Users Code of Conduct ​

Mission Statement ​

The RetroAchievements project aims to provide tools for creating achievements for retrogames and ways to enjoy such creations. We strive to promote a healthy and collaborative community around this hobby. Everything we produce is made available for free and we will never profit from it.

How to Report Concerns ​

• User behavior concerns (harassment, spam, Code of Conduct violations): Contact RAdmin or reach out privately to a member of the moderation team.
• Game/set content concerns: Contact RAdmin. While we don't curate based on game content, we welcome feedback about our content warning and filtering systems.

Rules ​

There's a lot of retrogamers around the globe, spanning various different cultures, points of view, and opinions. Therefore, in order to provide a healthy environment for the community to share their passion for retrogames, we need some rules.

Short Version ​

This short version should be enough for most people:

1. Don't be a jerk or generally obnoxious - nobody likes trolls.
2. Don't use our website or Discord server to share copyrighted material or information about where they can be downloaded.
3. Keep the Discord channels and forum threads on-topic (we do have a section for off-topic chatting, though).
4. When a moderator/admin asks you to stop, you should stop.
5. When in doubt, ask a @mod in Discord or send a message to RAdmin on the website.

Long Version ​

If the short version is not clear enough for you, here's a detailed one:

Examples of expected behavior ​

• Focusing on what is best for the community.
• Showing empathy towards other community members.
• Being respectful when expressing your viewpoint.
• Gracefully accepting constructive and respectful criticism.
• Reporting to moderators/admins cases where these rules are being violated.

Unacceptable social behavior ​

• Asking for or posting links to sites where others could download copyrighted material.
• Spamming messages or attempting to vandalize Discord or the website by any means.
• Advertising products, services, or other Discord servers without approval.
• Bigotry: This includes racism, sexism, elitism; intolerance regarding others' nationality, religion, sexual orientation, political beliefs, etc.
• Public or private harassment.
• Defamation, as in making false statements about a person that may injure their reputation.
• Threats of violence.
• Unwelcome sexual attention or advances towards others.
• Posting pornography, as in images or descriptions of erotic behavior intended to cause sexual excitement.
• Posting gruesome or gory images intended to cause disgust.
• Publishing others' private information, such as a photos of them or their physical or electronic address, without explicit permission.

Behavior strongly frowned upon ​

• Heated public arguments.
• Excessive shitposting.
• Personal attacks, as in making abusive remarks on or relating to one's person, instead of providing evidence when examining another person's claims or comments.

The moderators will step in to cool things down if arguments start getting out of hand. Check below how moderation works.

Freedom of Speech ​

If you just want to rant or dump derogatory comments about how we run things here, you're free to do that. But, as it's demotivating and wastes a lot of volunteers' time, we don't want it on our forums or Discord Server. There are plenty of options where you can do it around the Internet.

Keep in mind that RetroAchievements.org is NOT a bastion of freedom of speech.

If you have criticism, you're very welcome to say it, just be sure to be civil.

How Moderation Works ​

If you feel moderation is needed, ping the @Moderator role on our Discord server, or send an on-site DM to RAdmin, a shared mod-mail account. If you prefer anonymity, reaching out to an active moderator privately is also an option.

The moderation team's goal is to ensure all users adhere to the User's Code of Conduct. While this Code of Conduct is comprehensive, our moderators reserve the right to take action against violations that threaten a safe, healthy, and inclusive community.

We prioritize resolving issues diplomatically by first asking users to step back and reminding them of our community rules. However, if these warnings are ignored, we will take enforcement action against both your Discord and RetroAchievements accounts.

• If the violation is minor, moderators may opt to mute the user, restricting all their social capabilities on both the Discord server and the site. This does not affect anything related to earning achievements. Likewise, the user will be able to contact team accounts during this mute duration.
  • Note that if a Developer or Junior Developer breaks the Code of Conduct and receives a mute, the mute also doubles as a developer suspension at the discretion of Developer Compliance or the Code Reviewer team. Moderators will inform the teams when this happens.
• Severe violations will result in a ban on your account, removing you from the Discord server and making your RetroAchievements profile inaccessible.

Note: Violations that result in mutes are shared between the Discord server and RetroAchievements site. Likewise, a ban on our site will automatically result in a ban on Discord. A ban from the Discord may lead to a RetroAchievements site ban or other restrictive action taken, depending on the severity.

If you've been banned and want to appeal to have your account restored, send an email to ramodmail@gmail.com or a Direct Message to RAdmin.

What to do if you think moderation is wrong ​

If you think moderators are not acting like described above, send a Direct Message to RAdmin or email ramodmail@gmail.com. This is a shared moderation account that all mods and admins see. The issue will be discussed and dealt with fairly.

Admins/mods who do not follow or enforce this Code of Conduct in good faith may face temporary or permanent repercussions as determined by other members of the project's administration.

FAQ ​

When a member gets banned from the Discord server, are they automatically banned from the website? ​

Not always, but it may happen depending on the severity.

I created a Discord server because I want more freedom than what I have on the official RetroAchievements server. Can I promote my server here? ​

No.

Is it mandatory for achievement creators to join the Discord server? ​

No.

Joining our Discord server is optional. But if you're in the list of banned users there, you cannot have the "Developer" role on the website.

Changelog