I find the issue to be not so much that BioWare mods acted upon a post that is apparently a joke, but rather the first level of punishment is an indefinite suspension of the account. There ought to be a path of recourse that would allow the person in question to provide proof of age, thereby proving his/her post was in fact made in jest.
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Bioware bans SW:TOR player over internet meme
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HP_Wuvcraft
Banned
Basically, this.
shingonation
Member
You know, I normally visit BSN, specifically ME3 General and things are ok there, I mean, there are threads full of trolls spoiling shit or directly insulting BW and they don't even ban them, just close the threads and move on.
But this bullshit... the fuck is on that moderator head, I agree that he should have given him a chance to prove his age before banning him
But this bullshit... the fuck is on that moderator head, I agree that he should have given him a chance to prove his age before banning him
I'd be willing to wager that the guy could contact Bioware and do just that. The guy doesn't give a shit, though.
So if I make a thread about how I pirate games as a joke and get banned, it was unfair because I don't pirate games and I wasn't actually breaking rules?
jim-jam bongs
Member
Damn, all the good jokes have already been taken. Put me down for "this is the greatest thing BioWare have done since BG2".
Freshmaker
I am Korean.
All our base are belong to they.
The Elite
BOSS
First reasonable argument I've seen.
I think they're providing him with an opportunity by posting their e-mail and asking him to contact them. If they denied him an opportunity to provide proof, that would be a huge issue.
Oh my god. Bioware/EA can't. They'd be in violation of the law.
FieryBalrog
Member
Bravo.
Possibly, but then why wouldn't this be explicitly mentioned in the message he received? Something so vital to the future usability of his account seems like a strange omission.
I think if publishers are going to assert they have the right to stop you from playing the game (ie stealing your game/money) without any recourse or recompense, they need to state in big bold letters on the game case, before you buy it that "These are things you are not allowed to do, otherwise we will take the game away from you".
So you think a company can have right of say over my parents as to what I played as a 14yo, back in the day? How curious.
So you think a company can have right of say over my parents as to what I played as a 14yo, back in the day? How curious.
HP_Wuvcraft
Banned
Which is why BioWare shouldn't cave and just give him his account back. Which is most likely what will happen.
Thus, the cycle continues.
NullPointer
Member
Violation of what laws? What keeps them from providing a method to dispute the ban and the suspension of his paid service?
It's kind of a two way street now but I don't think websites are allowed to retain any information of kids under the age of 13
I'm sure they use some shitty template for their CS infractions that doesn't account for any specific type. Just a "contact us here if blah blah blah" canned line.
HP_Wuvcraft
Banned
I'd call it a Catch-22.
Quicksilver4648
Member
Pirating a game is against the law, being 12 isn't. Also, saying that you pirate game isn't an established joke on the internet, saying "I am 12 and what is this?" is an establish joke. However, "'You wouldn't download a car.' Fuck you, I would if I could!" is an established joke.
The Elite
BOSS
Because it's the only logical next step. You've been banned for being under 13 when you obviously aren't. It's a grievous misunderstanding. The next logical step is to contact those who banned you to see what can be done.
Instead, this guy decides to make a youtube video.
Apparently I should be angry at BioWare for this.
Being 12 and having an account on a website is illegal. 12 year olds can't join GAF.
If Bioware made cars, you'd be banned.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children's_Online_Privacy_Protection_Act
Here is a better idea, just don't post on the abysmal Bioware forums.
Wasn't the first page filled with "I haven't heard this meme before" comments.
DiscoJer
Member
The thing is, there is a law involved - COPPA
http://www.coppa.org/coppa.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COPPA
Basically if you collect any information about a user, they have to be 13 and up or the website needs the permission of their parents. Since actually getting that permission from a parent is a pain in the ass, it's easier to just ban people under 12.
If they violate this, they can get fined by the FTC. So they pretty much have to react when someone says they are underage. How do they know the guy is joking or not?
