I Was Banned for 72 Hours from Battlelog for using The Word "Badass" in the Forums

[Drake Sigar]

One thing I've learned from hanging around MMO forums is that people behave differently in a game to how they behave on a forum. Presupposing that if they're disruptive in a forum, they're going to be disruptive in multiplayer is just plain wrong. Banning people from single-player because of disruption on a forum is unambiguously reprehensible, but banning them from multiplayer... Although I can see the thinking behind it, and that makes me a little less outraged at it, that doesn't change the fact that it's still wrong. It's based on false assumptions.

Not to mention the can of worms such a consequence opens up. Terms like 'objectionable content' could mean anything. EA could find negative opinions about their games objectionable, and then we'll end up with a forum full of fake-smiling gamers.



Hint: the child is EA.

[Kaira-]

The problem with those newly enforced rules for games is that they are a one way road: they treat software as a service but the provider has little to no obligation to the paying customer. They can terminate your account whenever they please, they can suspend the service whenever they please, but what about you? Can you get refunded for the hours when that same service is offline? Is there any SLA from the part of the provider at all? None.

This is not helped in the slightest by the fact how popular Steam is. Luckily though Steam has separate forums for games account and forums, though, as it should be IMHO.

[Tagert]

I wonder if bass sets it off as well.

Hmmmmm!

[Taidan]

@Taidan: Thankfully, ME3 is a singleplayer game so I have no need for EA servers (unless, of course, I'd like to receive marketing about a new DLC or something).

Tiny nit-pick on that one point... ;)

[Nalano]

and then we'll end up with a forum full of fake-smiling gamers.

We already have that in a lot of places. It's funny watching an entire class of forum denizen wracking its collective mind to figure out ways to get shit under the radar in their ongoing forum PvP. Indeed, it becomes a game unto itself.

[deano2099]

You accept a T&C you then bend over and take it or you don't accept the T&C and don't bend over and take it

Its not hard to understand.

That's depressing. Are you like that with everything in life too? If something bad or unfair happens, you just take it? You don't question why, or if it's unfair, or try and do something about it?

As much as I find this ridiculous, the posters above me are correct - Every time one signs the EULA, T&C etc, you agree to be subject to their rules.

So? No-one is denying that the EULA says they can do this or that. But that doesn't automatically make it okay. This is a discussion forum, a forum for discussing things. Not just saying "oh it says so in the EULA so it must be okay".

I've been banned from xbox live a few times one of the times was for constructing a sentance with some words replaced with ** someone I know has been banned for having the word nipples in their bio both of those are covered by the T&Cs that MS have in place. We don't get to decide what the rules they have put down cover.

Thank you for the perfect fucking example:
http://www.neowin.net/news/xbox-live...et-more-sexual

Microsoft has finally changed one of its much argued policies for Xbox LIVE, allowing users to express their sexual orientation in their gamertags and profiles. Users have been previously suspended and banned from the Xbox LIVE service, because they would express their sexual orientation in their gamertag and profiles.

See?!

Microsoft were doing something ridiculous, people complained, it got changed. If everyone were like you, that would never have happened. If everyone just listened to you, the stupid policy that led to someone getting banned because his surname was "Gaywood" would still exist. Thankfully, not everyone is like you, some people have backbones and by kicking up a fuss they make change happen.

You know what I want more than anything else on the internet? A new policy that says whenever a company remove or change terms of use or EULAs for the benefit of users, anyone who has ever said "it's in the EULA, suck it up" or anything similar defending the policy in question, doesn't get the benefit of the change. Since they clearly like it so much.

The two are connected and who gives a shit about being banned from a forum when you can make a new account and be back on in under a min?

But that's against the Ts&Cs!

[DaftPunk]

Why are you even using battlefield forums lol,just stick to this ones and play game,otherwise something like this would happen x)

[Tams80]

The problem there is that how are people supposed to know what EA moderators think "inappropriate language" is. It varies from person to person (and I expect moderator to moderator) as well as with the context. Sure, there is language most people would consider inappropriate in most situations, but where is the line drawn. The T&C do not define "inappropriate language" and thus are they valid?

There could be a publicly available list of "inappropriate words", but that does not take into account context, which can arise from any angle and you couldn't expect people to actually read a huge list of "inappropriate words".

But as EA control access to the multiplayer you have it play by their rules. Comment like a ridiculously over sensitive moron is going to read your comments or don't comment at all.

EDIT: It's in the EULA? I'm pretty sure EULAs have no legal weight at all. Not that this is worth going to court over.

I haven't discussed the inappropriate use of dual bans here, as it is clearly not well thought out.

[metalangel]

it is painfully clear that your moderators over-rely on word filters to the ignorance of context.

