Ingress experience and gaming approach
I started playing Ingress two months ago and love the game. I’m at level 11 currently. However, I experienced very toxic gaming dynamics in the community and wondering if this is consistent in every Ingress community or a unique problem in my community. Here are the issues:
1) From day one of playing the game, i was being tailed by another player1 who wore a hoodie to prevent showing his face at night, and eventually got out of his car and try to approach me with face still covered. I made a comment on COMS that I find that unacceptable and asked that it be stopped. Well it didn’t, that player kept distance but still followed me around.
2) Two weeks went by and I made scoreboard. This is when the harassment increased. As soon as I would go out to play, player2 that a few people warned me about started stalking me. I was wondering how this person respond so fast and seems to be there when go out to play; I have been told he lives approximately 15 minutes drive away. Three days later I found him parked in an unauthorized parking space of my residence, lights out, waiting (I have pictures and footage of it). This is how he is able to respond so fast. I sent him a DM on Niantic’s Social Platform asking him to stop the stalking and for us to meet in a public space to talk so I can get his side and an explanation for motive. He never responded back. He drives Uber too, and harasses players during his shifts and in between. I know he works for Uber because he told the community this. It’s been reported with a witness involved that this same player went to another player’s home shouting insults, including “…your dead father would be ashamed of you.” I was told by the local community that this kind of harassment has been going on since 2015, and a lot of players stopped playing Ingress for fear of being followed around to work, family events, etc, and didn’t want to jeopardize the safety of their lives and safety of their family/friends network. He did this and still does to other players. After messaging him, I did not see him stalking my residence, but came out the following day and tailed me everywhere I went in my neighbourhood and around the city, and a few days after that.
3) I was invited into a group first week of playing, which l discovered this week that the owner (player3) of the server is friends with the bunch that is harassing the community. They identity themselves as “Leaders” for RES and ENL team. I left that ENL group because the owner of that discord sever kept defending the playing style and the players involved, and shuts down any conversation in defence. Few other players left the group that same day also.
4) After leaving that group, I was playing yesterday and parked at the entrance of a public park where there were two Bylaw Officers stationed at the entrance of the closed park during the day. The 3 players that consider themselves leaders of the local ingress community showed up and looped in circles twice (the same cars that were tailing me from the start (i have pictures of the plates as proof). They drove off after circling again (twice), one lopped 3 times. The Bylaw Officers noticed the commotion came over to my car and asked if i’m ok twice.
5) Another tactic of harassing other players is moving home portals from correct location to out of range. I have been told by the community that this tactic is used to “mess” with other players.
It seems like the older players in my community are trying to dominate the playing space for themselves and discouraging new players with harassment and bulling (which is a criminal offence in Canada). Scoreboard is a big part of it, as they want to dominate every aspect of the game.
**Question for Niantic**
1) Is this acceptable playing behaviour when your games are being played in communities?
2)
a. If not, what can be done or should be done?
b. What is acceptable playing style for Ingress?
**Question for other Ingress players in different communities**
a) Is this also happening in your community?