StarGateWars Forums

any chance of the game admins stance on blackmail within the servers?

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/blackmail

i think definition 1 is what Im really interested in as it may be good for the admins to know that such behaviour is actually a criminal offence in the UK which also includes acts of blackmail, bullying or harrassment via the internet...

I assumed it would be against the rules but there doesnt seem to be anything about it in the rules.

No offence, but were you the victim of RL extortion/threats by someone in the game or on the forums? Because I don't think laws in UK (or anywhere else) cover actions taken against you in the game (such as threats, massing)...

No, but British law is a example of why it should be against the rules..

Gz, Zocko who have you been harassing now



sry zocko I couldn't resist

MajorLeeHurts wrote:Gz, Zocko who have you been harassing now



sry zocko I couldn't resist

lol hun

but seriously, any threat of action unless payment is made even in the game is extortion by its own definition.

after a little research, I have found that similar laws apply in the USA and Canada as well as throughout the EU and many non EU member states.

my query is based upon the fact that many people use real cash to buy resources ingame, if a single unit, AT or naq is demanded to prevent violence towards the acct then this extortion is against financially traceable goods. Now I know that not every single UU etc that has ever been bought/sold could ever be traced, but the fact remains that without knowing exactly which resource is a bought item, you cannot justifiably defend against extortion.

to this end, is there anything that admin can do to prevent such blatant disregard of international laws by a small minority of players.

it seems strange that no admin has posted here but I understand its a busy time of the year for any christmas celebrator etc as well as the admins having enough to do anyway without worrying about who might be breaking the law without their knowledge but please bear this in mind admins:

by accepting that extortion is taking place (check out most major war threads in the colloseum and youll find victors demanding payment or face their wrath etc etc) would that not constitute not only complicity on the part of the admins, but by allowing it to be done also constitute the admins condoning players flouting the law?

surely I must bewrong on this part, please game admins, can one of you point out the flaw in my theories?

zocko wrote:

MajorLeeHurts wrote:Gz, Zocko who have you been harassing now



sry zocko I couldn't resist

lol hun

but seriously, any threat of action unless payment is made even in the game is extortion by its own definition.

after a little research, I have found that similar laws apply in the USA and Canada as well as throughout the EU and many non EU member states.

my query is based upon the fact that many people use real cash to buy resources ingame, if a single unit, AT or naq is demanded to prevent violence towards the acct then this extortion is against financially traceable goods. Now I know that not every single UU etc that has ever been bought/sold could ever be traced, but the fact remains that without knowing exactly which resource is a bought item, you cannot justifiably defend against extortion.

to this end, is there anything that admin can do to prevent such blatant disregard of international laws by a small minority of players.

it seems strange that no admin has posted here but I understand its a busy time of the year for any christmas celebrator etc as well as the admins having enough to do anyway without worrying about who might be breaking the law without their knowledge but please bear this in mind admins:

by accepting that extortion is taking place (check out most major war threads in the colloseum and youll find victors demanding payment or face their wrath etc etc) would that not constitute not only complicity on the part of the admins, but by allowing it to be done also constitute the admins condoning players flouting the law?

surely I must bewrong on this part, please game admins, can one of you point out the flaw in my theories?

Is the extortion ingame or are they threatening RL harm to you? If the extortion is ingame then these are this is the flaw:

1) Destruction of people's private property is also illegal in most countries (meaning I can't throw a brick through your car window without facing consequences in most countries). It could be argued that your account is your personal property, yet many players trash each others accounts, which people have worked very hard on. This process is called massing, and if this rule was enforced by international law then everyone playing the game who massed someone else would be breaking the law wouldn't they? Therefore RL laws are not enforced in this game. The only laws that are enforced are these:
http://www.stargatewars.com/help.php

If someone is blackmailing you ingame you have several options. The first is to ask one of the larger alliances for help, since most of us don't like blackmailers. The second is to mass them .

If someone threatens you with RL harm I would advise that you follow this process:

1) Make sure that the extortionist is being serious, not sarcastic.

2) Inform admin.

3) Inform your local police department if things go too far.

zocko wrote:
but seriously, any threat of action unless payment is made even in the game is extortion by its own definition.



surely I must bewrong on this part, please game admins, can one of you point out the flaw in my theories?

Well i can almost guarentee you will never get a reply from a game admin

Secondly, I dont think it is actual extortion when its nothing but numbers on a screen.

It is a "WAR" game.

Does that mean every attack for naq is the same as armed robbery?
Is every raid concidered a kidnapping?
Is every death a murder?
Is massing a MS Destruction of property?

Now anything concerning RL is a different matter all together.

JMO

You could always press the "Blacklist Sender" button.... im not sure if it tells the person they've been blacklisted or what, but atleast you wont get the messages from him/her...