ladyicarus

For those of you who are suggesting I'm asking for special treatment, you're sadly mistaken. Rape threats whether it's be towards men or women are completely inappropriate and should not be tolerated at all. I'm asking for new rules to be implemented to protect both sexes from sexual harassment, not just the women. Your comments suggesting I'm being favored because I have tits are completely inappropriate and you should be ashamed of yourselves for carrying on about in such a manner. Like I said previously, I am not trying to get every perpetrator banned, but trying to implement new rules that protect ALL citizens from these types of sexual and crude offenses. The only reason I'm throwing my gender around is because I have to face this type of harassment daily, and after two weeks of playing on a day-to-day basis, I'm sick of it. You're all telling me to shrug it off, and move on. Boys will be boys and whatnot, but imagine if you were in my situation. What would you do? Try to be a little empathetic ffs.

And for those of you suggesting I am being harassed because of my play style, no, I'm afraid not. The instances I documented for you lovely folks were ones in which I was sought out just because I'm female. The misogyny is real.

 

I've been playing video games for a few years now and harassment is just something that comes along with it. I have been told very vulgar things before and you just have to learn to deal with it. Yeah it might sound harsh but it's the truth. The way I would suggest doing it is by ignoring them, killing them, or for extreme circumstances taking a screenshot and/or recording and then submitting it. The sort of guys that do this are just wanting a reaction out of you.

 

 

Any treatment outside of game such as in teamspeak like Shelby was speaking about I am not afraid to be vocal about my discomfort. Don't be afraid to stand up for yourself. Be a strong independent black woman. Don't take shit from anyone. If something makes you feel uncomfortable then say it. How else will they know. 

Basically what I'm trying to say that you need to learn to have a thick skin and not let shit people say get to you and stand up for yourself. Don't depend on others to solve your own problems. I know this might sound harsh but that is how it is.

 

 

And the fact that some people commenting on this post are not taking it as seriously as they should is sad. It is honestly quite disrespectful to make such remarks.  It gives me the impression that the opinions and feelings of Lady, Queen, and Shelby obviously do not matter that much since y'all are so quick to make jokes about it. For her to have to post this onto the forums must mean that this really does bother her, and people are trying to make jokes about it. Shelby even mentions that whenever she steps up and does say that was is going on is unacceptable that she gets laughed at and that is exactly what some people are doing on this post. 

 

I've been playing games online for as long as I can remember, and for the most part I do end up shrugging it off and moving on with my day. I expect differently from Olympus because it is a RPG server, and there are already rules in place to protect people from certain aspects, so why not include sexual harassment/abusive behavior? I wouldn't reach out to express my discomfort with the male community in CS:GO (which I play regularly), but I definitely feel Olympus is different than any online gaming community I've encountered. Hence why I love it so much, and have gone as far as to contribute to the server both personally and financially. If my assumptions about this server are misplaced or wrong, then I apologize and I obviously do not belong here.

Aside from that, I wholeheartedly agree with everything you've said.

This would actually be helpful.

 

 

 

When I was present for the harrassment that Queen and Icarus received, the guy involved was only getting tickets. Eventually sent him to jail for NLR when someone killed him for it and he respawned, but I don't see it as ideal that the ladies have to deal with being harrassed 3 times before the guy could be sent to jail for it.

 

 

 

That being said, a rule like that is generally pretty subjective, and with APD being so diverse I'm sure there are discrepencies between different officers on what is and isn't harrassment. The Seniors will probably have to get with all the corporals and explain to them what does and doesn't constitute harrasment and have it passed down the chain.

 

 

 

To reply to Icarus, the Admins can't be everywhere at once. I also really despise how women are treated unfairly in online gaming. Even though it's inconvenient, the admins' stance on people recording and reporting is the best approach from an administrator's standpoint. They need proof. Even if rules are written, you'd still require a patrol officer to be present with you every time you get harassed and that's not feasible all the time, nor is it always going to be what someone wants to be tasked with when they come on cop to have a good time.

