Why I was forced to leave the game (trust me not a generic good-bye post)

DrHarmful · December 2017

I love ESO and I have been a player since pre-release.

My account name has always been @dopiate for all 4 years.

Yesterday I couldn't login and I see this email in my inbox.

It has been determined that the UserID on this account is in violation of our Code of Conduct. To ensure a respectful and secure atmosphere for all our players, we cannot allow names such as dOpiate. This account is receiving an official warning.

Utterly confused I wrote them back for clarification and I just got

The name has been found in violation and will remain changed.

This morning I called Bethesda HQ and talked with a very nice understanding person there who MADE customer support explain the reason to me and to email me back, (I had about 4 emails ignored last night).

I got that reply this morning, now here is where it gets interesting.

I have reviewed the incident and the decision to change your name again, and I must reiterate that this name violates our terms of service because it contains reference to a drug.

Ok so we have the official reason, the problem is it's dead wrong.

There is no drug called opiate (or dopiate) .. it is simply a classification of chemicals much like anti-depressants, muscle relaxers, sedatives....

My name does not reference a drug therefore I did not break the TOS (which I have read many times now).

To finish this story I have to say something I am uncomfortable with, but will do it so all makes sense.

I have a "condition" similar to OCD but it's not a ritual thing it's a unable to move on from on one thing until it's resolved. I end up spending all my time thinkg about this situation.

I explained to them that changing dopiate to GiraffesRcool (they changed it not me) means in my mind I can't move on from the loss of dopiate and playing as another account name is nearly impossible. If some of you find this funny, great. It's not to me and it sucks to live with.

I have now again written back and explained that what they said I violated I did not.

They have not written back, nor do I feel they will.

The ended the last email with

I apologize for the inconvenience this may cause, but the decision is final.

No compassion, no recourse. I am done playing. I have cancelled my account and have 27 days left.

I was also an addon author and now those will be abandoned, not supported and end up being useless.

This is the part that affects the community -- if you use any on my list - I am sorry

http://www.esoui.com/downloads/author-11512.html esoui.com/downloads/author-11512.html

I'm at a loss so I figured I would let the community I have enjoyed so much over the last 4 years know why I could no longer play. I want to, but I can't.

Is there anyone out there who would truly be offended seeing @dopiate in the game?

I'm sad as hell to leave the game, I loved it, contributed to it and always promoted it with my friends and now I'm out for a 4 year old non-offensive name that doesn't break the TOS.

I wish all of you a great future and maybe I'll see you in another game.

Totally confused,
dOpiate

DrHarmful · December 2017

I just noticed my login here is still dopiate

someone shield the children's eyes!

It must be so bad that they didn't ever notice it here.

MjolnirVilkas · December 2017

I feel for you really, but your second post made me laugh out loud.

EDIT: God damn it, I'm using your awesome SWAPS add-on... :'(

Drummerx04 · December 2017

Wow, my close friend got force name changed from "*** Lightning" -- *** is a name people go by in the real world, and Lightning is a discharge of static electricity.

I'm sorry you got screwed like this, and I'm much the same way. Drummerx04 has been my gamer name for something like 10 years, so I guess I'm lucky I picked something that is almost impossible to be offended by.

DrHarmful · December 2017

MjolnirVilkas wrote: »

EDIT: God damn it, I'm using your awesome SWAPS add-on... :'(

Sorry ... I have about 140k download of my addons - it's gonna affect quite a few people and I really feel bad about that.

Ask Zeni why I have to go? If my addon brings value to you by making it easier to play then maybe ask them to explain my situation. The certainly won't explain it to me.

I think someone made a bad decision and will not admin the mistake and now I (and you) are paying for it.

gard · December 2017

Wow, glad I changed my pet sorc's name from Splashing Blumpkins to Splashing Plumpkins.
I figure it was only a matter of time before it got reported so I did it proactively.

Samadhi · December 2017

dopiate wrote: »

...

I have reviewed the incident and the decision to change your name again, and I must reiterate that this name violates our terms of service because it contains reference to a drug.

Ok so we have the official reason, the problem is it's dead wrong.

There is no drug called opiate (or dopiate) .. it is simply a classification of chemicals much like anti-depressants, muscle relaxers, sedatives....

My name does not reference a drug therefore I did not break the TOS (which I have read many times now).
...

Opiate is a term classically used in pharmacology to mean a drug derived from opium. Opioid, a more modern term, is used to designate all substances, both natural and synthetic, that bind to opioid receptors in the brain (including antagonists).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opiate

Opium is a controlled substance; making reference to the classification of chemicals derived from opium would be classed under such by association

dopiate wrote: »

...
I have a "condition" similar to OCD but it's not a ritual thing it's a unable to move on from on one thing until it's resolved. I end up spending all my time thinkg about this situation.

I explained to them that changing dopiate to GiraffesRcool (they changed it not me) means in my mind I can't move on from the loss of dopiate and playing as another account name is nearly impossible. If some of you find this funny, great. It's not to me and it sucks to live with.
...

