Echo VR Dev Log | June 16, 2022
Introducing Echo VR Live Moderators: Game Admins
Hey there Echo Units,
In our January 2022 Dev Log, we talked about some of the new features and tools we’re working on. These will expand on our current Comfort and Safety tools (like muting, ghosting, and the personal bubble) to empower players to feel safe, meet new players to group up with, and more importantly, have fun. Today we wanted to spend some time discussing a new project we’ve been working on: live moderation in Echo VR.
We’ve heard community feedback on toxicity in Echo VR and continue to work on new tools and processes to combat the issues. While our team is still working on several additional features to address toxicity (Early Quits & Leaves, in-game reporting, etc.), our goal with live moderation is to help further address toxicity in the short term so players can focus on enjoying the game. For the rest of this dev blog, we’ll breakdown our plan to introduce live moderation into Echo VR.
So, What Will Game Admins Do?
Live moderation in Echo VR will be carried out by Game Admins who will be responsible for enforcing the Echo VR Code of Conduct. You can think of Game Admins as a “live” extension of our Account Admin Team in-game. While our Account Admin Team will still review and process email reports, Game Admins will periodically cycle through public playground lobbies and public matches (not private matches) in Echo VR to look for and act on Echo VR Code of Conduct violations. This means Game Admins can kick, ban, or suspend you from Echo VR. A Game Admin may be in a lobby or public match at any time. Game Admins are separate from Ready At Dawn Developers or Community Moderators.
How Will I Know Who Is A Game Admin?
Game Admins will have a special “Game Admin” Tag equipped so that you can tell them apart in-game from Developers and normal players. Community moderators will not have a special tag in-game. We have a poster in the Lobby (see below) explaining their abilities in-game and displaying their nametag should you ever need to reference it. Action will be taken against players impersonating Game Admins, as impersonation is prohibited under the Echo VR Code of Conduct.
Community Mods
- Moderate Community Lobbies
Ex: Combat, Casual Mature Gamers - Enforce Community Lobby Guidelines and can kick or ban players from the lobby that have violated the community guidelines
- Do not have an identifying tag
Game Admins
- Moderate Playground Lobbies and public matches
- Enforce Echo VR Code of Conduct and suspend or permanently ban players from Echo VR for Echo VR Code of Conduct violations
- Have an identifying Echo VR Game Admin tag
Where Can I Appeal Action Taken On My Account?
Our Account Admin Team will still be responsible for processing appeals. When you have been suspended or banned for Echo VR violations, you will see a message stating your account access has been restricted by Ready At Dawn, your violations, and the date/time (if applicable) for when your account restriction will end. If you would like to appeal, or learn more about your violations, please send an email to accountadmin@echo.games with your username and the last time you remember logging in. Please Note: Asking us to unban your account on social media or Discord DMs won’t help you learn more about your account. The best people to speak to, and know what happened on your account, are the Account Admin Team. If you’d like a refresher on our Echo VR reporting and banning policy, click here.
Where Do I Send A Report?
Our reporting process, and specifically where to send them, hasn’t changed. Player reports can be emailed to report@echo.games with any evidence you have, a brief description of what happened, and the username of the player you’re reporting. More information about our current reporting and banning process can be found here.
How Can I Apply To Be A Game Admin?
There’s no application process for this, and community members can’t be Game Admins. Game Admins serve as a live extension of our current Account Admin Team, who enforce our Echo VR Code of Conduct.
However, you can apply to become a community moderator to help enforce community guidelines in social lobbies. More information about how to apply can be found in the Community Lobbies channel of the Echo Games Discord server here. If you are not a member of the community Echo Games Discord, you can join here.
How do I send Oculus Reports on Quest/Rift?
Looking to record and report toxic behavior without taking off your headset? Oculus has built-in recording and reporting tools that can be easily accessed as needed. More information about these tools and how to send in a report to Oculus can be found here. Additionally, the Oculus Safety Center provides information about Conduct in VR Policy, and how to customize your privacy settings. Visit the Oculus Safety Center here.
What Social Tools Are Available In-Game?
A list of our social tools available in-game can be found here. As we introduce more tools and features, we will update that page (previously linked) with new information.
To close out this blog, we wanted to take a quick moment to thank everyone in the community for sharing your feedback, signing up to be community moderators for community social lobbies, and sending in player reports. Echo VR is a team focused, community driven game where we want to make Echo Units of all makes and models feel welcome, and Live Moderation is yet another tool to help us ensure this. Thank you for working together and with us in this endeavor.
— Echo VR Dev Team
