Feedback about Player Harassment in Party Chat

[Neuflune]

I submitted a harassment report about English-speaking players harassing Japanese-speaking players and clearly making fun of their inability to understand that they were even being harassed. I received this:

>Greetings Neuflune,

Thank you for contacting the FINAL FANTASY XIV Support Desk.

We understand that you are contacting us on behalf of another player and we commend you for assisting them.

Unfortunately we cannot take calls on behalf of others. If said player is unable to place their own GM call, please have them contact us via our Support Site at the following address:

http://support.eu.square-enix.com

Thank you for your understanding and we apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Regards,

- The FINAL FANTASY XIV Game Master Team

So I gave more details and clarified that it was in a party chat in an instance. Everyone could read it and personally, I felt harassed.

Then I received this:

>Dear Neuflune,

Thank you for those details.

Unfortunately the GM Team cannot deal with feedback. Therefore we would be very grateful if you could submit any suggestions or comments on our official forums. Your feedback will then be forwarded to the appropriate department by our Community Representatives.

Official forums:
http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/

Although individual responses aren't sent, rest assured that all comments submitted are read and considered for future updates.

Thank you for your understanding and we apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Regards,

- The FINAL FANTASY XIV Game Master Team

So here I am.

First, the incident was in the Party Chat. It affects the whole party, not just the players concerned. Even if the party chat can be ignored and turned off...

Second, it was an alliance in an instance. If we turned off alliance chat or party chat to avoid people who would harass us, then what good is the chat for? Isn't it supposed to be used to communicate with other players so that we can coordinate how to play in an instance?

Third, the harassed players were not from my world and they could not understand English at all. Does that make the harassment just something to forget? It still happened. I know that it happened, and I sent a ticket as it was happening.

I have reported Japanese players who harassed me because I speak English and am a "gaijin". Similarly I will report English-speaking players who make fun of Japanese players especially when they cannot stand up for themselves because of the language barrier.

My feedback is this: At least let Harassment be reportable if done in an instance even if the one who reports it is not the target.
Reason? Because the bad atmosphere affects everyone, not just the players who are directly involved.

In my opinion, harassment reports should be tackled on a case to case basis especially because of the language barriers. Not just Japanese and English but because of the many languages all over the world. This is an international game after all. But I won't suggest that because it might be too much work for the GM team, hey.

[Nyghtmarerobu]

This is a little odd. Majority of the time, it doesn't matter where harassment occurs, they will do what they can if harassment is seen. I do however know, like the GM said in the first responce, that they can't accept reports from other people, but if you yourself were harassed it'd be a different story. This is very weird, and I'm not exactly sure what the GM was doing in this paticular case besides maybe being confused. Either way, you did the right thing by posting here, and maybe they can get to the bottom of this.

[Neuflune]

... but if you yourself were harassed it'd be a different story.

My original ticket stated "English speaking players are harassing Japanese speaking players" and the time was "Right now". I am in a mostly-Japanese server so I do not openly speak English since few people understand it. In that raid too, I only spoke in Japanese and I didn't even notice that we had other EN-speaking members until one of them spoke up in party chat. So technically in that ticket I was referring even to myself because the taunts that the EN players did were, in general, directed towards the JP speakers and it included spamming (I don't speak any German), (I don't speak any French) when a JP player spoke in Japanese asking what was going on. Even after another player said "it's JP!", the other player typed another (I don't speak any -insert language that is not Japanese here-). The language barrier was apparent but they kept chatting on as if saying harsher words and even making a macro for it, in English, would make the JP players understand what they were saying.

I can only assume that GM thought I was not being harassed because I filed the ticket in English. That's why I followed it up with more info, but then I got that second response and now I wonder if they even read the party chat that I was referring to.

[Atoli]

The report window has a section in which you are supposed to copy the chat that went on if that is what you are reporting.
They'll obviously check the whole incident itsself, but it helps if you actually DO post a copy of the chat in there

As it stands, you can only report if you yourself get harassed, not for others.
Based on the way you reported it, I can see how they would understand it as "concerning other players" and not you.
Although the "feedback" response is completely off-topic and kind of rude. You clarified your report and they treat it as game feedback? Wtf?

[Neuflune]

The report window has a section in which you are supposed to copy the chat that went on if that is what you are reporting.
They'll obviously check the whole incident itsself, but it helps if you actually DO post a copy of the chat in there

I did post a part of the party chat as it was escalating. There was even a swear word in it. I could see where it was going that's why I put an urgent "Right now" in the time so that the GM could check it out as it was happening.

Yeah and I do get what you mean about the harassment. That's why I'm posting this feedback so that they can consider reports in instances, because it really destroys the atmosphere when you're supposed to be working with other people.

[Ayasaki128]

"In my opinion, harassment reports should be tackled on a case to case basis especially because of the language barriers."

I already received an answer of support team they cant do nothing if someone insult me in portuguese because they dont have a portuguese support for the game. to be honest, I think this is a serious point they should worry about. Well... I think they can hire a translator or just use google translate if necessary. I feel like above the law just for speaking a foreign language and I hate this.