Kat (106520804) wrote:

Sw33tCandy NF2G (170644823) wrote:It doesn't matter what we think. If it was done to protect a grown person or child, if it was due to any gross pics or politics well so be it. Whatever the reasons all that matters is what Andrew said they (HAD) to do it!!! "HAD" is the key word, so no matter what we say it will NOT change that decision it (HAD) to be done. Hackers are everywhere doxing info, so if that is the case I'm sure they feel it was a must.

I understand venting it's understandable, but anything that is said here is just speculation to FACTS we know nothing about the real reasons. There is only one way anyone could know the why's is they'd have to be involved in some way.

Well said!!

Thank you

BVG, I'll repeat what I've already said which is that I'm glad you are taking whatever measures necessary to crack down on the abuse. However, I'm just wondering if it will be possible for you to create new similar boards with something that can make it impossible for people to use them nefariously. I know zero about coding, but could they be coded to not allow certain images? Could there be a filter on them that stops this?

I know it's probably difficult for you guys to police the game when there are so few of you and many more bad seeds, but that it got so bad that boards had to be disabled makes me think you guys don't have enough staff to prevent this kind of stuff. And I'm sorry, but that should take priority over all your gambling features and releases. Even if we can't get our old images back, it would be nice if you created new boards that functioned the same way but that made misuse impossible. Pipe dream probably, but I do hope you have something in the works.

I'd also like to know what this poll I've been hearing about is about - the one about FishWorld as a replacement for YoWorld. Can you give us some clarification please, BVG?

What a week it has been in YoWorld!

We all love this game and many of us have made lifelong friends because of it. With that being said, I want to share my own personal views and with the help of a friend, who is an attorney, his speculation based on my questions.

Removing paintboards from the game suddenly, without notice, has torn this community apart. First, the shock of losing our precious images with no warning. Second, anger because we did not have notice of losing these images. At the very least, we felt we deserved a chance to screenshot our rooms/homes before they were taken away from us. Third, what about all of the money, time, and effort that was put into having these created for our homes? What about all of the players who spent countless hours creating these boards for enjoyment of our friends when they visited our homes ? Lastly, feeling like we all were not valued to the extent that BVG did not care enough about us to even immediately give us a better explaination than we got.

We are hurt, knowing that there really is no chance of getting these items back in YoWorld. Some of the players had images that had memorials to their family/friends/loved ones, all gone in the blink of an eye. Some of these paintboards were created by others who have since passed away. Regardless of what we owned, it was in our YoHomes, and it was stolen from us.

I have spent quite some time reading the players views on this issue. It's very clear that most of the players, myself included, are not happy with what has happened. However, I took some time this morning to talk to a personal friend, an attorney, and asked some questions about 'What IF?" His replies to my questions now have given me a better understanding of WHY this may have happened as it did. These answers have helped me to no longer be angry although I still am sad at everyone's loss.

What I am about to say is strictly based on total speculation on my part. I DO NOT have any 'inside information' nor am I in any way speaking on behalf of ANYONE, other than my own questions.


My first question to my friend, after explaining the issue, was "Why do you think this happened like it did?" He replied, 'most likely there was a lawsuit in the works about to be filed against the owner of the game for a violation of some sort.'

I asked how could these innocent paintboards cause the threat of a lawsuit to the owners of the game?

His answers are as follows:

'Whether it be a copyright issue, the possibility of minors seeing the boards with sexual images, or in general, ANYONE, minor or adult, seeing images of nudity, cruelty of animals, pornographic images of underage children, or any number of things that most people would find terribly wrong and upsetting, from sexual acts to decipatated body parts. There could be many other possible things but these are a few of the real possibilities for a lawsuit that would likely put most companies out of business permanently'.

I asked IF a lawsuit was threatened, WHY wouldn't BVG tell us so we would understand?

His reply is 'they can't. IF they said to us this is why, it is the same as pleading guilty to allowing illegal images in a game. Even if the company is not aware of violations, they are still responsible for overseeing their game. Whether the players of said game are minors or adults, it is against the law to allow people to be exposed to these things without prior knowledge or consent. As people in this game go from one area to another, they might unexpectedly see an image that offends them and it's the owner of the game's responsibility to NOT allow that to even be remotely possible. Even if the company has the TOS that everyone 'agrees' to prior to playing the game, that does not prevent people from violating those and in the end, it is the company who would suffer a huge loss for allowing any of this to be a possibility.

