No matter how “passionate” you might feel about a game, it’s never OK to directly abuse, harass, or threaten the people responsible for making games. That would seem like a golden rule, but regrettably some people need to be reminded that there are consequences for aggressive and abusive language and actions. One such reminder is being issued by Square Enix, which has published a new harassment policy that it will use to defend itself and members of its development group from unhinged fans.
The company specifies what it considers to be harassment, which runs the expected gamut of behaviors like sexual harassment, violence, stalking, trespassing on company offices, and infringement of privacy, among other things. Actions that can be taken against these gamers include an end to product support, bans for product or service access, and in the more egregious cases, direct legal action or criminal proceedings.
Many of those working for Square Enix on its games have been on the receiving end of plenty of vitriol: Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts series writer Kazushige Nojima expressed fear after receiving threats and insults from a fan, and Final Fantasy XIV actress Sena Bryer, a trans woman, faced transphobic hate messages and threats against herself and her family over her portrayal of Dawntrail NPC Wuk Lamat.
