Legality and Logistics Question Relating to Another Game

[Zeraphia]

Hello!

 

I would like to ask maybe those who are more knowledgeable about what I can/should do in a legal and pragmatic sense.

So let me address some of the specifics of my situation, I am a PvP player on another game. I have played this game for several years, and there is now a developer team that was created 2 years ago. My PvP strategy could be described as "toxic" because it does take awhile for me to kill my opponent and I try to have strategic approaches to evading death from my opponent. This type of strategy has existed for many years in the game, and only in the summer of 2020 has there been any real statements that it shouldn't be done. Even still, in this current date, the strategy is not banned in this game, and no where anywhere in the terms of service or anything say that using this strategy is "unacceptable/bannable/punishable/etc." As some background, sorry if I'm missing some details. Well, a popular streamer decided to stream one of my matches, and a developer decided to watch it (the same new developers that were recently hired that only recently decided this was a "bad" strategy) and made many disturbing posts that encouraged people to bully me. 

 

I was wondering what I should do? I genuinely do enjoy this game, I despise these new developers, and I think they're slowly driving the game into the ground. However, encouraging the bullying of a player for using perfectly legitimate items and gear has to be a serious ethical violation. 

 

I understand this is the CoH forums, so I've kept the game vague, but I would like some sort of advice if anyone has any.

[ImpousVileTerror]

Legally?

I don't think there are any laws anywhere in the world yet, except maybe Korea, where online bullying can be redressed in a court of law.

Even if there are, proving it to be bullying is likely to be an upward battle.

 

Ethically / Morally?

I don't have enough information to make an appropriate personal value judgement.

Even still, whether you feel a certain tactic is valid or not, society tends to collectively determine what is or isn't toxic.  If the community is leaning toward branding a certain tactic as toxic, then mob rules; even if said mob was influenced by a few individuals in a position of authority.

Whether or not that was an abuse of that authority is also difficult to tell from the limited information provided here.  But, just like toxicity, if the community is largely accepting of that particular exercise of authority, then mob rules again.

 

Logistically?

 

Ultimately?

You're just one player in that game.  PvP, by its nature, invites the opportunity for toxicity.  As many game devs can tell you:  It's damned near impossible to effectively police, ESPECIALLY when there's also profit factors for them to worry about.  The decision they're going to make is usually going to be the one which they believe is the most likely to provide gainful returns.

Devs make decisions like this all the time.  They'll do something which they are aware will upset a subset of their player-base if they believe that the majority, or the long-term prospects, outweigh the impact to the subset.

If changing the game mechanics aren't easy, then turning the community against players who engage in conduct which they want to see removed from the game is  . . . well . . .

Again, I'm missing the full context and impact here, but I do see it can easily be more than a bit shitty on their part if that's truly the case.  

 

The Short of It?

I understand that this situation could be rather upsetting for you, but really . . . you're a player of their game.  Whoever owns it (on paper, at least) decided to hire these new devs.  Ergo, they have the authority.

 

You can try talking to them, publicly or privately, in the avenues which are available to you.  Try to convince them of your point of view's merit.

You could try looking for another way to play, either by changing your own play style in the existing game servers, or by playing the way you do now but somewhere else/bootleg.

You could give up on the game and play something else entirely.

 

I can't think of any other options right now, but hopefully this perspective will be helpful for you.

[Zeraphia]

1 hour ago, ImpousVileTerror said:

Legally?

I don't think there are any laws anywhere in the world yet, except maybe Korea, where online bullying can be redressed in a court of law.

Even if there are, proving it to be bullying is likely to be an upward battle.

 

Ethically / Morally?

I don't have enough information to make an appropriate personal value judgement.

Even still, whether you feel a certain tactic is valid or not, society tends to collectively determine what is or isn't toxic.  If the community is leaning toward branding a certain tactic as toxic, then mob rules; even if said mob was influenced by a few individuals in a position of authority.

Whether or not that was an abuse of that authority is also difficult to tell from the limited information provided here.  But, just like toxicity, if the community is largely accepting of that particular exercise of authority, then mob rules again.

 

Logistically?

 

Ultimately?

You're just one player in that game.  PvP, by its nature, invites the opportunity for toxicity.  As many game devs can tell you:  It's damned near impossible to effectively police, ESPECIALLY when there's also profit factors for them to worry about.  The decision they're going to make is usually going to be the one which they believe is the most likely to provide gainful returns.

Devs make decisions like this all the time.  They'll do something which they are aware will upset a subset of their player-base if they believe that the majority, or the long-term prospects, outweigh the impact to the subset.

If changing the game mechanics aren't easy, then turning the community against players who engage in conduct which they want to see removed from the game is  . . . well . . .

Again, I'm missing the full context and impact here, but I do see it can easily be more than a bit shitty on their part if that's truly the case.  

 

The Short of It?

I understand that this situation could be rather upsetting for you, but really . . . you're a player of their game.  Whoever owns it (on paper, at least) decided to hire these new devs.  Ergo, they have the authority.

 

You can try talking to them, publicly or privately, in the avenues which are available to you.  Try to convince them of your point of view's merit.

You could try looking for another way to play, either by changing your own play style in the existing game servers, or by playing the way you do now but somewhere else/bootleg.

You could give up on the game and play something else entirely.

 

I can't think of any other options right now, but hopefully this perspective will be helpful for you.

Thank you actually for this! I really do appreciate the response, it's just very frustrating to see these things happen to a game you've liked for so long, and how these newer developers end up treating you. I think possibly a combination of your suggestions will be what I may end up doing. 

 

Thank you for responding!

[ShardWarrior]

Without knowing any specifics, I have often found the best thing to do in situations like this is to let the person keep talking so that they dig their own grave.  Being a developer does not make someone immune to being a jerk.   Eventually, their words will reveal everything.

[Patti]

Very revealing.

[Oubliette_Red]

Wait...? Avoiding death as a strategy is not allowed in PvP?

[Coyotedancer]

It sounds like the OP is doing it in a way that, while technically still within the formal "rules" of the game, is a little more asshole-ish than average.

 

.... And they're unhappy about now being called out on that behavior.

... And feel wronged because one of the devs is apparently encouraging others to treat them like... well... someone who's being a toxic jerk.

 

I'm afraid I'm not sympathetic. And I'm saying that as someone whose "other MMO" is Aion, where being an absolute ass in PvP is a way of life. XD 'Thing is... if you're going to play like a jerk, you have to expect that behavior to eventually come back to bite you. That's not an issue of legality. That's just Life.

 

 

Edited August 7, 2020 by Coyotedancer