Then the question remains why nobody brought gambling up as a potential issue as well, yet was focusing immensely on the prostitution part.
I’m not exaggerating when I am saying that this forum feels like a catholic church in these past two years. And, yes, I think it’s in some aspects worse than many other games out there. It’s not hard to see why quite a lot of people have removed themselves from both the forums and public Discords.
I’m not saying you might not be against extreme violence either. I’m saying that this “public outrage” about anything remotely ERP related is becoming old. Fast. At the moment, it seems more like a morality stick to beat people with rather than anything born of goodwill.
The first one is part of a very long issue that probably deserve their own thread. Some studies show no impact, others show a modest impact. However, even others show more risk-taking tendencies for frequent gamers when they do actually get into gambling.
It’s a fairly long topic. But I agree. BTT.
Boot the nonces in your guild if it truly is a clean slate restart
And then they come back with a new account and a new character. Completely clean slate. It’s fairly pointless. I’d rather see whether they actually learned their lesson from a ban tbf.
Clearly the haven’t learned their lesson though when they are litterally doing the exact same kind of roleplay and content that got them in trouble in the first place Mr.Gearfist alt.
I’m actually not a Gearfist alt. If you want to double check that, why not just go through the Gearfist roster and check achievements and pets?
Be my guest and go ahead. I’m posting on an alt because we all know what witch-hunt focused tendencies this forum has sometimes.
And again: the fact it’s one bullet point in a “what you might have heard we do!” presentation doesn’t mean they are doing it in-game, sexting with minors, would act it out in great detail, or even do it at all.
If the very people who did so in the past are still in the guild in the same posistions, same TRP with questionable art in a 12+ game, and does the same kind of questionable roleplay, then I don’t see why people should give them a chance.
Also as a forum regular, there’s not alot of witch-hunting honestly. People being fishy are called out when they are, rightfully so, and altposting under the guise of “witch-hunting” just makes it seem like you do deliberatly got something to hide.
I feel like we will have to agree to disagree. I remember the last time that I gave a somewhat controversial take on an issue on the forums. Some ERP screenshots of me were “leaked” and sent to my PvE guild’s leader. Apparently my gnome was physically present and ERPing in a Garrison.
My guild leader called the forgery, however, considering we were IRL friends and I was with him at our weekly “Games Workshop and cinema” meetup with some other college friends on the day and time the screenshots were taken.
I’m sorry if I sound fishy, but I’m not risking it. Also, case in point is that this PvE character was check-PvPed 14 times since I posted my first opinion.
and does the same kind of questionable roleplay, then I don’t see why people should give them a chance.
And again: do you have any evidence of this? Can you show me? For all I care, send me an Imgur link in-game. What it sounds like ATM is: “they included that bullet point, but that word is bad! You haven’t changed!”
This is a very extreme response to having a controversial opinion and I’m sorry that it happened to you.
I can understand it seeing above, and while I havent tried checking the character myself I do fully understand why people have tried. From past experiences, particuarly the Jade witch threads, it’s usually very fishy when someone comes into either defense or Devil’s Advocate of a group of people or topic that has some really bad history or done something bad.
I do not personally, no. But its no secret at all about Gearfist’s past and those involved, and those who have brought up info in this thread about those members still being are people I personally consider trustworthy on the subject.
As for partaking in things that are questionable, the prostitution RP as mentioned previously was directly stated rather proudly as something the guild roleplayed, which goes against our CoC to play the game as players, and generally disturbing to have on a 12+ platform. Granted it was removed as mentioned now after the criticism, but the way it was handwaved off doesn’t really strike as if they stopped doing it in actual RP, just not advertising it anymore.
Thank you. Maybe you can see now why I’d rather want to make sure by using a non-aligned alt than risking having said experience again.
For what it’s worth, I do understand that there’s an intrinsic desire to know whether the person you’re arguing with has vested interests. However, this Check-PvP rampage is part of the reason so many roleplayers I know, and fairly solid roleplayers at that, have decided to step away from both the Horde and a wider community.
But its no secret at all about Gearfist’s past and those involved, and those who have brought up info in this thread about those members still being are people I personally consider trustworthy on the subject.
To be fair, I’m not saying it hasn’t happened in the past. I’ve said the response to what amounts to an offhand remark is disproportional. There’s some people around who have ERPed in the past and now say they don’t anymore. If they deserve a chance, I think we can give these “nounces” one.
Those who fabricate information purely out of spite due to someone posting a controversial opinion deserves a ban themselves in my own personal opinion.
I agree with Eldrathon that there’s a lot of witch-hunting happening. I, once, used to be in a guild, which suddenly became infamous due to a certain member doing something stupid. Suddenly, everyone, myself included, were “witch-hunted” purely out of association to that individual, even after we cut all ties with him. I denounced what he did and even left the guild, but people still harrassed me and friends of mine merely because we once knew the individual.
Anything that goes against the ToS should obviously not be allowed, but if even voicing an opinion or opening up a subject of discussion results in witch-hunting and experiences like Eldrathon mentioned, then that’s BS by itself.
To clarify, when people talk about nonces and these people in Gearfist, it wasn’t just ERP, but specifically ERP with minors, something that in most countries of the world will get you in heavy trouble/punishment alone.
Yes. I found out about this from the girl being groomed herself who was not in a good place at the time. And I was dumb af at the time cuz I must’ve been around 14-15 so I didn’t take any screenshots or anything and took it directly to the forums to own the groomer publically.
There are however other people who can witness of other separate incidents where the groomer almost outright has bragged about his 13-14 year old girlfriend and what he’d do to her.
And for those who have been around for some time, that’s Gearfist’s legacy to us. And the mailbox wars.
EDIT: In fact, I see the groomer is very much in your ranks…
Why is the person still in the guild? Has the person made any serious statements about his behaviour? Is he sorry and promises it won’t happen again? Does he regret his behaviour?
For the record: I believe this behavior is morally (and legally, depending on your country/circumstances) wrong. However, I work with a lot of mental health practitioners in my job. While doing so, you pick up a more differentiated approach to such situations. You actually hear from people who are going through therapy and are genuinely sorry for their behaviour in the past.
I don’t know if he has. At the time it came out he did not do much else but drop off the face of the internet. Someone else took over as Gearboss in his absence. And then some time later he just returned with some 5 versions of the same character in Gearfist.
If there were any statements or apologies, they weren’t public. Someone in Gearfist itself can probably answer that particular question.
True, and if those people are receiving the help they need, then I suppose it isn’t for us to comment. But in this situation, I doubt it - this guy was pursuing a vulnerable girl online, who presumably never informed her parents or the relevant authorities about it.
It’s more likely a case of being sorry that he got caught.
That depends on the specific circumstances. For example, if there’s a lot of people around that said person trusts, this can greatly enhance the prospect of them seeking help/using their support to seek help.
Highly theoretical there though. It’s a fairly complex subject, and no two cases are exactly alike, which means no two solutions are alike.
Someone in Gearfist itself can probably answer that particular question.