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The Daily Grind: Should MMO studios punish out-of-game behavior?
Recently we reported on an interview in which SOE's Linda Carlson said that the studio is not above monitoring player behavior outside of the game and taking steps to punish or ban that player if they're being a bully or a troll. This in turn sparked a lot of discussion over whether that's a good move or not for SOE, but today I'd like to take the discussion beyond that particular studio to address it in general. Is it a good idea for MMO studios to pay attention to player behavior outside of the games and take action on that? Does this -- or the threat of it, at least -- foster accountability and community growth, or usher in a weird digital police state where kobolds might come and arrest you and your family for a Twitter expletive? We're sure you have an opinion on it, so let 'er rip! Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Saints Row 4 denied Australian classification in re-review
The Australian Classification Board reaffirmed the ban on Saints Row 4, a three-person panel unanimously refusing the game classification in its re-review of the original decision. Drugs were again the cause of consternation for the ACB, who said Volition's over-the-top sandbox game couldn't attain the recently introduced R18+ rating and as such be sold in the country because "drug use related to incentives and rewards is not permitted." Saints Row 4 is expected to launch in Australia on August 23, the Steam page listing a "Low Violence" version; publisher Deep Silver told us in June it had plans to submit a reworked version of the game for the territory. The decision passed today, the ACB clarified, is on the "unedited" version of the game. We've reached out to Deep Silver for comment. On January 1, Australia passed the much-lobbied-for law permitting games for audiences over the age of 15 to be bought in the country, these games carrying a R18+ rating. Many games have since earned the rating, including Ninja Gaiden 3 and Dead Island: Riptide, but in June Saints Row 4 became the first game to be refused classification since the law's introduction. It was soon followed by XBLA hit State of Decay, although unlike Saints Row 4 that game has since been rated R18+.
State of Decay refused Aussie classification, Saints Row 4 ban detailed
Runaway (and "Run away!") hit State of Decay has been refused classification in Australia. And here you thought these stories were done. "We've run afoul of certain prohibitions regarding the depiction of drug use," writes Undead Labs' founder Jeff Strain on the game's forum. "We're working with [publisher] Microsoft to come up with options, including changing names of certain medications in the game to comply with ratings requirements. Whatever our path forward, it's going to take a bit." Coincidentally, the apocalyptic world of Fallout 3 ran into the same drug-naming issue with the Australians back in 2008. After some editing, the game was suitable for distribution. "Microsoft is currently evaluating the options with regards to the title's classification," a spokesperson for the publisher told Joystiq. "The Australian Classification system plays an important role in ensuring that Australians can only access age-appropriate games and content." Strain acknowledged as much in his post, saying, "I know this is frustrating – believe me, we're frustrated too – but each country has the right to set its own rules about content, and it's our responsibility to comply with them. Rest assured we'll do everything we can to find a way to get the game into your hands."
Saints Row IV banned in Australia due to 'unjustified' evil
For every tearful accountant at Saints Row HQ, there must be a gleeful marketing person punching the air, playing mini golf and doing whatever else marketing people do when they're full of glee. Conflicted emotions aside, however, game publisher Deep Silver can now claim the notorious distinction of having its latest title, Saints Row IV, rejected outright by the Australian Classification Board (ACB). It's the first such refusal since the ACB implemented a new R18+ rating, which is meant to allow for adult themes within games but which evidently couldn't cope with Saints Row's peculiar depictions of sexual violence (which were "not justified by context") or its drug-themed reward system (which is "prohibited by the computer games guidelines"). According to The Guardian, this effectively means Saints Row IV is banned from sale in retail stores in Australia, but Joystiq has received word from Deep Silver saying it intends to create a "reworked" version of its open-world game specifically for that country. Meanwhile, the regular version has been given PEGI 18 and ESRB M ratings elsewhere, and it looks to be on track for an August release date.
