Reply From PEGI

I've seen many people in chat, myself included ask about the PEGI 7 rating etc. Yesterday I emailed Pegi.info and have just a couple of minutes ago received a reply from them. I'm posting this so it will hopefully make users understand more of why the game is PEGI 7 rated....


Dear XXXXX, [Name edited by me]

Recently we received your reaction via pegi.info. First of all, we would like to thank you for your interest in the PEGI system.

I’m sorry to hear the moderators are so strict, however these individuals have no connection with PEGI, nor are they enforcing any policy which is associated with PEGI. Unfortunately I can’t change the way they are acting. However, if a PEGI 7 game would contain the word “poo” or textual references to animal slaughter, the rating would not be raised.

Regarding the Online content descriptor, we can only warn for potential online threats, not protect youngsters. This is up to the parents and the moderators of a game. We cannot actively monitor all games that feature an online mode, nor do we want to this this. This would be a seemingly endless task.

The PEGI ratings are being composed with the use of an extensive questionnaire that deals with several topics, among which e.g. bad language, violence, and sex. Depending on the way these topics are represented in a game, a different age rating is the final result, accompanied by a certain content indicator.

I hope this information has been helpful. If you still have any questions after reading this e-mail, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Kind regards

would have been better if you posted your questions to.

This is by far the most fun MOD-rant i have ever seen on these forums.
It simply funny to see you have to hide behind PEGI cos you are not capable of following ingame rules.
Sure the rules are related to the PEGI rating already given to TSO, but if and how BB decides to uphold this rating is up to BB not PEGI.
Your smart enough to know how and where to get awnsers, yet you failed to grasp the real failure on your side.

thnx i havnt had a good laugh in a while.

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Originally Posted by Nukar

would have been better if you posted your questions to.

This is by far the most fun MOD-rant i have ever seen on these forums.
It simply funny to see you have to hide behind PEGI cos you are not capable of following ingame rules.
Sure the rules are related to the PEGI rating already given to TSO, but if and how BB decides to uphold this rating is up to BB not PEGI.
Your smart enough to know how and where to get awnsers, yet you failed to grasp the real failure on your side.

thnx i havnt had a good laugh in a while.

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Actually the rating has everything to do with PEGI and nothing to do with BB. BB in the 1st instance rated the game PEGI 13, PEGI then lowered that to 7. I suggest you get your facts straight before you get egg on your face

It is still up to BB to aim for a certain rating. PEGI then can re-evaluate and re-asign a rating.
So keep your eggs, the fact dont matter here. PEGI isnt the one that gets to decide anything about the MODs or gamerules here :p

but please do continue, its still funny.

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Originally Posted by Nukar

It is still up to BB to aim for a certain rating. PEGI then can re-evaluate and re-asign a rating.
So keep your eggs, the fact dont matter here. PEGI isnt the one that gets to decide anything about the MODs or gamerules here :p

but please do continue, its still funny.

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As you yourself already stated my OP doesn't include anything I said. Therefore it's only fair for you to not assume just by reading any reply back from PEGI. Perhaps you want to troll elsewhere

[quote]I’m sorry to hear the moderators are so strict[quote]
Its their first comment after the 'thnx for contacting us'...
So then please do explain your intentions here.
Better yet explain why you felt the urge to contact PEGI. Also do post you full set questions. Proof my assumption to be wrong.

Yawn. I suppose this thread is turning out to prove what another thread says about how some people get away with trolling and nothing happens to them. Yet if I start to bite to your unhelpful trolling I run the risk myself of getting a sanction for my reactions.

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Originally Posted by Monkey_Boi

I’m sorry to hear the moderators are so strict, however these individuals have no connection with PEGI, nor are they enforcing any policy which is associated with PEGI. Unfortunately I can’t change the way they are acting.

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Sounds to me you are trying to stir the poo which is pegi-7 proof and tried to find some basis to complain about mederators- why else would that reference be in there. You obviously think they are too strict- also onferred by the reaction from the pegi organization and are now calling people trolls for having a chuckle about your effort to find faults with BB

Alas, as that e-mail also shows, that for complaints and issues you should be at Blue Byte, not anywhere else. And to refresh you rmemory:

The-Settlers-Online-Code-of-Conduct-Forum-and-In-game-Chat-Rules

Anyway it is also super weak to not post your original question as asked to the Pegi ratings organization and then hide behind the fact that you didn;t post that. The question would put the answer in the right context. Alas for you, the answer contains enough references to the question to show that it was probably a complaint or a rant against BB and moderators- and now i am guessing, because you couldn't get your own way in another way i.e. through support.

