EA/Bioware suspend user's access to games for negative forum post

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defiant007

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http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/141/index/6459941/1

Just in case the thread mysteriously disappears:

vware:

So.
My other account got suspended yesterday for 72 hours. My suspended v_ware account has all my Bioware games registered to it. My other games are Mass Effect 2, Dragon Age: Origins and Awakening. I have played every game off Bioware since KOTOR, which is my favourite game of all time.

Since I have these other games and off course have played the DA2 demo, my previously unlocked DA2 content is assigned to this account.

When I got the mail I was curieus. I wanted to know what I did that was offensive. The mail stated that I was suspended for inappropriate content. There was no further explenation to what the particular reason was.

On EA Live Chat they told me that that I said: "Have you sold your souls to the EA devil?" (This is a quote, don't suspend me again)

Now, those are the words I said, you can't argue with that. I'm not going to try and sugarcoat that, let me just say in my defense, I have always been a pretty reasonable person on this forum. So I agree that you guys suspended my account from the forums for 72 hours. Btw, this is the first time I got suspended.

What I don't agree with is that I can't activate my new DA2 game.

This is the deal. I just got my Bioware Signature Edition from the store. I allready knew I was going to play it without the extra content since I can't activate my extra codes. What I did not know was that I needed to activate the game before being abble to play it. So now I've got a dead game for 50 euros. Pity.

So for your consideration. Please let someone who payed for his game at least play it.

Arno
x

PS: Don't really know where to post this, since I'm unable to post in the technical support forum because I don't have an activated game. Figured it may get more attention from the mods here anyway. And pm'ing Chris Priestly is just sort of rude.
PSS: No trolling and no flaming. I knew what I did was wrong, the mods were right to suspend me, but being unable to play a game you bought seems a little steep.

Stanley Woo:

Please review the EA Community Terms of Service, particularly sections #9 and #11. There are two levels of enforcement here:

1. BioWare community bans are forum-only and can be for as little as 24 hours. These bans should have no effect on your game, only your ability to use all the features of this website/community. these bans are handed out by BioWare Moderators as the result of our travels around the forum and/or issues reported by fellow community members.

2. EA Community bans come down from a different department and are the result of someone hitting the REPORT POST button. These bans can affect access to your game and/or DLC.

Because the BioWare community now operates under the same umbrella as all EA Communities, community members here have all explicitly agreed to abide by and be governed by both sets of rules. Consider it an added incentive to follow the rules you say you're going to follow.

If there are further questions or concerns, please send them to me via private message. Thank you.

End of line.

I'm sorry, but this is actually outrageous. I don't care what this guy posted in their forums, EA/Bioware have no right whatsoever to suspend a user's access to games they have paid for. It doesn't matter what they insert into their terms and conditions for posting on their forums because those agreements mean fuck all, especially in countries other than the US, and really have no bearing on something purchased pursuant to a completely unrelated contract.

This sort of shit really infuriates me, but I can see how it has come about.....we as gamers and consumers have become complacent by allowing content providers to have far too much control over the content we pay for.
 
I don't understand this part of the ToS
2. EA Community bans come down from a different department and are the result of someone hitting the REPORT POST button. These bans can affect access to your game and/or DLC.

So if our forum post is reported for violations, they block access to our games? What has forum post has anything to do with our games?

Hell I cannot think of any situation that warrants blocking a user from accessing a game he/she bought.
 
Sold their souls to the devil, you're right about that. Or something along those lines.
 
Im confused. I've never had to register on any forums to play an EA/Bioware game. Is this new?
 
I think if you wanted access to any of the DLCs you had to setup an account there, I remember doing it for Mass Effect, it was the free dlc with the asteroid thing, never did play it, never did finished that game either, I rage quit about 3/4 of the way through
 
you are taking this guy's word as fact. you have no idea what he did or didn't do, or how many prior violations.
 
you are taking this guy's word as fact. you have no idea what he did or didn't do, or how many prior violations.

Exactly.

On the surface, IF that's how it actually down it's an outrage.


But we need more concrete information.
 
It does not matter one iota what he did or didn't do on a forum, on the internet or in real life. There is absolutely nothing that EA/Bioware could say which would in any way rationalise or justify suspending a user's access to legitimately paid for SP games. NOTHING. This guy could have gone and pissed on John Riccitiello's Ferrari and that would still not be a justification for suspending access to his games.
 
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It does not matter one iota what he did or didn't do on a forum, on the internet or in real life. There is absolutely nothing that EA/Bioware could say which would in any way rationalise or justify suspending a user's access to legitimately paid for SP games.
Agreed.
 
Hi All
I agree, there's no reason to deny the OP access to games that He payed for.
 
you are taking this guy's word as fact. you have no idea what he did or didn't do, or how many prior violations.

Regardless of what the poster did or didn't do, Bioware is on record as stating:

2. EA Community bans come down from a different department and are the result of someone hitting the REPORT POST button. These bans can affect access to your game and/or DLC.

That is the problem, and it is a serious one.
 
Exactly.

On the surface, IF that's how it actually down it's an outrage.


But we need more concrete information.

Indeed

But if proved true it's unforgivable. Since when is voicing ones opinion a crime?

