A public service announcement

There has been an upsurge of derogatory phrases/words, rooted in homophobia, racism, and/or sexism used in game; you know exactly which words I'm talking about. In fact, there is a player (still unbanned) who has ignorantly used my Asian-American identity as a scapegoat for the current pandemic and expresses sexist language; the specific details are triggering, infuriating, and upsetting, but I will not be elaborating. I am bringing it to all of your and STG's attention because honestly it is vile, even if some of the words are not targeting me. Now you can say, Sheu, just report and move on. So you mean I should report many people every day who cleverly circumvent the bannable word bank that STG enforced? My personal belief is that bans are inefficient for PL, a likely stagnant game (and that's being generous). So what should we do?

1. For you reading, stop it if you are doing it. Yes, I understand PL is a game, so move on; life continues. BUT. PL is a game, so how about we make everyone's player experience pleasant? PL is a safe haven for some people; for me, it has provided me with constant pillar for the past decade as I cope with toxic family situations, my own dilemmas, and college academics. And I expect it to remain a pillar, just as many others believe so too. So stop it. (Also, if you are saying these marginalizing/appropriating words, perhaps you also want to reevaluate how you see diversity and inclusion.)

2. For STG reading, I challenge you all. I honestly don't know what to recommend. PL players, as I've said above, are clever, sometimes sly: they will inevitably find loopholes in the chat restrictions, so expanding the word bank is futile. A suggestion could be to streamline the reporting process. Since toxic speech is common, perhaps just adding a one-click option to the report button so players do not need to formally file a complaint. This would obviously make your investigative work harder, but inconvenience is a serious barrier to reporting. If anyone knows more options, please feel free comment!

(FYI, I am not necessarily referring to expletives but to hate speech.)

(I know I've been absent from forums, but I do check frequently! Hello friends! :))

Not sure a One click tool for these sorts of complaints is the best idea. It will inevitably be miss used by these same players you reference just making it harder for the support team.

I actually think that filing complaint to support is pretty solid option. Maybe month ago player was doing this type of thing to me and a took screenshots of chat and then muted them. Sent them to support, took maybe 5 minutes, and got an email 3-4 days latter thanking for reporting but that they couldn't comment further on it.

I know for a fact the player got a 7 day ban shortly after this, so while it might seem annoying these types of tickets do actually work and a worth your time. Just my two cents.

I reported a player for saying some appalling things in all chat. They got a 3 day ban, two weeks after I submited the ticket. They used abbreviations for certain curse words too, and got banned regardless.

I guess, if they continue saying these things, even after getting a "warning ban", you'll have to continue reporting them, until they get harsher penaltys. It's tedious, but other than muting and reporting, sadly there isn't much you can do.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sheugokin

PL is a safe haven for some people; for me, it has provided me with constant pillar for the past decade as I cope with toxic family situations, my own dilemmas, and college academics.

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I'm sorry to hear about all of this, Sheu.

We've had a really bumpy history these last handful of years, most of which is attributed to petty guild drama. I admit, I was disheartened during our 5v5 CTF match when I had kindly requested a momentary pause upon 2 hours of straight gameplay. It was proceeded by a cold, "Then you will lose, Will" from you. It's not the Sheu I remember from the years prior to the tension that has only recently manifested.

However -- I am sincerely sorry about the homophobic, racist, and sexist remarks you've experienced. Community is everything, especially when it feels like the world is on fire. If there's one damn thing we can agree on, setting all differences aside, it's that PL is an extension for many of us. It deserves to be treated like a haven.

I guess what I'm really trying to say, irrespective of how this impacts our relationship, is that I stand in solidarity with you. I hope STG removes any players who blatantly degrade the integrity of this beautiful community.

2 Step process
1. Report
2. Mute
Hope this helps 👍

Quote:

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Originally Posted by XghostzX

I'm sorry to hear about all of this, Sheu.

We've had a really bumpy history these last handful of years, most of which is attributed to petty guild drama. I admit, I was disheartened during our 5v5 CTF match when I had kindly requested a momentary pause upon 2 hours of straight gameplay. It was proceeded by a cold, "Then you will lose, Will" from you. It's not the Sheu I remember from the years prior to the tension that has only recently manifested.

However -- I am sincerely sorry about the homophobic, racist, and sexist remarks you've experienced. Community is everything, especially when it feels like the world is on fire. If there's one damn thing we can agree on, setting all differences aside, it's that PL is an extension for many of us. It deserves to be treated like a haven.

I guess what I'm really trying to say, irrespective of how this impacts our relationship, is that I stand in solidarity with you. I hope STG removes any players who blatantly degrade the integrity of this beautiful community.

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Thank you for the well wishes.

I’m gonna keep this short and say that your callout post is not meant for public, especially when it has little to do with marginalizing comments. Even if you perceived it as hostile and unnecessary (which it very well be valid), how are you adding to the conversation about homophobia, racism, or sexism? I would rather you pm me, and if you don’t feel up to it (which I respect), I apologize to you now.

Unfortunately the report system is tragically flawed. For fast results you'll want to message cinco (or another dev) directly, whether it be via discord or here on the forums.

Hey Shoe Go Clean (lol), hope you're well. Good to see you check in after a while. I myself have checked in today after a long time of inactivity in forums. It was good to hear from you, and glad you are still rockin' the signature I made for you many years ago!

Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sheugokin

Thank you for the well wishes.

I’m gonna keep this short and say that your callout post is not meant for public, especially when it has little to do with marginalizing comments. Even if you perceived it as hostile and unnecessary (which it very well be valid), how are you adding to the conversation about homophobia, racism, or sexism? I would rather you pm me, and if you don’t feel up to it (which I respect), I apologize to you now.

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I'll shoot you a PM :)