We need stronger teeth in combating players engaged in bullying and harassing behavior

LancelotLakeLancelotLake ✭✭
edited March 2023 in General

Some players, particularly those engaged in creating large, multi-layer fields engage in aggressive bullying techniques to demotivate opposing players from combating these fields. Often times these petty attacks against one player are specifically intended to anger the opposing player, and take pleasure in provoking a the bullied playing into an outburst. This can be seen as just another form of internet trolling, however it has NO PLACE in a game that is intended to be "fun and safe experience" when a playing it pushed to the brink of violence due to being constantly harassed. Such behavior has RUINED the cross-faction relationship and created a strong polarizing divide.

There needs to be action and specific wording in the Terms of Service to prevent players from engaging in community-destructive bullying game play.

Post edited by NianticVK on

Comments

  • MirthmakerMirthmaker ✭✭✭✭

    The context I GET from this is, individual players doing one of two things to keep status quo:

    1. Multiaccounting

    2. Being a complete PoG in-person and online to try to get hockey player level retaliation.

    That is the level of bullying that goes on that is NOT acceptable.

    Smart, you take my stuff out so I will return the favor is one thing.

    Cutting people off, boxing them and their car in and doing it with vindictive attitude enters we can't have.

  • LancelotLakeLancelotLake ✭✭
    edited March 2023

    I expected to be trolled and SimbaRoar is the first to take that role. This has nothing to do with fair play and winning or losing. We haven't even begun to debate what behavior would be considered bullying or harassment. But, if you have nothing constructive to add to this discussion, I suggest just listening.

  • LancelotLakeLancelotLake ✭✭
    edited March 2023

    What I consider bullying is REPEATEDLY engaging in technically "legal" actions with the specific intent to anger or fatigue another player.. activities that have no strategic value other than pissing the opponent off.

  • LancelotLakeLancelotLake ✭✭
    edited March 2023

    Mirthmaker - the first example you mentioned, multi-account play, is already numerated in the Terms of Service (Tos), Section 3: Cheating, bullet item 2: "Playing with multiple accounts for the same Service" This is cheating, not bullying.

    The second is covered in section 3.3: Your interaction with Other People... "You will not ****, threaten or otherwise violate the legal rights of others." Physically restraining someone by boxing them in with a car, falls into this category. We can debate what other actions could be considered harassment. This could include otherwise "legal" game play.

    I can give you an example of this in another on line game: World of Warcraft. Bands of players had followed specific other players and pounced on them every time the completed a task. They did this to demotivate these players, attempting to bully them out of the game, or just getting off on pissing them off. WoW now monitors for this activity and bans the players engaged in it.

  • So imagine going to the only small area where the other team plays. Destroying, linking, etc while doing so. Great AP,great for stats! Then somebody comes on here are and makes a complaint they are playing or winning too much? This isn't a "feel bad" and game, it's a king of the hill - conquer game. If you can't handle the heat of this *video game* I suggest you try something like any single player game. Any single one, anything that isn't online. Don't do WoW w/ warmode on. Don't try Rust. Call of Duty will make you weep for days, stay away from that.

  • One specific form of bullying has already been addressed in the ToS in Section 3.2: Safe and Appopriate Use, paragraph 2, "You agree that you will not submit inaccurate, misleading, or inappropriate Content, including data submissions, edits or removal requests."

    Portal removal requests used as retribution is running rampant, and I currently see no consequences for this action. When a portal is close to the targeted player, or known to be one of their favorites... the can be considered bullying.

  • You are really good at making wrong and smug assumptions. Look.. if you're just going to troll this thread.. seriously... just leave.

  • LancelotLakeLancelotLake ✭✭
    edited March 2023

    I'm not sure what Google Fuu is, but your observations are currently accurate. There are not a lot of blocking fields up.. at the moment, as we have been successful in taking down and blocking the huge (5 M+) forever fields. You don't see a lot of my portals as the two agents who usually create these fields, immediately.. and I mean immediately (day or night).. drive out to smash whatever I do, then place 4 Aegis or VR shields on it... and every other portal in a 2 km radius. They have been doing this for months. This, in my opinion, is in-game bullying. There is literally nothing I can do about it.. they can successfully recharge ANY unshielded portal indefinitely within 7 seconds.. I've timed it many times.. (again.. day or night.. 3 AM, no problem.. again at 6.. no worries.. 10:00, 16:00, 21:00).. doesn't matter... and they seem to have an unlimited supply of Aegis shields.. I've destroyed over a hundred this month.. and countless VRs.

