If you’re the type to vent your gaming rage a bit more aggressively than the norm on social media sites such as Twitter, then you better hope that you don’t have a Sony Online Entertainment subscription. Linda Carlson, director of SOE’s global community relations, has stated that people who abuse other users on Twitter have no business being their customer now or ever.
“Not only will we ban your forum account, but if it’s serious enough we’ll call up customer service and have you banned from all of our games…we do not need those individuals as customers.”
If you’re caught being unnecessarily vulgar or downright abusive to another user on Twitter, then don’t expect to be able to play SOE games such as DC Universe Online and PlanetSide 2. Whether someone is banned from their games and services or is just kicked out of their forums depends on the severity of the situation. For those who have built up leadership credentials in their guild or achieved insane ranks, Carlson wants to let you know that none of that matters to her — it’s a no-tolerance policy she’s enforcing.
“In our games, if you are an exploiter we don’t care who you are, how big your guild is, how many people you threaten to take with you when you go. We can control anybody who’s playing our games…[but] if we know who you are and you’re abusing somebody on Twitter, we will ban your game account and we will not accept you as a customer ever again.”
While I’ve only mentioned Twitter so far, there’s no reason why this couldn’t extend to Facebook, Tumblr, or any other social media platform. If you’re a steady SOE gamer or are excited for one of their upcoming titles, it’s going to be best for you to, in the words of Walter White, “tread lightly” during those aggravating situations.
Do you think Linda Carlson is justified in really clamping down on ill-behaved gamers or is the policy a tad too strict for your liking? Sound off on the comments below.