Currently, there is a heated discussion about the ban of a Twitch streamer in Final Fantasy XIV. He apparently made vulgar comments during his stream and received a suspension for it. However, the ban does not apply on the streaming platform, but within the MMORPG itself.
What exactly happened? The Twitch streamer Xenosys was banned for 10 days in FFXIV. The reason was apparently vulgar behavior on the Twitch platform. This is evident from screenshots of a conversation between Xenosys and a Game Master.
In this conversation, the streamer was first asked to delete certain recordings of livestreams. However, since the exact clips could not be named, it led to confusion. In the end, there was a ban of nearly 10 days.
Why is the ban causing discussions? If players misbehave in the game, the discussion about a ban is probably not controversial. Many players would welcome it if the chats in MMORPGs were always friendly.
However, Square Enix has decided to ban a player for his behavior on another platform. While the player displayed negative behavior in connection with Final Fantasy XIV by streaming the MMORPG, it was not directly in the game itself.
Although we do not know the exact passage, this clip shows that Xenosys loudly confronts another player and also uses profanity:
However, the bans are not limited to livestreams. According to a post on reddit, players who behaved negatively on Twitter have also been banned.
All these bans are reportedly covered by the Terms of Service. These were updated in December 2019 and include several prohibitions, including:
- Statements that provoke or “put down” another, such as excessive criticism, negativity/mocking
- Statements that are extremely reckless towards another
- Statements that unilaterally dismiss another’s opinion
- Statements that any reasonable person would find offensive
- Statements that enforce a specific playstyle
- Statements that attempt to unilaterally exclude another from the game/content, community, or similar (unless it is done according to the rules set by an administrator, such as a Free Company Master)
- Statements that violate public order and morality
- Other statements that another may find offensive
Many of these prohibitions, however, are seen by the community as vague and subject to interpretation.
Some are happy, others are concerned
What is being discussed now? On reddit, the ban is met with mixed reactions. Some users are happy because they do not appreciate negative behavior, whether in-game or around the game.
Among these users is ALoudMotuhBaby:
FFXIV has one of the best communities of all MMOs. Players who insult new players, for example, are quickly found out and avoided. This makes the type of players who want to harass newbies in lowbie dungeons super annoying, which probably explains the people complaining in this thread that the game is full of offended snowflakes [Note: snowflakes is a term for players who want to be different but do not want to take criticism].
On the other hand, there are commentators who feel the interventions are excessive and are now worried about receiving a ban for comments that could slip out.
The user klashikari expresses his concerns as follows:
In Xenosys’s case, he was not banned for harassment, but merely for “vulgarity,” which is quite alarming to say the least. Considering how vague the TOS are in this regard, it seems that a streamer could end up with a temporary ban the moment he uses the S-word or the F-bomb.
I have no idea if Xenos’s account was already flagged, but a 10-day suspension for obscenities is quite excessive, especially outside the game. Frankly, unlike Arthars’ situation, Xenos’s account should have been dealt with by Twitch, and that would likely have been ignored…
Many agree with klashikari that behavior on Twitch should have no consequences for the game account, but only on the platform itself. Arthars is an exception because he specifically targeted a player and did not behave “generally vulgarly.”
Another criticism is the fact that warnings and previously received penalties do not expire. A warning from 2014 is just as severe as a warning from yesterday if there is to be another.
What does Square Enix say about all this? Currently, there is no official statement on why Xenosys was exactly banned. Such a statement is also not expected, as the developers have set a code of conduct with their Terms of Service.
Streamers disable VODs and clips
Will Xenosys’s ban have further consequences? Besides some very heated discussions surrounding the suspension, some Twitch streamers of Final Fantasy XIV have currently disabled their recordings and clips.
They too fear subsequent bans for their behavior on the platform:
What do you think of the whole controversy? Should players be banned for their behavior outside of the game?
By the way, in Final Fantasy XIV the new patch 5.3 starts on August 11. It will significantly make more content of the MMORPG available for free.
