Flag bombing...

Greetings. System wars has been a bit of extra fun recently with all the crackdown talk... Bets came back, and people are generally interested in what's happening with the current war.... I'm all for it.

What I'm not for is flag bombing people, and let me add that I am aware that many times flags that do come in are put on users who are causing a more aggressive stir in the community. I get it and I get that the flag button is being weaponized to silence posters...

Can't have it... The mod log that we get to see contains information of who is being flagged and by whom. I am going to recommend to my fellow mods that abusing the flag button by users for what we perceive to be "false flags" will result in moderation against you.

There is a fine line between enjoying the forum and allowing your brain to enter a world of crazy where you are posting too aggressively or using the system to attack other users and it's childish. Please continue the upbeat passionate banter, but for God sake, cut the rest of it out for a while.

*flag*....Why can’t we flag mods?

@SOedipus: you lack the secret codes....

Officer Garrus will arrest you for flag bombing. hehe :)

Blackballs and Boxrect deserve their flags though. They were getting abusive and calling people names. Isn’t that why the flag option exists?

@Sevenizz: Stop flagging people. Do you want everyone to flag you since you're a notorious ban dodger? No? Then stop.

@Sevenizz: absolutely use the flag system the way it was intended, please don't use it irresponsibly. I'm trying help the forum understand that innundating the mods with false flags won't be tolerated. There are people looking at your forum concerns.

In most cases, the best thing to do is simply don't engage the posters who are out to spew nonsense, whatever that means to you. Trolls have zero power when you ignore them... It also boils their blood.

Bottom line, after more than a decade on this site, the bad posters always end up banned... Use the site like normal and we'll discuss intervening with posters who fail to use the forum properly.

Sad

Finally! I've brought this issue up over and over again only to be met with "It's a conspiracy!" posts when they knew in fact it was happening. And it's coming almost exclusively from a certain faction of posters here. Don't flag just because you can't hold up your end in a argument about video games on a board called Console Wars. You're probably better off on a board dedicated to your platform of your choice with a hivemind.

@BenjaminBanklin: hive mind think... N4G forums. Bleh.

"System Wars"

@cainetao11: Whatever

Look, I only Flag spammers/advertisers only! If there's one thing I fucking hate the most, is a damn Spammer! I don't care if it's an older member I may get along, if I find a spammer linking on a product trying to make a buck, you can bet I will hit that Flag button in a heartbeat!

Make the flag info public. Problem solved! (Not really but things would be quite entertaining)

Can't be as worst as ResetERA that chaz supports. Dog piling people with wrong think and abusive moderators that can do whatever they want and not follow their own rules all because of wrong-think.

Seconded. It makes work for us, and we hate work.

I was flagged to death but now I'm back.

Same here, someone is definitely trolling and abusing the flag button.

Me three but I’m back baby!

But blackballs deserved the flagging he got on Lundy's thread.

Blackballs wont be joining us anytime soon... He went ahead and ruined his own bet.... Some people just want to watch the world burn.

@davillain-: I don't think the spammers took too kindly to your post :(

Same here. I make it a point to not flag people Im arguing with. I'd rather get into a throw down, cursing insult argument then flag them.

I had 0 karma this morning LOL but 16 by tonight

Its obviously to do with the bet on Crackdown 3. Some people do not want others to be able to post when the embargo lifts at 5 AM.

And that's a shame. His thread and bet was the most fun Ive had in SW in a while. The trash talk was fun but some people really take all of this way too seriously.

@cainetao11: Yep... A lack of awareness and moxy for ole BlackBalls. Shame, he could've made this week a blast.

@cainetao11: I was at a 0 this morning and it shot up to a 22 this evening. I’m not sure how the flag system works here but that seems like a lot of time wasted by the person who “flag bombed” me. ?

I know. Its a shame. Maybe it isn't Blackballs but I think so. Someone that made the last 5 days fun but then just went too far. Its video games for god's sake. It isn't that serious.

I thought you weren't a mod anymore, but then I creeped some of your posts and guess it's a glitch. I wonder what would happen if I clicked that (I wont', lol). It looks like I got the secret codes now. @TheEroica

They call me Archangel...

Good job mods.

You’re only 5 years late on this problem.

It’s what I’ve claimed the hermits do for a while now.

I'm using a windows 95 machine so the problem juuuust made it to me.

Sorry 6 years.

Forgot it just turned to 2019.

@TheEroica: I mean that’s funny and all bc of 95 and all and I know you don’t get paid for modding, but let’s be real, you hope this mod things turns into something more one day. Also if you don’t want to care about the users and/or the system being manipulated then maybe you shouldn’t be a mod.

Lol... can't tell if you're being serious...

Just a concern here, when browsing from a mobile screen, I sometimes hit the flag button accidentally. I remove the flags tho but it gets annoying.

@SOedipus:

@TheEroica: of course I’m being serious. All mods hope to one day actually work at Gamespot just like that one reviewer who was a mod and got hired. You guys have aspirations. That’s cool. Keep the hope!

Yeah. Recently we noticed an increase in the amount of flagged posts from this board against various users for legit reasons and probably nefarious reasons to.Use the flag button responsibly and don’t use it to target other users

@that_old_guy: lol... I have no idea who you're talking about. I do have a pretty sweet career going right now that I'm planning on seeing through to retirement. Working for gamespot because of helping to keep tabs on the forums wasn't really in my grand design. Lol.

I wasn't aware what happened but I did notice I got 29 karma hits cause I had zero karma this morning. I guess it has something to do with those who love advertising here way more so cause I sure send the message before I got hit hard lol.

How do you know if you've been flagged? I'm on mobile only, if that affects anything.

Wow, I have to commend TC for this post. The fake flagging has been going on for such a long time. It's a big step towards making this a better place. Next step are the blatant harassers who come in to troll someone and actually have no business being in the thread. But anyway - Good work, MODS!! Make System Wars Great Again!

Blackballs last act lol.

I don't understand how or why the group with the dominating console is so petty. What would happen if the tables were turned?

@that_old_guy: no. I have a real and very respectable career, and frankly there is no way I would ever leave it to work for GS (no offense to the Staff)

@SolidGame_basic: thanks... The swelling of flag bombing is a super counterproductive to what makes a forum great. It's there for a reason, but it's not there to be used like hand grenades. Considering mods see all activity, it's a dead end road to abuse it.

@TheEroica: please we are all dreaming of living the sweet sweet life of a underpaid gaming reviewer!

@that_old_guy: Lol at Mods hoping to get picked up full time by Gamespot. Making $35K a year in the Bay area, working with a bunch of 23 year olds isn’t exactly the American dream.

I for one can proudly exclaim... In all my years here I have never even once, zero, zilch, nada, flagged anyone for anything. :D

Put that in yo pipes and smoke it. :P

That's because you get the fun to be had around here... :)

Still, legit flags do happen every day. Mostly in comment sections of articles, but the forums can produce some pretty nasty behavior too.

First part...

:P

Second part, oh no doubt, I've seen my fair share. :)