As I explained to him that most everyone had paintboards that were legitimate in following BVG's TOS, he said what we all know..'it only takes ONE person reporting something that is illegal to bankrupt a company'. 'Rather than take a chance, they ended ALL paintboards so that there can never be a chance of even one violating the laws.'

Now that I have learned a lot about how and why this MIGHT have happened so quickly, although I'm still sad about the loss of each player who followed the rules, I can honestly say, I understand.

I hope this helps at least one person better understand that regardless of our own personal feelings, this is a company that could lose everything if they had not made the decision as they did. Had that happened, we would not have a game to play at all.

Let's try to heal from this and enjoy our game again. ❤

Deb YWW (108317798) wrote:What a week it has been in YoWorld!

We all love this game and many of us have made lifelong friends because of it. With that being said, I want to share my own personal views and with the help of a friend, who is an attorney, his speculation based on my questions.

Removing paintboards from the game suddenly, without notice, has torn this community apart. First, the shock of losing our precious images with no warning. Second, anger because we did not have notice of losing these images. At the very least, we felt we deserved a chance to screenshot our rooms/homes before they were taken away from us. Third, what about all of the money, time, and effort that was put into having these created for our homes? What about all of the players who spent countless hours creating these boards for enjoyment of our friends when they visited our homes ? Lastly, feeling like we all were not valued to the extent that BVG did not care enough about us to even immediately give us a better explaination than we got.

We are hurt, knowing that there really is no chance of getting these items back in YoWorld. Some of the players had images that had memorials to their family/friends/loved ones, all gone in the blink of an eye. Some of these paintboards were created by others who have since passed away. Regardless of what we owned, it was in our YoHomes, and it was stolen from us.

I have spent quite some time reading the players views on this issue. It's very clear that most of the players, myself included, are not happy with what has happened. However, I took some time this morning to talk to a personal friend, an attorney, and asked some questions about 'What IF?" His replies to my questions now have given me a better understanding of WHY this may have happened as it did. These answers have helped me to no longer be angry although I still am sad at everyone's loss.

What I am about to say is strictly based on total speculation on my part. I DO NOT have any 'inside information' nor am I in any way speaking on behalf of ANYONE, other than my own questions.


My first question to my friend, after explaining the issue, was "Why do you think this happened like it did?" He replied, 'most likely there was a lawsuit in the works about to be filed against the owner of the game for a violation of some sort.'

I asked how could these innocent paintboards cause the threat of a lawsuit to the owners of the game?

His answers are as follows:

'Whether it be a copyright issue, the possibility of minors seeing the boards with sexual images, or in general, ANYONE, minor or adult, seeing images of nudity, cruelty of animals, pornographic images of underage children, or any number of things that most people would find terribly wrong and upsetting, from sexual acts to decipatated body parts. There could be many other possible things but these are a few of the real possibilities for a lawsuit that would likely put most companies out of business permanently'.

I asked IF a lawsuit was threatened, WHY wouldn't BVG tell us so we would understand?

His reply is 'they can't. IF they said to us this is why, it is the same as pleading guilty to allowing illegal images in a game. Even if the company is not aware of violations, they are still responsible for overseeing their game. Whether the players of said game are minors or adults, it is against the law to allow people to be exposed to these things without prior knowledge or consent. As people in this game go from one area to another, they might unexpectedly see an image that offends them and it's the owner of the game's responsibility to NOT allow that to even be remotely possible. Even if the company has the TOS that everyone 'agrees' to prior to playing the game, that does not prevent people from violating those and in the end, it is the company who would suffer a huge loss for allowing any of this to be a possibility.

As I explained to him that most everyone had paintboards that were legitimate in following BVG's TOS, he said what we all know..'it only takes ONE person reporting something that is illegal to bankrupt a company'. 'Rather than take a chance, they ended ALL paintboards so that there can never be a chance of even one violating the laws.'

