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The blunt instrument of cancellation
junkmale
Registered User new member
Registered User new member
I've been playing MMOs for a few years now, and have sampled the offerings from all the major providers, but find myself facing a situation I've never faced before: I'm actually considering canceling a game because the forum mod for that game did something so obnoxious that it's actually abusive.
But is cancellation too far, based on the action of one bad employee? This particular company doesn't really give alternative methods of submitting complaints (though I used the e-mail address it had provided--three weeks of silence since). It seems like the options are to suck it up and keep playing and paying, or cancel, and lose the whole game in the name of one jerk who isn't even really connected to the production/design/implementation of the game.
If cancellation is the only tool given to address complaints--and even where other tools exist, it's often the only one a company cares about--at what point is it "reasonable" to use it for a game you otherwise enjoy? Am I cutting my nose to spite my face, or taking a stand on principle?
But is cancellation too far, based on the action of one bad employee? This particular company doesn't really give alternative methods of submitting complaints (though I used the e-mail address it had provided--three weeks of silence since). It seems like the options are to suck it up and keep playing and paying, or cancel, and lose the whole game in the name of one jerk who isn't even really connected to the production/design/implementation of the game.
If cancellation is the only tool given to address complaints--and even where other tools exist, it's often the only one a company cares about--at what point is it "reasonable" to use it for a game you otherwise enjoy? Am I cutting my nose to spite my face, or taking a stand on principle?
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Anyway, is there a particular reason you're not mentioning the game? None cares, or is otherwise afraid to attack and/or defend any games by name around these parts; don't be afraid to just say it straight instead of beating around the bush.
But IMO canceling your game account because a forum mod for a game was rude is pretty silly. Would you stop shopping at best buy entirely because you found one employee at one store annoying? Or stop eating at McDonalds because one time you went to one franchise, they put onions on when you asked for it without?
Take WoW for instance. Back at launch the CM's were fairly apologetic, and rarely confronted and/or called out players for more or less using the forums Blizzard was paying for to lambaste the game. Slowly over time the CM's started not putting up with much of the bullshit that went on there, though as anyone who just visits them once can tell you, it's impossible to keep all the asshats out. Anyway, I know people who feel that the attitudes and actions of the current group of CM's are out of line and unacceptable. My opinion is; who gives a shit? I mean, they're just forum mods, they don't have anything to do with development, design, or gameplay of a game. And good on a company for not putting up with bullshit that they don't have to, they own the forums, webspace and bandwidth; private company forums don't have to uphold any free speech rights, particularly considering many modern games are multi-national (blizzards parent company is French for example), and if they want to call bitchy players bitches, good for them.
On the other hand if those same mods/CM's are harassing people in-game and effecting your play then maybe cancellation is warranted. But I'd imagine it is rare at most that anything like that actually happens. Forum mods keep to the forums; that's their job. The game is a separate entity entirely.
And besides, if you don't like the mods, don't visit the forums. There's virtually no game out there that requires or is even enhanced by the "official" forums. Most of the community stuff goes on in guild forums or whatever.
Lastly, if said mod did something actually offensive (and not just said something someone took personally because they can't handle criticism) like throwing around racist terms in a hostile manner; chances are their company will take care of the matter. In the off chance that the mod happens to be the company itself (*cough*derek smart *cough*) and is being an asshole, then ok, yeah, maybe move on to a different game.
This is all my personal opinion obviously.
Origin: Galedrid - Nintendo: Galedrid/3222-6858-1045
Blizzard: Galedrid#1367 - FFXIV: Galedrid Kingshand
Basically, what happened was someone had posted how some highly unpopular changes to a game were positive things. Since this poster and I had interacted a bunch before, I replied, "Thats XXXXX for you; he never met a nerf he didn't like." That was the entirety of the post.
The mod took that as an infraction they described as "trolling." I took issue primarily with the characterization that it was trolling, as it's a valid point that someone has defended every change that's been made to the game, including those that were rolled back and acknowledged as mistakes later, so I replied that I wanted to appeal that--and that's where I got the response that left me fuming.
A mod wrote back that, not only was my original post an example of the type of insult the forum rules prohibit, that I had indicated in my response that I didn't understand the forum rules by using the word "troll," which was also a prohibited insult, and that until I learn how to read I shouldn't go back to their forum. And, P.S., any further correspondence on that issue would be deleted.
Slight problem: I didn't use the word "troll." The only time that appeared in my response was when I quoted the original mod. So I ended up with two infractions now, because I tried to appeal the original one, and got blamed for quoting the original mod's language.
So obviously, I'm dealing with jerks up and down. I think you're probably right, that cancelling would be an overreaction. I just hate the idea that people get away with doing their jobs like that.
Yeah, a friend of mine has been temp banned on the WoW forums several times for things virtually identical to what you're saying. We just laugh and try to see who could get more forum temp bans (before I quit WoW).
One thing I think we both understood though was that the mods neither knew who we are nor did they care who we are. WoW specifically; hundreds of thousands (at least) people come visit "general" on a daily and hourly basis. They have to deal with so many flat out assholes that it's way easier for them to hit the "temp ban" button for "trolling" than to go through every single post and try to determine intent, etc. It might seem heavy handed; and don't get me wrong, I'm sure as hell not a Blizzard apologist; however it rarely has anything to do with you. I just sympathize with any customer support persons (because I've been there) who are trying to do their job in the face of waves of dicks who feel entitled. America is the only country in the world where "the customer is always right" and there's a good reason for that. The customer is often wrong, and the business often doesn't need a customer so badly as to put up with that kind of bullshit.
Origin: Galedrid - Nintendo: Galedrid/3222-6858-1045
Blizzard: Galedrid#1367 - FFXIV: Galedrid Kingshand
Well, I'm not usually one to rag on any particular game; to each their own you know but...uh...
This game is far more entertaining and it's free.
Just a suggestion.
:P
Origin: Galedrid - Nintendo: Galedrid/3222-6858-1045
Blizzard: Galedrid#1367 - FFXIV: Galedrid Kingshand
Besides, official forums are generally unspeakably horrid places.
> turn on light
Good start to the day. Pity it's going to be the worst one of your life. The light is now on.
I guess they receive hundreds of e-mails a day.
Good old letters can help, sometimes.