 

I would suggest running with a gang where you can find that kind of comradarie and find companions who'll just kill people for stuff like that.

 

 

 

There's plenty of them around, I know my own gang MC has plenty of members who'll just kill people in-game for stuff like that. It seemed like DB went to bat for you and Queen as well, so maybe they'd be a good choice too.

 

Rules are great and all, but having companions and friends who'll take care of business within the game is a much quicker, more efficient method. When I don't like people I usually take the approach of punishing them in-game by hunting them or just generally making things difficult for them. Sometimes it's a much quicker method of dealing with assholes.

 

Playing with friends that'll defend you from this in-game is probably your best bet here to minimize the harrasment. People can be banned but there will always be assholes that show up later.

I'm incredibly fortunate to have joined DB within the first few days I started playing on Olympus, and am forever grateful for them taking me in and helping me when I find myself in shitty situations. <3

While it is not a written rule persay we do ban players for being extremely vulgar to female or males. Now we aren't going to ban someone if they call you a bitch or a fag once but if it constantly happens then we will. We have also made it clear that some things simply are not allowed such as racial slurs, sexual comments such as rape, calling ppl sluts & cunts, ect. For people making these comments, get a screenshot, submit a ticket and they will most likely be permanently gone from our servers. We have very little tolerance for players who go to the extreme like this as it is just toxic. If you have video of it that is even better as it shows the whole situation.

 

Regarding APD, if a players if running around and being abusive they can issue them a ticket and if they continue to do it they can send em to jail for it.

 

No player that is whitelisted is allowed to make such comments. If they do and they are caught they will be removed from the role and most likely blacklisted.

I was wondering if you would consider implementing new rules to protect us female gamers. For instance, say someone threatens to rape me and the situation ends with them dead, and a manslaughter charge on my end - currently 50/50 ends with me having my gun license removed, as well as my weapons, and being issued a ticket. Situations like this hardly seem fair at all, yet I'm consistently dealing with them. It doesn't help that a lot of the new APD members don't actively respond to my text messages in effort to turn myself in or I somehow manage to find myself dealing with an officer who instead of role playing would rather restrain me, issue a ticket, and be on their merry way (I won't mention any names but this has happened more often than preferred). 

I will definitely be submitting tickets for the more harsher engagements I've encountered, but what of those that aren't? There are no rules in place (citizen nor APD) that protect me, or other female games. I know that APD can't take a citizen's word, but what about the situations in which they're present and like many have said, can only issue three verbal warnings before any action on their end can be done. Might I suggest restraining orders, bigger and/or more serious tickets for offenders, other alternatives that alloy the citizen to protect themselves and it be actually seen as self defense? I'd rather not have my only option be submitting video/screenshot evidence, and rather see something done about it in-game if possible. Not every situation I've encountered should end with the offender being banned, but I definitely feel like something should be done. Does this make sense? :/

Some people are just fucked up.  I have been called a "cunt", a "faggot", and an "ass hole that is a shitty medic".  All because I follow the rules and play the role as it was meant to be played.  I have also had players follow me around the map and break my helicopters and vehicles because I did not do what they wanted me to do.  Unfortunately, all of my issues have been coming from MC or those affiliated with MC...  Kinda pathetic really...     

That behavior is absolutely horrendous, and for your sake I hope something is being done about it.

Stepping up here to say that yeah, Gendered harassment is a huge issue on these servers but also on basically any gaming community. For instance, I've been playing CS:GO frequently over the past week and receiving death/rape threats, told I'm a 'bitch and a slut' as soon as I open my mouth and people hear my voice. It's everywhere, and sadly it's not an issue with just Olympus but an issue in gaming everywhere. For instance, a guy in Kavala yesterday went on a rant about how I was 'probably fat' because 'all girls who game are fat' - which is odd, considering thats not the case with all males, so why females? Females do have a prevalence in gaming, and probably would more so if gamers chilled the hell out. So not only is it an issue in Olympus, but in most other online communities based around gaming. (Since when did pressing buttons on a keyboard or controller get stereotyped to be masculine anyway?)

