EA Forum Ban Will Now Mean EA Game Ban 549
An anonymous reader writes "A post on the EA Support Forums from APOC, online community manager for Electronic Arts, outlines a new policy for their new forums, saying users who earn a ban based on their behavior in the forums will be locked out of all of the EA games tied to that account: 'Well, its actually going to be a bit nastier for those who get banned. Your forum account will be directly tied to your Master EA Account, so if we ban you on the forums, you would be banned from the game as well since the login process is the same. And you'd actually be banned from your other EA games as well since it's all tied to your account. So if you have SPORE and Red Alert 3 and you get yourself banned on our forums or in-game, well, your SPORE account would be banned to. It's all one in the same, so I strongly recommend people play nice and act mature. All in all, we expect people to come on here and abide by our ToS. We hate banning people, it makes our lives a lot tougher, but it's what we have to do.'" Update: 10/31 12:36 GMT by T : Not so! Pandanapper writes "After a flood of complaints the EA community moderator APOC corrects his statement about how banning you from the forums bans you from your game access as well:"That said, the previous statement I made recently (that's being quoted on the blogs) was inaccurate and a mistake on my part. I had a misunderstanding with regards to our new upcoming forums and website and never meant to infer that if we ban or suspend you on the forums, you would be banned in-game as well. This is not correct, my mistake, my bad."
Awwww (Score:5, Insightful)
Fo'shure I'm looking forward to shelling out my hard-earned money (especially in this wonderful economy) for EA titles in the future after seeing this.
I enjoyed EA games in the past. Being a military buff I especially enjoyed their flight simulators. They were mostly stable and fun to play. I cringed when they bought out Westwood because I thought they were going to screw up the C&C franchise, but (mostly) they didn't.
But being banned from online play because I let out a "fuck" on their forums? Or for any reason whatsoever unrelated to behavior within the game? Never mind the insane DRM on their latest output.
Fuck that. No more EA games for me. I'm getting old anyway. Time to switch to online Scrabble or something. Flash DigDug and Galaga FTW.
wow (Score:5, Insightful)
money back ? (Score:2, Insightful)
So, they take away something I paid for - will they refund? Probably not. I wonder how that would play out in a court of law.
One problem is... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Wow (Score:5, Insightful)
Here's the way I see it:
It was EA's privilege to get my money. Well fuck that, they just lost that privilege out of principle. While people like us stop giving them money, time and time again we have seen boycotts like that don't work. Some one needs to sue EA, badly. That's the kind of action that speaks out.
Re:Awwww (Score:2, Insightful)
It's really not an issue that a company will ban you for disruptive behavior on forums they control, or online because you're behaving like a 12-year old with Tourette's. But banning you from online play because you got into an argument in the forums and some admin decided he didn't like your tone is something else entirely. That's especially true for games whose main draw is online play, like COD4 for example.
Re:heh (Score:3, Insightful)
EA just doesn't want any money, now do they?
Average consumer will think... "surely only potty mouths get themselves banned from the game by flaming in the forums"
And still buy the game.
The banned person has to buy their games all over again, if they still want to play == more $$$ for the game maker.
Re:NEW From EA! (Score:5, Insightful)
Linking games to gamer's internet forum accounts?
Yeah, don't you love that? They've completely eliminated the ability to sell your old games.
I'll play devil's advocate (Score:2, Insightful)
I like it. Seriously. It's a big "asshats are unwelcome" sign, meaning rational gaming adults that hate the immature antics are going to have an entire company with an "adult swim" gaming experience.
And I'll bet that overall, the modding of forums *will* improve, when the first small claims or civil cases come to trial, or the first class-action suit happens. I think mods will get clued in very quickly that they'd better be able to completely justify a ban under the new system, because suddenly their decisions have financial impact.
Re:heh (Score:5, Insightful)
The point is, they're not going to continue getting money if they keep screwing over, on a continuing basis, the people who give them the money.
