Online Bullying - A Dev request for a response and discussion

[KimimiAvesta]

This is way beyond "growing a thicker skin" - at work this would be a serious disciplinary matter, in the street the police would get involved - so why is the person on the receiving end the problem online?

[Evilized]

all these lowbies talking trash.

in my experience, the people that blow up like in OP's picture are insecure about their own standing on the social ladder and have to try to compensate with what they view as dominant behavior. we of course can see it for what it is, a sad attempt for them to feel better about whatever low point they may be in in life.

berating someone for playing poorly generally doesn't make them play better. i know if someone (and they have) blew up on me like that i would in turn start trying to piss them off even more just to see what they would do. is that a good way to handle things? probably not but it adds to my enjoyment of the game, at least. i have found that being overly polite to people like that tends to send them off the handle, i would recommend trying that next time and then sending in a report for harassment / racism.

[Dschlitz]

We will see them disappear when the trial period is over.

[KitCat]

Adding people to blacklist should block their entire account from being matched with you in the Duty Finder in the future.

I think that's a fine idea. I agree with just having to brush people off, but no kid should have to sit through someone telling him to slit his own throat because he's worthless. Somewhere out there that could be the last straw, and someone will go and do just that.

A right-click report feature that snaps the last 5 minutes of the chat log for review would be handy. Hit that, blacklist then move on.

[Jinzuki]

Haven't seen so many internet tough guys all in one thread.

[Aegis]

We will see them disappear when the trial period is over.

If only. Remember at the end of beta? "Well the forums will be nicer at release when you have to have paid for the game?" How's that turned out? Same threads, same arguments, same white knight/troll name-calling.

We just have to face it. Idiots and children have disposable income these days, too.

[Asmodeus]

Most of these people are probably just kids who get bullied IRL or just losers that don't have much going for them in real life so they take out frustrations online and try to get an ego-boost that way. Just ignore them or blacklist them. People who have a pretty good real life generally don't act this way online IMHO .

Blacklisting doesn't seem to work if they are from another server, I got one guy with a potty mouth I tried to block and kept getting character not found which is I assume because he was from another server.

Also saying enforcing things on the internet will make things worse is wrong, people have shown over and over again we need consequences to our actions and words both in real life and online and we are slowly getting there but there is still much work to do. Take for example the jokers that video themselves doing 240kph on public roads and posting it to facebook or youtube only takes one complaint and the cops track them down.

[Bahram]

Seriously, if you haven't figured out how to tell someone what to do without being a tremendous jerk you should probably get off this game and reevaluate your life right now. No offense intended, that is a serious comment. If some guy in your duty still keeps having trouble and you've had your fill, politely bow out. Jesus Christ, how hard is this? Yeah, the person being attacked should shrug it off as some manchild insulting them over the internet, but I hope the person in that screenshot is banned for good. That shouldn't be acceptable behavior and the only one with the power to enforce that is Square.

This has nothing to do with skill or wanting to quickly complete a duty. If you want a flawless group then put it together yourself with that winning personality of yours. This is about people who need communal disciplining because their parents clearly failed at teaching them basic social mores.

[Gojeran]

2. Quit the duty. No one is forcing you to play this game. If it offends you so much, just leave.

and third, the one and only solution : Grow thicker skin. If online harassment is enough to make you come to these forums and cry, the real world is going to eat you alive when you move out of mommy's basement.


Are you serious? I am a working adult and if anybody ever said anything even close to me like that at work they would be subject to INSTANT termination, and if I wanted to I could very likely press charges, criminal charges. The real world does not tolerate behavior like this by and large... its the entire "its the internet, stop being a baby and let the ahole just be one, whats wrong with you?!?!" that is complete an utter BS!

Also quit the duty? Why should I leave? I'm not the person being a complete ahole. Posts like this make me sick... its like blaming the victim in a crime... She shouldn't have warn that dress... he should have had his own gun... etc etc.

[Jayrune]

From the screenshot, my opinion is that the appropriate course of action is to report said person, then remove yourself from their presence.

People who go off like that should not simply be ignored, they need help in real life, but there is no way for us to accomplish that. All you can do is report them and hope that a temp ban will serve as a wake up call. If it doesn't, then eventually it will be a permaban.

Also, as noted the real reason this kind of behavior happens as often as it does online is because of a lack of consequences to deter it. Bans and Permabans are a consequence, but they don't happen unless reports happen, and reports take time and effort. Blacklisting but not reporting is effectively complacency, which effectively harms the community as it allows the problem to continue. It's certainly easier to just ignore and leave, but unless they are reported the issue will persist.