Flamage (?) Part 10: Aneiro Weighs In

Let's just say that I'm not sure if this is going to be flamage, but it does raise some other points I've wanted to address since all the crap went down on my 40th birthday with the Salvage-dupe banhammers.

Aneiro is the main host of Limit Break Radio, and I've tried to come across the website on a number of occasions since to see if any of the LBR sorts were caught up in it (and, if any were, please show me the source and they get the barrels too). Anyhoo, his statement on the January 22nd bannings and the reactions (probably more than a couple pointed to me!) he had are on the front page at http://www.LimitBreakRadio.com .

So, with that, getting past the actual news rehash:

"Since that time, just under a week as passed and we here at Limit Break Radio have been inundated with e-mails, PMs, Skype messages and /tells asking our opinions on the matter. So, before any of you out there consider asking, rest assured we do have opinions, we will express them, don’t worry. And to those that are wondering: no, none of the LBR crew were banned, thanks for the concern."

You're welcome, Aneiro.

I don't think you took too kindly to people asking, but blame the caliber of player for that one, Aneiro. And then take into account what I said to Steak of Pet Food Alpha in a conversation we had in e-mail last week about my vitriol over Chinchilla:

"This is important because, as a member podcast of the Radio XI Podcast Alliance (and given credit as such by Square-Enix, in whatever form you are (Premiere, Community, etc.)), you represent the player-base. Hence, you represent me. It's like Charles Barkley: He can claim not to have been a role model all he wants, but his stature as an NBA player (even now, as a former one) makes him one and subjects him to the relevant criticism when it is warranted."

Especially with all the work you've done, Aneiro, you've gained a great deal of influence and leadership in the FFXI player community, and are recognized as such. But with that influence comes a responsibility above and beyond that of the average player, and that, first and foremost, includes upholding the rules, in play and in your travels within the podcast community and the like.

You represent us, Aneiro. So does PFA and all the others. That's why I am dismayed over what I've seen.

Aneiro again:

"Firstly, I feel compelled to say RELAX! Some of you are making far too big a deal out of this. Look, I will grant you that this is a serious issue, and I’m in no way trying to understate the Jan 22nd banning significance, but some of you are acting like this is the end of Final Fantasy XI. It isn’t. The game will continue, most likely for a good long time. Some are acting like this is the greatest thing to ever happen to FFXI and use it as an excuse to take pot shots at the people who were once your comrades. Neither attitude is appropriate here guys."

I would expect that some of my posts have been getting over to you guys as ROTFLMAOBBQWTF material. I do believe this could be the end of FFXI, if it's not addressed appropriately (as a vote of no-confidence perhaps either way between the players and Square-Enix...). I mean, one of the things which my roommate and I talked about vis-a-vis stuff on this blog for about an hour-plus last night was her belief that, though the cheaters have little to say on the matter, Square-Enix needs to take a look at a lot of these things a lot more seriously and quickly.

But the game will only continue if there's a point to continue it -- economically or morally. My roommate was right again to state that, though Square-Enix owns the game, we do pay to rent the virtual property which is our characters, gear, and gil. My question, especially with the caliber of players banned is whether the game could survive without the cheaters. I fear the answer is no. I really do.

I do believe it's the best thing to happen (if there are enough world-wide players to allow the game to financially survive in this world economy) because I do openly begin to wonder, given the attitudes I've heard in places like BG and some of the banned's blogs, how many players actually do play this game legitimately. And, as my roommate told me last night, those are the players who need to be heard from, not those who decide to hate the drop-rates and effectively hack the game.

Aneiro again:

"To those that were banned:

You were cheating. You got caught. The mature thing to do is to accept your consequence and move on. Either start all over again from level 1 or pack up your FFXI blog, forum subscriptions, and podcast collection and get some sun. I don’t mean to sound flippant towards the people in this situation, but I also have very little sympathy as well. It’s what happens when you cheat. Learn this lesson now, for it will serve you well in the future."

I have very strong concerns about what is to happen to the youth who feel so punk-ish and entitled these days when TSHTF absolutely. I don't think they will go quietly, and I think they will feel absolute entitlement to try to continue the party one more night... one more day... one more week, month, year...

And that's the type of attitude you see with some of that. My only problem with you is saying they should be allowed to start over. No. They forfeited THAT privilege too. One of the real problems with RMT is not forcing through that a ban on a player should be a ban on the _player_, not just all the characters that player holds at the time of the ban. And the saddest part of that is: This is almost trivial to do. Find the credit card linked to the account, lock out all cards tied to the Social Security/Tax Identification/similar number that card uses.

They could do a lot better to actually ban the PLAYER, not just the characters, in RMT and in this case.

Aneiro continues to people like me:

"To those who were not banned:

Get off your damned high horse! You can be happy that the game is now more fair and that punishment has been dealt to those who chose to do wrong, but also realize that these are people with real emotions. These aren’t RMT, although some of you will inevitably say that there’s no difference between the damage RMTs do and the damage these players did. But there is a crucial difference. When a RMT is banned one can assume that to be a punishment on the company as opposed to the user. Look, I understand the resentment and frustration on the part of rule abiding players and I even said that it’s difficult to empathize with those that were banned, but we cannot dehumanize them either. Even a banned player deserves to be treated like a human being."

I don't think the punishments have been dealt to those who chose to do wrong. I think just the first 950 or so such punishments. My roommate agreed with me last night that there will probably be upwards of several thousand more once the next several rounds of banhammers fall out of the sky.

As I've said before, there is very little difference (especially in the age of account-selling) between a duper like this and RMT. The only way you could make the argument you make above, Aneiro, is to basically dehumanize the entirety of the users in the RMT company. At that point, I redouble my call (if you're going to look at this as actions on a company) for Square-Enix to sue the living crap out of RMT for trademark infringement, fraud, and God knows what else.

The problem is much the same way that people get treated as criminals -- they get dehumanized as part of their punishment, and then, frankly, society doesn't want most of them back (and makes no secret of saying so -- of course, "wanting them back" implies they were ever wanted in the first place). I mean, frankly, if we are to truly condemn their actions and not want them in the game, then they can find other such circles to be treated that way. They lost that privilege as well, once they got banned.

Aneiro, after he mentioned that a possible Limit Breaking News on the bannings was possible sometime in the near future -- and, if not, the bannings would be discussed in a February/early-March episode of LBR, probably:

"Look, we are a community. Look at that word: community. See that word that is part of community? No? Here, I’ll help: commUNITY. Yes, unity. For any community to survive we have to hold each other up and keep each other strong. If I have learned anything in the last several years, it’s that divisiveness is no solution to conflict. A variety of opinions and ideas is great! There is nothing better! But rabble rousing undermines the spirit of true debate."

I'm sorry, Aneiro, but that might be where we part company.

Much as in several other fan-landscapes (there isn't enough unity to call it a fan_base_) I've been in, there's little to no unity in the FFXI player community. Perhaps that's something people might want to look in to.

But whether it's US vs. Japan vs. Europe...

Whether it's one HNMLS vs. another...

Whether it's the top levels of players vs. even the next level down (much less the "noobs")...

And on and on and on...

There is no unity in the FFXI community. To think there is ignores significant cultural, play-style, and ethical differences between segments of the player community.

I don't want to "hold up" and "keep strong" people who are openly and abjectly undermining the game for the rest of us for their own benefit. I quit my server for that reason, Aneiro. If there's a virus in the body, get rid of it, if you can. If it consumes enough of the body (and is strong enough), the body will die.

High-level player misconduct, in my opinion, is such a fatally strong virus against FFXI.