Rules is rules
ArenaNet has revealed that it banned 3,000 Guild Wars 2 players last night for knowingly exploiting a vendor error that saw them buying cheap gear and selling it on for economy-wrecking profit.
“The players we banned were certainly intentionally and repeatedly exploiting a bug in the game,” lead producer Chris Whiteside told Reddit. “We intended to send a very clear message that exploiting the game in this way will not be tolerated, and we believe this message now has been well understood.
“We also believe and respect that people make mistakes. This is in fact the first example of a widespread exploit in the game. With this in mind, we are offering the members of our community who exploited the game a second chance to repair the damage that has been done.”
I’m always wary of exploit bans. After all, if ArenaNet made a mistake that players can — knowingly or unknowingly — take advantage of, that’s more the fault of the developer than the player who’s just looking to advance. Unplanned exploits have been around since the NES days — I’m leery of players being punished for using them.
Still, MMO users should know the score by now. Whether you agree with the rules or not, they are in place, so if you want to avoid eating a ban, restrain yourself.