Saints Row 4 refused classification in Australia, Volition 'reworking' game for territory
The Australian Classification Board made Saints Row 4 the first game to be refused classification in the country since the introduction of the R18+ rating at the start of the year. In a statement released this morning, the ACB said it classified the game "RC (Refused Classification)" in accordance with the new guidelines. Publisher Deep Silver told us developer Volition is reworking the game's content for the territory. "In the Board's opinion, Saints Row IV, includes interactive, visual depictions of implied sexual violence which are not justified by context," reads the ACB's statement. "In addition, the game includes elements of illicit or proscribed drug use related to incentives or rewards. Such depictions are prohibited by the computer games guidelines." Following the news, Deep Silver provided Joystiq with the following statement. "Deep Silver can confirm that Saints Row IV was denied an age classification in Australia. Volition, the developer, are reworking some of the code to create a version of the game for this territory by removing the content which could cause offence without reducing the outlandish gameplay that Saints Row fans know and love. Saints Row IV has been awarded PEGI 18 and ESRB M ratings where fans can enjoy their time in Steelport as originally intended." After many years of pressure due to a number of high-profile games being banned, the Australian government finally passed the law last year allowing games intended for those over the age of 15 to be bought in the country, and that law came into effect this year on January 1. In today's statement, the ACB noted it's classified 17 games under the R18+ rating so far, including Mortal Kombat: Komplete Edition, Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge, and Dead Island: Riptide. Saints Row 4 is set to arrive in North America on August 20, and Europe on August 23.
Banned Xbox One accounts will retain access to purchased games
Users banned on Xbox One will not lose access to the games they've purchased, Director of Programming Larry Hyrb (Major Nelson, colloquially) told Reddit Games during an E3 video interview. This became a popular question following an Xbox Support Twitter answer from June 13 that read, "If your account is banned, you also forfeit the licenses to any games that have licenses tied to it as listed in the ToU." The question specified Xbox One, but later, Xbox Support said this answer was in reference to Xbox 360. Major Nelson had a clear answer for future banned users on Xbox One: "Absolutely not, you will always have access to the games you purchased." As for what will happen if, down the road, Xbox One's authentication servers are shut down, Major Nelson couldn't say. "I'll get the real answer, I just don't know it yet," he said.
Chinese government orders Apple to remove 'obscene content' from its App Store
As a part of a sweep that cited some 198 websites, China government officials directed Apple to remove obscene content listed in its App Store in the country. Apple recently faced criticism about, and eventually apologized for, its warranty policy in China. The Financial Times reported an app was pulled earlier this month for providing access to banned books, just days after the warranty issue surface. A report by Bloomberg suggests Apple includes a quote from research firm owner Mark Tanner suggesting Apple needs to do more to enhance its relations with the government to curry favor with consumers. Whatever the case, the listing on state-run news agent Xinhua does not specify the banned content, although it's probably still available on App Stores in other regions.
Kai-Fu Lee defies ban, invites 30 million Weibo followers to join him on Twitter
Think you're brave, internet tough guy? Ex-Google China chief Kai-Fu Lee's been rather outspoken about censorship in his homeland, and as such was banned from Sina and Tencent Weibo for three days, presumably by over-zealous authorities. To keep his followers in the strictly monitored nation up-to-date, the Beijing-based Lee took to Twitter and invited all 30 million of them to join him, which would make him the social network's fourth most-followed user. That's unlikely, of course -- Twitter can be accessed fairly easily despite a ban in the nation, but developing a country-sized following on an illicit site would be a stretch, even for an outspoken pundit.
League of Legends pro player banned for jerkiness
Fantasy MOBA League of Legends is (in)famous for its boorish player behavior, so much so that Riot Games even tasked a group of 30 developers and scientists with finding a way to get the game's expansive community to play nice. The firm has apparently given up on reforming one player, though, as it has handed down a permanent ban to pro gamer Christian "IWillDominate" Rivera for his "tendency to engage in verbal abuse and insults, his lack of cordial demeanor, and his treatment of less-skilled players." Rivera, who is a member of Team Dignitas, has been brought before LoL's player tribunal nine times, and Riot reports that he has also engaged in "repeated incidents of similar behavior outside the game." The company's announcement acknowledges the effect the ban may have on Rivera's career, but it says that "no other professional players in North America approach this individual's harassment score," and "promoting good sportsmanship and improving player behavior is a mission that's extremely important to Riot."
