Online turned Real Life Harassment

[DamianFatale]

Have you ever been harassed in the game before, and then suddenly started seeing effects offline?

I thought I’d make a thread for people to vent their experiences. Just please don’t use any actual user names, or break TOS.

- I had been friends with a person in game for awhile. Unfortunately I gave them my discord/ social media information, and etc too soon, because they live nearby, and I wanted to make a new friend.

Unfortunately this led to sexual harassment, threats, the person randomly coming into my in game apartment, a physical altercation outside of the game, and stalking. I ended up having to move to another ward, so that they couldn’t find me, and also filing a police report for the real life part of the harassment.

Here are some tips to avoid such a situation:

1. The only thing you should give at most is your discord, or any other anonymous platform. Don’t use your real name. Have people call you by your in game name. You can do anything on discord that you could on a phone, or social media account. You can text, call, video chat, and it’s all anonymous! Just be aware that video chatting, and voice calling can be a safety issue. In a lot countries it is illegal to record without consent as well, so keep that in mind if those features are used against you.

2. Do not give away personal information. If you encounter them in real life by accident like I did, then do whatever you can to be near other people. Don’t stray alone with them if you haven’t met them. Be safe!

3. Ignore them whenever possible. Do not engage. Do not motivate them.

4. Screen shot. I sadly did not, because I let my fears get the most of me, and did not want to face them. I regret it. It made my case much harder, and I get harassed by people who accuse me of lying. That part is my fault.

5. Definitely contact GMs. They take your personal safety seriously.

Just because the community seems friendly, does not mean that you are safe. This experience happened to me in FFXIV, and I feel like it’s really important to guard your personal information. Stay safe out there!