    They don't do this for any strategic reason.. they're not clearing a path to field.. they're not blocking opposing fields.. they do it to **** me off. Bullying.. Harassment...

    They track where I go.. likely with a 3rd party tool.. then come out, follow me around and expend all resources.. 10 Jarvis.. no problem.. if it prevents me from hacking a portal higher than L5. Constantly.. It's all "legal" game play (expect for the 3rd party apps, perhaps).. but it's harassment. They're trying to bully me into quitting. And, that is NOT the intention of this game.

    Post edited by LancelotLake on
  • Oh. and they've successfully had three portals... absolutely valid portals... close to my house removed. The latest disappeared just today.

  • XQlusioNXQlusioN ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited March 2023

    Care to share what those portals were?

    It's hard to get portals removed . Let alone 3

  • LancelotLakeLancelotLake ✭✭
    edited March 2023

    Sure. One was called "Olsbæk Kilden". It's (primarily) a sign, next to a small, man-made lake, with a small dock and picnic table. The sign was created by the local school children describing the efforts to restore biodiversity in the area. The sign was vandalized around the same time that this agent submitted a removal request. I'm not saying that he vandalized it (although the graffiti is blue).. but he used the damaged sign as an excuse to have it removed. The request was originally rejected, but he appealed and succeeded. I became aware of it when it disappeared, and found the appeal request. I've commented that the portal is still valid, but the request appears to be closed. I used to use that to block their Southward facing 41 layer. It's a bit remote on a dirt trail. I think that's why he had it removed.

    The one today is a Scouts hut called "Lameren". I had 8 keys to that one. I don't know what he said to have that one removed.

    The third was one I created, "Eriksminde Founders Stone".. That one was fair enough. The stone was removed for reengraving and hasn't been restored yet.

    He's had others removed as well. One I'm fighting is a wood carving statue in a Viking Village. The carving was moved 10 meters because it's base was in low, wet spot and starting to rot. The Viking Village is frequently used as an Enlightened farm.. has been for the 10 years that I have been playing. His initial request for removal was rejected, so he resubmitted with a 360 pano showing no stature.. which he KNOWS is just on the other side of the fence. That "misrepresentation" was accepted and the statue has been removed. Here is a link to that appeal:.. oh, it won't let me paste the link.. oh, well.

  • Interesting... What is the strategy? ...I mean, aside from bullying me into not playing?

  • I looked at the removal requests, from what they submitted, the removals seem legit. You aren't really providing information to refute their requests, take pictures that confirm their location, not their existence.


    I would either resubmit or appeal their removal with proper pictures.

  • MirthmakerMirthmaker ✭✭✭✭

    I have one in my box who tried (and had the opposite of desired result happen) similar the tactics you're describing in paragraph #2 They're still confused by what I'm up to.

    Paragraph #1 Niantic has shown they are not stepping up to the plate. There's several high volume players in my box that are known Multiaccounters. Attempts have been over years to show them the exit have not borne the fruit necessary to teach tough lessons.

    Regrettably ToS, letter of rules, is not getting the job done at a batting average that would create a sense of Don't even think about harassing someone to get them out of the game.

    As a larper come to this pseudo-larp I know there's garbage and then there is capital "G" Garbage. You are dealing with "G"arbage and that truly stinks.

    Enough people say the same thing Niantic will have no choice but to act.

    "[If] Fifty people a day walking in singin a bar of Alice's Restaurant [at their bully]

    -Arlo Guthrie

    Then something will have to be done.

  • AzhreiaAzhreia ✭✭✭✭✭

    @LancelotLake you can appeal removals here if you believe them to be invalid. Provide the necessary proof on appeals. The Wayfarer team does check these.


    Regarding play, I have to agree with the others here. Control is the aim of the game. Denial of resources etc to the opposing faction is part of that. You'll need to find a way to outplay them. They're currently outplaying you.

    If you are harassed in person, report to your local authorities. If it's comm harassment, report to Niantic and block.

  • LancelotLakeLancelotLake ✭✭
    edited March 2023

    Hello friend,

    You've completely misinterpreted what I'm asking to be debated. I don't want to prevent anyone from building large field. I want to stop the bullying attacks on players with the intent of angering them, and demotivating them from playing. You understand these personal attacks; we've talked about your run-ins with Jens. They're going after the man, not the ball. They're not "removing blobs" that can prevent linking, they're attacking ONLY portals around my house, and filling them with 2 Aegis shield and 2 VR each... then aggressively recharging ANY time I attempt to take one back. The way they link BLOCKS all fields they have previously created to the south. There is nothing about building fields in their actions, it's all about attacking ME, personally.