Then how do you explain the fact that the cable and cellular companies are still in business? ;)
Re:Star Wars: The Old Republic (Score:2, Insightful)
Really? You think they'll ban you from all forthcoming releases as well? How will that work? Will somebody be stupid enough to get banned from the forums, then buy another game from EA, and sign up for the new game with the banned account? People will probably start sock puppet accounts so that their main account doesn't get banned. Anybody who buys Bioware and then signs up with a banned account is pretty thick anyway.
Re:Awwww (Score:3, Insightful)
why are you letting your children play COD4?
Re:Awwww (Score:5, Insightful)
Won't it be fun finding out you just bought a "banned" copy then? I'm sure they will start tying the bans to the game's activation serial number as well.
And of course, they'll ban anyone who complains about the constant bugs and shoddy coding in their games and wants to see a patch to make the game usable. Why should they care? They already got what they wanted (your money), you got screwed because they sold a crappy product that doesn't work and can't be returned to the store... they're happy, you're not, but they don't give a crap about the customer.
Welcome to soviet russ....er EA-Land, Where Game Plays You.
Re:Awwww (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Awwww (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Awwww (Score:5, Insightful)
I am betting that they can live without you.
The Sims 3 is #36 on the Amazon PC seller list and it won't be released until February.
Red Alert 3 is #3 - and the geek's negative reviews of the EA product and DRM are being ignored across the board.
2,500 1-star reviews for Spore, currently #6 on the charts.
No different than bars and restaurants (Score:3, Insightful)
How is this any different than the signs in restaurants that say "We reserve the right to refuse to serve someone." They don't care if you already paid for your meal, if you're abusing the wait staff, they can kick you out. It's a private establishment, just like the forums/servers/realms/whatever, just because you paid for the game does not give you the right to infringe on the rights of others.
Just because you bought the game does not entitle you to act like an a$$hole in the forums, chatrooms or in the game. I'm all for forums in which if someone is spouting off garbage, the moderator has the right to delete the post/thread and ban the user. I've seen this in many non-game related forums. Most people abide by the rules, and when some nut comes along and spouts junk, it just attracts more people like them.
They're not going to ban someone that uses the occasional off colored language, or and if they're smart they'll warn you that you're on thin ice. Unless it's obvious that the poster is spamming posts etc..
Many games were ruined by a$$holes, take Diablo2 for example. Cheating was so rampant that you could only play multiplayer with people you already knew. If only they could have banned all the cheaters.
Mod parent up - this is relevant! (Score:1, Insightful)
This is yet another proof that 99.9% of consumers are sheep.
Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:No different than bars and restaurants (Score:5, Insightful)
Wrong analogy. In restaurants you pay after you receive service. If you abuse the wait staff, they'll kick you out and don't expect you to pay (or come back).
Here you already paid for service and now they're kicking you out based on their interpretation of acceptable free speech. It's like buying a car, paying it off then loudly complaining how bad that car is (whether or not something goes wrong) at the dealership when you bring it in for service and then the dealership says: sorry, we're keeping your keys (you physically own the car, you just can't drive it)
Re:Awwww (Score:5, Insightful)
I submit this as an example of why Slashdot is the greatest website on earth.
What's the word for comically unjustified smugness (Score:2, Insightful)
"Those banned will stay banned, but like most other internet services, its not that hard to create a new fake e-mail account. However, its a lot harder to get a new serial key =)"
Seems like it's pretty easy to get a new serial key, guy. Easier than dealing with the default spyware installation procedure, really. What a dumb thing to say.
Re:Awwww (Score:5, Insightful)
Consider that +5 a big fat middle finger to anyone who thinks they get to decide what appropriate speech is.
Re:wow... (Score:1, Insightful)
hmmm.
1) I call you an asshat. That's not nice.
2) In turn, you demonstrate that you really are an asshat by fucking up all my shit.
