I’ve played world of warcraft since Feb 05. I have ran many guilds and been officer in more guilds than not. I contribute to every guild whether it be in helping others improve, donate mats for raids, and even help people run people through dungeons to get the gear needed to move the guild forward in raid progress.
I have done all this stuff for many years. It’s the core of my character as a player in this game. Unfortunately now I have to sign some social contract saying that I will do what I have always done in order to even the play the game now. I refuse.
To me this social contract is blizzard wagging their finger at me saying that I must promise to be on my best behavior as if my behavior is in question. It’s even more of an insult to me that a company that in recent light has not been on their best behavior who then is giving me some thing I have to sign as if they have some sort of higher moral ground.
The biggest slap in the face is that if I don’t click agree I cannot play the game that I have paid a membership for many years for. A game that I have bought every expansion for. A game that I have supported for many years. Essentially blackmailing me into accepting some sort of contract that is preaching to me as if I am some scum player who needs to promise to be on his best behavior or I cannot access a game that I paid my hard earned money into over the years.
Blizzard wants me to sign this agreement even though I had already accepted the EULA in order to play the game. Fine then, I wont pay another cent towards world of warcraft until this social contract nonsense is no longer a must in order to play the game.
I planned on checking every once and a while to see if this agreement was still in the game, but I have to actually pay in order to access the game in order to see if the agreement is still there. Therein lies my problem. I will not pay a dime towards this game if I have to accept this agreement, but I can’t see if the agreement is still in game unless I pay money to the game. I am not going to pay a subscription that when I log into game makes me sign an agreement or boots me off if I don’t accept.
So I call upon blizzard to do one of two things. Either eliminate the agreement for the social contract in order to play the game or to simply move the agreement to the log in screen before it tells me I have to subscribed in order to play the game.
I would like to play the game, but not on the terms that I am framed as some toxic player who has to sign an agreement in order to behave.
Yes its still mandatory and will be for the forseeable future I still dont get how people are still bent outa shape from this this exactly whats stated in the EULA that most players skip reading just put front and center.
Normaly id say post in general or ingame suggestion feature but id say the odds of that changing are on the extremly low side.
Thanks for the info, but it would still be great if there was some other way to find out other than taking it to the forums. This is the last thing I wanted to do but I have no other way of finding out really.
For the Retail game you can still log in and play any character level 20 or below without being subbed. If you haven’t already accepted the Social Contract, then it will be there waiting for you.
It’s not going anywhere. It’s literally in the EULA you’ve already agreed to, and has been since the game originally launched 18 years ago. Literally nothing has changed. The social contract is nothing more than a reminder of what you’ve already accepted.
Incidentally, you are also required to agree to the EULA in order to play. Why is the social contract any different?
It never fails to surprise me how upset some folks get when asked to behave like decent, reasonable, nice people. It’s sad to me, honestly. Like, it’s something I’ve done all my life without being asked. If asked it would be an “OK” without a thought.
It’s an insight as to how drastically different people can be inside of their heads.
What’s even sadder is that these folks aren’t bright enough realize they’ve been agreeing to the exact same terms in the EULA since they started playing. Because it’s been brought to the forefront and made more visible in the form of the Social Contract, all of a sudden they have a problem.
It is the EULA, its just giving you a prompt as policy wise Blizz is going back to harsher punishments for people who can’t play nice. Dont blame blizz, the players asked for them to do more about people being numpties. Blame the people who cant play a video game without calling people names and acting like fools.
But if you want to stop playing about agreeing to the fact you read and understand the rules, then your already looking for a reason to not play the game. Kinda silly hill to make a stand on.
What stumps me is that OP was clear that his in-game conduct is well within the bounds of the rules. He is playing exactly as Blizzard would like us all to play. He has agreed to the EULA and before that the Terms of Use, and has by all accounts abided by that agreement.
But now that he’s being reminded of the social aspects of that agreement, suddenly Blizzard has saddled up their moral high horse and he is chafing under the weight of that self-righteous yoke.
Not really. You are agreeing to the Terms of Use/Code of Conduct, as you always have (since you first started playing in 2005). The rest of it, or really, the first part of the social contract is just encouraging people to be good to each other. If you already do that anyway, then it really isn’t directed towards you.
I hope you can understand that a company consists of a lot of different people. That, after such events, perhaps there have been a great many changes that may have happened and that those of us who are here, as well as those who may have joined more recently, may have a bit better standing then you seem to be painting everyone with… Just a thought.
I can’t speak for the first part of the social contract, though I doubt it is going anywhere anytime soon. Not sure how it is a bad thing to remind folks that we are better as a community when we are good to one another. The second part has been part of what every single player has agreed to in one form or another since 2004, and that isn’t going away.
You aren’t framed as a toxic person, you really should only take it personally if you were. Otherwise, the first section really isn’t about you, but the Code of Conduct will always require you to agree to it. We change wording now and then and it always needs updated for you to continue playing.
If you would like to play the game, play the game. If a general statement reminding people to be good to one another, along with the same renewed agreement of the Code of Conduct is a deal breaker, I’m not sure what to tell you. I wish you well in wherever your gaming takes you.