And to react to the accusation of strict mods- some are stricter than others and some have good and bad days and strict and lenient days- just like anyone else. Sometimes mods are intrusive in a chat by being too strict and other times you wish they were there and acting. As they are volunteers you will have to accept that the margins of acceptable behaviour will vary a bit. You still have protection from power abuse by mods through support or BB representatives in chats as well and other than that- cases where people are unjustly warned or removed from chats are few and in most cases the warnings or actions were warranted. If you behave erring on the side of caution, they will see little reason to warn or ban\

It is a two way street. If chat as a whole is well bahaved, margins of acceptability are usually a lot bigger than when it is very unruly or disruptive due to actions of multiple people. This is no different than in regular every day life and something you will have to accept

People can't give valid comments when you only post half the story.

Meh i dont need or want you to get sanctioned.
Yes, im having a laugh. And your not giving me any reason not to. You stil have not made your point. What was your aim with this topic? Why did you in fact feel the urge to mail PEGI.

I am not trolling you, in fact i regard your starting topic as a lame mod-rant/ troll attempt hiding behide the facade of being smart for mailing them.
Proof me and others that im wrong with laughing at you. i dont mind being wrong. But the more nonsaying replies i see from you the more im sure im right.

You hide behind the idea that im a troll, yet you dont proof me wrong or give me a reason to shut it.

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People can't give valid comments when you only post half the story.

There's only one troll here and it isn't Nukar.

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giving it a shot yourself ? :p

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Originally Posted by Nukar

Meh i dont need or want you to get sanctioned.
Yes, im having a laugh. And your not giving me any reason not to. You stil have not made you point. What was your aim with this topic? Why did you in fact feel the urge to mail PEGI.

I am not trolling you, in fact i regard your starting topic as a lame mod-rant/ troll attempt hiding behide the facade of being smart for mailing them.
Proof me and others that im wrong with laughing at you. i dont mind being wrong. But the more nonsaying replies i see from you the more im sure im right.

You hide behind the idea that im a troll, yet you dont proof me wrong or give me a reason to shut it.

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Then why the need to troll in the 1st place?

dude stop hiding and give the requested awnsers.
im not trolling im just feeding :p

Same old people as always, just give up Monkey, they are always right and can say anything to prove their point without being even warned by the MODs and game managers. They are just waiting for you to mess up and say something "bannable" and you will be out... Just give up

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Originally Posted by Gambleros

Same old people as always, just give up Monkey, they are always right and can say anything to prove their point without being even warned by the MODs and game managers. They are just waiting for you to mess up and say something "bannable" and you will be out... Just give up

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Please do not fill in for me. Sure ill bash someone if he is a fool or trying to troll feed like your own post. But that does not mean he can just post some odd awnser without me being able to res[ond and ask for his reasoning. He can only respond repeatedly that he regards me as a troll. Thus making a bigger fool out of himself becasue he is unable to explain himself.
I hold the ingame 'pegi-7' standard to a high respect. The term PEGI-7 is used ingame by players/MODs and BB-staf to make ppl aware of what is alowed and what is not without naming the offencive subjects themselfs. But in fact its not PEGI ruling but BB ruling.

And then you yourself Gambleros abusing some other topic for making a point you cant even make in your own? tsss

I think my point has been made clearly, in both posts, not by me, but by the people I am talking about... Don´t you just love a puzzle that completes itself?

And i ask myself: What is que question/information about?

i can't decide if you are compaing about the rating, perhaps is too low for a game like this, or you complaining about the moderators/developers of the game, they could be too hard for your liking, or even your rant is about the, so called by you, trolls of the chat/forum, seems to me yu have an isue with some players here.

??
post also the question the you asked pegi, so we can understand your meaning.

as an old teacher of mine told me once that an answer only can be as good as the question, maybe worst but never better. your question is very unclear, at least for my humble understanding.

please, put me out of my missery by posting the whole information.