Unfortunately, this is not a very solid line of argument
Personally suffer from OCD, can supply ZOS with all the appropriate diagnoses information and contact from my psychiatrist if necessary
but
one of the primary modes of treatment for OCD is exposure and response therapy
so a step towards overcoming inhibiting obsessive thoughts would be accepting that Giraffes truly are quite cool

Can respect where you are coming from,
personally would likely discontinue playing if my account name were forcibly changed without being afforded the option of providing a different name

but not seeing any great course of action for you

best wishes either way

TequilaFire · December 2017

There is no consistency in their policy as there are far worse names than that running around Tamriel.
Usually what happens is somebody gets ticked off at you and reports and then it happens.
Further they should not just assign a new user name they should give you a chance to change it.
This is all in vain as thread will be locked for discussing moderation.

DeadlyRecluse · December 2017

I don't personally find your @name offensive, but apparently ZOS considers in violation of their policy. So change it and keep playing. Or don't.

Acting like combining two drug references isn't a drug reference is a silly defense.

Used to be, if you got your account name changed you were hit with a "User1234" format name and you couldn't change it. Now you can change it to whatever, though giraffes ARE cool.

DrHarmful · December 2017

TequilaFire wrote: »

There is no consistency in their policy as there are far worse names than that running around Tamriel.
Usually what happens is somebody gets ticked off at you and reports and then it happens.
Further they should not just assign a new user name they should give you a chance to change it.
This is all in vain as thread will be locked for discussing moderation.

I do know this is all in vain an the thread will be locked or deleted.

Just for the record they did let me pick a new name - but same difference to me

Tandor · December 2017

I'm sorry to see that you feel you have to leave over this, but your personal condition is obviously something that guides you on these things, and I am sympathetic to that.

As to your comments on the meaning of "opiate", however, I suggest you google "meaning of opiate" if you want a better understanding of where ZOS are coming from. It is defined as "a drug derived from or related to opium" or "relating to, resembling, or containing opium". Opium in turn is defined as "a reddish-brown heavy-scented addictive drug prepared from the juice of the opium poppy, used illicitly as a narcotic and occasionally in medicine as an analgesic."

I can therefore see why ZOS have made the decision to change your name, and no developer will consider that adding an additional letter to an unacceptable word makes it acceptable, but I imagine that if you felt able to suggest a more suitable alternative to the one they have given you then hopefully they would be sympathetic to that in the circumstances and equally hopefully you might feel able to continue playing as you would have retained control of your account name and the decision on the new name (which might be something really similar such as "odiate"). However, I realise that it would be entirely down to your condition as to whether you could continue in those circumstances, but I do hope that you would be able to.

badmojo · December 2017

Not that I agree with their actions but Opiate is clearly associated with the drugs its found in. THC is also just a chemical, but everyone associates it with the drug its found in.

I think you are being unreasonable with their decision. You might not agree with them banning drug related names, but you have to see their reasoning behind it. Its not like you just picked a word at random and put a d in front of it. Dope is also a word associated with drugs and even if its not entirely written out dope is also part of your username.

My username is @badmojo420, so depending on how nit picky they are getting I might get an email too.

Prof_Bawbag · December 2017

Scottish slang ftw

DrHarmful · December 2017

Samadhi wrote: »

Opiate is a term classically used in pharmacology to mean a drug derived from opium. Opioid, a more modern term, is used to designate all substances, both natural and synthetic, that bind to opioid receptors in the brain (including antagonists).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opiate

Opium is a controlled substance; making reference to the classification of chemicals derived from opium would be classed under such by association

I stand corrected, I honestly didn't know - the name is very old and has nothing do with drugs -- I used it for 5 years with WoW

Samadhi wrote: »

Can respect where you are coming from,
personally would likely discontinue playing if my account name were forcibly changed without being afforded the option of providing a different name

but not seeing any great course of action for you

best wishes either way

I'm glad you understand how it feels when change is force on you and we have our issues.

Again: for the record they did let me change the name but it doesn't fix anything.

All my best and thanks for the reply.

geonsocal · December 2017

@dopiate ...engrossing story...i wish you the very best...

I hope you are able to overcome your challenges and continue to participate in eso (even if it means making a whole new account with a new name chosen by yourself)...

it sounds as though the game means a lot to you...try as best you might to find a solution without the help of zos...

Radiance · December 2017

dopiate wrote: »

TequilaFire wrote: »

There is no consistency in their policy as there are far worse names than that running around Tamriel.
Usually what happens is somebody gets ticked off at you and reports and then it happens.
Further they should not just assign a new user name they should give you a chance to change it.
This is all in vain as thread will be locked for discussing moderation.

I do know this is all in vain an the thread will be locked or deleted.

Just for the record they did let me pick a new name - but same difference to me

So are you back online now!? Surely somebody can do something about this, it doesn't seem right! Just change the name!

Riddari · December 2017

This is very interesting to me. I wonder if this applies to console? I play on ps4 and the amount of xX420_BoNgRiPzXx account names is staggering.

Dumb policy anyway and I hate the censorship involved in something that is hardly offensive or destructive in any way.

