unforum

[Ciaran_H]

Player contact details - how to get them?

[MageSteff]

Re: Player contact details - how to get them?

[Slyfox]

Re: Player contact details - how to get them?

[jamesi]

Re: Player contact details - how to get them?

[imbri]

Re: Player contact details - how to get them?

[aliendial]

I personally would take contacts based on external info as stalking. And possibly alarming if I wasn't sure who the PMs were (brand name and probably has insurance and lawyers or creepy grassroots guy?). I would hope/expect any PM group would try to avoid having that effect on people.

Whatever the legalities, the conservative and probably safest route would be to limit things to contacts based on players voluntarily providing contact info in the context of the game. The note above shows why a conservative approach should be used so PMs can avoid paying for legal research on the laws of 50 countries before launching a game. (Or avoid getting sued in 50 countries.) Even using this guideline "consent" is somewhat implied, because the solicitation of information often is dressed up as something else. I suspect there has been some balancing of the risks in deciding to follow this route. And probably there is more legalese tucked into the terms of service of some of the places where such solicitations are made than perhaps happened in early games.

I have to say the one experience that may never be reproduced was in the Beast when our nicks showed up on the special movie poster. That was SO cool. Of course we had provided contact info in the game (I think we joined the anti-AI group or something so we could see what they were saying, and had to provide contact info to get access to their site). We just had no expectation that it would come back to us. But the rush of that experience may be hard to achieve again, because now it's been done.

So the challenge, Ciaran, is finding a way to make that experience new again (and I know Elan Lee thinks about that a lot, because he wants your toaster to be in-game), while keeping the lawyers moderately happy and not scaring the players away. No sweat.

[Ciaran_H]

Please, allow me to trout myself on this one.



This thread seems to discuss almost exactly the same thing as what I'm asking here. I'm not entirely sure how I missed it, especially as it was so recent.

Some very interesting opinions expressed in both threads, though. Don't take this to mean that this thread is closed, because I'm still interested in hearing any new thoughts. But I really should look harder next time.

[SirQuady]

Well, i really like what 42 did with Last Call Poker. When you signed up, it gave you a opportunity to give them you're phone number "If you wanted to recieve a call from a dying man"

As well, i think that what 42 did at the start of ilovebees was an awesome and correct way to use people's personal info. I think that there should be a way for people to put up that info If they wish it. Like on the company's site that makes ARGs (like 42, or Mind Candy, etc.) and you can sign up to say like "Send me all ARG related stuff" or "Send only to my phone" or "Send only to my address" or "Send only to my email". Now it'd be a little harder, but perhaps you could do a "Send only tasteful ARG related stuff" or a "Send ALL ARG related stuff" too, but you'd have to really trust the company, and there'd HAVE to be a way to unsubscribe too. Hmm.