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.
Last edited by Elements; 04.07.12 at 12:18.
@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.
Nevermind I give up
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!
errOriginally Posted by unlucky
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
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!
Last edited by Elles0705; 07.07.12 at 23:26.
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
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.
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