Now that I have learned a lot about how and why this MIGHT have happened so quickly, although I'm still sad about the loss of each player who followed the rules, I can honestly say, I understand.

I hope this helps at least one person better understand that regardless of our own personal feelings, this is a company that could lose everything if they had not made the decision as they did. Had that happened, we would not have a game to play at all.

Let's try to heal from this and enjoy our game again. ❤

Well, yeah, if lawsuits are involved they cannot talk about it. I just wonder if there were actual suits or if the reports they were getting about all the possible stuff were enough for them to make this decision. I guess it doesn't matter as either way we're not going to get an answer from BVG other than that there was generic abuse of the boards.

I'm not angry per se about the boards being disabled; I'm just disgusted that they can't keep the abusers at bay and that we can't have nice things because of whoever did what. I'm more angry that they don't seem to have the means or don't want to make the effort to prevent this stuff from happening in the first place. And this wouldn't have been quite as much of a blow if there weren't so many other game issues. If we had more little decor items we didn't need to make on boards, etc. That's just from my decorating perspective, though. The event sellers will suffer, and most of all those who made their own art and had photos of loved ones poof.

I don't think it's a lawsuit/authorities, because the physical servers would have been seized and there'd be no Yo this morning.

I think it's the realization of what COULD happen if the authorities found out what was being placed on some paint boards. Those images are felonies in the US. I know because I have reported them to BVG several times over the years. The young men that did it do not understand the liability for BVG if they were reported outside of Yo. But I think BVG finally does and that's why we don't have paint boards today.



I keep finding rooms where I had used them for something integral. Sheesh........

I bet Big Viking found out someone was making money from these boards and want to find a way to make it for themselves. Big Joking is more like it. The only event they ever have is the monthly gem event, same theme decor releases 4x a year and people still paying their hard earned money for Yo cash and now they cant even spend it in the game how they choose. Tired of the trashy clothing, ugly hairs, odd looking face options. I dont even have the paint boards but I really enjoyed seeing how others would use them in their homes and the WTB sales. Just another reason to stop playing.

Deb YWW (108317798) wrote:What a week it has been in YoWorld!

We all love this game and many of us have made lifelong friends because of it. With that being said, I want to share my own personal views and with the help of a friend, who is an attorney, his speculation based on my questions.

Removing paintboards from the game suddenly, without notice, has torn this community apart. First, the shock of losing our precious images with no warning. Second, anger because we did not have notice of losing these images. At the very least, we felt we deserved a chance to screenshot our rooms/homes before they were taken away from us. Third, what about all of the money, time, and effort that was put into having these created for our homes? What about all of the players who spent countless hours creating these boards for enjoyment of our friends when they visited our homes ? Lastly, feeling like we all were not valued to the extent that BVG did not care enough about us to even immediately give us a better explaination than we got.

We are hurt, knowing that there really is no chance of getting these items back in YoWorld. Some of the players had images that had memorials to their family/friends/loved ones, all gone in the blink of an eye. Some of these paintboards were created by others who have since passed away. Regardless of what we owned, it was in our YoHomes, and it was stolen from us.

I have spent quite some time reading the players views on this issue. It's very clear that most of the players, myself included, are not happy with what has happened. However, I took some time this morning to talk to a personal friend, an attorney, and asked some questions about 'What IF?" His replies to my questions now have given me a better understanding of WHY this may have happened as it did. These answers have helped me to no longer be angry although I still am sad at everyone's loss.

What I am about to say is strictly based on total speculation on my part. I DO NOT have any 'inside information' nor am I in any way speaking on behalf of ANYONE, other than my own questions.


My first question to my friend, after explaining the issue, was "Why do you think this happened like it did?" He replied, 'most likely there was a lawsuit in the works about to be filed against the owner of the game for a violation of some sort.'

I asked how could these innocent paintboards cause the threat of a lawsuit to the owners of the game?

His answers are as follows:

'Whether it be a copyright issue, the possibility of minors seeing the boards with sexual images, or in general, ANYONE, minor or adult, seeing images of nudity, cruelty of animals, pornographic images of underage children, or any number of things that most people would find terribly wrong and upsetting, from sexual acts to decipatated body parts. There could be many other possible things but these are a few of the real possibilities for a lawsuit that would likely put most companies out of business permanently'.