 

Most of the time though, older males (say.. 17+) tend to be a lot more kind/respectful then your regular run of the mill 12-14 year olds. I think it's also a maturity thing.

One thing in gaming communities that does bother me is people specifically stating to females they 'deserve to be raped' or 'will be raped' and variations thereupon. 1 out of every 6 women in america have at some point/will at some point be a victim of sexual violence. Saying things like that to women perpetuates that treating women like that is 'okay' and thus perpetuating threats and sexual assault jokes adds to the likelihood of more instances of sexual assault happening. Interestingly enough, from a psychological stand point, is that all men who have committed acts of sexual assault believe that most other men have also and are great at hiding it. 

 

Tl;dr by joking about it/threatening it, you're causing it to appear accepted and welcomed in society, thus perpetuating the likelihood of the crime and contributing to a very real problem.

It is something that does personally upset/distress me, although I've rarely spoken up about it, this also happens in casual conversations with senior R&R and community members (RE: 'Kavala rape cave' what the hell is wrong with people? Y'all wonder why I awkwardly leave the channel on TS or go very quiet for a while when its brought up..)

 

However carrying a gun and killing people in self defense if they're saying this in game is handy. I'd just like to see these self defense killings pardoned when correctly role played by the people involved. In some instances, they aren't.

And people wonder why, as a medic, I deny service to people so often. I don't enjoy denying service, but I do it when people are being particularly rude/disgusting, which.. is sadly quite frequently. Those who have rolled with me in game (as in, other R&R, my boyfriend and friends of mine) know just how much crap I cop some days and how bad it is. And I know it's not just directed to me, it's not just personal - because it extends to other lady players like Queen, Lady Icarus and others.

However.. on the bright side, I have reported and had someone banned for it previously, which is always a great option. Screenshots for text abuse, videos for verbal, etc. All good. Submit those tickets. And on another bright side, thank you to the people who have been really kind and have stood up for me when getting some nasty abuse. 

Like I said earlier, I'm aware that this is in fact the internet, and situations like this are bound to happen but I do want to add this:

I'm not playing CS:GO, CoD, LoL, etc. I'm playing Atlis Life RPG, heavy on the RPG. Whether or not it is your initial intention, if you condone this type of crude behavior you are essentially saying that this type of behavior is acceptable in real life. Especially taking into consideration the younger audience playing these games. I remember being a impressionable 13 year old on the internet, and I also remember being exposed to sexual materials, among other things, that ended up shaping me into the person I am today. Are these the kind of messages we want to send to the younger generation? That it's okay to sexually harass and threaten to rape women? Online or not, we're role models for the younger folks on Olympus.

  Pinkstreak faced the same disrespect and hatred. I am not inoccent of being rude or disrespectfully to certain olympus women. I deeply regret the decision. Screenshot the msg'es next time and Hades will whip out the Orbital Ban Cannon on em'. Im sorry for your troubles. If i see anyone personally disrespecting you or any women ill dome em. If im on Cop ill charge them with verbal insults and send them straight to jail for harresment (as PO allowed to send to jail for blatant server rule breaking, obsesive harrasment seems like blatant rule breaking, if you object as senior APD let me know) .Sorry this happened to you.

Thank you man, I genuinely appreciate it. I have several videos over the last few days to go through, and then I'll definitely be sending in evidence against those I've accused.

The problem with claims like this is they have no grounds for punishment if you can't provide proof of the incidents. I could sit here and say you called be a fuck boy but unless I have proof nothing can be done. What I would suggest is recording the situations and sending them in via a ticket for harassment. I can tell you right now they won't be the first players banned for it. 

