Maybe Pogo Should Just Do Away with Chat!

I’m sorry to hear you’ve been exposed to such offensive chat. However, you’re suggestion of turning chat off solely because a group of ruffians enjoy cluttering it up with salty talk seems a bit drastic. There are plenty of people – even in Spades – who enjoy chat and don’t engage in such abominable unseemliness.

First off, make sure you stay out of the Uncensored rooms. Those rooms allow for more colorful discussion, even though there are rules about certain types of chat, like hate speech.

Secondly, engage the mute! With a few clicks of a mouse you’ll find you can quiet the most offensive and annoying people up. Simply right click the name of the person you’d like to mute and choose “mute” in the options list.

Thirdly, if you want to be in a room with no chat, you can turn the chat off. Click the “Chat Options” icon above the “Who’s Here” list – it’s round and looks like a bit like a little flower – and choose “Show Chat”. If the check mark isn’t there, you’ve turned it off.

Finally, if the chat in the room is breaking our Terms of Service, then I do recommend that you report the abuse to our Customer Support staff. Just right click the name of the person engaging in the uncouth chit chat, and choose “Report Abuse.” But, do be careful to make sure that you’re not in an uncensored room.

Also, you might consider looking for a Spades League who are more interested in the game than in the chat. Check out the MyLeagues Spades Leagues page. There are some that advertise “Family Friendly”. You’ll likely meet other folks who enjoy the game and don’t cheat. As for your complaints about cheaters, it is unfortunate that there are some folks who do whatever they can to cheat. Not everyone cheats, and I don’t recommend ever accusing another person of cheating. However, if you suspect that someone is not playing honestly, then you might want to put their screen name on a list of people you don’t enjoy playing with.

And while Pogo doesn’t actively go into rooms to monitor them, when you send in an Abuse Report, our Customer Support representatives will receive your report which includes a snapshot of the recent chat in the room. So, reporting players does work, although it usually does take a little while before you may see anything done, as we have literally tens of thousands of rooms on Pogo, and it can take some time for the report to reach an agent.

Wow… what a list of questions! I’ll do my best to answer those I can, but to be frank, some questions I simply won’t have answers for, as I’ve never actually been in a tournament or played in a league.

Q: What exactly are tournaments?

A: Tournaments are, by definition: “Any contest of skill in which there are many contestants for championship; as, a chess tournament. [1913 Webster]”. On Pogo, this often means that a group of individuals come together and play games to see who can do the best.

Q: How do you join?

A: Generally, you join through a web site that caters to those who wish to participate. A quick search in your favorite search engine will bring up multiple sites. You might want to check out MyLeagues as they have a robust system and a long history of matching people to leagues. Q: Does it cost money?

A: Usually not, but some do charge a nominal fee for administration. Many people find that a well-run league is worth supporting financially.

Q: What is a host?

A: A “Host” on Pogo is usually the “Tournament Director”. This is the person who manages and organizes the tournament. We do give special “Host” badges to these folks so that they are easier to spot during a tournament. However, they are not given any special privileges and must abide by the Terms of Service just like anyone else.

Q: How many people can be in a tournament?

A: That depends on the game and the tournament.

Q: Is there a winner?

A: Usually. There may be several winners, or a winning team.

Q: Does the winner win anything?

A: Usually, it’s just for the thrill of the win. However, there are leagues who do offer items and prizes.

Q: Is there a list somewhere that gives all the different tournaments?

A: We don’t maintain a list, but a quick web search should do the trick, and again, MyLeagues is a great place to start. Q: Do I have to request to join?

A: I would imagine yes, but there may be some leagues that automatically accept everyone.

Q: What are the benefits of being in a tournament?

A: These vary from league to league, tournament to tournament, and person to person. Some really enjoy the thrill of the competition, while others are attracted to the community aspect.

Q: Is it like an actual tournament? (Like you play against someone, win and move on to the next, win, etc)

A: That really depends on the league and how they set up the tournaments, but many of them do follow the ladder structure.

Q: What am I missing out on from not being in a tournament?

A: Fun, the social element, lots of games and an occasional headache, no doubt! But many people find the fun outweighs the occasional difficulties. Q: If I join one, do I have to participate every time?

A: Different leagues work differently, so you’d need to find that out from the league, but generally, no.

Q: If I don’t, will I be kicked out?

A: It’s unlikely, but again, check with the league.

Q: How would I get tournament updates? ?

A: Every league works in a different way, but most of them e-mail updates or post them on a web page.

So, there you have it! I do recognize that leagues are not for everyone, and that some people find the running of tournaments to be intrusive. Most leagues are very polite and do their level best to ensure that they cause the least disruption to a room as possible, but there are a few that would likely benefit from some etiquette lessons.

Thanks so much for your letter. I did receive a couple of letters from folks with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), telling me that excessive chatting is not always a symptom, so I do want to let folks know that different people experience different symptoms. ADD will effect different people differently, so while her explanation was certainly helpful with many of the symptoms, it’s important to remember that not everyone has the same behavior.

I’m delighted to hear you’ve met so many wonderful friends through Pogo, and it’s a great reminder of how many caring people we have playing our games.