In brief it's time to put the assumptions to rest. The mail I sent to PEGI was to gain info on why a game is rated as PEGI7, and the reasons for the mail was I had seen a few people get banned for using the word "poo" in chat (childish in my opinion). The reply back from PEGI saying about MODs who are strict was not actually a question I myself had asked. It was their own interpretation oif thye MODs actions simply by my saying "poo" was a bannable offense

non the wiser mate, sorry.

hope all turns out right for you

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Originally Posted by Monkey_Boi

In brief it's time to put the assumptions to rest. The mail I sent to PEGI was to gain info on why a game is rated as PEGI7, and the reasons for the mail was I had seen a few people get banned for using the word "poo" in chat (childish in my opinion). The reply back from PEGI saying about MODs who are strict was not actually a question I myself had asked. It was their own interpretation oif thye MODs actions simply by my saying "poo" was a bannable offense

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One could stil wonder why you ask PEGI and not BB. It is still BB who makes the rules, appoints the MODs and when/if needed corrects the MODs. the whole action being related to player and MOD behaviour, in my book, is the wrong motivation.
Curiosity on how the PEGI system works if fine. But you found the need to give examples about MODs. And you still did not post your full mail.
Hence i will keep questioning you motivation as just curiosity how ratings are appointed.

PS posting the mail now.... not needed for me anymore. Not likely ill believe its the actual mail seeing how you responded before ;)

lol, I'll say this one more time get a teamspeak server or similar, that way u can say whatever you want wivout being needlessly banned by people who wannabe internet police..

You're getting so wound up by people that are so easily lead on for a bit of power to ban people that they will do it for free, whilst the very company that's given them the ban button earns a profit... Volunteering for charity work, hat off to ya, Volunteering for a profit making company lolololololololol.

Don't give them the satisfaction

I'm also missing the point of this thread. Why exactly did you go to PEGI and what does their reply prove and why post it here? People do not get banned simply for using the word 'poo' and if they did then it's nothing to do with PEGI - it's up to them to ticket support.

Bottom line is though, we all agreed to the rules when we signed up. The rules are there so live with them. We all have to do the same.

I believe the OP has a valid point in that the game is in fact to strict in some respects... and yes the PEGI reply does in fact mirror this by basically saying that the rating would not be changed if for example the word "poo" were allowed etc. This in turn means that BB is (or the mods are) restricting some things without good cause.

That said.. the entire system is flawed on a massive scale, and it is only because people (such as myself) like the game that things like this boil to the surface.
The system has a number of safeguards in place to ensure that the community has sufficient tools to block any and all content that they may find disturbing (such as the ignore function) as well as moderators that.. yes.. further ensure that chat remains "safe"

However, what BB really needs to understand is that the system currently in place actually provokes what they are trying to deter.. and therefore the system is half of the problem. Furthermore.. while I have nothing against moderators or moderated chat in general.. I truely believe it should be up to the player to decide what is deemed "fine" and what is "disruptive". The moderator system also creates a community based on bias and suck ups.. sad to say.. but this can be easliy spotted when (and yes this does in-fact exist) a player actively tries to provoke a "bannable" reaction out of a player.. and yet goes without a warning, wheras the player who then feels the need to defend themselves (in a reasonable fashion) gets either a warning or the mod begins to take the side of the offender (the one trying to provoke other players).

Also, players are often hummiliated through messages of bans being posted in chat.. and that is certainly not something a company should be proud of promoting. (theres a whisper function in the game.. use it)
Because of this.. I hardly say anything in chat.. nor do I feel as if I should actively engage in the social aspect of the game etc.. and I know other players feel the same way although this may seem like a minority.. as very few ppl actually speak out.. and when they do they get bashed into bits (including a couple of RL friends of mine) and the player is then left with a feeling of injustice. Personally.. as much as I like the game.. it could be so much better.. and I for one would be happy to actually invest in it.

I just want to make one thing clear though.. this is not a mod rant. This is a rant at the system in general.. and the OP certainly has a point.

