Pedophiles preying in Home!

Hey, don't look at Jacko now.. - Image 1It can’t be denied that there are a lot of underage gamers out there who are just as into Home as we are. Unfortunately, though, pedophiles are also very well aware of that fact. We’ve got two anecdotes from two users, who apparently ran into these sex offenders while walking around Home.

No pedos please - Image 1

It can’t be denied that there are a lot of underage gamers out there who are just as into Home as we are. Unfortunately, though, pedophiles are also very well aware of that fact. Read up on two accounts of alleged pedos at work, and how people like them are making Home a lot less safe for young gamers.

This first account is by one of Gameplayer’s writers:

While doing some research on ‘who actually buys HOME clothingÂ’ we happened across a fellow in a cowboy hat (who we’ll call ‘Jed’). After telling Jed who we were and why we were here doing research, we had an interesting discussion about why he bought the cowboy hat, and virtual belongings in general. Jed told us that heÂ’d done up his apartment with furniture and he invited us over to see it all. Being that it was related to the conversation and the Home research we agreed.

The distant tingle of an alarm bell sounded when I materialized in Jed’s apartment. Everything was super colour-coordinated, ultra chic, and the furniture had been surgically arranged in the room (possibly with a virtual laser level). “Nice feng shui” I mumbled. “I know!” he typed back enthusiastically. It was at this point that I applied this virtual scene to its real life equivalent: I’m currently standing in a trendy house with a cowboy (who, just now, has decided to halve my personal space) and we’re talking about the sensible placement of his furniture.

Houston, we may need to abort…

Sensing an awkward lull in the conversation Jed and I discussed interests, hobbies, and ages (he ‘said he was over thirty’, and out of journalistic curiosity I told him that I was younger than I am. I said I was 15). This was a colossal mistake. What happened next all but confirmed the sum of all fears: “do you have a cam? IÂ’d like to c u in the flesh” Jed asked, moving in to ‘lap dance distanceÂ’. ThatÂ’s right folks, Jed-o was something of a pedo.

This next one is by Gamespot forum user Modus_Operandi. This one’s a lot creepier than the last one.

I was watching my sister testing out Home with my PSN account. She was chatting (via text) with some random guy. “What’s your name,” “Where you’re from,” “How old are you,” that kind of stuff…

Well my sister is 14 and this guy says he’s 21. From out of nowhere he says “wanna ****?” My sister became disgusted and typed remarks like “wtf, omg” and suddenly the all-powerful Locust_Star magically appears…

If you’ve seen him before, he’s basically a bald guy wearing a black long sleeve. Anyway he tells the guy making harassing remarks to keep it clean then he disappears (mods = invisible). The guy didn’t knew who Locust was so he ignored him.

Locust pops out of nowhere and I believed he suspended that guy since the avatar immediately went away. Then my sister’s Home avatar literally teleported to some other area of the Plaza with Locust and he asked my sister if she knows how to report. The guy was still harassing my sister via PSN messages though (on my account too -_-).

I have a little sister as well, so I definitely don’t want her running into those freaks. There’s still a chance you can give the guys the benefit of the doubt, though. Might be just some bored folks messing with you, but with all that effort..?

SCEE acknowledges the situation and explains that since Home is still a beta, it means that all the other features – including moderation and security – are in beta as well. They are trying to adapt and resolve the situation as best as they could. In the meantime, I’m glad that the moderators are doing their job.


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Via Gameplayer

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