Pixels, the game that once brought me more than a month of enjoyment and addiction, has turned into a pixelated nightmare. Recently, I found myself inexplicably banned, lumped in with a supposed bot crackdown. But here’s the thing: I play fair.
Being flagged as a bot is infuriating. It implies I resorted to underhanded tactics to gain an advantage, which is simply not the case. I invest time and effort into honing my skills legitimately. Playing 10-15 hours a day harvesting crops, ores, and silks.
Pixels is an escape, a way to unwind and challenge myself on my business skills which we cannot do in the real world, and the idea that this would be tainted by accusations of cheating, automation, or botting is incredibly frustrating.
The Mass Ban
Last April 4, 2024, a massive ban wave swept the Pixels world by storm, a lot of players, bots included were banned from the game.
There was no prior notice on their social media about the ban and no explanation from the management on what happened, and how it happened, radio silence and the community moderator in the discord channel told everyone to create a ticket to appeal the ban.
I reached out to the helpdesk to appeal my ban. I didn’t think too much about the appeal, as I understand that I was just caught in the crossfire of the massive ban wave between bots, multi-account users, and automation. But I got declined, sadly.
How to Appeal
1. Go to https://dashboard.pixels.xyz/ and click the green message button located at the bottom right part of the page.
2. Chat with Willard and fill out the automated response make sure to choose “Ban or Account Restriction” and “I am completely banned from the game”, after that you will be directed to fill out the ticket.
You will be asked to fill in your wallet address connected to the game, your discord name, the date where the restriction was placed, and the reason why you were restricted.
Once you fill out the necessary information, they will contact you within 3-5 days to let you know if the appeal was approved or rejected.
As you can see, I didn’t think much about my reason for the appeal as I was just thinking that I was wrongfully banned, if you are innocent like me, you need to reason with them about what you have been doing the time that you got banned as your reasons matter to them, as for me? I got rejected.
Why I Think I Was Banned
I honestly don’t know why I got banned, my guess was I was clicking too much on the Mill since there were too many of us scrambling for it. Maybe I played too much in-game that they thought I was a bot with my every 2 hours routine harvest of ores, silks, honey, and eggs.
I play Pixels because it reminds me of Harvest Moon and Farmville, got captivated and addicted, and of course, to write more articles about the game. I’ve already submitted an appeal to them and gave them a reason as to why they think I am a bot and also gave them reasons why I am not a bot. Fingers crossed and hopefully, I get approved.
Final Thoughts
This experience exposes a bigger problem within Pixels – a lack of transparency in the banning process. How can we, the players who keep the game alive, have faith in a system that throws around accusations without proper investigation? What happens to legitimate players caught in the crossfire of mass bot bans?
I urge Pixels to implement a fairer system. There needs to be a clear appeals process, where players can contest bans and be heard. Automated systems are great for flagging suspicious activity, but they shouldn’t be the sole arbiters of truth. Human judgment is crucial, especially when someone’s enjoyment and reputation are on the line.
In the meantime, I’m left in Pixel’s purgatory. Disappointed, yes, but also hopeful.
