Community standards: what’s that?
Yes, the infamous “Banhammer”.Creative Commons attribution license, Flickr. http://www.flickr.com/photos/powi/519822065/
The standards for banning gamers differ from community to community. But with a recent growing trend of acquisitions, is the standard changing via the takeover company? Should it? Does community standard even have a meaning anymore with worldwide gaming so predominant that you may not even have someone from your country, much less your state, in your gaming group?
Even though some games have different standards for forum banning and game banning, I’m going to group these together and be specific if there’s a known difference. Here’s some starting points from sources I’ve found in the developer or forum communities. (As a special added bonus I’ve noted the recent modding case decision).
From Forumblogger (a website devoted to running good forums), a short guide as to when/why/how to ban members.
From Techland blog, Xbox Users banned from using swastika symbol as avatar. For more, read on…
From Kotaku, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Policy Nixed on XBox 360 Live”.
Somewhat related, from Wired: Trial of X-box modding defendant delayed again…. WAIT.. Federal prosecutors drop case… via Gamasutra
Starcraft 2 users banned, via Computerandvideogames.com
Microsoft bans COD BlackOps users for network manipulation, from Playfire website
Great article from Gamasutra about Website/game localization(squeezing it in here because it fits the topic of “universal” banning standards versus “localized” banning standards.)
OK, this one is for me. (from Bitmob) It’s the rags-to-riches story of a guy who goes from forum poster to full-time employee. (Like Kurt Warner story, but with vid-games).
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Personal commentary: these updates are just a compilation of the recent notable bans and modding decisions. They are presented without comment. My only minor addition to this would be the noting of the severe drop in these types of cases, and that gamers and developers/publishers seem to be getting closer in their idea of what is a “bannable” offense. Comments??
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Jay Moffitt is a Tennessee attorney. This blog is for entertainment and educational purposes only and does not consitute legal advice or create an attorney/client relationship. Jay Moffitt is not certified as a specialist in this area by Tennessee and Tennessee does not certify specialists in this practice area. All comments will be answered promptly and courteously as long as they are germane to the discussion and do not contain specific game names or incidents.
Tags: banning, banning in forums, banning in games, Call of Duty Black Ops, Starcraft 2, Xbox 360 Network
