread.
- Grant undo if it was an honest mistake.
- Don’t make a sad face, why don’t you smile more often?
- …
10 Likes