@Elements
Maybe he has, but then he has to make it instead of just posint half a conversation. We all have to guess at what his intentions are. Your guess is just as good as mine.
As for PEGIs reply. It still does not matter. It is BB and BB alone who deside what the rules are and how the rules are guarded. PEGI can respond by adjusting a rating, but they are in no way in control here. Thus getting them involved is, in my book, a lame attempt.

anyway the chat flow goes with up and dows, basically it only takes 3 or 4 disruptive people to make the need for stict modding- when they are around, you will usually find less lenient mods/admins and quicker bans.

If you have the bad luck of logging in after a general warning and happen to cross the line, you usually end up with a 30 min or hour chat ban on first infraction. Is it fair- in the eye of the banned no.

But if you look at the broader picture- most people in chat will have been around long enough to know about the rules/modding and bans- if they decide to push the envelope, then they knowingly take the risk for a ban. Which in its own right is no big thing if you got a 30 minute chatban. Impact in game is minimal - take a coffeebreak if you must- and you know for next time.

i have no sympathy for people that get long bans due to repeatedly getting short bans. Ofc they are also the ones complaining the loudest how unfair the system is. But if they don;t want to get banned it is easy- do not push the envelope even though you do not agree- and guess what: 99,9999% that you do not get a ban and for the remaining chance, there is support etc .

It is simple- if you do not have a system of moderating/admin in chat, it gets out of control very fast. We have seen that when there were no mods around at the end of beta and just game admins. We were all happy to see yellows. Not that people agree with mods all the time or with BB for that matter- but thats natural and there are less disruptive ways than ones that get you banned to fight for (perceived) injustices.

There is no doubt that a system needs to be in place to ensure that chat is kept drama free etc.. however

I try my best to abide by the rules and I know alot of others do as well.. yes there are some trouble makers out there but..
more often or not people get banned for what I would consider doing nothing wrong.. and I actually feel sorry for the people in those instances. Sometimes the ban hammer is not justified.. sometimes it is.

Either way the system needs an overhaul.

having spent the best years of my life daily dealing with many of the associated problems which have been mentioned, I would like to get my tuppence worth in!

Firstly it would seem (and I can only guess as I like others haven't seen what was written to PEGI for their opinion, just part of the answer) that what happened was a "word" was taken out of context, and of course we all know that then becomes a pretext . . . without knowing how the word was being used in chat and how long the chat had been going on for etc., it is extremely difficult to know if the word "Poo" was the reason for the ban or the last straw so to speak which broke the camel's back . . .

Secondly, a couple of valid points have been made about the mods and basically they come down to the fact that they are human and we should as fellow humans know, respond differently depending on a whole raft of issues. Yes we would like 100% consistentcy, 100% of the time, but we ain't going to get it.

Thirdly - many of us (myself included) are looking at this whole thing from the outside, looking at it from different levels of life experiences . . . it is easy to forget that the players in the game do range from 7 to past 77 and what is seemingly innocent to one person could just be actually quite offensive to another, and not just from the age view but also from cultural / religous standards. I would hate to be in the position of having to explain to a young child some of the offensive comments which float by in chat at times, likewise some of the names some people use, I actually find quite offensive (but is that personal point or one that BB should be stricter about? - don't know, not going there!).

Umm rambling on this, but basically, different aged players / different maturity of players will and do try to push the rule boundaries (it is in our nature!) - if they go to far, for whatever the reason, then they have to accept the cosequences.

Hope this gives you a bit more food for thought - and remember there are 2 sides to a coin (except to the barracks lawyer who will now argue about a coin landing on its edge - if you fit that, then perhaps you need to think a bit more about rules) / argument, and our side might not be the right side in the eyes of the game owner - we only play because BB lets us!

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Originally Posted by unlucky

we only play because BB lets us!

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err

i sure hope people play first and foremost for liking the game, not BB letting us play :P

oops the coin just landed on its edge

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Originally Posted by unlucky

it is easy to forget that the players in the game do range from 7 to past 77 and what is seemingly innocent to one person could just be actually quite offensive to another, and not just from the age view but also from cultural / religous standards. I would hate to be in the position of having to explain to a young child some of the offensive comments ...

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Very well put, unlucky! In addition, (IMHO), all of the negative comments about the MODS doing their jobs, could be explained with the above. It's a huge world, all brought together inside the big old WWW, and MANY different interpretations of the SAMES rules. You see them as BLACK, I see them as WHITE, others will only see the GRAY and ask why -- repeatedly.

