Roleplay/Partyfinder Discrepancies & Policy Enforcement by GM's

[Eoko]

First off, as has been stated multiple times, this is about RP venues being targeted indiscriminately. It has nothing to do with ERP, brothels, lap dance, etc. None of this was brought up in the initial conversation that created this.

Secondly, FFXIV is rated T, not PG-13. PG-13 is for pre-teens with a strong encouragement that they be supervised by parents when watching. And, online interaction is not rated.

Thirdly, this is a global game, with servers and head offices in multiple countries. Japan itself has a massive industry in Love Hotels alone. Does the Japanese side of the game have similar RP venues to the North American? What laws take precedent? And do you honestly think anyone in a law enforcement setting (hi, I work in Enforcement) give the slightly care to people role playing lap dances on an online video game? Get over yourselves with the "it's illegal somewhere". Cool. It's not illegal everywhere. And at no point is legality actually coming into these specific situations.

Finally, the Section 10 is vague as hell. Again, Enforcement, degree in this stuff, actually have worked with a law office. "You must not use the Services to distribute any content that is obscene, pornographic, defamatory, hateful, or illegal, or that violates the intellectual property rights or other rights of any person or entity."

Distribute any content. Okay. Is a conversation content? Is an interaction content? Is using emotes and conversation to carry on a public scene that would most definitely be something one might observe in even a PG-13 movie content? What is content? First, you would have to argue that a role play interaction is content. Now, what about obscene? What is obscene? I can guarantee that this is subjective. Furthermore, something that would be obscene in visual media is highly unlikely to be considered as obscene in written form. What about pornographic. Displaying of female breasts might be considered pornographic. Although, several states have made it legal for women to go topless, so even that's not universal in North America. We cannot actually show nudity in FFXIV. Is saying "naked boobs" pornographic? I think not. "He spun his ding-a-ling like a meme of yesteryear". Again...highly doubt that's going to fly. Besides, those are the vastly rare situations. And when ERP does occur, it's a consensual choice between two people. It is not being distributed to the community.

You want to throw around legality? Well, that is how legality actually works. Lawyers tear theses things apart. And officers always think in terms of viability in court.

That's why Terms of Service are universal, and outlined by a private business that doesn't have to actually go to court to do anything with you if you do something it deems to go against said ToS. Legal support in various countries, as Yoshi P claims to have, is for much more serious offenses. ToS doesn't use legality. They use a banhammer.

Going to an 18+ venue, where the goal is simply to have an adult clientele, where there is literally nothing more than dancing and a bartender is not obscene, or pornographic, but it still wants an 18+ group. You know what else demands 18+? Voting. You can't say that advertising 18+ is inherently anything even questionable. And dear lord, even if it's two people consenting to erp who cares? It's those two people "risking" anything. I swear, the people that are against erp come off like they expect to be hogtied and forced into a rp orgy or something. You don't have to be into it, or even like it, but it's the oldest profession in the world. It's gonna endure.

But, again, not. the. point. The point is using the Party Finder to advertise any sort of social interaction that isn't content. Which... by that logic, erp isn't "content" and thus can't fall under section 10. I mean, based on Mr. GM W.

[Iscah]

Furthermore, something that would be obscene in visual media is highly unlikely to be considered as obscene in written form.

I disagree. Words create images. You might not have showed the other person a picture, but you sent them the instructions to produce that picture in their mind.

[Ashemmi]

I disagree. Words create images. You might not have showed the other person a picture, but you sent them the instructions to produce that picture in their mind.

Exactly, you don't need images, most states have CMIP or CMIP type laws. Communication with a minor for immoral purposes. Written word alone is enough.

[Istolla-Argante]

@Eoko find it rather hilarious lot'a these folx trying to argue legal semantics when you clearly mentioned early you work in enforcement few pages back now. ♥

(hi, I work in Enforcement)

Further as many have said before the issue at hand is NOT just erp but RP as a whole yet honestly it looks willfully/intentionally that y'all keep trying to sweep that part under the rug and just focus on the erp PFs that got hit when a whole bunch were completely unrelated.

From mannnnnny pages back this was posted

From I believe a year ago. Why is it only this GM in all these new reports? Is someone going rogue here?

There have been first hand GM accounts that ERP is not out right banned or against anything, yes its a "black sheep" or w/e you want to bow it up with all pretty.
It's a known aspect, almost every RPG under the sun ends up with a portion of the rp community catering more specifically to adult events, sfw or not, what consenting adults do in their own time is their own matters.

Now, this pearl clutching about minors?
Thirsty twerps will do ANYTHING they can to get into spaces they shouldn't be or are told they are not "old enough" for yet.
What were you doing between 13 and 17? What 18+ forum smut were you reading or heck writing yourself?
Half my high school's english groups were on Forums, Gaia, DeviantArt and FanFiction writing alllll sorts of things and reading "adult" content.

I get that there IS real concern, it is however a unrealistically feasible one to try and contain.
We have NO way of 100% fool proof verifying any sort of age information and neither do SE/FFXIV-mod teams, and to try set such a thing up would take up more resources than it is likely realistic to put towards a never ending, near impossible to 100% nail down data.
Even if they started demanding ID or selfies (which are also inherently not helpful, I have a brother who at 14 was 6ft2 and had a beard that made him look easily 24.)

There is also is real, honest desire, to have actual adult 18+, 21+, 23+ etc, spaces in hopes of having a more "mature" (however you want to define that) audience for w/e content might be taking place SFW or otherwise.
The game is rated for the scripted/designed content provided by the quests and the like, not the social content that inherently comes from FFXIV being a MMO, its written in the warning language on the box of the game if I'm remembering right.
Online content not subject to rating or something like that..

[Illy_Peridot]

Now, this pearl clutching about minors?
Thirsty twerps will do ANYTHING they can to get into spaces they shouldn't be or are told they are not "old enough" for yet.
What were you doing between 13 and 17? What 18+ forum smut were you reading or heck writing yourself?
Half my high school's english groups were on Forums, Gaia, DeviantArt and FanFiction writing alllll sorts of things and reading "adult" content.

I was creepin' into adult fan spaces as early as, what, 12? I knew what I was doing and that it wasn't a place I belonged in, so I kept to myself and minded my own business. The responsibility was on me for ignoring all the warnings and roadblocks on the way in. It's the same with kids these days, if the riots puritanical teens are doing against creators in their own adult spaces are anything to go by. Not saying it was good that I did that or anything, but this was ages ago when the internet was a different place.

We don't all progress at the same rate, and some peak early in their mental growth.

"Some people grow up, some people just grow old." Or something.