I haven't posted here in a long time but I need to for this. I need to vent.
I've recently been playing Dark Souls 3 and have absolutely fallen in love with it. I've been having a really rough time with my depression and anxiety lately due to job stress and other various factors, and I've always found having a digital world to escape to helps tremendously.
However recently I found a warning on my account claiming I have cheated or altered the game somehow. This is not true, so naturally I contacted Bandai Namco customer service to appeal it, and to be on the safe side I deleted my game saves in case there was anything dodgey I may have gained through other cheating players online. Since this appeal I have been given a "soft ban" meaning I can still play the game but I can no longer interact with other players. This is a problem for me as a big part of the fun for me was helping other players and such this affects my gameplay and enjoyment a great deal.
Bandai Namco are claiming I've cheated despite the fact I never did, they won't listen to my appeals and have now made it clear they will not even look at any future appeals meaning I'm stuck with an unfair ban that essentially leaves me with a £50 game I can no longer enjoy.
Banco's quite frankly disgusting treatment of this situation has left me feeling guilty over something I never did, and without my escape from the outside world, I can already feel the darker thoughts from my depression entering my mind again. I know this sounds like a first world problem and it is but it's really left me feeling vulnerable. Video games allow me to control my illness without medication but it takes the right game to really let me escape. I found that game and now it's publishers have decided on a whim to take that away from me and essentially told me to go fuck myself for no reason other than they felt like it.
If you're on the fence about buying DS3, don't. They'll take your money then ban you for no reason. If you're like me and many others and use video games to help control emotional/mental disorders, do not invest in anything Bandai Namco publish, because they do not care and will not listen.
