Promotional Activities - What's allowed?

[LianaThorne]

Prior to the billboard event, which is not related to charities fyi, there have been many player hosted in game events that focus on raising awareness to particular issues or charities, with many famous players and influencers advertising for said charities on their personal social media accounts and twitch. It's not an uncommon focus for venues and events in game, but regarding whether this is against or in line with ToS is not stated clearly so I am asking GMs to clarify.



The statement says that we cannot promote real-life political groups, religious organizations, or business entities that have no connections to Final Fantasy XIV, but does not state whether ambiguous statements that do not advocate for a particular group or ideology is acceptable (e.g., saying "It's sarcoma and bone cancer awareness month. We are raising awareness of those affected by this condition" does not advertise for a particular real-life political group, religious organization, or business entity). In addition, that portion of the Prohibited Activities also states that conversation on such topics in closed environments is not considered a violation depending on the circumstances, so I am asking GMs to clarify what the circumstances are.

I understand that the game is an escape from the real world for many, which is why we are considering discussing the topic in closed environments and/or outside of the game to respect the wishes of those wanting to play the game as such.

It's pretty much keep it to your FC only. You can't take it into the public hubs or any public chats or party finder. It doesn't matter if it's for something harmless like cancer awareness, it has nothing to do with the game and therefore isn't allowed in public spaces.
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Source from the ToS if you click Key Points under the section referenced in OP's post.

It is prohibited to engage in activities or advertisements in public areas where many players can see them, such as Shout and through the Party Finder. If a report has been filed and the prohibited activity is confirmed, a penalty will be issued.


In a closed environment within a private chat such as a Linkshell or Free Company, it is not considered a violation to raise such topics among peers, but if the conversation is repeated persistently, please be aware that it may be considered a violation depending on the circumstances.
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It's also pretty defined what is prohibited:
refer to the act of engaging in activities and promotions that involve real-life political groups, religious organizations, or business entities that have no connections to Final Fantasy XIV. Even if the activity is for charity, it is prohibited as the activity is not relevant to the game.
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So therefore, if you want to raise awareness for something or collect donations for charity, it has to be within your FC or friend group. Anything else is a violation and will get you penalized if someone reports it.

As far as what grounds a violation in private chats, most likely if you annoy your friends with talking about your cause non-stop and they report it you can get penalized.

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TLDR: You can't raise awareness or collect donations for a charity or other charitable cause in public spaces, keep to your friend group or FC. Be aware that if you annoy them with talking about it that it can get you penalized. Do all charitable work on Discord to save yourself a headache.

[Vahlnir]

I barely even watch those even then. YouTube and the occasional Twitch stream VOD is what I watch nowadays. Apparently TikTok is how the gen z's spend there time. Imagine anyone under 50 watching TV still though.

I spend a fair amount of time on Youtube myself, but that's about it. Twitch is more of a "plan b" if I'm watching a live stream on Youtube for SE, Playstation or anything like that and it decides to crap out on me due to server overload or something. I rarely, if ever use Twitch for anything else.

[SturmChurro]

I spend a fair amount of time on Youtube myself, but that's about it. Twitch is more of a "plan b" if I'm watching a live stream on Youtube for SE, Playstation or anything like that and it decides to [..] out on me due to server overload or something. I rarely, if ever use Twitch for anything else.

I used to not watch Twitch pretty much at all, but a lot of content, and creators moved over to streaming. I rarely catch things live. Actually most of the Twitch vods I watch are on YouTube funnily enough. There is like one guy I watch semi-regularly on Twitch, and I sometimes listen to some Asmongold stuff more lately, specifically when I was playing Lost Ark or doing things in FF (why I actually prefer his react content - an unpopular opinion apparently).

[Bunnycake]

I barely even watch those even then. YouTube and the occasional Twitch stream VOD is what I watch nowadays. Apparently TikTok is how the gen z's spend there time. Imagine anyone under 50 watching TV still though.

[wei_t_a_minute]

It's pretty much keep it to your FC only. You can't take it into the public hubs or any public chats or party finder. It doesn't matter if it's for something harmless like cancer awareness, it has nothing to do with the game and therefore isn't allowed in public spaces.
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Source from the ToS if you click Key Points under the section referenced in OP's post.

It is prohibited to engage in activities or advertisements in public areas where many players can see them, such as Shout and through the Party Finder. If a report has been filed and the prohibited activity is confirmed, a penalty will be issued.


In a closed environment within a private chat such as a Linkshell or Free Company, it is not considered a violation to raise such topics among peers, but if the conversation is repeated persistently, please be aware that it may be considered a violation depending on the circumstances.
---‐--------------------

It's also pretty defined what is prohibited:
refer to the act of engaging in activities and promotions that involve real-life political groups, religious organizations, or business entities that have no connections to Final Fantasy XIV. Even if the activity is for charity, it is prohibited as the activity is not relevant to the game.
-------------------

So therefore, if you want to raise awareness for something or collect donations for charity, it has to be within your FC or friend group. Anything else is a violation and will get you penalized if someone reports it.

As far as what grounds a violation in private chats, most likely if you annoy your friends with it and they report it you can get penalized.

Thank you for your response, your interpretation makes sense and I understand where you are coming from. I'll still need to wait for an official GM response, but I'll keep what you said in mind when communicating to my fc mates who brought up this issue.

We are also looking at an option where we make no discussions or mention about this subject in game, but instead raise the subject outside of the game such as on social media. However, there are concerns that our activity will be reported or flagged as a ToS violation even when our promotional activities are occurring outside of the game so I am requesting GM clarification on this as well, as per my original post.

[LianaThorne]

Thank you for your response, your interpretation makes sense and I understand where you are coming from. I'll still need to wait for an official GM response, but I'll keep what you said in mind when communicating to my fc mates who brought up this issue.

We are also looking at an option where we make no discussions or mention about this subject in game, but instead raise the subject outside of the game such as on social media. However, there are concerns that our activity will be reported or flagged as a ToS violation even when our promotional activities are occurring outside of the game so I am requesting GM clarification on this as well, as per my original post.

Outside stuff can't be used as evidence in in-game related violations or punishments because it's considered third party and has the potential to be manipulated. It all has to be in-game for any action to be taken.

Also, you're not going to get a GM response unless this thread reaches dozens of pages in length. They're very hands off in terms of interacting with the community. You're more likely to get this deleted than get a real response.

[wei_t_a_minute]

Got it, I submitted a 2nd support ticket prior to making this thread so I will continue to follow up there as needed. Thank you for your response regarding both the 3rd party portion and likelihood of a GM response.

[Necrotica]

Just put an FF spin on it.

Instead of Cancer Awareness, it is Aether Sickness Awareness.

Instead of War in Ukraine, it is help Gridania build a bigger wall between them and Ala Mhigo!

Not all of those translate 1:1. Just got to localize your real world issues into Eorzea speak.

[wei_t_a_minute]

We did want to try putting an FF spin on it, but some also expressed concerns. At our last venue we wanted to say the following (and only this phrase with nothing else mentioning donations or charity):

"Please consider taking your noble spirit not just throughout Eorzea, but also to the world beyond by donating to causes that threaten your fellow adventurers."

A couple of fc mates raised concerns about that statement and requested official clarification as to whether something like that is okay or not.

[Raoabolic]

it is help Gridania build a bigger wall between them and Ala Mhigo!

I thought about seeing an advertisement that sounded like this in 2017 and got a hearty chuckle. Thanks m8! lol