Knights Reborn

It would seem a few KR and visitors are getting a bit confused over acceptable chat on server.

I'll start by stating the point of the KR server - it’s to have fun and feel safe, fun & safe as in not upsetting people or causing anger, and to be able to leave the world's cares behind us. Therefore the law of KR is to protect this. Security guards use their words and weapons to prevent a theft from a shop. We are the shop, the admins are our guards, and our product (which can be stolen) is the fun and safety we provide for our visitors and for ourselves. And when I say fun it is fun with someone, not at the expense of someone.

Therefore the criminals in our world are the lamers, flamers and trolls. Those who attempt to deprive others of the service which cost us, but we are giving away for free.

Note this: KR server is not public, it is not owned by the community, and people do not have the right to be there just because they exist. We are not a public park, but a private shop - we can require the guests to observe certain behaviours while here. For instance, it is actually illegal to falsely shout "fire" or "bomb" in a shopping center. Like a shop we are privately owned but open to the public within our requirements, and thus can also remove surly visitors.

You won't find a set of laws on acceptable subject matters of speech. Now to factor in the purpose of the KR server (fun&safe), cursing and directly insulting is not tolerated in any capacity as they immediately compromise our purpose.

So what about politics, religion and other potentially contentious subjects? The touchstone is simple, the affect it has on the visitors. When arguments ensue, and pointed comments are made at other visitor’s intelligence or knowledge, the purpose of the server itself is under attack. We’ve all come here to play a game and have a laugh, and if that point is lost then something is wrong. There are some individuals who make it their purpose to push their own thoughts and beliefs, and purposefully intend to do so even as soon as they connect – if this continues even after multiple warnings, they are no longer welcome – regardless of the subject matter.

There are other, perhaps more obscure subjects, for instance health, drugs & alcohol which can be upsetting for members of certain ages (to my knowledge we have players from 8 to 60), and of people of certain environmental backgrounds and practices. Also note, endless spamming of binds (even admin binds) can be upsetting, especially when the person it’s being targeted at evidently is not reading them (try pm’ing them, or ampm if they are brand new and haven’t realised the chat is not part of the game!). So please be wary not to allow visitors to be unduly upset.

Get this fact embedded:: this is a game server, we protect fun like the security guard protects the shop’s products. And even if we are required to act, we haven’t unaccommodated anyone, we haven’t restricted their physical movements or choice of games to play, all we’ve done is close our doors of a private residence specifically on an uncompromising individual.

I'd also like to note here - "Freedom of Speech" does not apply when on server or on the forums, and thus does not give you the right to say anything you want. Freedom of Speech is a part of American law and therefore does not apply to online communities.

Welcome to the internet kids.

Falcon wrote:I'd also like to note here - "Freedom of Speech" does not apply when on server or on the forums, and thus does not give you the right to say anything you want. Freedom of Speech is a part of American law and therefore does not apply to online communities.

Welcome to the internet kids.

even if it was:

"Inflammatory words that are either injurious by themselves or might cause the hearer to immediately retaliate or breach the peace. Use of such words is not necessarily protected "free speech" under the First Amendment."

so this means we can get rid of halycon:)

Thank you Jaw for writing this. While it is a shame something as obvious as this needs to be said, it is nice to have a place to direct people for "clarification," so to speak.

Also, not to turn this into a Constitutional law discussion, but Fal is correct: as Americans, our right to free speech is protected under American law from restrictions by the government - meaning federal, state, and local governments, not by private citizens. As our server and forums are not public places (read not government run), the guarantee to free speech simply does not apply. And, as Gol pointed out, even if they were public places, all speech in public places are subject to reasonable time, place, manner restrictions, which would not prohibit us from telling people to "shut it" when they choose to insult, or even discuss a topic which has a negative effect on other people on the server or forums. All in all, pretty simple stuff.

This is my favorite, and I think most important part (and not because Jaw said so...it just logically is I think)

this is a game server, we protect fun like the security guard protects the shop’s products. And even if we are required to act, we haven’t unaccommodated anyone, we haven’t restricted their physical movements or choice of games to play, all we’ve done is close our doors of a private residence specifically on an uncompromising individual.

As for getting rid of anyone in particular, I don't think that is necessarily the way to look at it. I think many have known for quite some time, if their conduct or speech bothers people, they will be asked to stop, and if they refuse, "we will close our doors" on their "uncompromising" response to our request. In other words, think of it as kicking the belligerent drunk guy out of the party. If Hal wants to be "that guy," well, he knows what the consequences will be

Well Said my walrus fish friend.

The occult.

THAT was funny.

Falcon wrote:I'd also like to note here - "Freedom of Speech" does not apply when on server or on the forums

^^ Tenks <3

wrong, freedom of speech does apply here, the server is public, and everyone has the right to be there, the criminals R admins who abuse. this is america, not the net. it applies everywhere. backdown or chuckles come

I can hardly believe how can freedom of speech apply. Considering the server is public, if people come from around the world to join, which part of the world will see its laws imposed on the server? Does it depends on the server's location or not?

imo the server is separate from the world. The only rules that apply are the rules of the server and that of common sense.

nope, wrong, its not seperate. rules do not apply, freedom applies

Gruntilda wrote:nope, wrong, its not seperate. rules do not apply, freedom applies

Gruntilda wrote:wrong, freedom of speech does apply here, the server is public, and everyone has the right to be there, the criminals R admins who abuse. this is america, not the net. it applies everywhere. backdown or chuckles come

I understand that you would like this to be the case, but unfortunately, you are mistaken. Here is the basic and easy way for you to understand why: The First Amendment of the United States Constitution protects, among other things, freedom of expression from government interference or restriction. The reference to government applies to Federal, State, and Local governments. Therefore, if the government (whether it be Federal, State, or Local government) picked you out and told you to stop making uninformed, uneducated posts on forums, then there would certainly be a First Amendment issue, and your gripe legitimate.

KR admins, whether on this forum, or on our game server, are not the government. Rather, we are citizens just like you who have every right to tell you, for example, to not make insulting, or even uninformed, uneducated posts on our forum; or to not insult other players while on our game server. We could also, if we chose, simply delete your post and move on about our day. As we are private citizens, just like you, there is no First Amendment issue with us doing any of that. (I won't go into how the forum and server are, in fact, not public, but private, as I don't want to distract you from the more important part of this. But rest assured, it is not public.)

Thankfully, we are pretty tolerant of what we allow people to discuss on our forums and server. Where we draw the line is where insults or other items are discussed which take away from other people's enjoyment of the game.

I hope this clears that up. If you would like to read more about the United States Constitution, Cornell University Law School has some great public information available. Also, you could check out a couple of books by Lawrence Tribe or John Nowak, both of whom have written a couple of great treatises on Constitutional law.

Meh, Joshua is already well aware of the outcome of exercising his freedom

wrong, jawfin is well aware that wopr can shut things down over abuse

For instance, threats to the server are not acceptable as a topic of conversation.