The question is how to exactly make the policy fair, though. Simply stating "Unmarked and unnecessary spoilers will result in a suspension or permanent ban", but how do we judge at what degree constitutes a permanent ban? Spoiling the ending of ME3 is severe, obviously, but what of minor events?
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If they're a well-loved character, pretty much saying anything that happens to them should constitute as major. Same for important locations.
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That could be a bit harsh, especially since it's not that hard to incidentally spoil something without realizing it. I can't tell you how many times I've spoiled a SC2 tournament by saying something I didn't realize could be seen as a spoiler.
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The TV series caused a lot of revived interest, so I think the entire series should be considered off-grounds for spoilers.
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Well, its the same issue with LOTR when the movies came out. The books been out for a long long time. I'd say if it spoilt those who haven't read them, then tough luck. You've had more than ample opportunity. It is also probably not a good idea to engage in social activities if you don't want to be spoiled.
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Sorry, my bad, I'll stick to the conventional hardback numbering. No spoiling: The Winds of Winter cause its not out, and probably have to say no to Dance with Dragons as well. But I'd say anything up to Feast for Crows is game since that was released in 2005.
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I'm sorry, but no. Just that a video game has been out for however long doesn't justify the unnecessary spoiler. If the thread was SPOILER: Game of Thrones Discussion, that's perfectly fine. But if you're in chat with 40 other people that aren't where you are and haven't read the books, there just isn't an excuse for that behavior. It's pretty dicks, honestly.
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Wait, so isn't what we are talking about a spoiler discussion thread? You are talking about a chat, then of course not. I'm confused now...
EDIT: anyway, what you are saying is that ppl aren't allowed to spoil mario? Personally, I am not affected by spoilers at all. I enjoy the game/movie/books for what they are worth. I don't really get an emotional attachment to how things end and it doesnt affect my entertainment value.
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Spoiling in a chatroom is worse than in a thread, because you can skip through the threads, but not so much in a chatroom situation. So, it would be a definate no in a chat.
With regards to the threads, the best way is SPOILER threads are allowed when marked clearly and no spoilers in other threads. This seems to be the best compromise as ppl who cant stand to be spoiled can not enter those threads.
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Spoilers should only be allowed if it's indicated in the thread topic, and then you're allowed to spoil anything you want for all I care - I can just stay out. Otherwise spoilers of any kind shouldn't be allowed. You're right, though, when is a spoiler a spoiler? Afraid I can't help you on that right now :p
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Fake spoilers are, unless blatantly stupid and unfitting for that game, should be punished as though they were real. Personally, I'd make a time limit for spoilers. Say, for anything older than five years, you're allowed to spoil whatever you'd like. That's just my personal opinion though, that, if I didn't get it in that time, it's kind of my own damn fault. I can understand why others would disagree with this though.
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I agree with two years too. If you care about a game so much but haven't played it even after two years the like jade says its your own fault. As for money, if you're well off enough to own a computer and have internet access, however low end, two years should be more than enough to collect money for it.
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Even with things older than five years spoilers should be marked. Especially concerning movies and books, but also games imho. For example I always planed on playing FF7, since I missed it out back then, but after being spoiled about one major spoiler part of the interest is gone.
After all it's not that big a deal to mark a spoiler.
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I don't agree with that at all. Games, movies, series and books should be timeless, why can't anyone enjoy them now just as much as others some years ago? There is no way you can play/watch/read everything you are interested in and using spoiler tags/alerts is really not a big deal.
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If we do have a "spoiler policy", time since release will not have an affect on the punishment. My best interest is in protecting this community, and considering my own backlog, I understand people find it very difficult being able to stay current with all their hobbies.
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How could a spoiled person decide whether a spoiler is true or false without looking it up for himself? Ban them. Same punishment for everybody. Also you can mark your comment/thread as spoiler and this would be okay, i think. And games older then 2, maybe 3 years should be already played through, so these would be okay, too. Other things like films or TV series maybe longer, cause it take some time for the publishing in the whole world (Germany: min 2 years). My opinion.
