In both cases, those who initiated the discussion carefully avoided clarifying what kind of speech they were talking about, deliberately leaving an implication that it should either be okay to be downright hateful in chat, or that the admins are banning people for non-hateful speech.
So I thought, let’s ask people what they think about at least one of those things.
Here’s the premise, so you can vote on whether you agree with it:
Being downright hateful in global chat is not okay, and people who do that deserve to have the privilege of accessing official servers taken away.
Yes, give them a permanent ban.
Yes, but give them a temporary suspension at first.
No, everyone should just deal with them however they can.
0voters
For those who want to know what “downright hateful” is supposed to mean, here are some examples, but bear in mind that they’re not exhaustive:
Using racist or homophobic slurs.
Saying that all members of a certain group should be killed.
Threatening to rape someone.
I’m sure people can come up with more examples in their own heads.
As you can see, I’m setting the bar pretty low here. I didn’t say you shouldn’t be able to discuss politics, for example.
Also, bear in mind that I’m not asking about whether it’s against the current rules, but whether you think it should be tolerated or not.
So let’s have a nice little vote and see what people really think.
I’m honestly not really sure how this can even be a question, and yet sadly there are those people out there who feel that it is acceptable to act in such a way simply because… well I really have no idea why they would think that it is alright but for whatever reason they do. Simple answer is, no. In no way shape or form should such behavior ever be acceptable and on every private server I can think of such behavior WILL result in a permanent ban. And these are private servers not beholden to the type of liability that official servers with the Funcom name attached to them bare.
I honestly believe there is no place for any of this in the game for any reason. Toxic people deserve to be removed from a server community permanently without warning.
What I don’t understand is why people bother to write hateful stuff in a chat box ! It’s so much more simple to just ignore people you don’t like by no talking to them.
I’m probably in the minority here, but I’m a firm believer in freedom of speech. That being said, I fully understand that this game is owned by Funcom and they have the right to do with it as they see fit. With that in mind, I know some people can get a bit heated and say stupid things they may not otherwise say. Sure, they probably say things like that because they’re spoiled brats at times, but… I think a permanent ban is a bit harsh. I lean more towards a warning with temporary suspension. That allows for the individual(s) to recognize it’s not ok, but also that a second chance is given. It also teaches them that when they say stupid things, consequences are given. Freedom of speech is great, but it doesn’t stop everyone from thinking you’re an ■■■■■■■. I’m also considering the fact that people tend to bait each other and in this day and age of excessive reporting and/or false claims, more people are paying the price for a lapse in judgment. If they ban someone outright, it can start to err on the side borderline fascism. The idea that all power lies in the hands of the admins and zero forgiveness. We already feel that bans are handed out too easily. I just see this as a slippery slope.
If someone used hate speech in my living room or insulted any of my other guests, they’d be shown the door and never invited back. My home is not a public space and anyone visiting due to my hospitality should realize that rule number one is “Don’t anger the host.”
Valid… however this is not your house. This is a public server, owned by a company that should be more interested in making money, rather than doling out punishments and risk losing potential players (people talk and spread their opinions). But… as I said… I’m likely in the minority. I try to be forgiving and at least try to give a second chance. You may not agree with me, but that’s why the question was posed… so @CodeMage could get a consensus of our opinions.
Just for the record, I was agreeing with you until this bit. I just can’t agree with someone drawing the line from zero tolerance for stuff that includes literal fascism to, well, fascism
Yep. And I want to see that consensus. That doesn’t preclude having a discussion and/or disagreements in the comments, as long as we keep it civil
Also, the poll is anonymous, so those who don’t want their views to be known can still vote.
They aren’t public servers but officials servers rented by Funcom and made available to all people who bought the game and wish to play online without subscribing to a paid server. They’re still private place subject to the rules of Funcom called ToS.
Please stay on topic. The topic is not about the flaws of the current administration system in general. The topic is whether certain kinds of speech should be tolerated on official servers or not. If you don’t have anything to add to this topic, that’s fine, but don’t derail it.
Not exactly. It is a private server hosted by Funcom that has terms and conditions. The misconception that it is like any other public space is why I believe people have a hard time accepting it has Ts&Cs. Also, the Funcom servers are not a place where the purpose is speech. They are for playing a game. Servers where accommodating others is valued, which is one of the tenets of the rules (build unobtrusively, minimize server impact, etc).
I have stopped calling them “official” because I think people extrapolate that term incorrectly. Some believe it gives them license to do as they please or that it is “the way the game is meant to be played”.
My first job over 20 years ago was at a movie theater. There were a few times I showed someone the door and banned them from coming back for using offensive language and disrupting other customers as a result (even outside the auditoriums). Sure a business is there to make money, but the business also gets to decide if someone isn’t worth what they are paying. More so, businesses get to decide what kind of atmosphere they want to host, even if being more lenient would make more money, sometimes selling one’s soul isn’t the best option for all of them.
But regardless, these servers are not storefronts. They are private property rented out for trial purposes and advertisement for G-portal.
I agree that they are “private” in the sense that they are owned. I mean public in that they are open to the public, but yes, that’s why I suggested they should be held accountable, but a permanent ban? No, I don’t think that should be a thing in this case. For repeat offenders? Sure. It means they didn’t learn from their previous mistakes.
Yeah, that was a bit extreme, but my point is that when a moderator makes absolute judgments over an individual’s actions, including potential for future infractions without giving a just reasoning for that judgment, it feels a bit excessive to me.
True, but I’d be more open to harsher punishments if the population of this game were healthier. It’s a popular enough game, but it’s no Fortnite with several thousands/millions playing. They need to stay afloat somehow.
For the record, I can’t stand Fortnite. I just used it as an example of a thriving game.
For the concise list of examples, I am perfectly at ease with permabans on the first offense, much like I would be perfectly comfortable ejecting them from my home. That kind of behavior feeds on tolerance.
They need to stay afloat somehow.
