Code of Conduct Changes - Do better at least for optics

We are actively working on removing the other threads or posts that breach our Code of Conduct as I type, and a number have been removed already.

The thread in question has such a large number of posts and participation, we have decided to leave that one locked for a short period so there is no confusion over its disappearance when it is deleted.

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鬼殺し wrote:

I also believe a thread won't be locked for a single inflammatory post made within it.

I'd like to chime in here - this is pretty much the gist of it. We will be moderating threads when the whole thread itself breaches our Code of Conduct, and we will be moderating individual posts that break the rules when the remainder of the thread is totally fine. This isn't actually a change to our usual moderation behaviour, it's how we do it across the board.

There will likely be fringe cases. For example, where the overall discussion in a thread continues to stray into territory breaching our rules: after multiple warnings/staff posts where we would consider closing the entire thread.

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pneuma wrote:

All topics are inflammatory to somebody, and removal without warning or public display only ensures that nobody knows what is or isn't allowed. There haven't been any topics here that I consider inherently inflammatory, so should I continue posting as before?

Discussing current events in the US, NZ, or otherwise isn't politics or religion. For example, the Christchurch shooter thread was majority apolitical, and it was a good use of the forums for people to mourn there afterward. Should the good be tossed out with the bad in pursuit of... what exactly?

What was the impetus for this change?
(Is asking for a rationale considered an inflammatory topic?)

The change was discussed at length during a team meeting, by our entire Support team. The decision was made last night.

We have absolutely no intention of curbing constructive and friendly discussions just for the sake of it - but also, we don't think Path of Exile (the forums or the game chat) is the most appropriate place to be having these passionate and in-depth debates that tend to arise from certain inflammatory subjects. These discussions also have a tendency to make other players unwilling to participate or engage with the forums or in-game chat at all, and this is the opposite of what we want.

There's a large number of more appropriate places online to hold these discussions. Regardless of the stance that is being taken on a touchy subject, someone is always going to disagree. We can't fix that (we wouldn't even want to), but we can ask that you take those moral, religious, and political dilemmas to another platform.

Another key factor we discussed at length regarding this change is the effect these kinds of topics have on our staff. Forum and game moderation is no easy task and while many players do abide by our Code of Conduct, there are also many players that do not. There are a significant number of really horrible chat and forum postings our team deals with on a daily basis. We hope to significantly reduce the strain on our staff for the benefit of their mental well-being.

The term "inflammatory" is intentionally broad, politics and religion are the two most common examples of a theme we consider to be inherently inflammatory, but are not the only ones. These two themes in particular are ones that incite a lot of passion, particularly when someone is discussing something someone may disagree with - rightly so, these things are important to us as people. They are also, from our experience, the most common threads to cause Code of Conduct violations, and generate the highest number of complaints from chat.

By the same token, we would not remove every single possibly inflammatory post - there is a huge amount of difference between a well-intentioned post looking for opinions, and a post that's been made for the purpose of creating disharmony or pushing boundaries. The latter would be removed. You have our very human team on the other side of this, discussing and deciding what is most appropriate for our forums, and I trust them to make an informed decision.

If discussion about the change in the Code of Conduct is unable to remain civil in here I'm afraid we will have to close this down, please do bear that in mind.