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Monday, June 29, 2015

Miiverse's New Console Ban Policy — A GOOD Thing!?

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - Yes, I do think so.

Recently on June 24, 2015, Nintendo's Miiverse messenger Julie gave us this "update" on rule policy

Miiverse Nintendo Julie console ban June 2015 update announcement
Julie resurfaces from a half-year hiatus to give us bad news.

This instantly triggered a massive uproar, with the comments section of the post being filled up to capacity (1,000 comments) within less than 4 hours. Miiversers have been calling for a boycott, a war, a mass exodus, and civil disobedience.

But... there's no real new policy going on, if you look closely. And that's just what I'm going to do. And this policy is... actually beneficial to Miiverse.

Let's look at the policy line-by-line.
"Users who violate the Miiverse Code of Conduct may find their posts deleted and their access to Miiverse blocked. " 
That's the status quo, the Miiverse ban that we all know and hate. I know it from experience. It sucked and I wasted KoopaTV articles complaining about it. But I'm ban-free for over a year now! But yeah, my profile was "hidden", my offending posts were deleted, and I could access Miiverse on my Wii U but I couldn't post, private message, or [Un]Yeah anything. (I could still read private messages, Follow (and send notifications), Unfollow, Defriend, and Friend people — and even still attach a message with the friend request!) Meanwhile I couldn't access Miiverse on my PC at all.

So here's the "new" part and the conclusion of the announcement: 
"From now on, a user’s violation may also trigger consequences to other IDs on the same Wii U and Nintendo 3DS systems."
And that's all the information we have on this new policy.

Hold on, though. This isn't even new, and it's even erroneous. "Console bans" are already a punishment-of-last-resort for Wii U users, after you've been banned multiple times and have demonstrated to Nintendo that you are making new Nintendo Network IDs just to bypass your ban. These bans are given to the worst of the worst. They're also used to punish people who create Miiverse accounts for other people by making an NNID and then giving it to someone else, who can access Miiverse via their computer... So they don't even have to own a 3DS or Wii U, or maybe that someone else can bypass their ban that way.


Miiverse Code of Conduct NNID sharing Nintendork Network ID
"Do Not Let Others Use Your Nintendo Network ID". Making IDs for other people counts as this.

You'd be surprised at the complex behaviour that's emerged from users on the wrong side of the Code of Conduct!

Just for a bit of background: Only the Wii U can have more than one NNID created by the system. The 3DS may only have one NNID, so you can't have "other IDs on the same [...] Nintendo 3DS systems." It's technologically impossible. If it wasn't, then we wouldn't have the issue of people being locked out of purchasing M-rated e-Shop games because of their birth date!

So... there isn't anything new here (despite the "From now on,"), since console bans already are a thing. The purpose of Nintendo's announcement is apparently one, or all of:
  1. They want to remind people they can console ban.
  2. They want to scare people due to an uptick in inappropriate behaviour. (Probably from the Miiverse stage in Super Smash Bros. For Wii U.)
  3. They are going to console ban more often and are giving folks the heads-up.
People are acting like Nintendo is being anti-family because families may share the same Wii U but have different NNIDs, while all going to Miiverse. Should Bowser Jr. be able to affect my usage of Miiverse if that brat gets banned for inappropriate behaviour?

Two things to that:
  1. The policy statement said, "may also trigger consequences". The keyword is "may". Nintendo has the discretion here to do things on a case-by-case basis. They might ban just Bowser Jr. and leave the rest of my family alone, or they might have evidence that Bowser Jr. is logging onto Iggy's account and continuing destruction from there. Or perhaps they look at Roy's extreme anger at the new DLC and decide our whole family is ban-worthy. Some users have reported still being able to alt-evade bans after being temporarily banned from Miiverse post-announcement.
  2. If the whole family's Wii U IS banned, that provides a teachable moment for the parents. In that case, King Dad can punish Bowser Jr. for being a piece of garbage, as he rightfully should.