Steam deletes games with 'Half-Life 3,' offensive content from Greenlight
Steam's Greenlight service allows anyone to upload a game idea for community vetting, no matter what stage of production it's in – including "not real." This is an issue Valve predicted, and it has started taking measures to ban games that are obviously fake, such as anything called "Half-Life 3," and those that are patently offensive, such as "Best WTC Plane Simulator."The only way Greenlight will succeed in its intended purpose is if its users take it seriously, and unfortunately for Steam, "the users" are "the internet." We'll keep an eye on Greenlight's progress once the initial hubbub dies down.This is why absolute freedom is a terrible idea, people. The rabble can't be trusted with such a liberated, unchecked service, and let's be honest, most of them need to be kept on a short government-dispersed leash. That in mind, check out our new game on Steam Greenlight, Freedom Sucks: Revenge of the Plutocrats.
WoW Archivist: A raid exploit compendium
WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold? One week after Mists of Pandaria goes live, the expansion's first raid will become available and the race to world first will officially begin. To the most dedicated progression raiders, a world-first kill is a dream come true, the ultimate achievement in raiding. Other raiders are just as excited to get a regional or a realm first. To realize those dreams, however, some guilds bend the rules. Whether you call it cheating or a "creative use of game mechanics," it's been happening throughout WoW's long raiding history. The myriad methods have been as varied and creative as the bosses themselves. Let's take a look back!
Microsoft bans use of Metro name in Windows Store apps (Update: May not be banned after all)
If Microsoft can't use the Metro name, no one else can. Not in its company-owned Windows Store, at least. An update to the Windows 8 app criteria guide explicitly tells developers that any submitted Windows Store app with Metro in the title will "fail certification" -- effectively, it's banned. There's a certain irony to the aggressive stance on naming when Microsoft itself still mentions Metro prominently across many of its pages, but the restriction isn't a laughing matter for developers already trying to support an OS that doesn't ship for another two months. One of the most popular apps in the pre-release Windows Store, MetroTwit, likely faces imminent exile without a name change; there's also worries that mass transit apps might get the boot for entirely innocuous uses of the word. We've reached out to Microsoft for comment on its legal rights in the area. In the meantime, it's safe to say that "metro" is only to be spoken in hushed tones anywhere near Microsoft's official content portals. Update: Word from WPCentral is that the language restricting developers from using the Metro name wasn't a new addition to the Windows 8 app criteria guide. Turns out, it was an older error that has since been removed. Rejoice, developers! It appears that the word is not off limits. We've reached out to Microsoft for confirmation and will update when we hear back.
Diablo III players say Linux app got them banned, Blizzard rebuts claims
Did a Linux app result in a permanent ban for several Diablo III players? Those affected say yes; Blizzard says no. Players who were using a program called Wine to run Windows applications on Linux machines flocked to the Diablo III forums to report that they were finding their accounts banned. "I got banned last night as well," one player wrote. "Other than running under Wine, I can't imagine why. Level 30ish char and not so much as a gaming keyboard." A Blizzard CM said that the studio investigated the claims and found that this wasn't the case: "We've extensively tested for false positive situations, including replicating system setups for those who have posted claiming they were banned unfairly. We've not found any situations that could produce a false positive, have found that the circumstances for which they were banned were clear and accurate, and we are extremely confident in our findings. Playing the game on Linux, although not officially supported, will not get you banned -- cheating will." [Thanks to greaterdivinity for the tip!]
EA allowing banned Origin players access to offline content
EA has quietly made things a little easier for those banned from its digital Origin service, allowing even those scorned by the company to access single player content in purchased and downloaded games. Previously, gamers who behaved badly on official EA forums or otherwise caused their accounts to be revoked were locked out completely, but now EA is saying that by switching the Origin client over to offline mode, players can at least play bought games by themselves.To get back online, players will need to appeal the ban, for which instructions can be found here. EA does say that most bans are only temporary, but just in case you want to speed up the process we'll say this: Offering crop sacrifices to an idol of John Riccitiello certainly can't hurt.
The Daily Grind: When does a clever loophole become a bannable exploit?
