SSO Takes Away Chatting Abilities?!

Hey Snowflakes!

There's a big new announcement in the SSO news updates. I think you've guessed it...

CHAT RESTRICTIONS!!!

Of course you've probably gotten wind of this idea, but let's just make sure you've got it down:

SSO has restricted all non-star riders in Australia from using the chat. They're testing the new rules out to see the affect it has on chat safety.

Thoughts most likely running through your head: WHAAAATTT??? How do I feel about this?? Poor Australians!

In this blog, I'll be offering some of my own thoughts on the matter as well as answering some questions about it.

Without further ado, let's begin!

Does this make sense?

Overall, Star Stable is in charge of keeping their players safe, and a good amount of their players are some of the most vulnerable people out there - KIDS.

Children are usually curious, friendly, and happy to trust people that they like. Of course, this isn't often a problem. It helps them make friends at the public playground and gives them a drive to learn in school.

However, if kids are in a social setting where no one is exactly sure who anyone else is (name, age, gender, etc.), that can create some potentially dangerous situations.

Let's say 10 year old Alexandra pops into SSO for a bit. As she wanders around, she runs into another player at a role play. This player seems to be nice, and they become friends. Quickly, though, things get pretty tough. Alex's friend starts picking on another player, spamming the chat with all sorts of ugly things. Alexandra doesn't want to be mean, and since she won't participate in this, her "friend" turns on her, too.

Now, this isn't always the case, but it's a possibility SSO has to prepare for. So, what exactly is Alexandra's problem? That one particular player had access to the chat where they could become Alex's friend and bully another person.

No, I don't mean all non-star riders are hackers and you should stay away from them - of course not! But it is true that quite a few people create alternate s to spam, bully, and hack other people from. If they're not star riders, they're harder to trace, and if they're deleted, who cares? They're not the players real .

Knowing all of this, the restriction is starting to make more sense.

Is this GOOD or BAD?

I don't think we can see it as an entirely black and white problem. It could have some good effects and some bad effects.

SSO made these restrictions to further children's safety, and that's a pretty good cause, right? They said that the new chat restrictions would reduce the possibility of players making spare s to troll, spam or bully people.

I will say, though, that a good deal of players who are rude are also star riders, and it's not all that difficult to get a monthly hip on your alternate .

Taking away someone's ability to speak could be just as bad, though. Without being able to communicate with other people, not only would players be unable to seek help with the odd quest, they also wouldn't be able to stand up for themselves or others if a star rider was bullying them.

Let's dive into some of the upsides and downsides of this new restriction.

Pros

On the upside, this new restriction could do some good. It almost undoubtedly will help at least a very small amount of people. Even if it's only a few.

As much as players who hate this don't want to it it, there with be some positive affect on people.

Cons

There are several downsides to consider:

1. Non star riders won't be able to talk with friends. SSO says that it's a fun place where you can have adventures and "Ride with friends!" How are you supposed to make friends, though, if you can't even say hi?

2. How are you supposed to have a good gaming experience if you also can't ask for help?

3. We all know that star riders bully people just as much as non star riders, so if a non star rider is getting bullied, they won't be able to even say, "Stop it."

My thoughts

Personally, I don't think this is the right way to go about this problem. Yes, SSO needs to reduce the amount of bullying and spam, but it's coming from everywhere.

This is a very drastic measure. Kind of like if there was a group of kids, some of them your own children and some of them another person's children. They all make noise. But instead of doing something to eliminate the noise they make as a collective, you tell your neighbor's kids they're not allowed to yell.

As you can see, the new rules WILL make a difference, but it's only taking care of a small part of the problem and making a lot of people irritated.

Also, if SSO goes through with this, they will lose new players. When you get on any online role play game where they the ability to socialize with other players - you expect to be able to talk to other players as soon as you log onto the game. When brand new SSO players pop into SSO, they will almost undoubtedly disappointed and annoyed.

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That was a not-exactly-brief overview of SSO's new chat restrictions. , this is only being tested in Australia, so if you wish to share your opinion with SSOHQ, you still can!

, whether you like or dislike this, please be respectful of all players, no matter what they think.

~Winter

#CuratorReview

#InfoIcelandics