3) Interestingly, your actions turned my insult into a fact, clearing me of all wrongs and making me the only victim.
Here's how I see it:
I buy a car from you. Then one day you see me at a stoplight and you don't like my haircut so you carjack me. Fuck everything, I don't care what you want to call it, that's just theft.
Re:Awwww (Score:3, Insightful)
Speaking of civilized, I'm actually fine with players being banned, if:
1) There is due process.
2) You can be unbanned if there is a mistake
3) The people in charge of the banning and unbanning are elected by the players, and free, fair, regular elections are done every so often.
But it's not ok if:
1) There is no due process
2) You can't be unbanned if there is a mistake
3) You have dictators and cronies in charge of the banning process
Yeah maybe someone should "virtually" "reinvent" elections etc
Fools talk about small government being better all the time, but that just makes companies more able to bully them. You could also have a small corrupt government cooperating with equally corrupt large corporations. You still would have to pay the same taxes and endure the same crap due to corruption.
What makes a government/company good or bad is not its size or power, but what it does.
However without safeguards (like elections, regulation etc) what is there to stop a government/company from being "corrupted by absolute power"?
EA already appears to be enjoying its Dictatorship in EA-land a bit too much. Wonder what happens if it grows in power and influence into _your_ life.
First they came for the "pirates" then the griefers, then the EA forums... What next? How about EA "endorsed" fan forums? Next Slashdot?
Keep in mind it's BULLSHIT that banning people from the forums should automatically mean that they would have to be banned from playing your EA games. After all, just because you can play ONE game doesn't mean you can play ALL games. Just because you can't play one game doesn't mean you can't play all games. So just make the forums a "game" (a lot of people already play it
Re:Guess who cares about your anti-EA opinions? (Score:5, Insightful)
EA makes great games, most of which I have played through and through.
I'll always buy their games, if it interests me, as most of their titles have.
Most of you are silver spoon fed arrogant bastards who think EA owes you something.
They don't. They owe you NOTHING.
If I pay them for a game, then they owe me a functional game.
Re:Awwww (Score:5, Insightful)
True; clearly it should be "...gay dick up an elephant's cunt".
Re:Awwww (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:money back ? (Score:5, Insightful)
When you purchase Spore, you are licensing software.
So which is it?
Re:Misunderstanding... (Score:5, Insightful)
That's not a correction or a misunderstanding.
That's a hasty back-peddling move. Expect to see this repeated in about a year. We are the frog in the slowly boiling water, and EA just tried to turn up the heat.
Re:Guess who cares about your anti-EA opinions? (Score:2, Insightful)
EA makes great games, most of which I have played through and through.
I'll always buy their games, if it interests me, as most of their titles have.
Most of you are silver spoon fed arrogant bastards who think EA owes you something.
They don't. They owe you NOTHING.
If I pay them for a game, then they owe me a functional game.
Yep, and you'll still be able to use the games even if your account is banned - you just won't be able to use their online services tied to those games.
You people need to get a life. Stop whining about every little slight. This won't even AFFECT most of you morons who are bitching, because you probably don't even POST on their forums! Yet you'll get all self-righteous here - saying you'll never buy another EA game - at least, until they put out another cool one and you go buy it because - after all, did what you whined about on /. really bind you to not picking up the next Need For Speed?
Stop being so stupid.
Oh wait, this is /. As you were.
Re:Guess who cares about your anti-EA opinions? (Score:1, Insightful)
yeah, but they don't necessarily owe you online multiplayer support within that game, which, as far as i could tell, was the only thing implied to be taken away if you're a knob on the forums.
wow you guys over-react about a lot of stuff...
EA: "we're thinking about a system where, if you're a dick on the forums, we can ban your game account along with your forum account..."
Slashdot Readers: "wtf? you're gonna break all our games? you can't do this! DRM! Wah! Wah!"
