Sexual harassment

[Theodric]

Generally speaking, companies don't make statements about individual cases. Any 'crackdown' on harassment could very well be heavy handed and come at the cost of the enjoyment of legitimate players. Look at how everybody is now unable to talk in Feast as a consequence of some bad apples being very vocal and aggressive.

[LalaRu]

Did read all and everything from OP up to now, it seems most of the posts are treating the harassment as something that is limited to one-to-one relationship, so the multiple "block him/her and get away" answers.

But, most of the times, it is not the case. They are involved a group of people, friends of both parties, and may be as low as a bunch of people, to big as a community, see OP's example.

The hard part of being harassed is not the silly "Miqo'te being harassed by a Roe", but the break of trust between the two players involved, and one of them breaking loose and starting efforts to make other's gaming (and irl) life pretty hard to live on.

In the OP's example, the accused player did not limited itself to harass in-game someone else, he also did used all the means he had (even irl) to harass the other player, and when his efforts were met with rejection, he got mad and managed to take her down in all and everything she was involved in, the game, her friends, everything.

I personally found more disgusting all the people that sided with the offender, than the offender itself.

[Anatha]

You arent groomed from an online game, and 18 is an adult. You know better at 18.

*
Except you couldnxt be more wrong if you tried. Communication is all that is required to groom someone's behavior. If you contact someone, you can manipulate them.

And 18 years is still a child. You don't become an adult until your early to mid twenties. Just because the state might consider you an adult for the purposes of the judiciary, it by no means indicates that you are an adult where it really matters. Neuroscience is the authority on this, not arbitrary legal thresholds.

So you're saying someone who is still mentally far from maturation, put into contact with a dangerous predator with an aim to manipulate and groom her, is somehow going to be able to resist despite a network of his allies aiding him?

If you're well meaning... you're far from conveying it. I see no empathy in your insistent denial of the threat people like this pose to vulnerable groups.

[Lunalepsy]

I guess sensitivity parameters are activated.

[Zsolen]

18 is more than old enough, and it is an age of maturity. Teens in general know better, let alone an 18 year old. Traditionally, the age is actually younger than 18. As I said earlier, in the particular example given, that the person did know better. She took steps to protect herself and later decided to give into peer pressure, despite knowing better. You can cling to whatever you want, but the story was that she did know better.

I am trying to protect people on two fronts: From those who wish to prey on them and those that use them to for their own agendas (forced victimization). Those who use these people to create a victim class are just as harmful. I am also trying find exactly what is happening and would never follow mob mentality or witch hunts. That doesn't make me not concerned.

[QT_Melon]

And 18 years is still a child. You don't become an adult until your early to mid twenties. Just because the state might consider you an adult for the purposes of the judiciary, it by no means indicates that you are an adult where it really matters. Neuroscience is the authority on this, not arbitrary legal thresholds.

Pretty much. I mean yes they had to put the line somewhere as to what age you are legally an adult. But if anyone thinks that at 18 you have the all the experience and you just come out legally able to engage in sex and know everything there is about relationships, they are fooling themsevles.

[KaivaC]

Pretty much. I mean yes they had to put the line somewhere as to what age you are legally an adult. But if anyone thinks that at 18 you have the all the experience and you just come out legally able to engage in sex and know everything there is about relationships, they are fooling themsevles.

Agreed. I'd like to add on that there are some folks who are new to online communities/chatting in general, so they may not have the knowledge/mind-frame to know when to protect themselves. Sometimes it's hard to know when to trust someone and when a person is toxic and one doesn't really know it until it's too late. Or they happen to trust the wrong person and it burns them. And unlike real life, there really aren't too many resources out there that give you lessons on how to protect yourself online...not in the sense what what you would get for real life situations.

[Aellae]

Funnily the people thinking they "won't let it happen" and "I am above all this" are actually very vulnerable to abuse themselves.

[BluntGamerChick]

I'm a transplant from WOW whose husband insisted i change to FF14. As a Female gamer i have had my share of Harassment. Once confirmed a female player you tend to be a target. In fact i had a stalking situation that was scary and took a long time to resolve and was a big reason why i stopped playing MMO's for awhile. There are a lot of pervs emboldened to behave in ways they never would in real life because ultimately they are all cowards and losers looking to satisfy their perversion. Regardless of the games warnings, there is no excuse or rational for sexual harassment. Any statements advocating such behavior i have to assume is made by like minded people who are themselves perverse and equally disgusting. To those victims of such harassment I say, try not to let it get to you. Report the problem, block the person and just remember that they are pathetic losers who cant get it in the real world so they have to try and get their jollies in-game.

[BluntGamerChick]

I guess sensitivity parameters are activated.

Its insensitivity that is at issue here. Not everyone can handle harassment well. And enjoying a game should not mean that a person should accept and or role over for that behavior. What needs to be addressed is the the bully not the victim. Resolving the problem and rooting out the issue is what must be done to improve not only the gaming community but our society as a whole. Apathy only serves to let the problem spread until we are left with not civilization but world, or virtual world, of garbage. (And here comes the snarky comments of stupid people who still think its funny to be jerks.)