These are very worrying signs for Bioware, I really don't think they will remain the same company now under EA rule, this looks to be further evidence.
 
Regardless of what the poster did or didn't do, Bioware is on record as stating:



That is the problem, and it is a serious one.

LOL. Perhaps some fundie got his magic panties in a bunch at the mere mention of 'the devil' and hit 'report post'.
 
This is really sad. On a serious note what can we do as gamers to stop this?? I know dont buy their games but I hate to say it they have some really fucking good games I dont want to pass up . Besides bending over and grabbing ankles what else can we do?
 
This is really sad. On a serious note what can we do as gamers to stop this?? I know dont buy their games but I hate to say it they have some really fucking good games I dont want to pass up . Besides bending over and grabbing ankles what else can we do?

Join the revolution. Won't be long now.
 
This seems just like a way to control the amount of negative posts. People will stop posting negative stuff if they can't play the game. That is a bunch of bull for sure. I think this will be a detriment in the long run and make people stop buying games from companies who do this kind of BS.
 
Im confused. I've never had to register on any forums to play an EA/Bioware game. Is this new?

they've been doing it since spore's release. basically the way it works for certain titles is, you have to create an account for activation, and this account is tied to the forums and all your games. think of like bnet, only much shittier. this sort of activation really has much less to do with drm than setting up a walled garden, what they want is to have complete control of your goings on in "their community", and herd the sheep over to the proper outlet for ea news and propaganda.

This is really sad. On a serious note what can we do as gamers to stop this?? I know dont buy their games but I hate to say it they have some really fucking good games I dont want to pass up . Besides bending over and grabbing ankles what else can we do?

stop giving them money for these games? I know it's hard to see a game you want to play, and pass it up just because of how they choose to market it. but thems the breaks, if you want change that's the only way.

This seems just like a way to control the amount of negative posts. People will stop posting negative stuff if they can't play the game. That is a bunch of bull for sure. I think this will be a detriment in the long run and make people stop buying games from companies who do this kind of BS.

that's exactly what it is. they did the same thing in the spore forums, anything that got tagged by mods for a ban cut you off from the game.
 
speaking of which, can I borrow one of yall's ea log in? I have some opinion I would like to share on their board.
 
What does those violations have anything to do with game access?

again, you have no idea what happened.

maybe you believe everything you read on the webernet. I am a skeptic, by nature.

there are infinite possibilities, way too early to be outraged without a single fact.
 
again, you have no idea what happened.

maybe you believe everything you read on the webernet. I am a skeptic, by nature.

there are infinite possibilities, way too early to be outraged without a single fact.

Are you missing the point where they have gone on record to say that you can be banned from playing?
 
I think I can safely say I won't be buying another Bioware game again, they can go sit in the naughty corner with Ubisoft and Epic.
 
These are very worrying signs for Bioware, I really don't think they will remain the same company now under EA rule, this looks to be further evidence.

Actually, Bioware falling under the EA umbrella is the worrying sign. Has EA ever absorbed a company and made it better? Generally, the destroy companies the buy.
 
again, you have no idea what happened.

maybe you believe everything you read on the webernet. I am a skeptic, by nature.

there are infinite possibilities, way too early to be outraged without a single fact.

I'm a skeptic as well, but if it's true that they have a forum system and a game login system that have share the same access database, that's facepalm worthy.
 
It doesn't matter what you post on a forum, they should never be allowed to remove access to your games that you paid for. I can understand restricting the account from multiplayer for cheating and from posting on forums/community site but removing all access to a game you paid for is bullshit, plain and simple. No other facts are needed.
 
It's a functional glitch really....having common user id's between social forums and login for DLC.
 
Fuck you EA/Bioware, I am glad I didn't give you jackals $60 for your mediocre rushed Dragon Age 2 garbage.

Shit like this is pretty much ensuring I won't purchase another EA/Bioware game untill this is made right, and even then, I might say FUCK YOU instead of buying your game.
 
And that was a really dumb thing to suspend someone's account over as well. If he was spamming goat_se posts all over the place, sure... suspend the account. Voicing his opinion of their publisher in a critical but non-trolling way? No.
 
Will MMO's ban your game for forum posts? If so, it shows what EA thinks of single player games. (aside from the general atrocity of taking away what you purchased)
 
There's simply no way to defend this. If they want to ban someone from their forum for criticizing them that's their right,even if it makes them look like total asses. But denying a user access to a game he payed for? Definitely lawsuit material.
 
I don't understand this part of the ToS


So if our forum post is reported for violations, they block access to our games? What has forum post has anything to do with our games?

Hell I cannot think of any situation that warrants blocking a user from accessing a game he/she bought.


because legally we don't own the game and they can bloody well do what ever they want. only way of stopping this bullcrap is forcing copyright laws to be changed which will never happen in any of our life times.


There's simply no way to defend this. If they want to ban someone from their forum for criticizing them that's their right,even if it makes them look like total asses. But denying a user access to a game he payed for? Definitely lawsuit material.

wrong. theres no legal backing for a lawsuit. copyright law states that you can't own the game even though you payed for it. the only thing you legally own is the CD-key that comes with the game. which game developers found a loop hole in the rule by forcing you to register it to an account that can't be transferable.
 
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