I asked IF a lawsuit was threatened, WHY wouldn't BVG tell us so we would understand?

His reply is 'they can't. IF they said to us this is why, it is the same as pleading guilty to allowing illegal images in a game. Even if the company is not aware of violations, they are still responsible for overseeing their game. Whether the players of said game are minors or adults, it is against the law to allow people to be exposed to these things without prior knowledge or consent. As people in this game go from one area to another, they might unexpectedly see an image that offends them and it's the owner of the game's responsibility to NOT allow that to even be remotely possible. Even if the company has the TOS that everyone 'agrees' to prior to playing the game, that does not prevent people from violating those and in the end, it is the company who would suffer a huge loss for allowing any of this to be a possibility.

As I explained to him that most everyone had paintboards that were legitimate in following BVG's TOS, he said what we all know..'it only takes ONE person reporting something that is illegal to bankrupt a company'. 'Rather than take a chance, they ended ALL paintboards so that there can never be a chance of even one violating the laws.'

Now that I have learned a lot about how and why this MIGHT have happened so quickly, although I'm still sad about the loss of each player who followed the rules, I can honestly say, I understand.

I hope this helps at least one person better understand that regardless of our own personal feelings, this is a company that could lose everything if they had not made the decision as they did. Had that happened, we would not have a game to play at all.

Let's try to heal from this and enjoy our game again. ❤

Thank you for taking the time to post this. I would hate to lose the game over some bad actors. I really do love yoworld and hope BVG can find some way to make it better.

LisaTM (10095126) wrote:However, I'm just wondering if it will be possible for you to create new similar boards with something that can make it impossible for people to use them nefariously. I know zero about coding, but could they be coded to not allow certain images? Could there be a filter on them that stops this?

Love this suggestion. There is tech available that would help. Image recognition is something that can be built into some version of a new type of paint board. They could tie every paint board image to the tech and set it to notify them of any that are potential problems. Then it is simply a matter of someone scanning the flagged images for ones that are actual problems, and then capturing evidence of the crime, removing the image from the game, and then reporting it to the authorities along with the player's account details.

Chill (126579776) wrote:I don't think it's a lawsuit/authorities, because the physical servers would have been seized and there'd be no Yo this morning.

I think it's the realization of what COULD happen if the authorities found out what was being placed on some paint boards. Those images are felonies in the US. I know because I have reported them to BVG several times over the years. The young men that did it do not understand the liability for BVG if they were reported outside of Yo. But I think BVG finally does and that's why we don't have paint boards today.



I keep finding rooms where I had used them for something integral. Sheesh........

true and it is also a rapidly changing area of international law - so while you might have been legally protected as a company in the past, I feel that might no longer be the case. Sadly, I have to trust that this needed to happen for the good of all of us. And I hope we see a return to something usable soon

WOW. JUST WOW. A LITTLE HEADS UP OTHER THAN AS OF NOW WE ARE DELETING ALL CONTENT.

REALLY? HAS THERE BEEN SOMEONE HARMED BY SOMETHING ON A PAINTBOARD?

THIS IS BEYOND RIDICULOUS AND WE SHOULD BE COMPESATED.. OR AT LEAST VIP MEMBERS ONLY ITEM AND NOT TRADABLE. WHAT ABOUT THAT? I THOUGHT SOMETHING WAS UP WHEN I WENT TO THE PAINTBOARD AND I WAS LIKE ALL THESE NICE FEATURES, BUT CAN'T SAVE.

BIG MISTAKE BVG. HUGE. AT LEAST GIVE A HEADS UP FOR PEOPLE TO CLEAN THEM OUT BEFORE SWIPING THEM ALL CLEAN. I MADE ONE THAT WAS RIP FOR MY FRIEND'S DAUGHTER IN REAL LIFE. SHAME ON YOU BVG.

Skeet (13722418) wrote:

Deb YWW (108317798) wrote:What a week it has been in YoWorld!