Trouble has been brewing this week over a Star Wars: The Old Republic "exploit" in which people use seemingly legitimate (but perhaps unintended) game mechanics to tip the balance of the game in their favor. Of course, this is nothing new to veteran MMO players, who have seen hundreds, even thousands, of such loopholes and bugs spackled and patched since first MMO came online. Entire World of Warcraft guilds have been banned, however temporarily, for "exploiting" poorly coded raid AI, for example. I've always felt that it's the game company's responsibility to counter loopholes before anyone takes advantage of them; the onus should be on the developer, not the player, to set the rules of the game using hardcoded mechanics. The players can't be expected to suss out the game-designers' intent, after all. Other gamers believe that "exploiters" really ought to know better and deserve whatever punishments the game's GMs mete out. What do you think? When does a clever loophole become a bannable exploit? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Indonesian government threatens to ban BlackBerry services if it can't spy on users
It's not the first time that RIM's security measures have caused a bit of an inferiority complex, but the Indonesian government now is threatening to ban BIS and BBM services within the nation if it doesn't get its way. Partially, it seems that Indonesian officials are upset that Research in Motion will be building its new data centers in Singapore, rather than in the homeland. Additionally, as is, the government is unable to monitor these communications, which it sees as a security risk. As you likely know, all data is currently processed in RIM's Canadian facilities. Heru Sutadi, a member of the Indonesian Telecommunication Regulation Body, had the following to say: "With the condition as it is now, we warn that the country's users to be cautious about using BlackBerry because the data exchanged is not safe or cannot be guaranteed of its safety." Sounds creepy, right? We always feel safer when knowing the government is monitoring our messages, too.
India's cracking down on 'offensive' social media, Desi teens click 'dislike'
Oh dear. India's technology minister Kapil Sibal won't be too popular with the anti-censorship crowd after demanding social networking sites screen out "offensive" material. After spotting a group criticizing Sonia Gandhi (widow of the assassinated former Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi) on Facebook, Sibal dragged reps from the Haus of Zuckerberg, Yahoo, Google and Microsoft -- demanding they ban material that could incite tensions on the subcontinent. No agreement was reached at the time, but Sibal isn't letting this one rest -- he's planning a series of guidelines that would become punishments for sites that don't play along in the future.
Syria bans iPhone in attempt to curb protests and silence citizen journalists
Times are tough in Syria right now, but that isn't stopping the Assad government from making things a whole lot worse. The nation's customs department, a branch of the Syrian Finance Ministry, has officially banned the iPhone in an attempt to curb citizens from sharing news and videos of the massive protests and violent crackdowns throughout the nation. For those not keeping score, foreign press have been largely barred from the nation since March, which necessitated the use of citizen journalism as a means to report news from the streets. As Syrians come to grips with new economic sanctions against the country, the banning of the iPhone is, sadly, certain to escalate the unrest.
CEO bans email, encourages social networking
Who needs email when you have text messaging, Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and a menagerie of alternative communication tools? Not Atos, a French IT firm that's planning to give email the boot. Over the course of the next eighteen months, CEO Thierry Breton hopes to ween 80,000 employees off of the old standby, pushing text messages, phone calls and face-to-face chats as alternatives. Breton strives to promote a collaborative social network similar to Facebook or Twitter to fill email's void and suffice as an easily accessible global network. Having himself been email sober at work for three years, Breton claims email is inefficient, and a burden to the workflow. Will this new social environment promote efficiency, or will pet photos and status updates become the new spam? If employees can't keep their social inclinations under wraps, Atos may have to resort to the Medieval carrier pigeon. Delivery estimates for long distance range from five days to never.
UK Advertising Authority smacks Motorola for misleading Atrix advert (video)
Oh dear. Remember Motorola's advert claiming the Atrix was the "world's most powerful smartphone?" Well it's now been banned in the UK by the Advertising Standards Authority. Viewers complained about the misleading phrase as the Galaxy S II has a faster 1.2 GHz processor, compared to Atrix's 1GHz. Moto said it meant "powerful" in the sense it could drive various devices -- the ASA didn't agree, since the phrase was read out over the final shot in the advert, where the phone appears in isolation. It ruled that as such, the advert was misleading and can only reappear on UK TV with the contentious phrase removed. Armchair adjudicators can decide for themselves in the video after the break.