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I think first we'd need to define what exactly is a spoiler, to what it applies, and after how long they become okay.
As far as definitions go, I'd say spoiling is the act of revealing an element relevant to a plot, or explaining the intent of the authors (as described by themselves), concerning any creation^.
This is very large. With that definition, one wouldn't even be able to describe a character. Fan-made theories about a game's ending would be safe though, although they'd have to exclude the usual "Do you remember when...".
I for one would say they're okay four years after the element has gone public. That way we're covered for 2008 games ;P
^ in this case, a creation is anything that exists, really. It can range from a game, a show, or even a song - those are human creations.
On the other hand, it can apply to natural phenomenons, such as the mechanism behind a hurricane or an earthquake.
Concerning fake spoilers, I'd say they should be treated like real ones unless it is blatant they're fake (you know, with the addition of XD LOL OH GAWD LOL).
I for one don't really mind spoilers though, I'm more interested in how it happens than what happens. Because when you tell me "Hey, this character dies!" I wanna be able to say "I knew it! It all pointed to that!".
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Excellent thoughts, DereckShiller. I agree with your definition of spoiling, but I have to disagree with being okay with "this character dies at the end". While the adventure leading up to that point could still be enjoyable, simply knowing his or her fate takes away any sort of guesswork or surprise.
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The greeks rejoiced in that fact though ^^
The whole point of their tragedies was to see how every character would die, because everyone knew that was gonna happen.
I forgot where I was going. Nowhere near "you want to be like the Ancient Greeks, don't you? All the cool kids do it."
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Thanks for the Portal 2 spoiler. I've suspended your account. I'm just done with spoilers. There is such a thing called patient gamers and it's very upsetting when they are finally able to play a game, it's spoiled before they're able to afford or have the time to play.
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How about only spoil when the discussion is relevant, as in the thread is "SPOILERS: Mass Effect 3 Ending Discussion"? If you drop the ending the Portal 2 like the guy above yourself did a moment ago, I don't care how long the game has been out. It deserves to be removed and result in a suspension.
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you can add a spoiler button and punish the people that don't use it ? seen it on forums before
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Pity you can't blank out the spoilers like you have in other forums with the famous SPOILER ALERT etc... written before it
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"Spoilers" rarely bother me. Like the famous Harry Potter spoiler years ago, it's not the event that matters, it's how and why, and everything leading up to it.
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Maybe, but if you get told X kills Y, you're going to be in anticipation of it, which ruins the fact that it came completely out of nowhere in the book.
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I was living up north and could not purchase a copy of Half-Blood Prince at the time. Major spoilers like that do bother me as it takes away all the emotion and gravity of the event. It robs you of your reaction as by the time you're given the chance to reach it for yourself, the moment was already used up long ago.
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It won't be surprising though. In the example you given, without saying specifics, it would have been a OMG moment if you hadn't known it was coming. Really adds a lot of excitement to the events, even if the events themselves aren't as important to the how and why.
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^This. I was going to say something similar. Honestly when someone reveals a spoiler to me it doesn't take away the fun from me playing a game or watching a movie because I play/watch it for the overall experience and the storyline/gameplay. The lead up to the end is just as important as the final result so when someone spoils the ending, it doesn't really bother me. Even if they spoil part of the lead up ehh.. It's the experience that counts + they won't be able to spoil everything for you.
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I also just assume people are lying. I can see where everyone is coming from though. It's not as powerful as it could have been.
With the exception of book 3 of A Song of Ice and Fire. Even reading those spoilers, I was NOT expecting it to go down like that.
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Anti-spoiler policies have a problem though. They make it VERY hard to discuss games and movies in any way or form beyond: "THIS OWNS" and "THIS SUCKS".
I had a conversation about Planescape Torment not 2 days ago where pretty much everything I said would have been considered major plotline spoilers. Enemies three and all that.
