PC & Mac Board 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

• Cross-platform discussion is prohibited - use System Wars instead.
• Posts with the intention to get a rise out of board members (i.e. Why Mac Sucks) without much substance from the original post will be moderated - see below.
• Discussion regarding anything PC/Mac related from hardware to software to peripherals is allowed.

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 a few months or more, aside from stickied threads will be locked.

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. The ban will be imposed to those that violate our guidelines within a span of 60 days of each offense. If no further incidents occur within the 60 day period, the user will be cycled back to good standing all is right in the world.

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 fool. Treat people how you want to be treated!