The dearly departed Parker's forums (Parker's the automotive site) used a ridiculously heavy handed auto-filter for naughty words. This included naughty words contained within other words, such as "liar" within "familiar".

The most bizarre was on the motorcycle section where the word "scooter" was constantly censored to "s******". I eventually realized that it was trying to stop us seeing the Dukes Of Hazzard-derived slang for girl parts.

Microsoft were doing something ridiculous, people complained, it got changed. If everyone were like you, that would never have happened. If everyone just listened to you, the stupid policy that led to someone getting banned because his surname was "Gaywood" would still exist. Thankfully, not everyone is like you, some people have backbones and by kicking up a fuss they make change happen.

Richard Gaywood is a close friend of mine, and following his complaint they upheld the need for him to change his gamertag on the grounds that you're not allowed to have your real name as your gamertag either.

[Vexing Vision]

EDIT: It's in the EULA? I'm pretty sure EULAs have no legal weight at all. Not that this is worth going to court over.

That's not quite how it goes.

They cannot sue you for violating their EULA, unless you are violating the EULA in a way that would also violate whatever local law is applicable. However, the right to terminate your account at any point is a perfectly legal if unpleasant point.

So, yeah... I *may* give in to EA's Origin at one point, but I'll sure as hell stay away from their crazy forums or even online match-ups, because I really don't want to lose my single-player access.

[archonsod]

Also, nobody pays for the forums.

Yes they do. The people hosting them. Y'know, the same people who are also paying for the servers, infrastructure and support staff you use every time you try to play the game. So funnily enough, they're not blocking you from what you paid for, they're blocking you from what they're paying for.

The problem there is that how are people supposed to know what EA moderators think "inappropriate language" is.

By exercising their social skills. In fact, you could argue that their inability to grasp simple etiquette is a good reason to ban them from the multiplayer in the first place.

[Nalano]

Yes they do.

I did not buy WoW so I could post on Blizzard's forums. I bought WoW so I could play WoW.

That Blizzard decided to host a forum was not my decision, nor did it influence my decision to buy the game.

By exercising their social skills. In fact, you could argue that their inability to grasp simple etiquette is a good reason to ban them from the multiplayer in the first place.

And, yet, it is not though "social skills" that EA nor any other large company moderates its forums. Context is not considered. Only language. And in this case, "badass" seems to be a very mild term on its own, clearly used in a complimentary tone in context, and certainly not - under any stretch of the imagination - worthy of a three day ban from the forums, to say nothing of a three day ban from the product for which the OP is a paying customer.

[fearlessgoat]

I can tell you for a fact that not one of the moderators speaks English natively. Most are from Europe. You may not have relaised but you probably offended a swiz person there.

How do I know this, well I was offered a job for EA support a while back. When I went threw the building there wasn't one native English speaker. Didnt take the job by the way as it was just a temp job for Battlefield. Though they did say if need for speed is successful they would keep me on.

Sorry but I wasn't leaving a good job for a job that may not be there in a few months time.

[UDeadNowSucka]

Topic updated with 3 interactions I attempted to have with 3 EA employee's to get this resolved.

[Utnac]

Why do people use the EA forums in the first place? I havn't touched them since I started hearing about all these bans, it seemed the obvious thing to do at the time.

[UDeadNowSucka]

I've updated the original thread with the response Crash7800 gave me, the EA Battlefield Community Manager. In the response, you can see that he actually seem's to believe that "trolling" is worthy of a 72 hour ban and that forum bans locking users out of games can "sometimes be the case".

The official Response from EA's Battlefield Community Manager Crash7800

Sorry that I didn't reply sooner - Holiday here :) I've been checking in where I can, but I'm sorry your issue wasn't on my radar at first.

It will take me some time to look into this issue. I'm sorry that I can't help you at this exact moment, but I can't just go around overturning bans without an examination.

I'm sorry that being banned from the forums resulted in your being banned from the game. This can sometimes be the case - I'm still working to figure out every use-case. I'm looking more into this functionality and what possible improvements could be made.

I can tell you that things like this post -link-, or this post -link-, or this post -link-, or a lot of what you said in this thread -link- (Rape joke - really?), or this entire thread that you started, seemingly only to troll -link- are not helping your case. Especially when you do that all in one day.

In complete honesty, I think that what's gone wrong here is that our report for why you were temporarily banned is wrong. You were probably banned for the reasons I've listed above. I probably would have temporarily banned you too for spamming nonsense and acting like a troll.