DrHarmful · December 2017

geonsocal wrote: »

@dopiate ...engrossing story...i wish you the very best...

I hope you are able to overcome your challenges and continue to participate in eso (even if it means making a whole new account with a new name chosen by yourself)...

it sounds as though the game means a lot to you...try as best you might to find a solution without the help of zos...

Thank you for the kind words. It means a lot.

I will really miss the community here, it's the best of any game I've ever played.

Tigeracer · December 2017

I think it’s ridiculous that they have taken an issue with your name after 4 years of it being accepted.

Admittedly though, upon first glance at your name, I instantly thought of dopomine and dope (which is another name for marijuana), so I can see where they are coming from.

You aren’t helping your case with:

“There is no drug called opiate (or dopiate) .. it is simply a classification of chemicals much like anti-depressants, muscle relaxers, sedatives....”

You are wrong about this. A quick google search will reveal the correct definition of opiate, for all those that have been sucked in by your claim that it has nothing to do with drugs.

It actually refers to the use of opium or similar drugs.

TequilaFire · December 2017

If 420 got targeted half the console population would have to change.
The Waldo's would be very upset.
And if you know who the Waldo's were you are an old fart like me.

Hurtfan · December 2017

This is stupid imo...tons of names running around out there that infer having sex with my mom...

Maybe those names will eventually get the ban hammer too, idk...

ArchMikem · December 2017

Opioids, though having little to no affect on me when i was on them once, is still a controlled addictive substance and does pretty much ruin other peoples lives when it does affect them, so i can see how reference to it is against their terms of use. Really this is why I never try and make any kind of username anywhere like that. I think my "worst" one was Simplecarefree for Battlefield or Learn2Bend on deviantART.

.....now that I think harder on that, Learn2Bend could possibly have some kind of innuendo to it.

Sorry you got found out though. If you can have a say in a replacement then maybe choose another youre okay moving on to that still relates to you but doesnt rustle jimmies.

Drummerx04 · December 2017

Btw, you could do your addon users a solid and pass on the mantle of maintenance on to someone else.

Takes-No-Prisoner · December 2017

Riddari wrote: »

This is very interesting to me. I wonder if this applies to console? I play on ps4 and the amount of xX420_BoNgRiPzXx account names is staggering.

Dumb policy anyway and I hate the censorship involved in something that is hardly offensive or destructive in any way.

Sony has control of that. I have a PSN ID myself I use for PS4 NA ESO, but I also have a ESO ID for PC.

From Sony's help page;

Any Online IDs that contain offensive or potentially harmful content will violate the Community Code of Conduct. If an Online ID is deemed offensive, a permanent ban will be placed on the associated PSN account and potentially the system it was created on.

Here is their code of conduct.

AhPook_Is_Here · December 2017

On the bright side, think of all the productive use you will be able to make of the time. In a month you will wonder why you ever played at all.

DrHarmful · December 2017

Tigeracer wrote: »

I think it’s ridiculous that they have taken an issue with your name after 4 years of it being accepted.

Admittedly though, upon first glance at your name, I instantly thought of dopomine and dope (which is another name for marijuana), so I can see where they are coming from.

You aren’t helping your case with:

“There is no drug called opiate (or dopiate) .. it is simply a classification of chemicals much like anti-depressants, muscle relaxers, sedatives....”

You are wrong about this. A quick google search will reveal the correct definition of opiate, for all those that have been sucked in by your claim that it has nothing to do with drugs.

It actually refers to the use of opium or similar drugs.

I know I got the drug part wrong - I didn't think it was a silly argument because the name is OLD -- the first letter is from my first name and opiate I got out of a chemistry textbook in college. BUT, I see everyone's point.

I appreciate all the feedback - I know my name is NOT offensive but I get how silly the drug argument is.

I also know nothing will change and I just wanted to tell my story. If it helps others avoid this random TOS attack then I'm glad I wrote it.

CrazyCleatus · December 2017

Love how a "M for mature" rated game can possibly care about something like this. This further proves that there's literally nothing mature about this game. It should be rated E for everyone, and every copy of the game should come with a Disney World coupon booklet.

I'd probably quit if I were you too OP.

Elsonso · December 2017

Wow. I never bothered to look until now, but it is actually a specific drug reference. Literally. In Italian.

Edit: Still, discussing punishments is bad.

RoyalPink06 · December 2017

Yet there's tons of people running around with names containing direct references to marijuana and derogatory terms towards women, and no one bats an eye....smh.

Sorry they decided to pick on you, OP.

DrHarmful · December 2017

Drummerx04 wrote: »

Btw, you could do your addon users a solid and pass on the mantle of maintenance on to someone else.

I have already posted a similar statement in the ESOUI forums.

I do hope someone else picks them up.

Enemy-of-Coldharbour · December 2017

I had my original name force changed because someone took offense and reported it. I was given the opportunity to change it to something else of my choosing (that met TOS) since I did not like the new name they assigned me. I changed my name, learned a lesson and moved on. No need to rage quit.