November 29, 2017

Getting Muted for "Jokes"

There is no tone on the internet. What you say matters.

Hi, everybody! Recently, we've had a couple pretty serious issues crop up, where players in the game have gotten muted for threatening to hack other players, bragging about doing illegal things, or making comments like:

• U 15? [...] Send me nud3s. 
• I'm going to come to the lab and shoot you, you pieces of @#$%^#

Both of these bullet points are actual quotes from in-game chat. 

We live in a turbulent world today, and the internet reflects that. If we see a player threatening to commit violence, or doing something that breaks the law (like soliciting pornographic images) or threatening to "come shoot up the lab", we have to take that seriously.

Those aren't things to joke about. Even if you are chatting in a public room with your friends, who know you're joking, other players may not. If they report you, our moderators see it. We require them to take action on reports like that, for our players' safety, and our own.

Often, Player Support gets emails arguing that the player was just joking. That may be... but it also might not be. The vast majority of the time, our moderators and Player Support staff cannot know what a joke is, or isn't, from a chat log.

What you say matters. Joking about violence in-game is like when you're in school, or in the work place. Don't do it. If you DO, and you get muted for it, use that as a lesson, and don't do it again.

Our first priority is to create a safe and friendly environment for our players and our team members. 

Chat Rules in AQWorlds

The following types of chat violate our terms of service:

• Harassment or defamation 
• Obscene or vulgar language
• Threatening or abusive language
• Hate speech based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or nationality
• Advertising bots, hacks, game exploits, or private servers.
• Spamming chat with repeated messages
• Asking for other players’ account or personal information.

Code of Ethical Conduct

As a family-friendly community committed to providing a safe and fun place for people of all ages, Artix Entertainment does not condone any type of illicit behavior from its employees, volunteers, or community members. Engaging in such activities can and will result in immediate termination, dismissal, or suspension of accounts and any information can be turned over to the proper authorities.