Off-Topic Discussion Rules & FAQ

Use this as a guide to figure out what is and isn't acceptable on this board and for forum use in general.

General Rules

GameSpot has a set of terms for forum use. You can view the Terms of Service here.

But, how do I avoid trouble?

• Don't flame, troll, or post disruptively and don't encourage such behavior.
• Don't victimize others and avoid discriminatory language.
• Don't discuss any illegal activities. (ROMs, Torrents, Emulators, Home-brew, etc).
• Don't post inappropriate material (pornographic, overtly sexual, gore, etc).
• Don't post from an alternate account.

Board Specific Rules

• Posts with the intention to get a rise out of board members (i.e. Why America/religion/etc Sucks) without much substance from the original post will be moderated - see below.
• Game related discussions are only allowed in the OT Game Lounge thread.

Definition of Spam

• Topics in which you are advertising, promoting, soliciting and offering goods/services for commercial purposes or financial gain.
• Topics that consist of "thoughts of the day", immature or inane content/purpose.
• Topics solely linking to websites, images, videos or other material without any commentary from the topic creator.

How We Control Spam

• New users can only post 5 posts a day.
• Once a user has 25 total posts, this restriction is dropped.
• Flagged content gains +1 karma point for the submitter and the accused. If the moderator accepts the accuser's position, their karma is reset.
• Once a user hits +10 karma they are banned from posting.
• Karma automatically degrades -1 karma each night.

Posting in Old Topics/"Necro-ing"

• "Necro-ing" or posting in old topics is discouraged.
• Be sure to check the date of the last post before you reply.
• Topics that have not been posted in for two weeks or longer will be locked (stickied threads excluded).

Three Strike Rule

Hate speech and threats have no place in the GameSpot community. We want this board and the forums to be welcoming and engaging for users. Therefore, the moderating team has a 3 strike rule that will be enforced. It is as follows:

• First offence: User will receive a warning.
• Second offence: Seven-day suspension from the site.
• Third offence: Permanent Ban from GameSpot

For the sake of clarity, this will include forums, comment sections, and blogs.

Contacting The Moderators

The GameSpot moderators are here to help. Click here to send a private message to our entire mod crew.

What's the one rule I should remember?

Don't be a jerk. Treat people how you want to be treated!

Fighting Forum Spam (credit to solidruss)

GameSpot Said:

New users are now unable to create more than one forum topic per 24 hour window until they've created five forum topics.

FAQ

Is there any way I can bypass this rule?

Currently there is no way to circumvent this new rule, however if there needs to be an adjustment made, we will look into alternatives.

Does this apply to new users only or current members as well?

The rule applies to anyone without a minimum of 5 original posts.

Why are new users suffering because of Spambots?

We're sorry you feel that way about it. But in an effort to help maintain the forums we are implementing this solution. You can still join conversations already happening, but until we can verify that you're not here to simply spam the board, this is the best solution.

Why are the Mods not clearing the spam up to allow us to make topics like normal?

Believe it or not, the Mods have been working tirelessly to help make the forums a spam-free environment for GameSpot members. They are a lean team who are volunteers, that being said, if you're interested in joining the Moderator Team in the interest of bettering the community feel free to reach out to us via PM.