keys56000000000 wrote:I hear there has been some nastiness behind the scenes and that Chris has been subsequently banned? I don't know what's been said and I'm not condoning anything here, but I do want to say that I for one can appreciate the frustration he must feel. He put so much of his time and energy into something he believed he had a genuine shot at winning. And, y'know, he was laughed at, ridiculed, someone even called him retarded. So how about unbanning him and forgetting the whole thing?
Let's make this clear. I had no intention of muddling up the postgame discussion with a discussion of this, but since you have brought it up here, I will address this.
Chris was NOT banned due to anything but his disrespect towards other players, and he was given multiple chances to back off. It had nothing to do with his passion, which bea and I both were vocal in appreciating.
Throughout the game, Chris harassed the hosts and caused instances that made players feel they were being disrespected. Llama and bea both worked HARD and constantly to deal with situations that arose not only due to Chris but due to other players as well. Chris was the only one who would not respect the wishes of those above him, even though he was warned multiple times. bea even dumped her heart out in thread and asked for respect, but there were still instances thereafter, in the thread and behind the scenes.
I stepped in midgame, even though I was playing and didn't want to, because when Llama was trying to arbitrate an issue with Chris, Chris backlashed and outright disrespected Llama and refused to recognize his authority. Chris then did the same thing to me, even when I took a very nice tone with him and told him I was not disciplining him. I thought I would let it go and let the game take its course. In addition to a pattern of continued disrespect towards other players, there was then a further incident where Chris posted an offensive .gif and Llama took the discretion of deleting it. Chris then contacted me badmouthing my entire staff, accusing us of being a "clique" and because he was not part of such a clique, he was being treated poorly. You would not believe the ridiculous accusations he said to me and the other people here who put in hours upon hours of time to help ensure this site is running smoothly so that all of us can enjoy games together. Because of everything that happened throughout the game, I sent Chris this PM:
MovingPictures07 wrote:There is one overarching sentiment at this community and that is to treat your fellow players, as well as the hosts, with respect. Any adult should be able to play a game, have fun, and accomplish this task, within reason. No adult, however, is infallible, and there are occasions where some may fail to do this.
At multiple instances throughout this game, you failed to do this.
It isn’t a matter of offense. Whether someone takes offense to something or not is not the issue. Instead, the issue is one of respect. One can still play a mafia game to one’s utmost ability and still express this general decency towards other human beings in the process.
It is possible that one become disillusioned and accidentally cross a line of inappropriate behavior. This is understandable. Mafia is an emotional game. RL plus mafia can be stressful. But the saving grace for someone in this position is whether they recognize their behavior and consequently:
1) Recognize the proper authority. This is not to say anyone is infallible. No one has claimed to be, and no human being can possibly be such. However, the hosts run the game. The Mod on Duty assists the hosts in running the game. They are there to listen, as a mediator. If you have a problem with something, talk to them. If you have a problem with them, talk to the hosts. Any issue should be able to be adequately solved in this fashion. If not, save your complaint for post-game, and express it in a manner that is respectful to the hosts. Hosts dedicate an enormous amount of time to hosting their game. They always deserve respect, even if one disagrees completely with a position they have taken.
2) Consider how another player may feel through your behavior. One may argue that any particular individual can cry “offense!” at any stated sentence, and that would be correct. However, if one’s own behavior has been questioned, then one must ask him or herself: Have I behaved in a fashion that any reasonable person would believe to be in the spirit of respect and in the spirit of the game?
3) On that note, creating a hostile posting environment where players are universally afraid to express themselves, not due to the fact that they can’t “handle mafia” but due to the fact that they believe they have been treated with disrespect, is unacceptable. One must consider what kind of environment one is contributing through his or her posts. There is certainly a way to be aggressive without being disrespectful. What is most key here is again, not an issue of “offense”, but asking one’s self: am I allowing others the same right to play the game to their fullest ability that I myself would want as well?
4) Use the proper channels for “emotional dumping”. This is what PMs to the hosts and, more particularly, the Mod on Duty are for. The thread is not one’s emotional punching bag, a hostage to be taken at the expense of others. People go to the thread to play the game, not to hear about someone whining regarding this and that, or to witness someone continuously conducting him or herself with disrespect towards other individuals.
You have acted throughout this game on more than one occasion where you have blatantly not considered a single one of these.
No one is criticizing your playstyle. No one is censoring you. No one is unfairly blaming you because you are not part of a “clique”. You are not being sent this PM because I or anyone else dislikes you. In fact, I appreciated the passion you brought to the game, and I seem to recall bea saying the same. These are all absolutely untrue. Every player here is given a fair chance to prove himself. You have been warned repeatedly regarding your behavior. It would be determined that any reasonable person would find that you have engaged others with a pattern of disrespect. You are not the victim of anyone but only of your own actions.
You may continue to play here if you wish, but I wanted to inform you that your current status is that you are on the absolute thinnest ice possible. Absolutely any blatantly disrespectful action you make hereafter, whether in the current post-game discussion in the Doctor Who thread, or any other game, will be subject to discipline, of which will be incredibly likely the swift swinging of the ban hammer. Not only has bea warned you about your behavior this game, so has Llama, and so have I, and you have been given every chance to back off from intentionally disrespectful behavior.
I hate writing this, but you've left me no choice after the way Doctor Who has progressed. You will begin to treat others with respect or you will be removed forcefully from this community.
He then responded with an outlandish response, again badmouthing me and the administration/moderation team, accompanied with a picture of Jesus flipping us off.
I therefore banned him, and I stand by my decision completely.
If you or anyone else wants to discuss this further or has a problem with how I or anyone else handled this situation, IT GOES IN PM. Not here. Let this be made known.
Thank you.