All it boils down to is that, we all bleed red, and we need to conduct ourselves HERE as if we are sitting in a second-grade classroom. It should be easy enough for most ...
;-p

Save the "fun stuff" (arguments) for Facebook, where many 7-yr olds are NOT allowed!

well i wholly agree players who cont act adult and chat acordingly in front of children should be modderated and taken out of chat for perminently

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Originally Posted by unlucky

having spent the best years of my life daily dealing with many of the associated problems which have been mentioned, I would like to get my tuppence worth in!

Firstly it would seem (and I can only guess as I like others haven't seen what was written to PEGI for their opinion, just part of the answer) that what happened was a "word" was taken out of context, and of course we all know that then becomes a pretext . . . without knowing how the word was being used in chat and how long the chat had been going on for etc., it is extremely difficult to know if the word "Poo" was the reason for the ban or the last straw so to speak which broke the camel's back . . .

Secondly, a couple of valid points have been made about the mods and basically they come down to the fact that they are human and we should as fellow humans know, respond differently depending on a whole raft of issues. Yes we would like 100% consistentcy, 100% of the time, but we ain't going to get it.

Thirdly - many of us (myself included) are looking at this whole thing from the outside, looking at it from different levels of life experiences . . . it is easy to forget that the players in the game do range from 7 to past 77 and what is seemingly innocent to one person could just be actually quite offensive to another, and not just from the age view but also from cultural / religous standards. I would hate to be in the position of having to explain to a young child some of the offensive comments which float by in chat at times, likewise some of the names some people use, I actually find quite offensive (but is that personal point or one that BB should be stricter about? - don't know, not going there!).

Umm rambling on this, but basically, different aged players / different maturity of players will and do try to push the rule boundaries (it is in our nature!) - if they go to far, for whatever the reason, then they have to accept the cosequences.

Hope this gives you a bit more food for thought - and remember there are 2 sides to a coin (except to the barracks lawyer who will now argue about a coin landing on its edge - if you fit that, then perhaps you need to think a bit more about rules) / argument, and our side might not be the right side in the eyes of the game owner - we only play because BB lets us!

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Very much agreed on all points. The rules are there for a reason, and BB can expect us to follow them. I can't think of any part of real life that is not governed by rules to a greater or lesser extent, and online browser games should not be an exception, regardless of how 'virtual' they are. I'm not claiming that I agree with all of the rules, but I do think they should be followed. If you do not wish to be bound by such rules, then don't play a Pegi 7 game. I have left games before when I've disagreed with the terms and conditions or rules enough that I did not wish to follow them.

On the Euro English / UK server we have one set of rules. There are also other TSO servers with different rules. I would be surprised if any of the servers had absolutely no rules to follow.

it is bb's game. they have absolute power, rules or no rules. no one is going to take them to an International court for bb doing any sort of action on chat.
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that said, I have little complaint, IF ANY, on how they are running their chats.
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Originally Posted by Monkey_Boi

Actually the rating has everything to do with PEGI and nothing to do with BB. BB in the 1st instance rated the game PEGI 13, PEGI then lowered that to 7. I suggest you get your facts straight before you get egg on your face

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Oh dear, still struggling to get to grips with reality.
BB never rated the game as anything. They hoped that PEGI would include it in the PEGI12 category, so some of the content eg: beer, would not have to be renamed to something less 'controversial'.
Unfortunately, it was rated as 7, so inappropriate stuff had to be redone to meet that criteria.

And as has been pointed out by several others, the 1st line of PEGI's reply really does say it all "the behaviour of moderators".
You can't abide by the rules that were set out, and to which you agreed when you signed up, so this is yet another lame attempt to try to impose your own warped view on others.
So sad.

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Originally Posted by Sto_Helit

On the Euro English / UK server we have one set of rules. There are also other TSO servers with different rules. I would be surprised if any of the servers had absolutely no rules to follow.

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The rules are pretty much the same throughout, although we are in an unique situation here as long as we remain the 'dumper' servers for any language which does not fit in elsewhere.
I can think of two where the rules don't apply, and they are both freakish exceptions which, if you ever went on them, just prove why the rules should exist in the first place.

This thread seems to have re-awakened after a year's sleep, Why don't we just let it go back to sleep?