I don’t think there are many that would ignore the fact that people do band together to report others. That reality is not lost on us. However, we have worked to build up the various reporting systems over the years to help account for that. In the interest of preventing folks from gaming how it works I cannot really say more.
If someone was squelched or even suspended in error, submit an appeal.
For transparency, that isn’t to say we don’t have automation involved to a degree and wouldn’t want more. Game Master’s can’t be everywhere, especially when it gets busy with a new launch or big patch, so we want to leverage the advancements in technology that are around to help address inappropriate and toxic behavior in-game. For example, we discussed machine learning a few years back which was being used to help reduce toxicity in Overwatch and Heroes of the Storm.
We’re obviously not at a place where such technology can take over, but it is likely to play a big part in the future as that technology improves. What we have already is being leveraged to help in the process. For example, these forums use technology to recognize and detect inappropriate and toxic language, both clear and masked, by highlighting the language and problematic text, which help our moderation staff when looking into forum reports.
Perhaps I missed it, I hadn’t seen anyone say that except for you.
To your point, we are aware of how folks use the reporting system and we do what we can to mitigate the bad actors involved. It isn’t perfect and Game Masters make mistakes, but we do what we can to correct those along the way.
If you have feedback on how you believe the current reporting system and those warning messages impact you, I’d recommend submitting feedback through the “Submit a Suggestion” option through the in-game window.
I believe this discussion is starting to go around in circles so I’m going to end it here. Thanks, all.