World of Warcraft will soon present you with a social contract. Those who do not agree must leave the game.
Communities of MMORPGs are not always the friendliest places and unfortunately, World of Warcraft is no exception. Every day, there are reports of players being insulted or attacked, if not worse offenses such as threats. For many, the internet and such games are still an anonymous space where one does not have to behave.
That this hinders the enjoyment of the game and slowly dismantles a community has now also caught Blizzard’s attention. Therefore, you will soon have to agree to a new “social contract.”
What was discovered? The data miners from wowhead have found some files in the latest version of patch 9.2.5 that indicate that WoW players will see a new window upon logging in. In this window, they will be presented with a “social contract” that outlines some guidelines and behaviors that are encouraged or discouraged.
What does the social contract state? The exact text has already been read in English. We translated it for you:
Greetings, traveler, and welcome to the World of Warcraft! Azeroth is a living world full of people like you – other players with different backgrounds, cultures, experiences, and stories who come together to play World of Warcraft. Every player deserves to have a world in which they feel safe, so please take a minute to read our social contract.
While you are in Azeroth, do your best to:
– Connect with other players and make friends! By being polite in group content, you help ensure that you and your teammates have the best possible time. A friendly hello message can help pave the way for your group’s success.
– Play as a team with your fellow players – whether in dungeons, raids, battlegrounds, or arenas, or while questing in the world. Do your best to support your team through communication and behavior so that you can all celebrate your successes together.
– Help other players you meet in the world. Maybe someone needs help defeating a difficult monster or just a little healing!
– Assist others with questions they write in chat channels like General or Trade. We were all newcomers once – a single person offering help can make a big difference!”We know that the internet is not always a safe place. Keeping that in mind, please note that the following behaviors are not acceptable in Azeroth:
– Hate speech, including negative comments targeting another player’s identity, including aspects like race, gender, or abilities
– Harassment, threats, or abusive/derogatory language or behavior
– Spamming, advertising, or other disruptive behaviorsIf you harm your fellow adventurers with any of these behaviors, you may be punished, up to and including having your account closed.
There is a big world out there, with all kinds of people. So try to be respectful and if you believe someone is violating these rules, please report these behaviors so that our team can look into it. Together, we can work towards making World of Warcraft a safe home away from home for everyone.
In the end, there will be the option to “Accept” or “Exit game.” Those who do not agree to the regulations must therefore close the game.
Please note that these are still datamining informations. It is possible that the text will be modified or may not appear at all – after all, it is the test server.
Are these new rules? No. The rules mentioned there are basically all already described in the terms of service. Therefore, one does not agree to new regulations, but only receives the old ones presented in a slightly nicer and more persuasive manner. However, this may be helpful, as the regulations are otherwise hidden deep within the terms of service – and how attentively they are read can be answered by anyone themselves.
Do you think it’s good that WoW puts the necessity of friendly communication in the spotlight? Or is it just another window that will be clicked away without being read?
