Complaint Review: NationStates - Internet

One thing that stands out is the company yelling that I am right I am right. Its been my experience that when a company acts this way it usually does have something to hide. I have been a player since 2003 too and it's a known fact on NS that there is a group of bullying players with full support of bullying moderators. We all know this.

Everything stated by the critiques above is absolutely true. Max can claim otherwise but in reality Max seems more concerned about saying we are right we are right than actually providing any type of customer service. Also, if you are right why don't you or the moderators ever answer the players request to point out where this resubmission ois that YOU keep calling illegal? One of the moderators say, finally that the player did not resubmit anything. Your players are customers. You make money off the advertising on your site and you get that money because of us.

You need to fix the problem not join the bullies. Here are some links to others on your forums that also see your moderators and a group of ignorant players as cyber-bullies:

http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=24970&start=0 (Shows  a mod flaming by calling a player a goddamn liar)

http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=26833

http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=14667&start=0

The fact is I didn't resubmit any proposal and instead agreed to make modifications. Instead of waiting for those modifications I was attacked again and again for doing something illegal. After a while you certainly get fed up with people ignoring reality and telling you you are doing something you know you are not.

Everyone be warned that Nationstates has now deleted my account even though I haven't logged on in several days. Just as well I was never going to use it again but I think it shows the companies nature that they would retaliate against a consumer because they decide to file a complaint on a site like Rip Off Report.

One could only imagine what they would do if you went to the better business bureau. Be forewarned that if you visit the nationstates site you will be spammed, harassed and cyberbullied. Seeking help from moderation is an absolute waste of time as they only support their cronies.

Hi,

Like I said Max, I used your game when it was on Jolt. I even played that mess of aversion 2. I looked at his post and I clearly see there was no resubmission of anything. Yet, you now join the lying that hes resubmitting an illegal motion? That's flaming and baiting right there.

I have to ask why you wouldn't just fess up that your moderators screwed this whole situation up. Which they did. Had they just acknowledged that there was no resubmission I think the whole thing would of died. Instead here you are.

It isn't the first time they have behaved this way neither. Go look at your forums Max. It is clearly allowed to bully people on your game. There is spamming, baiting, flaming and the people doing it the most are not getting in trouble for it.

 I don't use your game for the exact same reason because your moderators don't know how to be impartial. I have previously used your game since before 2. What does that tell you?

Firstly, the game, NationStates, is a free game.  The forums are an added bonus.

The folks who play and participate for the most part realise that it is just a game.  It is there for us to have fun.  Of course, on the other side of the coin, there are those who take it seriously, much too seriously.  They are the folks who tend to forget it is just a game.  A free web-based game.

Secondly, the Moderators are volunteers.  They are also tragically human, and 'tis human to err.  They do the best they can.  Not everyone agrees with their decisions, but it is better than what we used to have, which was a forum with no mods and folks who posted any and everything that is available through a quick search; everything from goatse and tub girl to inflammatory remarks which are directed at single or multiple users.

In the end, no two comments are the same; no two players are the same.  Everyone is regarded as an individual and they are judged on their actions and not the actions of others.

The Mods can't be everywhere at once, and they have said this.  This is why players are encouraged to report potential rule violations.  Not all reports result in action being taken.

Thirdly, the rules apply equally to everyone.  No one is above the rules.  Moderators have been stripped of their status in the past for various indiscretions.

I have been a player on that site since the beginning of 2003 and I have not always agreed with the Moderators.  They have given plenty of users a second and in some cases a third and fourth chance.  The ones who didn't get a second chance were those who decided to take their anger out on the general forum over the mildest of warnings.

Hello,

I'm sorry this user had a bad experience on our site, but it is quite untrue to say we condone cyber-bullying. NationStates has an unusually strict policy against flaming and personal attacks, which is necessary to moderate sometimes heated debate over political issues.

In this case, even the screenshots posted here show the reporter in quite a bad temper while refusing attempts to educate him/her as to what constitues a "legal" game proposal. Unfortunately he/she refused to accept the proposal rules--which are complicated, admittedly--and grew upset as his/her re-submissions were rejected.

We have an open appeals process, a specific Moderation forum for discussing grievances, and to be honest I think our (volunteer) moderators do an excellent job attempting to arbitrate complex and sometimes very passionate debates. They cannot please everybody all the time, but that alas is the nature of moderation.

I might also point out that NationStates is a completely free game, so it's misleading to suggest anyone got ripped off. This person paid us nothing. He/she played our game, didn't like the rules, rebuffed attempts to educate him/her, and took his/her grievance here.

I think we have a great game and forum. We moderate it to ensure that discussion stays on-topic, and absolutely do not allow cyberbullying.

Max.

I signed up for this game and have since quit. I quit because of what these moderators allowed certain players to do to me in this thread:

http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=26412

I told these players to stop again and again and they just kept on going finally I just gave up. The moderators knew about this too and whats worst they took messages out of the stores of one of their friends that was spamming and bullying me that were not even as cruel as the ones they refused to take out of mine. So I think the are right that the moderators allow this.

They allow cyber bullying which no respectable game would and ought to post it in big letters on their site so people looking for fun don't have to be bothered. The people posting supporting this are no doubt  moderators and company employees or the same rude players that are making the community sickening for everyone else.

It's just a game dude!  If you don't like it, erase it from your bookmarks and move on.  Life's too short to get all tense over silly stuff like this.

Find one you like or - god forbid- read a book.

I have used nationstates since it was on the Jolt forums. The moderation team has progressively gotten worst. The moderators allow their members and their pet players to conduct themselves any type of way while harassing people that aren't in the "in" group.

I got so sick of them I left the game. Max Barry really needs to do something about the rude and ignorant people running his game today. Sooner or later his entire community is going to fall apart because more and more players are just fed up.

They allow people to spam storefronts because they don't like someones product

They allow flame baiting and spamming but when a person responds to the other persons behavior the mods side with the "in group" all the time. There is no impartiality. Looking at the links I can see the complainant is telling the truth and the moderation team ignored that.

Not only do they ignore his complaint that hes not doing anything illegal but they keep throwing it in his face that hes doing something illegal. Boy, I am glad I left that site.

We invite all those interested in seeing what *actually* happened to read the four threads this disgruntled user started.

The thread that started it all:  Draft --Sanctions on Condemned Nations http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=26883

His first thread in Moderation:  I am Not Going for Lack of Impartial Mods
http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=27186

His Second Thread in Moderation:
Whatever I will not cease a thing until I get satisfaction. http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=27298

His final thread, entitled: Good Riddance
http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=27299

The original report bears little resemblance to reality.