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This is why we've been resisting any sort of anti-spoiler policy. There are so many factors, it's almost impossible to police without coming off as brutally strict. We want to encourage discussion, not have members worry if this post would be crossing any sort of semi-established line.
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Simply no spoiler at all, at all times, no matter when the game is came out, unless thread is called like ACHTUNG SPOILERS OF [something] ARE INSIDE. Other way they are not acceptable. Even it's a fake, the one could never know and might think it's true, become upset and drop the game/book/show/whatever before even trying. Also, if someone asked for spoilers to be said, it always must be done in PM way or else others may read and kill themselves.
One thing wasn't mentioned here yet. Puzzle spoilers. While direct answers/hints are reason to be banned right away, other things never lead even to be warned. Like this: "Hmm, I tried to [details of process] and nothing came out", it may become a semi-hint for others. Also kinda sad to see someone says "here's a puzzle!" when it indeed is a puzzle, but looks like simple thread or just a trolling. I think SG should have strict policy against this as well.
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""Hmm, I tried to [details of process] and nothing came out", it may become a semi-hint for others."
On the other hand, I've had people who tried the right thing and failed, so if they say that, they could direct people down the wrong path.
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It has a point, but others may think like "yes! this is it! How went I didn't thought the same way? But this guy have made a mistake and I'm gonna solve the puzzle right".
My points is mostly about revealing all sorts of possible solutions, which is not healthy for any puzzle thread, be it the current one where the one is spoiling solve methods, the one was posted a time ago or the one not yet posted. It's all about puzzle makers who lose a lot of ways to hide the link, because everyone already know where to check right from the start, before even thinking for themselves.
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I think if it was obviously intentional as your two examples are Loko, then a perma ban is fine. However, I think it's quite easy to incidentally spoil something without realizing it. I had a friend who sent me a link with a picture of a character's face I hadn't seen yet (QQ) without even realizing they were spoiling it. I've also spoiled a few SC2 tournaments/matches for my friends by merely making some small comment about it, not realizing they'd be able to imply certain things. It's not something you're always consciously keeping in mind. I mean, I'm not talking about huge spoilers, those are pretty easy to catch.
I know jade mentioned about how old something is. I think this is also a fair point, especially related more to books/movies. There are quite a few iconic scenes (Star Wars was already mentioned, and one of the ones I had in mind) from movies that are so widely known that it seems generally accepted to talk about the 'spoilers' openly.
tl;dr If it's intentional I'm all for banning/suspending. For unintentional I'd err on the side of leniency.
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isn't there some unwritten rule about books/movie spoilers that after 10 years you can openly talk about it without calling it "spoilers" im all for your tldr though!
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Okay, community.
Thank you all for your thoughts. I very much so enjoyed this discussion and appreciate all of your input. I've reached a decision and hope it's a good compromise. We will not add an official "spoiler policy" into the FAQ and we will continue to deal with serious offenses on an individual basis. It is not in our best interest to create an atmosphere of fear around here causing members to worry about how far they can go with talking about a certain game. If it's on topic and people are giving proper tags, it shouldn't be a problem.
Please note that the three people that were banned spoiling the endings of games had no reason to post those spoilers, they weren't at all related to the comment they were replying and the spoilers were succinctly written in big, bold capital letters. I understand most of you probably thought I meant any spoiler, but that is not the case.
I'm afraid a policy that will actively punish users that spoil either major or minor events in any medium of entertainment could be seen as vague, which is why we've been resisting making this an official policy. What if a spoiler is fake? How do we judge what is seen as a permanent ban for a certain spoiler? I've had both LA Noire and Mass Effect 3 spoiled in the last two weeks. I don't care how long a game has been released, this is not at all appropriate behavior and can be very harmful.
Any thoughts?
Update: We will work on adding the spoiler tag in Markup, but please understand that the people that spoiled these two titles were clearly set to spoil the game for everyone, not to discuss these games. They claimed it was only a joke in their support ticket filed, so a Spoiler tag would not have prevented these spoilers as these members would not have used them.
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