Unsavory Behavior in EA Forums Will Get You Banned in Games Too
By Stephany on Thursday, October 30th, 2008 at 11:11 AM PST In Computer, Electronic Arts, Gamer Life, Games, Games Industry
Shacknews is reporting that Electronic Arts forum users and owners of Spore and Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 and other EA published titles may get banned from their games if they are banned from the forums. Apparently, EA has changed their policy on their forums and when these changes go into effect, your forum login will be attached to your Master EA Account.
According to C&C Community Manager Aaron Kaufman a.k.a. “eaapoc“, gamers who violate the Terms of Service agreement within the forums can be banned from all EA-moderated forums and any EA game they may have purchased. What this means is that if you act unsavory in forums, you could be banned from posting and also banned from playing your game because your account and serial number are all connected.
Pulled straight from the forum, here is the post from eaapoc that has so many people in an uproar:
“Your forum account will be directly tied to your Master EA Account, so if we ban you on the forums, you would be banned from the game as well since the login process is the same. And you’d actually be banned from your other EA games as well since its all tied to your account. So if you have Spore and Red Alert 3 and you get yourself banned on our forums or in-game, well, your Spore account would be banned to. It’s all one in the same, so I strongly recommend people play nice and act mature.
All in all, we expect people to come on here and abide by our ToS. We hate banning people, it makes our lives a lot tougher, but its what we have to do.
Those banned will stay banned, but like most other internet services, its not that hard to create a new fake e-mail account. However, its a lot harder to get a new serial key =)”
When further questioned by another forum user, Kaufman elaborated that you must be in severe violation of the ToS to be banned, and since all EA accounts are tied together, acting inappropriately can have dire consequences:
“It’s clearly stated in our “Terms of Service” that your actions on the forums can impact your in-game status. Your forum account is tied to your EA account, that’s not for a bad reason, it’s so we can tie all your stats and profile and such together.
Further, breaking our ToS and getting yourself banned is not easy if you act like a normal mature human being.”
So what will happen if you get in an online argument with a forum moderator who develops a grudge against you and bans you just for the simple fact that he can? How is this fair considering that you paid $50 and upwards for your EA published game and are suddenly no longer able to play it?
Shacknews brought that bit of questioning up as well when they sited the scandal that broke back in September when Spore players were threatened with being banned for discussing the DRM in the forums. The thread discussing Spore’s DRM was locked and a message was posted saying that if anyone continued to discuss it that they were at risk of being banned which “in some cases would mean you would need to buy a new copy to play Spore”.
EA responded, called it a case of “mis-communication” posted by an “over-zealous community volunteer” and said that all forum users were free to discuss DRM or anything else they like as long as it was kept civil.
Looking over the Terms of Service agreement, nothing is really stated in regards to what will happen to you should you violate the ToS, and the only thing that caught me off guard a bit was the phrase “Specific EA Services may also post additional rules that apply to your conduct on those services”, which means that each EA site possibly has more rules of conduct, who knows what your punishment will be should you act in a way they personally do not find redeemable.
While it is understandable for forum moderators to remove posts or ban certain members for continue to post vulgarity, harassing or racist comments, or spam – how does this give them the right to keep people from playing a game that they paid for legally? We are all familiar with some of the different types of people in online forums and communities, and while some may be annoying, perverted and insulting at times, they still have every right to play a game they have purchased no matter if they act like an ill-mannered baboon or not.
Hopefully EA will clear this up soon like they did the last time, and if it is indeed the case that gamers will be banned from their games, EA should seriously consider getting out of the business of videogames, because otherwise they will start losing more money than they ever dreamed.
Also.. “they will start loosing more money than they ever dreamed.” is incorrect.
Loose = losing weight, something not being tight
Lose = to be defeated, to come to be without
There’s a marked difference.
Thanks DarkLord.. editing has fixed it.
Secondly, it does not matter if it is something new or not. If I call someone a fucking idiot in a forum and tell them that they should go have rabid sex with a herpes laden half monkey hooker, and get banned – I should still be able to play a game I spent over 50 bucks on. No matter how big of an inconsiderate idiot you are or how much of a tool you are, if you paid for a game you should be able to play it.
Exactly Stephany. This is especially true if the game is a single player game.
You may be banned from online play but if they start banning people from single player gaming as well then they have crossed a line.
We really need better legislation on what companies can and cannot do. I thought what we had was good but apparently I was wrong.
FUCK you EA.
I think game forums would be a nicer place to be with a few actual consequences. It would seem EA is just choosing to restrict its customer base to those who are civil rather than vulgar on their forums.
Kinda like being kicked out of a bar for starting a fight – even if you’ve paid for the beer you didn’t finish – and not being allowed back in. You’re welcome to go to another bar, of course.
I understand that people lose the right to play online/multiplayer games if they cheat but this… can’t be true can it? I mean… can EA guys who decide things really be that stupid?
Read the ToS better before blindly clicking “I agree” it states that you don’t actually own the game, right in the first main paragraph:
“A. Grant. Through this purchase, you are acquiring and EA grants you a personal, non-exclusive license to install and use the Software for your personal, non-commercial use solely as set forth in this License and the accompanying documentation. Your acquired rights are subject to your compliance with this License. Any commercial use is prohibited. You are expressly prohibited from sub-licensing, renting, leasing or otherwise distributing the Software or rights to use the Software, except by transfer as expressly set forth in paragraph 3 below. The term of your License shall commence on the date that install or otherwise use the Software, and shall end on the earlier of the date that you dispose of the Software; or EA’s termination of this License. Your license will terminate immediately if you attempt to circumvent the technical protection measures for the Software.”
They just have a new system of enforcing their ToS. Sure, it’s a bit of a dirty way of doing it, but if you don’t agree to that ToS, then just don’t install and don’t buy
Besides, even if you do get banned for profane language and insulting other members then it’s your own fault for not finding more mature and peaceful means of resolving your conflicts/issues.
See how far you get if you mouth off to everyone around you and at work, or break the laws. It’s the same thing more or less, just different context.
I was okay with EA buying up every gaming company out there, and even their ludicrous anti-piracy software. But this. This is over the line.
Add my name to the list of people who will no longer be buying any EA game.
Darklord: Big difference between being a cheating piece of shit, and getting banned for posting “McCain is a twat” on their forums.
Steve: A big difference between a pint of beer and losing MULTIPLE video games worth hundreds of dollars.
Seriously, where are you fuckwits coming up with these analogies? I mean really, the bar analogy… A more accurate one would be “You started a fight, so we’re keeping your car.”
well that’s it then isn’t it
How stupid would you need to be to buy another EA game of any kind
I’m done!
By letting me (your email here) to register an account with Electronic Arts (EA) in the United States you agree to the following,
1. You have the right to ban my for anything I say or do in your forums.
2. If such a ban occurs and I get banned from all my EA multiplayer accounts you must reimburse me 2 fold (200%) over and above the original retail price of said games.
3. Thank you, have a nice day and suck a bag of dicks.