The Elite
BOSS
Yup. Last line in the TOS. You're going to see it on pretty much any website.
Edit: The cavalry just showed up with the mad links to back up the statements.
Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. Companies and people aren't allowed to collection information from those under the age of 13. Anyone doing so knowingly can (and have been) fined. There are ways to allow those under 13 to have their information collected but it requires parental consent.
Claiming to be 12, even if a joke, must be taken seriously in case the person actually is 12. EA is protecting themselves from being fined by the federal government by having a policy like this in place.
Bioware left the individual an e-mail address to contact them over the matter. Perhaps he can work this out with them.
NullPointer
Member
So you get to define whats "established" across the internet? Good to know.
I understand that this is why the user's post was taken seriously, and I agree with it. But I don't see how that would stop them from providing an avenue to dispute it. That's honestly the only thing I see wrong here, but I can't hold it against them since the guy who was banned doesn't seem like he's even tried.
The Elite
BOSS
There's an e-mail in the message they sent to him to dispute it. As far as I can tell, he isn't trying to dispute it.
That's why I feel no sympathy for him.
GrandHarrier
Member
Sounds the like the user said something that violated the ToS and got punished for it then never contacted their customer service to try and fix the issue. So, I'd say this squarely puts the wrong in his court, not BioWare/EA.
Because he said he was 12.
Now by having an avenue to dispute opens up the potential for collecting info from a 12 year old child
Ask yourself if that is a smart thing to do as a business
Quicksilver4648
Member
I don't define anything. However, I personally believe that if there is an article on KowYourMeme.com then I consider that to be an establish joke.
The Elite
BOSS
But he was only joking and they just didn't get it.
This is simply not how the real world works. People don't go to knowyourmemoe.com every time they want to find out if someone is joking or not.
What the fuck did we do before knowyourmeme? How the hell did we know people were joking?
NullPointer
Member
And you expect that everybody that uses the internet knows the contents of every article on KnowYourMeme.com? Come on now and read what you're writing here.
I'd consider that a radical interpretation of the text. But hey, it seems that I missed that there was an avenue provided, in which case this is just a lot of sound and fury signifying nothing, which it turns out BTW, is an established thing on internet forums.
The Elite
BOSS
That's the thing. The description of the youtube video suggests he isn't even bothering, nor does he care, whether he is unbanned.
I think we could have a real discussion regarding his situation if he was making a serious attempt to resolve the issue.
The Elite
BOSS
He's banned from playing the game because you have to be 13 or over to play it according to their rules. He said he was 12.
What was radical about what I said? Why would a company open itself up to potential legal and criminal charges?
And FYI there was no avenue for dispute- only for questioning which isn't the same thing
Which side is the hivemind?
I think he meant that he was abusing a glitch maybe?
NullPointer
Member
phosphor112
Banned
It's ok guys, we can keep giving EA and Bioware our money though.
The Elite
BOSS
I'm still not sure why so many on GAF hate BioWare. Was Shit Mountain that bad?
Nope but a group of vocal posters seem to shit on bioware every chance they get, no matter if it's deserved or not and no matter what the game is.
All sides!
Quicksilver4648
Member
Do I expect everyone on the internet to know about every random joke? Of course not. No rational person would. However, I would highly expect a moderator who manages the official forum to a very popular online-only game to be very fluent in internet-only customs and expressions simply due to exposure.
How about this, as a native English speaker from the US if I were to get a job that involved deep customer interaction overseas in another English speaking country, such as England or Australia, I personally believe that it would be expected of me to be familiar with the phrases and customs of the local population. I am in their "world", so to speak, thus I must be able to understand them. It is because of this I find it strange that the moderator wasn't familiar with a joke while I am sure the majority of the users were. That is all I am saying.
Yep, so it's pretty much just another attempt to slander the game. People sure hate Bioware.
And apparently another group will white knight them no matter how many shitty things they manage to do in the span of a week.
Pirating games isn't a long-running internet meme.
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