Dealing with Conflict

Rules are principles

The rules are set in place to ensure a harmonious gaming environment for all. They are designed to maintain order at the very worst case, such as when a conflict developed to a series of personal attacks. They are not designed to define every single circumstances. You should not be restricted by rules while not disregarding them. Our ultimate goal is to create a free environment for Minecraft creations.

It is therefore important to use common sense when intrepreting policies. Different people may have varied common senses, but do not over-intrepret rules to an extent that exceeds views of most people. Our aim of rules is to safeguard rights, not to regulate behaviours. If you have doubts regarding rules, ask our server owner.

Assume Good Faith

You should assume that what others did is out of good faith when an obvious evidence is absent (aka presumption of innocence). Assuming good faith does not prohibit discussion and criticism. Players should not attribute the actions being criticized to malice unless there is specific evidence of such. When doubt is casted on good faith, assume good faith and be civil instead of harrassing or making personal attacks.

Always remember that everyone make mistakes. Even if bad faith is obvious, remain civil. Avoid personal attacks and resolve through discussion. If resolution is not possible, ask for help from admins and we'll be happy to assist.

Be Civil

Be respectful to others. Explain your ideas clearly, don't be too agressive, check whether you're ok when others do the same to you, be professional, avoid personal attacks (eg. you idiot) are all signs of civility. We expect all players to act maturely in KCN. Meanwhile, you should also assume others are civil and are trying to help under the AGF (assume good faith) principle.

Read before commenting

Always familiarize yourself with the issue before discussing. The issue might be different than it seems when the topic may be shifted during discussion. Some may have changed stances, or some points you want to make may have already discussed.

Mind your own business. Don't "eat peanut".

Some may think that conflicts are fun to watch. This is often known as "peanutting", "eat peanut" in cantonese culture. If you're not involved in the conflict and you do not have any information that might sort out the conflict, don't jump into it. Unnecessary involvement often flames conflict, so just mind your own business and ignore it.

Don't "Minecraft-Lawyer"

Minecraft-lawyering refers to the action which players (or staffs) utilize rules or legal procedures inappropriately with the over-emphasis of rule texts over its original meaning. Rules do have limitations, and they might restrict actions it isn't intended to, or not restrict actions that it's intended to. KCN is a gamer organization, not a real-world simulation. Some people may even "abiding rules" while violating the game's spirit or underlying meaning, or willfully misinterpreting policy to justify inappropriate actions

KCN policies should be interpreted with common sense to achieve the purpose of the policy. This does not mean that rules can be ignored when issuing penalties, but instead rules should be used according to its purpose. Games should be fun, but over-use of legal procedures to target certain players (aka game the system) or to over-regulate impedes it. We recognize that players from certain Hong Kong servers are used to utilization of its legal systems, but here in KCN we promote flexibility and tolerance in addition to rules as bottom line. After all, we want to enjoy the game itself, not endless minecraft-lawyering.

Remember: Don't be a minecraft-lawyer. Actual Minecraft-related cases have shown that lawyering in both creating or enforcing law triggers defense mechanisms of players, thus causing distrust. Be realistic and purpose-driven while not over-regulate is hard, but is also what makes KCN successful.

Be a neutral meditator

Sometimes players choose to resolve conflict through meditation. During mediation, a content dispute between two or more editors is subjected to the involvement of an uninvolved third party (who is the mediator). The role of the mediator is to guide discussion towards the formation of agreement over the disputed elements of content.

The role of the mediator is to facilitate consensus-building discussion, not to arbitrate or adjudicate disputes or issue binding decisions. Where the position of one disputant is clearly unreasonable, the mediator will not subvert the integrity of the network in order to reach a resolution.

A common mistake is when mediators proceed with judging the sides by telling others whether they are right or wrong, instead of helping the sides to better state their positions and to find common grounds. It is not uncommon that one side is indeed wrong, and in such a case a mediator begins to appear to take sides thus alienating the wrong side and triggering their defense instincts, further entrenching them against an amicable resolution.

Remember: Don't be a social worker. Work for a feasible consensus or solution, encourage both sides to calm and discuss. Telling all sides to calm down only DOES NOT resolve the conflict, and showing bias to one side worsens the situation. There are Minecraft-related examples supporting this statement.

End a conflict

If you really did make a mistake and want to end it gracefully, here are a few ways to work that out. You can recognize your mistake (sometimes no means no), let it go, do some good work to compensate on that, or even take a break. Remember that games aren't that important after all.