EDIT for clarity: To that end, I will be looking into this issue to determine whether this is indeed the case. Our internal reporting for these issues should be more thorough if so, for just such an instance.
I'm sure this will solicit some questions. It's 1 AM here, so I'll have to get back to them in the morning :)

------------------------------
My response to Crash7800

I love the way you say it can "sometimes be the case". Why don't you go read the Rock Paper Shotgun articles, where everytime a user was banned from the EA forums, they were also locked out of the game. So don't use the phrase "This can sometimes be the case", because ITS ALWAYS THE CASE.

Whatever I may have done on the forums should in no way effect my ability to play the game itself. And thats all there is to it. Short of posting links to hack sites, there is absolutlely no reason why I shouldnt be allowed to play, even when banned from the forum.

EA knows this. I know this. You know this. Every gamer alive knows this.

I suggest taking the forums down until EA is able to properly address this issue.

You can link too 500 different offensive posts I made for all I care. Suddenly trolling is worthy of being locked out of the game entirely? In what world does EA exist in? A dillusional world, thats what.

My problem is that I am unable to play the game itself. I could honestly give a shit less about being able to access the forums.

Again, I'll state the obvious.:

I DO NOT CARE ABOUT BEING BANNED FROM THE FORUM. WHAT I CARE ABOUT IS THAT I CANNOT ACCESS THE GAME ITSELF.

EA CLAIMED THIS WAS AN ERROR AND WOULD BE FIXED WHEN THE DRAGON AGE USER WAS BANNED.

8 MONTHS LATER AND IT IS NOT FIXED. FFS.

[psyk]

That's depressing. Are you like that with everything in life too? If something bad or unfair happens, you just take it? You don't question why, or if it's unfair, or try and do something about it?

Read what I wrote man, I AM NOT GOING TO BUY A GAME AGREE WITH THE T&C THEN CRY LIKE A CHILD WHEN IT GETS ENFORCED I WILL JUST NOT BUY IT. not quite sure why that is so hard to understand.

The problem there is that how are people supposed to know what EA moderators think "inappropriate language" is.

How is that different than anywhere else?

The guy also still hasen't posted what the reply was to so we have no context (which you guys seem to love) has anyone even checked to see if it was "badass"

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=alm...ient=firefox-a

Shit is this what people do now? get banned moan and spread it round the web in a lame attempt at guilting the banners in to unbanning

Richard Gaywood is a close friend of mine, and following his complaint they upheld the need for him to change his gamertag on the grounds that you're not allowed to have your real name as your gamertag either.

AHHHHH POOR DEANO

I can tell you that things like this post -link-, or this post -link-, or this post -link-, or a lot of what you said in this thread -link- (Rape joke - really?), or this entire thread that you started, seemingly only to troll -link- are not helping your case. Especially when you do that all in one day.

LMAO at least I now know why he wouldn't post what the post was a reply to, make it to easy to track down and the rest or the SHIT he had posted would of come out. UDeadNowSucka/Heiniken22 you going to send that info to the other places you have sent this story? or are you going to let them run something that you have painted yourself as a victim in?

[Gnoupi]

You can link too 500 different offensive posts I made for all I care. Suddenly trolling is worthy of being locked out of the game entirely? In what world does EA exist in? A dillusional world, thats what.

While I agree that linking behaviour in the forums to access to the game is quite silly, and easily on the "unacceptable" side...

A part of me who just got trash talked in LoL this morning by my own teammate has difficulties feeling sorry for you. No one likes a troll. No one likes rape jokes. And if you behave like this in a forum, I doubt you're a gentleman during the actual game.

I kind of wish there would be higher consequences for people who ruin other ones' fun by trolling and trash-talking. Because you paid for the game, but so did I. And people like you are ruining my game and preventing me from enjoying it. I want to simply have fun, winning or losing, without unsavory jokes about my family's sexual preferences or my own, and without hearing "noob" from either side of the conflict.

In my delusional world, gamers would be mature and able to just have fun without behaving like insulting jerks. And it wouldn't be a shame to call yourself a gamer in a mature environment, and you wouldn't be associated to that kind of childish behaviour.

[Drake Sigar]

A part of me who just got trash talked in LoL this morning by my own teammate has difficulties feeling sorry for you. No one likes a troll. No one likes rape jokes. And if you behave like this in a forum, I doubt you're a gentleman during the actual game.

I couldn't be more of a gentleman in-game if I wore a top hat and monocle. How I'm perceived on forums I'll leave to the judgement of others, but I have been known to appreciate the occasional absurd rape joke. Are forum users who regularly engage in unwanted behaviour going to take that attitude to online games? Probably. Are you prepared to go around convicting people on the word 'probably'?

[Taidan]

And now for a winning example of exactly why it's worth kicking up a fuss whenever a publisher makes a dick move:

http://uk.gamespot.com/news/bf3-play...or;all;title;2

(Also involving EA and Battlefield 3, conveniently enough.)