This goal of this post is two-fold: 1) an appeal to CIG to prioritize features that allow the community to hold toxic players accountable for behavior that violates community codes of conduct. 2) an appeal to the good people of the Star Citizen community to stand up against toxic players. During a recent Jumptown event, myself and a couple of org mates assembled at GrimHex to see what we could get into. As I approached the ASOP, two other players started to verbally and “physically” harass me. I realize this is Grim Hex, and I understand that some people are roleplaying nefarious characters, but this was well beyond any roleplay. They hindered my movement by boxing me in with a med bed and by crouching in front of and behind me. They made loud sniffing and slurping sounds over proximity chat, groaning lewdly trying to simulate oral sex on me, in super creepy voices. They insulted me with gross comments about feminine hygiene. and even though it happened in a virtual space, the harassment and insults were real and intended to cause harm to the individual behind the screen. But what really upset me most was that they were able to do so with impunity. This wasn’t the usual kind of trolling behavior you just ignore. There was nothing any of us could do except leave the server. It’s not the first time this has happened, to me or any other female player (or trans player, or player with a feminine voice, a player with a female name, or a player choosing a female character regardless of their gender in real life). Not the first time in Star Citizen nor any other online game I’ve played… and maybe this is considered “normal”. But I refuse to accept this kind of behavior as normal, not in life, not in games. I will not be part of the problem. Neither should anyone. Enough is enough. The following is from the CIG website, listing examples of behavior that violate Rules of Conduct and how to (currently) report them. Use of language in-game, in support tickets, or Spectrum posts that is harmful, abusive, racially or ethnically offensive, vulgar, sexually explicit, obscene, defamatory, infringing, invasive of personal privacy or publicity rights, or in a reasonable person’s view, objectionable. In the current stages of Alpha development, we do not have a direct in-game reporting tool; however, reports can still be sent directly to our Game Support team for investigation. Please be sure to include any evidence you may have (i.e. screenshots, videos, etc) in the support ticket to make it easier for us to locate and determine the best course of action. Good… and the lack of in-game reporting during the alpha is understandable, but CIG needs to “put their money where their mouth is” (so to speak). First off, CIG needs to surface reporting and their policy better, on the website and in the launcher; making their stance against toxic behavior loud and clear. People need to know that bullying, harassment, hate speech, and sexually inappropriate conduct are taken very seriously and that users found in violation will be served a non-negotiable consequence including and up to a permanent ban of their account. Currently, If you didn’t know how to report players for committing such offenses, you would have to google it, or find it on the website under “support”. Secondly, we need to see the “handles” (character callsigns) of ALL players, not just the ones who are in the same channel as you. Unless someone has typed something offensive in global or is speaking while in your party, or you send the offending player a friend request, or are communicating via “Direct”, there is no way to identify who the offending player actually is. So even if you did happen to be recording or streaming, it wouldn’t do CIG any good without being able to identify them. My suggestion is that CIG display the player names over the actual character models while they are in the armistice and show the names of players speaking in prox chat on the HUD (with the ability for players to turn it off in options). Outside of armistice zones, where you don’t necessarily want player positions given away, player handles should only be displayed when you aim directly at a player for more than a couple of seconds. Many online shooters use the same mechanic, and it is a level of “gamification” which would translate well into Star Citizen tech-fiction without breaking immersion. Apparently there is something on the roadmap called FPS Radar/Scanning. Maybe this will help identify players. I just hope there aren’t any restrictions on using it if that is at least part of the functionality. Again, I understand that this is alpha and that there will eventually be a more sophisticated reporting feature in-game. I also understand how so-called “band-aid” features can be problematic. But why not test and prove this critical infrastructure early when CIG are trying to recruit new players during free flys when it is needed the most? The fact is: this is a NOW problem that needs a NOW solution because right now, people who are victimized must either endure harassment or stop playing. Meanwhile, the players that anonymously commit these acts face zero consequences. The wrong people are being punished, the wrong people are being rewarded. Let’s not let this kind of behavior be normalized. This isn’t just about recourse for harassed female players, it's about anyone who is bullied and harassed for their gender, their chosen gender, their chosen character, skin color, sexuality, or the way they talk (or don't). And lastly, to be clear, we can all agree that this is a game where players are free to explore, with risk and consequence, criminal gameplay in a space MMO. Committing crimes that are legitimate gameplay tactics like piracy, hijacking, and thieving is part of the game. It’s also a game where trash talking, good-natured teasing, taunting, etc, doesn’t need to be hurtful; at worst somewhat annoying or cringe, at best hilarious but harmless. So how does one know where to draw the line? Think about this: Would you feel comfortable with a young child witnessing (hearing and seeing) that kind of behavior? Would you be comfortable showing or talking about your behavior to a mentor or parent to prove your time in the game is well spent? Would you brag about this at work? Think about all the stupid stuff you did when you were younger and the painful lessons you learned. Do you really want “I roleplayed a sexual assault in a video game against another unwilling player” as a memory highlight? It's my hope that together, as a community, we can entreat CIG into having a more robust and streamlined method for reporting, so we can provide evidence that identifies the offending players. To be able to report players in an accessible fashion from a link to the current reporting provided in-game would be a plus. It's also my hope that all, or at least more of, the good players out there (especially streamers and YouTubers) promote (or continue to promote) a positive community atmosphere by speaking out against toxic behavior, inside AND outside their own communities and orgs. And anyone in an org with members who behave like this are continuing to let them know that kind of behavior is out of line. Thankfully, not all players are so noxious. Indeed most of them are good, and in some cases, there are players out there who go out of their way to creatively enrich the experience of other players, even when engaging in the more criminal aspects of the game. One recent example, we ran into a player lurking in GH, acting shady, inviting you to his ship to travel beyond the safe limits of the armistice zone with the dubious promise of access to powerful weapons… and yet he delivers and follows through, expertly roleplaying a believable arms smuggler. I’ve also observed players engaging in piracy. These are heartless, ruthless, violent scumbags, but not toxic, committing crimes well within the rules of play without violating Rules of Conduct. Play the game well, be a good sport, and remember there is a human being on the other side of the screen.