    Yesterday, I took one portal.. ONE.. one recharged aggressively 7 seconds after the first burster... they can hold an unshielded portal up, FOREVER, without losing a single resonator. I can't do this.. no one I know can.

    They have better equipment perhaps, faster network access.. whatever, Niantic needs to work on play balance to remove hardware dependance, so that each player has the same number of action requests per second. Pokemon Go has this, or NO ONE would ever be able to compete fairly in a Battle. But, that's a different topic.

    The point is.. that after several 7 second delays, I was able to remove the portal. 15 minutes later, the agent was there taking it back.. it takes 15 minutes to get from his house to mine. They do this all the time... dispatch immediately to bully me in my home. When I called him on it, told him to stop bullying me, he ran away.

    They're playing the man, not the game. That's harassment (period)

  • LancelotLakeLancelotLake ✭✭
    edited March 2023

    Look.. I know I'm not the only one being bullied in Ingress, which is why I've brought it up in this forum. A person can only be bullied so long before they snap. The bullies love this... I'm sure there are some commenters here that also get off on pissing people off. That doesn't make you a "good player" it makes you a sociopath... and, it's made for a COMPLETELY toxic environment in Copenhagen. Cross-faction events are impossible... it would likely come to blows. The anger and animosity is caused by the bullying, not better game play. People don't hate each other because they lost, they hate each other because they are being bullied by (expletive deleted).

  • mortuusmortuus ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited March 2023

    Toxic players needs to get banned simple as that but its not easy prove it as you are not allowed to record other players. If its serious matter then its only way to contact police immediately but its always recommended to report such players to niantic so the more reports perhaps they can see that certain players shouldnt be playing this game.

    But just playing intense and hardcore isnt against ToS its just that some players take this game way too serious and are overprotected of their portals not much u can do about that if they dont break any laws or rules i myself get recharged at portals its part of the game but usually an attacker always has advantage vs someone who recharge remote portal will go down in the end, if one can play entire day and not work its not against rules but if they start **** then its something different.

    Ive had a player yelled at me and threaten me for no reason and i reported it but sadly nothing happend, not sure why niantic wants those players representing ingress and not part of teamplay just solo for their own benefits

  • Otrera35Otrera35 ✭✭✭✭
    edited March 2023

    It seems the competitive nature of this game, plus the fact the Agent Protocol is not being observed at all, feeds into the toxic gameplay in Ingress. When people get territorial with portals, aggressive behavior comes out. Nobody owns a portal, and if someone captures it, look at it as an opportunity to recapture and get AP or MU. Has Niantic even mentioned or emphasized the Agent Protocol in their training for new agents? My tips for bullied agents are to gather evidence and contact local authorities, ignore, and stop retaliating. Select other agents you play against (It maybe difficult to find a rival agent who is courteous and pleasant IRL, but you will find one in due time). You don't have to engage another agent on the COMMs or in person if you don't want the interaction. It will be good for your physical safety and mental health. This game should be fun and not a chore because you have to play against bullies. Have the presence of mind or social awareness when you play. Be safe out there.

    Post edited by Otrera35 on
  • Otrera35Otrera35 ✭✭✭✭
    edited March 2023

    @Ferrothorn88 , one can only control hers/his sphere, not others. Being free is better than dealing with toxic sociopaths or psychopathic agents who like to play mind games. To consider Ingress Prime as a social game is an epic failure! This game can be exploited by sociopaths and psychopaths who prey on unsuspecting players. It is one of the reasons why it turns off new players. Learn not to expect Niantic to do something about the status quo because you will be sorely disappointed; the canned response you will receive is "Contact your local Authorities." Others are here to play this game without drama, while others try to force other agents to do their bidding. Also, rookies and new players are better off playing as lone wolves out there rather than interacting with toxic and passive-aggressive agents (whether it is from the same team or opposition or so-called community). Interacting with agents with the same M.O. can be tiring and counter-productive. Just follow the Agent Protocol, take safety precautions, and avoid all that toxic shenanigans because it's good for your safety and mental health.

    Post edited by Otrera35 on
  • Thanks for reaching out, @LancelotLake! However, we are unable to review such reports here and we'd appreciate it if you could reach out via in-app support. Please check out this link for more info: https://www.ingress.com/terms

    That said, I'll be closing this thread for future comments. Appreciate you understanding!

This discussion has been closed.