EA TOS (Score:5, Insightful)
Check out the full TOS [ea.com] for the "code of conduct." I wouldn't share that No CD utility with the EA forums :)
Re:Misunderstanding... (Score:3, Insightful)
Did I say "something" was going to change?! I meant to say that NOTHING was going to change. I misread that word, and that's why I misspoke earlier. I hope that clears everything up for everyone. Stay tuned for future announcements when I try to further clarify what I was trying to say. Enjoy the forums. - Apoc
Re:Awwww (Score:3, Insightful)
EA is run by douche bags.
That being said, I'm sure their forums just went completely silent. Who wants to chance crossing an over zealous moderator?
Re:Mod parent up - this is relevant! (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Awwww (Score:1, Insightful)
His kids are probably the ones acting like that.
I doubt it... (Score:1, Insightful)
Would that fly, especially for games that you did not do anything wrong?
I doubt it.
Of course you need a high priced lawyer to make these arguments in court so why bother with that expense, just don't buy EA games.
Re:Awwww (Score:3, Insightful)
I thought a +5 Insightful for the phrase was pretty epic... but +5 Insightful for correcting a missing apostrophe, kudos sir.
Re:Awwww (Score:5, Insightful)
Unfortunately, it does sound a lot like EA have designed this system to be completely open to abuse from their end. I'm not really sure that this is a good move on their part; they're going to end up with a lot of unhappy customers (some of whom will almost inevitably have been banned unfairly).
However, I'm not actually 100% opposed to the idea that people who behave like idiots on the forums should face consequences. As others have noted, somebody who is a foul-mouthed idiot on the forums is liable to be at least as bad, if not worse, in-game.
A far better solution would have been to offer two tiers of servers for the game. You'd have "regulated" servers, which are free to play on (we're not talking about subscription-model games here, although I guess third party server-owners could still charge their own fees), but which would require a valid EA account in good standing. You'd then have "open" servers, which are likewise free to play on, but have no authentication required beyond a valid CD key. On connecting to an open server via the game's UI, you'd be given a quick warning/annoyance message indicating that the server you were connecting to would not be bound by EA's code of conduct or whatever.
I know that in 100% of cases, I would choose to play on the regulated servers, while those who suffer from a bit of a potty-mouth, or buy a second hand copy of the game from somebody who does, would still be able to play online, just not with me.
Re:Awwww (Score:3, Insightful)
Do you trust the government? I do not, whatsoever. Considering all the laws that have been passed in the last 8 years that breach on our freedoms (i.e. PATRIOT Act, DMCA), I disagree with many laws and will gladly break any. At this point, for the individual, the only real question is why bother having ethics when you know there are no repercussions? Music downloading for MOST has not had any repercussions.
Our government is corrupt and run by the industry leaders, not the people. Is 'the people' by definition the wealthiest people? At the time of the Constitution's writing, you must remember that 'the people' meant wealthy, white men by connotation. Why should anyone, regardless of race but surely not within that definition (basically everyone middle class and lower), care to follow their laws?
Most agree, myself included, that murder/assualt/(insert violent crime here) is not okay, and that physical property stealing is also not okay.
Police are just doing their job that our 'trusty' government assigned them to. It is not their fault entirely that they have to arrest you for any possible reason. It is just their job. Just like if you need your car to get to work (and it is your fault if you did not pay for it or any other reason why it may be towed), and it is being towed. That is the tower's job. He surely is not going to stop doing his job so you can do your job. In every case, the individual who can perform legal action stands above the other. The other person surely could assault the tower, nothing is preventing them from that other than the thought of consequences. It would be in their best interest NOT to do that, and that is how most people think when it comes to violent crime. That is how our society, over the past millennium has agreed on violent crimes.
A stark contrast from crimes like downloading anything copyrighted off P2P. NO ONE agrees completely on what to do about it. Only the industry leaders think that the Internet should be censored and monitored, and even changed so that it can provide content in a more streamlined manner, but still with DRM.