Star Stable Online (SSO) is a MMO horse game targeted towards young children - typically young girls - with an interest in horses, it is one of the more popular online horse games. Originally launched for PC, Star Stable Online has now expanded across mobile devices which attracts younger players. With a continuous growth in popularity, many would think that Star Stable would improve safety within the game, but little has been done.

Star Stable Online prides itself in being a safe, positive, and fun experience for all equestrians to enjoy. However, that is simply not the case.

Although the Star Stable Online chat is formatted in a way to filter out bad words, players have learned to navigate around the filter by stringing along irrelevant text next to the inappropriate text. Currently, the chat filter system is designed with AI, but this AI has not worked since its initial debut a few years back.

Daily, across various servers around the globe, players face abhorrent comments and threats made by trolls that create multiple accounts to harass and tarnish the SSO experience. Trolls send threats of rape towards children, encourage other players to shoot themselves with a gun and stream it online, and spam homophobic & racist slurs in chat where all players can see. Little is done with said trolls.

Children, survivors of rape & sexual assault, POC & LGBTQ+ players, are all affected. By ignoring the communities wishes for a safer and more heavily moderated environment, Star Stable Online is going against everything they strive to be.

A LIVE VOLUNTARY MODERATOR TEAM:

Around 2015, Star Stable used to have a moderator program that enlisted real humans to moderate chat across various servers. These moderators had the power to temporarily mute and kick unruly players off from the game with a “time out” - where they could not log back in for a certain amount of time. However, because of poor organization, the team did not last long and was shut down.

A live voluntary moderator team consisting purely of ADULT volunteers should be brought back to spectate chat. Minors should not be added to the moderator team. An ID verification process should be considered prior to hiring any volunteer moderators to ensure they are truly an adult.

The benefits of introducing a live moderator team back to Star Stable is mutual. Volunteers receive experience and volunteer hours, which may be extremely valuable for university students - especially those striving towards a career in the game industry. On the other hand, Star Stable’s environment becomes more safe for all ages to play on and enjoy.