I don't think anyone's ever held up gaming forums as bastions of sanity and rational thought, but EA's current forum policy is a bit, well, bonkers. Recently, multiple users alleged that they'd been unceremoniously booted from their Origin accounts - as in, the games that they purchased - for various acts of rabble-rousing on the forums. One even received an indisputable lifetime ban for quoting the word "e-peen."
Surely, though, there's a method to the madness, right? Well, er...
“With every game and service EA offers, we take the satisfaction of our customers very seriously," EA's John Reseburg told RPS . "We discourage cheating and strive to maintain a high level of integrity in both our games and our forums. Therefore when someone violates our Terms of Service, we are forced to take actions that can include suspensions and other measures. We do not take those decisions lightly – however the integrity of our services and the satisfaction of our customers requires a clear set of rules."
OK then, I'm just gonna put it out there: Why are the rules so unclear ? What makes "e-peen" punishable by guillotine? How come any forum violation locks up your games and throws away the key? How does that make sense? That said, there is at least some hope thanks to an upcoming rule revision.
"We have listened to our customers and are planning a policy update which will include more equitable rules on suspensions – we want to make sure the time fits the crime. As with all technology updates, these changes take some time to implement. Meanwhile, we urge any user with a question about suspensions or our policies to please contact us at (866) 543-5435 so we can address their specific situation,” Reseburg explained.
So that's something, at least. Here's hoping EA actually follows through this time around.