We all love this game and many of us have made lifelong friends because of it. With that being said, I want to share my own personal views and with the help of a friend, who is an attorney, his speculation based on my questions.

Removing paintboards from the game suddenly, without notice, has torn this community apart. First, the shock of losing our precious images with no warning. Second, anger because we did not have notice of losing these images. At the very least, we felt we deserved a chance to screenshot our rooms/homes before they were taken away from us. Third, what about all of the money, time, and effort that was put into having these created for our homes? What about all of the players who spent countless hours creating these boards for enjoyment of our friends when they visited our homes ? Lastly, feeling like we all were not valued to the extent that BVG did not care enough about us to even immediately give us a better explaination than we got.

We are hurt, knowing that there really is no chance of getting these items back in YoWorld. Some of the players had images that had memorials to their family/friends/loved ones, all gone in the blink of an eye. Some of these paintboards were created by others who have since passed away. Regardless of what we owned, it was in our YoHomes, and it was stolen from us.

I have spent quite some time reading the players views on this issue. It's very clear that most of the players, myself included, are not happy with what has happened. However, I took some time this morning to talk to a personal friend, an attorney, and asked some questions about 'What IF?" His replies to my questions now have given me a better understanding of WHY this may have happened as it did. These answers have helped me to no longer be angry although I still am sad at everyone's loss.

What I am about to say is strictly based on total speculation on my part. I DO NOT have any 'inside information' nor am I in any way speaking on behalf of ANYONE, other than my own questions.


My first question to my friend, after explaining the issue, was "Why do you think this happened like it did?" He replied, 'most likely there was a lawsuit in the works about to be filed against the owner of the game for a violation of some sort.'

I asked how could these innocent paintboards cause the threat of a lawsuit to the owners of the game?

His answers are as follows:

'Whether it be a copyright issue, the possibility of minors seeing the boards with sexual images, or in general, ANYONE, minor or adult, seeing images of nudity, cruelty of animals, pornographic images of underage children, or any number of things that most people would find terribly wrong and upsetting, from sexual acts to decipatated body parts. There could be many other possible things but these are a few of the real possibilities for a lawsuit that would likely put most companies out of business permanently'.

I asked IF a lawsuit was threatened, WHY wouldn't BVG tell us so we would understand?

His reply is 'they can't. IF they said to us this is why, it is the same as pleading guilty to allowing illegal images in a game. Even if the company is not aware of violations, they are still responsible for overseeing their game. Whether the players of said game are minors or adults, it is against the law to allow people to be exposed to these things without prior knowledge or consent. As people in this game go from one area to another, they might unexpectedly see an image that offends them and it's the owner of the game's responsibility to NOT allow that to even be remotely possible. Even if the company has the TOS that everyone 'agrees' to prior to playing the game, that does not prevent people from violating those and in the end, it is the company who would suffer a huge loss for allowing any of this to be a possibility.

As I explained to him that most everyone had paintboards that were legitimate in following BVG's TOS, he said what we all know..'it only takes ONE person reporting something that is illegal to bankrupt a company'. 'Rather than take a chance, they ended ALL paintboards so that there can never be a chance of even one violating the laws.'

Now that I have learned a lot about how and why this MIGHT have happened so quickly, although I'm still sad about the loss of each player who followed the rules, I can honestly say, I understand.

I hope this helps at least one person better understand that regardless of our own personal feelings, this is a company that could lose everything if they had not made the decision as they did. Had that happened, we would not have a game to play at all.

Let's try to heal from this and enjoy our game again. ❤

Thank you for taking the time to post this. I would hate to lose the game over some bad actors. I really do love yoworld and hope BVG can find some way to make it better.

Thank you!
It's easy to jump to conclusions and find fault with things that happen in the game. But when I took time to better understand what MIGHT have been the ONLY decision that BVG,could make, I realized that the loss of paintboards was, in my opinion, much better than losing the game. I lost a memorial to my parents, and probably close to 100 other boards, many specially made for me by friends. We may not ever know exactly why or what happened, but I am thankful that when logged in this morning, I still had my favorite game available to play!

