The primary function of the In-game Support staff (Game Masters) is to ensure that players who are currently in the game world can enjoy the experience to its full potential. Much of our time is spent reimbursing lost items, resolving bugs, and generally helping players who are experiencing difficulties. However, sometimes disciplinary action must be taken against disruptive players who are causing damage to other’s play experiences or the service itself. Though taking disciplinary action is never pleasant, we must take action against certain individuals in order to maintain the quality of service for all. The Penalty Volcano
The Penalty Volcano
We have created a visual representation of both the severity of each of our penalties and how often each type of penalty is given in relation to the others. We call this the Penalty Volcano, which is shown in the diagram below.
Any time a player is found in violation of our policies, we hope to give only the most minor of penalties (Warnings). However, we must also factor in the severity of the infraction and how often the player has violated our policies in the past. Based on these factors, the penalty may be moved up the Penalty Volcano, up to and including Account Closure.
Warning
We receive quite a few emails in the WoWGMConcerns@Blizzard.com email box from players expressing great concern over the warning they have received. Often, the concern they express is that they are generally a good player and fear the status of the account they use is in jeopardy. This could not be further from the truth.
Receiving a Warning is nothing more than an education in policy for minor issues and a tool our in-game support team uses to track player behavior. While it is not a good idea to ignore a warning and continue the inappropriate action(s), warnings on an account have very few, if any, long-term repercussions. The following are also true of Warnings:
* The most minor account penalty
* The most prevalent of all account penalties
* No service interruption
3 Hour Suspension
3 Hour suspensions are most often assigned when the player has repeated an action he/she has been previously warned for. 3 Hour suspensions reinforce the unheeded education given via a Warning or on the first instance of a policy violation that we do not consider minor. These should be assigned when the importance of policy adherence needs to be stressed, but the violation is not excessive. The following are true of 3 Hour suspensions:
* Relatively minor account penalty
* Somewhat common
* Brief service interruption
72 Hour Suspension
72 Hour suspensions are assigned when a player needs to be removed from the game for an extended period of time or the player has repeatedly violated policy in a relatively brief period of time. 72 Hour suspensions are somewhat rare, as they are only given for serious policy violations or repeated policy abuse. The following are also true of 72 Hour suspensions:
* Serious account penalty
* Somewhat rare
* Extended service interruption
Account Closure
Accounts are closed when a player has excessively and/or grossly violated our policies. When an account is closed, the player is no longer able to access the account. Account Closures are rare and represent a player who is unable to abide by our rules and insists on negatively affecting other players’ enjoyment of the game or harming the service itself.
* Most serious account penalty
* Very rare
* Permanent service revocation
The bottom line is that we want World of Warcraft to be a fun and safe environment for all players. World of Warcraft is an MMORPG, and the key words are "Massively Multiplayer". In playing this game, you will encounter thousands of other players who share different experiences and come from vastly different backgrounds. While certain actions may not bother you, consider the fact that these same actions may be perceived in a completely different manner by those around you. We have done everything we can to make World of Warcraft a great game, but now it's up to you the players, to breathe life into the world. Choose wisely my friends.
