Lightburb's Blurb - Charm Icons

[Fiesta News Reporter]

Today I'd like to talk about something more serious.
Charm icons have been a matter of much debate and discussion. For the most part, Outspark has kept rather quiet on this topic because it is an ongoing discussion with Onson. Until something is finalized, we typically do not want to talk about it. With that said, since it is a matter of much discussion we felt it was worth giving an update on.
Our current plan for charm icons is to show them only to the person who is using them. While we understand this might not be the solution some people were looking for, let me explain how we came to this conclusion:
Initially when the discussion began, a lot of feedback was gathered as to why people wanted to have the charm icons visible. While it might not have been the most honest answer, people said it was primarily so they know when to recharm. In this case, it's only necessary to show this to the person who uses them.
While that came up as the primary answer based on the feedback we saw, we actually suspect a lot of people wanted it shown so they know/can prove if they lost to a charmed user during PvP or something similar. While this is a valid concern and we understand this logic, the problem we forsee is the next step that might happen.
As you know, blacklisting is against the Outspark Terms of Service, as well as the spirit of the community we try to foster. Our assessment is that the addition of visible charm icons will lead to actions which would constistute blacklisting. Blacklisting is something we frown upon, and encouraging this would be against that attitude.
At this time, there may be some users who are thinking we are basing this decision on the fact that charms are a premium item. This is not the case. Outspark clearly enforces the same set of guidelines for people that purchase premium items and those that do not. A bannable offense is a bannable offense; there is no special treatment.
This was the topic of many debates internally, and it was not an easy decision to come to. I understand this current plan might not make all users happy, and probably leaves a few users wanting more change. However, I hope it is very clear that we spent a lot of time discussing this specific issue and our decision was based on our assessment what is best for the entire community and the overall spirit of the community.