Upcoming Events
Unite 2010
11/10 - 11/12 @ Montréal, Canada

GDC China
12/5 - 12/7 @ Shanghai, China

Asia Game Show 2010
12/24 - 12/27  

GDC 2011
2/28 - 3/4 @ San Francisco, CA

More events...
Quick Stats
75 people currently visiting GDNet.
2406 articles in the reference section.

Help us fight cancer!
Join SETI Team GDNet!
Link to us Events 4 Gamers
Home » Community » Chat » Chat Rules
Intel sponsors gamedev.net search:
Chat Center

GameDev.net wants to provide its visitors with real chat resources. If you look long and hard enough, you'll be able to find a bunch of people willing to listen to someone banter about game dev. While we've got nothing against casual chat (believe me), we do think that chats have a lot of potential as direct communication and educational tools. Chat rooms can be more than places to "hear yourself speak."

So, here's the deal. We're a registered channel - #gamedev - on the AfterNET IRC network. You can also pick up the excellent IRC client mIRC for Windows. (For Linux, we recommend either ircii or bitchx).

Our channel is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (on the Gregorian calendar, anyway...). In other words, it is never not open. If you feel particularly lonely or just incredibly bored, you might delude yourself into thinking the chat is more fun than watching paint dry, find a friend, go in, and try to see if you can get AfterNET's bot [X2] to pass the Turing test.

Regular conferences and discussions are hosted on #gamedev during convenient timeslots. Interested in orating? Fine, but please spare us. Interested in teaching, perhaps helping some people out? Give us an e-mail and we'll schedule an official time for you to do so!

In addition to periodic chats, we occasionally host chats with well-known developers, in which you will get to pick their brains as they teach a minicourse or sell vacuum cleaners or do whatever they feel like. Bottom line, you get to talk with a game dude!

Oh, right, and...we also host a chat on Saturday nights. The Regulars usually show up, and we all have some good laughs and a good time. Be forewarned: This chat is...er...not really about game programming, as it turns out.


Chat Rules

Rules

There are several rules that comprise our chat policy:

  1. Because the channel is frequented by teenagers as well, keep topics family-friendly. That means
    • No drug-related topics.
    • No sex-related topics.
    • Keep swearing to a minimum.
    Depending on how explicit the discussion is, warnings may or may not be given before a ban.
  2. Warez talk is not allowed in the channel.
  3. Racism is not tolerated, even if in a jokingly manner, and even if you are insulting your own race.
  4. Respect should be shown to your fellow channel mates. As such, avoid insulting their family members.
  5. Ban evasion is not tolerated.
    Even if you have been banned unfairly, play by the book. Wait until the ban is lifted, or approach one of the managers (or above) for an appeal.
    If you are discovered to be ban evading, action will be taken to either prolong the ban period, addlamer you, or perhaps even a gline.
  6. In the event of a heated discussion, if you are asked by the operator to tone down or even switch to another topic, kindly do so. Failure to do so will result in a ban.
  7. Do not play with the 'toys' in the channel. This means 8ball, calc, and others.
  8. Do not use obtrusive scripts/bots in the channel.
  9. No flooding/spamming of the channel. You will be kicked or banned, depending on the content. Accidental paste which lead to spam are normally forgiven, but a kick might be issued in case the operator notice it and wish to stop the flood.
  10. If you need to paste more than a couple of lines of code, please use a paste site. For instance http://muer.njoerdba.com/paste/.
  11. Use your own best judgement; the ops will be using theirs.

We like to have fun, but if you cross the line between having fun and bothering us, you will be removed from our channel immediately (by the op with the fastest trigger finger) and possibly banned. Banning will occur at the staffs' uniform or majority discretion. You may be unbanned from our channel if and only if you post a single (1) message stating public apology to our message board and we actually buy it.

GameDev.net does not and will not make any committment to moderation of conferences, meetings, scheduled events, lectures, ballgames, Hanson concerts, or discos. Speakers will not be given status as channel operators, but they will be protected by any present channel operators. We are simply saying that we do not obligate ourselves to show up to your chat.

We reserve all rights relating to the enforcement of our policy.