Zero tolerance for discrimination and harassment
Discrimination:
Seattle Indies strives to be an inclusive and welcoming community for everyone who desires to pursue game development as a profession or hobby or are actively doing so. This is regardless of their gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, economic background, marital status, or technical expertise (or lack of any of the aforementioned).
Harassment:
Harassment and violations of the code of conduct include, but are not limited to: offensive verbal comments related to gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, religion, technology choices; sexual images in public spaces; deliberate intimidation; stalking; following; harassing photography or recording; sustained disruption of talks or other events; unwelcome physical contact; and unwelcome sexual attention.
Communicate in a professional manner:
- Discussions in public should encourage and assist, not create divisiveness or tension. Every member deserves the opportunity to express their opinions in a respectful manner. Obscene, vulgar, or inappropriate language and/or images are not acceptable and will be deleted. This also includes offensive or sexual cartoons or materials.
- Refrain from discussing politics, religion, and sexual content unless it’s an aspect of your game, then we ask that you please add a content warning before sharing.
- Spam is also not tolerated (both spamming chat and advertisement not pertaining to game dev i.e. car insurance, palm readings, etc.)
Behave ethically:
- Respect other people’s intellectual property. Do not discuss their property (e.g. code, game ideas, etc.) except with the express consent of the owner.
- Don’t give unsolicited feedback on people’s work and progress without consent.
- Be aware of your actions and their affect on others. “No” means no. Respect people’s boundaries and be nice to one another.
Cryptocurrency and NFTs:
Note: Seattle Indies as an organization does not purchase or invest in NFTs or crypto, nor do we fund or support NFT projects.
- No spamming, advertising, recruiting or promotions, including Discord server links or any promo links to other crypto groups, communities, or websites.
- Do not click on any links sent through DMs. Bots and admins will not DM you unless discussed beforehand, or explaining a disciplinary action.
AI:
We are adopting a similar policy Valve did: Developers do not need to disclose if “AI powered tools like code helper software used for workflow purposes, but please list any use of AI to generate content for the game and/or AI content generated during gameplay. Essentially, if any generative AI content makes it into the game or the game’s associated materials, developers will need to disclose it.”
We encourage members to prioritize original work when possible and to be transparent when generative AI tools are used. Regardless of preference, members must treat one another with respect. Harassment, shaming, or retaliation will not be tolerated.
If you use AI-generated assets in your projects, art, music, intentional code, writing, etc, you must disclose that use. Do your best to disclose the intentional genAI used, including posts, promotions, comments, etc. on Discord so others have the option to opt-out of viewing generated assets. Failure to comply will result in a removal of your post and a warning. Continued failure will result in a ban.
Types of genAI not acceptable:
- Posting AI-generated art/music/writing as original creative work or standalone content
- Advertising AI-generated assets as your own work-Posting genAI in art/music/portfolio channels
Event Rules:
- Global Game Jam has their own set of rules
- Smaller game jams may have additional rules, but still must abide by our CoC.
- Seattle Indies Expo submissions have a paragraph box to disclose how genAI is/was used in the game and judges will decide if it’s a good fit for SIX.
Please Stay Respectful to all discussions, including GenAI.
Example: Anti-genAI: No shaming or disrespecting creators for using genAI placeholders. E.G, “I saw you are using AI slop for your art.” Be respectful of people’s answers, don’t make assumptions about others in terms of their financial position, their understanding of the technology, or the industry in general. And pro-genAI: No evangelizing genAI as a replacement for human creators. GenAI-created assets must be disclosed, with best efforts to disclose intentional use of genAI.
NOTE: This is not an endorsement by Seattle Indies of genAI tools, or a condemnation. It’s strictly for transparency around use of genAI tools that respects both the creators and those who have concerns about them. This is an opportunity for all of us to show how we can disagree on a topic but still be professional in how we treat each other when talking about it. The junior members of the community will be watching this discussion and we should be modeling the behavior that we want to see when it comes to professional interactions in the games industry.
Our goal is to provide an inclusive space for everyone.
To reiterate: We are not pro-GenAI.
We are pro-community, pro-inclusion, and pro-creators. We do not chase the latest trends to make a “quick buck”, we are a community-service organization and it is our civic responsibility to provide information to our members for them to use to make their own decisions in their careers.
This does not mean that the organization will be actively soliciting genAI sponsors, developers, groups, or promoting genAI content (for or against it) any more than we have already.
Every sponsor we take on is vetted to the best of our ability to ensure they align with our community values, and every talk/session we promote is done so with the intention of providing knowledge sharing opportunities for our community and to spark discussions on important topics impacting the industry.
This is a human-led process that is subject to human error. It is not a perfect system but we do our best to present content and work with partners that can provide opportunities for our members to learn and grow together.
By attending Seattle Indies events and being on Discord, you are agreeing to follow our code of conduct. Please conduct oneself in accordance with the SI policies and code of conduct both on our social platforms and in-person events. If, in the eyes of the organizers or admin, an attendee is seen to have violated these rules, they may be warned, asked to leave, or banned from future Seattle Indies events and Discord. If you experience any harassment or discomfort on Discord, or are unsure about a situation, you can !report @__ (reason) and it will go to the admins, or simply mention @Admin or PM one and we will respond to you as soon as we can. Also, please !report any spam messages. If you see or experience any harassment or uncomfortable situations during one of our in-person events, please alert the organizer in charge of the event in person, or email us at contact@seattleindies.org.