The Rules [draft]
Thought I'd take a first stab at this. Will edit as comments and consensus dictate :) Main goal is to have concise and easy to understand rules as a first step towards a healthy community.<br><br><b>1. Make Games</b><br>This is our goal. This is why we're here, to make games. To make games that sustain the game development industry in South Africa. To make games that challenge boundaries. To make games that are fun. To make games that we learn from. To make games that are horrible mistakes that we're still glad we made anyway. Any effort is worth it: If you can help making a game, do it; If you can make making games easier for others, do that too.<br><br><b>2. Do unto others.</b><br>The golden rule. So: Don't be a dick, don't spam, don't troll with malice, don't post porn. When in doubt, use spoiler tags. Don't use crappy internet debate tactics to "win" the forums. If there are arguments, refer to the goal: Make Games.<br><br><b>3. Say thank you.</b><br>Criticism is vital to a functional creative community, there is an art to both giving and receiving criticism well. Saying thanks helps to change the tone away from defensive "my idea is sacrosanct" to open communication. Always evaluate any criticism for what you could learn from it, irrespective of the source, digging deeper will reward you with a better game every time. When giving criticism, always give suggestions for what could be done, never criticize the person behind the idea and keep it constructive. Nobody ever built anything for people that only want to tear things down. At the same time, no tower reached the heavens on crap foundations.<br><br><b>4. This is a community-driven site.</b><br>If you want something to happen, post about it. If you have an idea that could be awesome for the community to do, start it up. Focus on low investment at first, something that isn't going to take resources - so maybe start a sketch group thread (as an example) and see who takes part. Things will grow into customs from there, so let other people join in and help you take things further. The best thing anyone can do is get involved.<br><br><b>5. Don't like these rules?</b><br>Good. They're for all of us. We should debate them, argue over them and own them in the end.<br>
Thanked by 1critic
Comments
On the page: number 3 is not the same size as the other headings. Also it would be better if the heading were attached to the paragraph of it description rather than the preceding paragraph.
Also perhaps add the discussion link under rule 5.
So with the talk of the job recruiters I feel like it is time to bring this thread back to life, and god was it hard to find (the FAQ on the top-bar links to @hanli's post, and the only real way to find this was to go into the BBCode guide which kinda has this stuff written in it as well with a link to the thread)
So err rules, yep governance of a harmonious society, or something like that.
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So things I want to say. With regards to the current rules:
2: While don't be a dick is generally understood I think "Be excellent to each other." would be better. I think encouraging positive behaviour is better than discouraging negative behaviour.
3: While I fully agree with the concept would it not be better to phrase it "You are not your ideas"? Recently we have had some people posting things and running from the critique. I think stressing the dissociation of the critique of the idea and being critical of the writer should be more strongly reinforced.
I tried rewriting the post, but fuck how it is just carries across so much info.
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New 5 (since the current 5 will be bumped to 6)
Offer jobs respectfully
If you want to hire someone; you want a competent individual: address them as such.
This is community for game developers: if it is not for game developers, then it is not to be posted here.
State the company for which you are hiring, and who you are: use your real name.
State the position for which you are hiring, and the qualifications required for that position.
Use proper English and formatting: be professional when you are trying to hire a professional.
An excellent example of a job offer can be found at http://makegamessa.com/discussion/46/job-unity-programmer
Also I am so glad we switched to BBCode, link doesn't feel like working if I embed it -.-
"Don't take criticism personally". People's criticism on your game/idea/thing isn't there to make you feel bad, it's there to improve your game/idea/thing. It demonstrates care.
What about the job posting thing, I feel we need that. Templates or some other guidance.
We need a better name than FAQ as discussed in another thread. FAQ tends to get ignored by everyone.
I think incorporating the content in the old FAQ thread thing is important, but not in a way that'd make people think "omgwalloftext"
I'll keep you posted on my progress.
The reason for the necro was because I knew these rules were somewhere and I really just couldn't find them, and they might be the official rules for the forums. I know they were at some point, and I really like how they were written despite my complaints —which are really more crits than anything else.
"Try your best to find something of merit before you deliver your constructive criticisms. Even if it's just an acknowledgement of what the person is trying to go for, validation will go a long way to disarming their defensive responses".
That's a protip about conflict resolution and dealing with sensitive people in general. Yes, I know, this is the internet, build a thick skin or GTFO. But really if we're going hold noble intentions of being a place to genuinely foster games enabling people to make games, then that includes being gentle on those who haven't developed that self resilience yet and/or had the chance to learn that all feedback is a valuable resource.
Should we not mention that if a poster has not asked for critique we should ask the OP if they would like criticism before dishing it out (its something we naturally do, but to new members it may not be obvious)? Also, should we not state that when posting a game, clear goals for posting should be stated in the post (community awareness, critique or seeking partnerships etc.).
- In this instance I'm thinking more about the established studios that come here and post their game that's about to be released, and then we as a community are like: "Well, that's nice, but what do you want from us?"
- I think neophyte developers require a slightly different tact as posted above