Hold on.
Are people seriously suggesting that they think we'll be able to make a competitive internet game harassment-free?
I'm sorry, but when I was in this game as like a 14-year-old or 15-year-old I saw lots of not-in-good-fun mocking and harassment in Oligarch, and between Oligarch-Sirion. Let's not act like players getting mad at each other is something new or something curable: nor are perpetually jerkish personalities. As a proud owner of such a personality, I resent the idea of being cured.
What the Magistrates can do is try to address each case, marginally decrease frequency, and establish accepted patterns of behavior.
Did we address this case? Yes. Defendants' cohort thinks it was too harsh, plaintiff's side says too lenient. To me, that says we just hit on ideal Burkean compromise. I'm happy when nobody's happy. If you think that there's a solution to harassment where we all go home smiling and feeling good about the situation then you're deluding yourself. I've been involved in quite a few harassment cases (not as one of the parties, mind you; it was a job-related thing), and I've never seen a plaintiff walk away going, "Yeah, I feel like I've really been heard and things have been set right!" even when insanely punitive rulings are handed down. Why? Because JUSTICE CANNOT REWRITE THE PAST.
Will this marginally decrease harassment frequency? Hard to say. We did establish some clear no-nos about things players shouldn't do. Could we have said more? Yeah. But we've shown that we can hear harassment cases and can, even without extensive evidence, make a reasonable ruling. I am very skeptical of the idea that anyone will harass more after this case, and feel reasonably confident that at least someone will be less likely to harass in the future. This I think the chance of us accomplishing this goal is pretty good.
Did we establish accepted patterns of behavior? No, not just here: but the Magistrates are slowly and steadily building up a growing amount of interpretation and jurisprudence. We can increasingly say about marginal cases, "Hey, we've ruled on this before: here's the answer." We aren't there yet, but we're getting there, and, in my opinion, this verdict was a very good step.
So for everybody who hates this verdict apparently: judge it from the perspective of the possible. We can't respond to every harassment complaint with kicking players out: especially on a first reported offense. This is the harshest punishment the Magistrates have EVER given.
