Comments on: Blizzard Disbands Exteme Erotic Guild

By: Peter Lewis

Peter Lewis — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 11:11:48 +0000

Firstly, there’s literally no way to keep kids from porn.
They can get it on the laptop, the IPod touch, the etch-a-sketch.
They can trade drawings with friends, or filch a Playboy.

Secondly, when people say ‘pedophile’ for some reason they think of young children and old men. People start desiring sex and becoming attractive to the opposite sex at age 12-14 usually, and it is only in modern western culture that having sex with 17-year-olds is a crime. If you’re 18 and your girlfriend is 17, you’re a pedophile.

It is Blizzard’s right to do what they did, but they have lost my respect and patronage.

By: Cory

Cory — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 15:21:41 +0000

Interesting topic. I play WOW at 46 yrs old, primarily because my 11 yr old encouraged it. I play with him, observe his behavior and those of his guild, and that of other players and am surprised to find that anyone would use this tool for seemingly mindless pornographic demonstrations. I have been blessed ( I suppose ) to have never witnessed or been called to observe the kind of behavior reported against the above-mentioned guild. Who has the time or interest? The gaming is great. As to the pedophile angle, unfortunately this is a growing issue due to the anonymous nature of the toons set up to play for us. There is simplly no way to tell who’s behind the mask. I am always concious of my kids when they are online playing MMOs, and am lucky to have children who still come to me and report things they find innappropriate. I would always report such action, and admire Blizzard for upholding their standards. We live in an early period of this electronic age, and we have to be our own police. Keeping my kids safe will always stand as a higher priority over their desire for entertainment. Good luck to all parents out there, and also to those of you in that “in-between” age where you are becoming responsible for your own safety as well as your choices for fun.

By: Chris

Chris — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 18:35:55 +0000

Checking in.

I agree with you William. And Ron, I know it’s all about the money. I still don’t like it though. I wish the rating was M to make the game better for adults while at the same time putting responsibility in the hands of parents. The only reason they can’t have an account is because you have to be 18, I believe, to have a credit card and legally “sign” or check off the contract in the Terms of Service agreement. I’m sure if game companies could, they’d be more than happy to let minors have their own accounts. The thought frightens me. And you’re right, the game’s owner makes the rules. I took my ball and went home about a year ago because I dislike Blizzard. I just worry about the future of these games as a whole because, like you said, the companies do make the rules but they make those rules depending on the targetted market. When the game is made for adults, rules are relaxed a bit. When they hold back to let kids play just to make an extra dollar (or even a few million), it hurts the gameplay for the rest of us. That’s why I’m holding out to find a new MMO to call home.

By: Ron Whitaker

Ron Whitaker — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 13:52:50 +0000

@Chris: The problem with the theory of all MMO’s being ‘M’ rated is that ratings are based on content created by the developer. Of course, you’ll see that glorious “Experience may change during online play” sticker on the box.

One thing Blizzard has consistently done is to enforce their rules pretty evenhandedly in an effort to maintain their ‘T’ rating. Why do they do this? It’s simple. Holding down a ‘T’ gets them a greatly expanded playerbase.

Here’s an interesting thing for you that you may not have known. Did you know that under Blizzard’s Terms of Use, a minor (under age 18) may not have a WoW account in their name? They are required to put it in the name of a parent / guardian.

Oh, and one other point. You say “everyone wants to limit the rights of the adults to protect the kids.” Please realize that in an MMO, the only ‘rights’ you have are the ones granted to you by the company running the servers. It’s a common misconception among gamers that they enjoy complete ‘freedom of speech’ in an online game, and anytime they are censored or punished for exercising this supposed right, they scream about ‘First Amendment’ and ‘Freedom of Speech.’

THERE IS NO FREEDOM OF SPEECH IN AN MMO. You are in (in this case) Blizzard’s sandbox, and you can either play by their rules, or take your ball and go home.

By: William

William — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 13:37:36 +0000

Chris, I agree that kids shouldn’t be playing with adults. Honestly, sometimes the kids behave worse than the adults particularly in things like Halo. I have always felt like there needs to be a way to create adult only servers in the future. This protects the kids from the adults and also protects the adults from the kids. That could raise costs for us, but that’s something I’d be willing to pay.

By: Chris

Chris — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 12:54:54 +0000

This is why every MMORPG should be rated M by default. Kids shouldn’t be playing games with adults. Firstly, because it can be harmful to the kids, and secondly, because everyone wants to limit the rights of the adults to protect the kids. Online games should automatically call for an ESRB rating of M and then only the parent(s)/guardian(s) should be responsible for everything that happens. The other players aren’t responsibile for what your kid does in a game.

By: Theodore L

Theodore L — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 06:22:42 +0000

Most everyone is complaining about how rampent online gaming is perverting our youth, and when a online community decides to step in and moderate, then they yell about rights being violated? i cheer for blizzard for taking a stand on what it believes to be higher moral ground

By: David

David — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 02:27:07 +0000

“Who on earth would defend pedophiles anyway?”

This is largely off topic, but… you assume that all pedophiles like being pedophiles.

Pedophile != child rapist

By: Peter

Peter — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 14:56:08 +0000

Good job Blizzard. It’s one thing having no life and spending all your time playing WOW but if you’re going to be a dumb arse about it then you deserve whats coming to you.

Ownt