 

Now real quick I'm going to tell you that as a police officer the only thing I can really do for you when someone is following you around is to speak with them and see if I can get them to stop. Technically we can't force a player to do anything and we technically have no right to tell someone where and when they can walk. If you end up killing them over it technically it's not self defense so an officer can't pardon you. What I will suggest tho is if someone says they are going to rape you tell them you are armed and if they don't leave you will kill them. If they continue to threaten you, kill them and tell the officer you feared for your life as the man/women aggressively said he/she was going to rape you.  

 

Hopefully this can turn around for you and I know it's not fun playing when a bunch of children are acting out. Just remember it's the internet and your not the only one who deals with it. 

I'm not making claims, I'm stating facts. I have been around different officers during different encounters, whilst being harassed and in return nothing being done about it - not even a verbal warning. I find it absolutely appalling that the ONLY way for action to be taken is for me to record and submit every interaction like this I have. Which to be frank - I do not have the time, nor energy to do such a thing. I would like to see new rules implement to protect me, (and those in the very same situation as me) from such harassment. I very well understand that this is the internet and situations like this are bound to happen, BUT when it's an issue that we face on a day-to-day basis, how can nothing be done about it?

Can you forward any proof you have to Odin or Theseus as it pertains to the harassment you received from Drew.  This behavior is not acceptable, and does not conform with R&R standards.  He will likely be removed from R&R for exhibiting such behavior while on duty.  Could you verify the name because I cannot find anyone with that name on the roster.  

His name is DREW in all caps, is this sufficient evidence? He wasn't using a mic throughout my entire interaction with him, but rather typing nasty comments in chat.

Something has to change.

I'm tired of being singled out and sexually harassed on a day-to-day basis, and I can assure you that I'm not the only one. It's no secret that the Olympus servers are primarily a sausage fest, same being said in general for any online gaming community, but that is no excuse to allow the female minority to be harassed and abused consistently, without any repercussions for the perpetrators. 

I can assure you that no man, nor pre-pubescent boy would get away with walking up to me and forcefully thrusting his genitals in my face in real life, so why is this behavior acceptable in game? Why aren't any efforts being made to stop this crude behavior?

Just to give you a liiitle insight to what I have to deal with on a regular, here are some lovely memories I've had the pleasure of enduring while on Olympus.

Earlier this evening Medic DREW (while on duty) called me a bitch because I shot him in the foot when another gang and I were roleplaying with him, waiting for the server to restart. After server restart he got back on as a civ and continued to harass me, typing in side chat that I "needed to get some dick." I cannot fathom why someone like that would even be allowed to be a medic in the first place. Might I add there were also two officers on at the time who refused to even issue him a verbal warning, let alone do anything about his horrendous behavior.

Another time I was hanging out in Kavala, a group of 5 boys come up to be and decide it'd be just hiiilarious to follow me around for over 10 minutes, spamming their mics with "girl, girl, girl" WHILE two police officers stood by watching it happen, and refusing to assist me at all (not even giving them a verbal warning, just a casual "leave the poor girl alone"). You know what ended up happening? I ended up shooting three of them (the others ran off), after asking them several times to please leave me alone and letting them know I'd rather not hurt them. This ended up with my weapon seized later when I turned myself into the police, as well as having my gun license removed. Doesn't seem to fair, eh? <---different situation.

And last, but not least, there is the fond memory I have of two guys walking up to me in Kavala while I'm crouched and  insisted on thrusting their genitals in my face and then laughing at me when I ask them to please stop. They continued to harass both myself and Queen until we had enough of their shit and ended up shooting them. Shoutout to McDili for being a champ and helping me and Queen out with those manslaughter charges, you da man.

Oh yeaaah, there is also the time where some dude threatened to rape me...in front of an officer, who, SURPRISE, did nothing but tell them to stop.

If that isn't enough, myself and the other females who play on the servers are consistently being called a "bitch," "cunt," "whore," "slut," among other things, while nothing is being done.

Is this the type of behavior you condone? Why is nothing being done despite my (and others) persistence to seek help time after time?