unforum

[strifey]

[META] In-game/Out-of-Game Connections

[Freelance]

Well, there's a fine line between investigation and harrassment...

Usually, harrassment constitutes persistant unwelcome calling/contacting, and it can be countered by legal action.

However, one person calling a phone number to ask a question for a game, that doesn't seem too distasteful to me...

What I think should happen, if these phone numbers ARE contacted, is we should first hide the numbers from the mass of people playing this game, and then elect ONE PERSON who's a good speaker, polite, and can concisely ask the person on the other end the appropriate questions, telling them only what they need to know, and definitely not enough to freak them out... Maybe something like "I'm trying to get in touch with Dana Awbrey, are you by any chance related to her?" As long as only one person calls, once, and it's not in the middle of dinner, I don't see what's so wrong with it. A "Please" and "Thank you" go a long way, and I doubt a 30 second phone call is really going to disturb an out-of-game person that much.

However, whether this forum has enough willpower to allow for only one person to call... that's an entirely different question.

Just my opinion. I'm not calling, I don't have the money for long distance bills.

[rose]

let's think about this

[strifey]

Thanks rose, I couldn't put it any more eloquently myself.

Real people getting caught up in In-Game situations just isn't fair. Check out the kids blog that was linked in the funstuff.html hyperlink puzzle. He was very unhappy about all the e-mails he was getting about in-game stuff and deleted the post that was linked to try to protect himself from it. I think the PM's though the blog was dead, but over-active hunters trying not to miss any "loose-ends" found his e-mail address and started e-mailing him. It wasn't fair to him to recieve the e-mails, and feel forced to delete his own material, whether or not you think its innocent or fair detective work.

Its a very slippery slope, and some people go a little bit crazy with these games. Phone numbers are just the start. I wouldn't be surprised if someone volunteered to go over to these peoples houses to "be a good detective". Its going entirely too far, and has a chance to really ruin the game for everyone. Don't do it.

Rule to live by:
If its meant to be in game, the PM will let you know its in game. If the PM's hint at it in-game, its fair game.

[catherwood]

[alaranth]

A little "do unto others" can be thought of here too -- would /you/ really want ten million people calling you up because they think you might be related to the game they're playing?

Yes, it is a game. And yes, so far it's mainly been played out over the Internet. But remember that there are real people behind the screen or the phone.