Bowser grabbing Bowser Jr. Super Smash Bros. For Wii U punishment
“YOU'LL NEVER BE AS GOOD AS THE KOOPALINGS, SON. NEVER.”

Anyway... Oh, wait, one more. One of my favourite posts on Miiverse:

Ludwig's Clockwork Castle Miiverse New Super Mario Bros. U in-game post beating stepdad
“This level beats me harder than my stepdad.”
(Pay special attention that this is the author's level.)

ANYWAY. Miiverse can be a good parenting tool, especially if the whole family uses it. Nintendo can bring your kid's misbehaviour to your attention, and you can use it as a teachable moment not to have your kid act like a repulsive asshole over the Internet. ...And if the parent is the one who gets the family Wii U console-banned, then, um, I dunno wot to say to that.

That is a very important lesson for kids to learn, and better for them to learn it now before they grow up to get arrested for terrorist threats over the Internet, or for them to grow up to become a member of ISIS.

There are many on Miiverse who feel like there isn't proper justice thanks to "false reporters".

Miiverse code of conduct false reporters reporting inappropriate violation
Miiverse on "inappropriate" or "false reporting".

These guys claim that they do nothing wrong and get reported and banned anyway, which isn't helped by their belief that Miiverse admins are robots.

The truth of it is, as KoopaTV previously reported, there is automated computer software that flags possible misbehaviour. Actual bans don't happen unless by a human, and ban appeals are also done by a human. While members of Nintendo's back-office may be sadistic assholes, there are clearly some good guys in there too.

Miiverse admin reported content not in violation of Miiverse Code of Conduct
...By the way, "Christina" is actually a man, so be careful of that, kids.
...I'll still glomp him though. He also got 3rd place in the just-ended Round 2 of the KoopaTV Loyalty Rewards Program!

You can also phone call Nintendo's customer support. While they may have trouble writing down your NNID correctly, I think it is a safe assumption that Nintendo wants justice on their social network. You can easily prove over the phone that you have siblings that use a different NNID than you. It also helps your case if, you know, you don't claim your brother just happened to have made a new NNID the hour after you got banned from Miiverse.

If you're a parent, then please make sure all of the NNIDs on your Wii U are password-protected. And use Parental Controls on problematic children.

The thing is, is that the rest of Miiverse doesn't want to deal with idiot kids either. It really would benefit the community if they were banned or restricted, so do your part and be involved with your kid's activities online and raise 'em right.


Ludwig was banned five times on Nintendo of America's Nintendo NSider Forums from 2003-2007, but the forum was closed before he suffered a permanent ban. He did not alt-evade his Miiverse ban, but he did alt-evade some of his NSider bans under the screen name PIKMIN2HOTDOGSANDMUSTARD.


Ludwig defended this Miiverse update, but he sure won't defend the one that came a month later.

10 comments :

  1. >Christina
    >"man"
    wantmetoslapyourshit.jpg

    Also, you just gave me one more reason to stay the fuck away from that hellhole.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're already banned on all your accounts though. lol

      Delete
    2. Oh, nonono, I assure you, being perma'd is one of the best things to happen to me on Miiverse other than meeting you.

      Delete
    3. Aw, I'm a top-tier event. ^.^

      Sooo y'really didn't like it? Ain't got anyone to share Tomodachi Life stuff with now.

      And how about that Rebecca person?

      Delete
  2. " "Do Not Let Others Use Your Nintendo Network ID". Making IDs for other people counts as this."
    How?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If you made the ID, it's yours. It's connected to your Wii U even if it's use by someone across the world on the PC.

      Sharing the password to that NNID to other people to let them use it (even if it's on a permanent basis) is letting others use your NNID.

      Delete
    2. But you're making an NNID for them not giving them access to yours.

      Delete
    3. It's registered to your system. Therefore it's yours.
      It even says so in the Network Services Agreement.
      http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/info/en_na/docs.jsp

      ""Network Account" means an account that you create and maintain for your use of certain Network Services that require an account as permitted herein;"
      "Your Network Account is personal to you. You may not transfer, assign, or sell your Network Account to others. "

      Delete

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