Deb YWW (108317798) wrote:It's easy to jump to conclusions and find fault with things that happen in the game. But when I took time to better understand what MIGHT have been the ONLY decision that BVG,could make, I realized that the loss of paintboards was, in my opinion, much better than losing the game. I lost a memorial to my parents, and probably close to 100 other boards, many specially made for me by friends. We may not ever know exactly why or what happened, but I am thankful that when logged in this morning, I still had my favorite game available to play!

I've tried being reasonable with my unreasonable buds about this. They don't want to hear any of this. Not from me. Not from BVG. Not from anyone. They only see and feel what they lost and could not care any less about the "Why?". They are justifiably furious. I just hope that one day they calm down and see beyond their emotions. But I ain't gonna stop them. It hurts and they need to grieve however that happens.

WE NEED A BETTER EXPLANATION NOW! This game has been soooooooooo creative, that is until they came up with gambling to make more money off, then the new themes were not new but repeated and enhanced (???) and we got old pieces to decorate with. The last 6 houses are so are all basically the same. They don't seem to want to take our suggestions on themes or create really new floorplans or items to decorate with. It's all about the gamblers, disrespecting us VIPs, who hardly get anything new or any discounts. I have loved this game and was willing to pay lots to stay here and enjoy, but now I wait to see what happens. Because now I have NO trust in what is coming next.

From what I'm hearing (talked to a lawyer) what was done is against the law of human rights, so no matter how bad we hate what happened there was NO choice. We can keep rambling on about it, but it will not change the fact the harm that was placed on those boards. And let's hope we don't lose this game due to it all, I just wish it was more policed in there and just maybe no one would have lost their boards. I've accepted it and just am very wise on how I spend my money lately.

Its sooo SAD!

Chill (126579776) wrote:

Deb YWW (108317798) wrote:It's easy to jump to conclusions and find fault with things that happen in the game. But when I took time to better understand what MIGHT have been the ONLY decision that BVG,could make, I realized that the loss of paintboards was, in my opinion, much better than losing the game. I lost a memorial to my parents, and probably close to 100 other boards, many specially made for me by friends. We may not ever know exactly why or what happened, but I am thankful that when logged in this morning, I still had my favorite game available to play!

So sorry for your loss. I do feel for everyone who invested in pb art, but I am glad we didn't lose the game completely. I hope BVG can make things better for people.

I truly feel they could of prewarned in some way which would have lightened the blow. Sad to say but this isn't the game I grew to love, and I have been spending less and less time and money knowing I can see the writing on the wall. So, I guess new hobby it looks like in my future for me at least. Camping more, walking more, hiking more and having good company is on my agenda I had a good run in its earlier years and seen it decline which is sad. We have lost good players in all ways here and some unrightfully so, why others kept their foot in the Yō doors that should have been kicked. It's all at the point of a guessing game with no recourse.

Quick question if we don't remember where they all were how are we going to find them if they're invisible ?

LindyLou Who (126352247) wrote:Quick question if we don't remember where they all were how are we going to find them if they're invisible ?

Click on your inventory icon, go to the "in use" tab, type paint board in the search box and it'll show you all your boards and what rooms they're in.

I wholeheartedly agree with everything you wrote. I have clenched my teeth and continued playing and spending money in Yo, albeit less happy, after each new disappointing decision BVG has made. This one has finally pushed me over the limit now. I have already cancelled my VIP subscription and don't plan on buying bundle deals from yesterday on, going forward. The only thing I have not fully decided on yet is whether I want to at least play for free or fully walk away from the game.

Minxy (2717043) wrote:My prediction: those waiting for "clarity" will wait a very long time. Communication has always been a major fault of BVG. They never explain. Not to a banned player who loses all - not to any paying customer who deserves better. It's pure speculation what caused this rash action on their part and I doubt any compensation will actually satisfy those of us who lost memorials, rooms of lost loved ones and so much more. It just smacks of not understanding your customer base. We deserved a days notice at least to preserve what we had in another way. I will never believe that they couldn't just preserve the data and disable the feature, ban the accounts breaking TOS and find a way forward. Nah - took the easy way knowing most will just cop the slap to the face and keep paying and playing anyhow.