Help Docs

Welcome to Game Jolt!

Game Jolt is freely open to people of all kinds and from all different places. Our aim is to have a welcoming, friendly and supportive community for everyone to enjoy!

Because Game Jolt is so diverse, having clearly defined guidelines will help all of us to remain open-minded and tolerant of one another. Failure to follow these guidelines can lead to content being removed, users getting blocked from certain Communities, Community ownership or other privileges being revoked/transferred, verification being lost, or even being permanently banned or removed from Game Jolt. Though it is necessary, taking such action saddens us, so we ask that you please consider these guidelines carefully so that we can have as big and happy a community as possible!

Without further ado, we present to you the Game Jolt Site Guidelines! 🎉🎉🎉

Ways to be a good Game Jolt Citizen

• Remember you’re talking to real people!

  When speaking to others on Game Jolt, always remember that they are real people with real feelings, just like you! Pretend you are speaking to other Game Jolt users in person. For example, ask yourself: “Is what I am about to say something I would say in real life?” and “Would I appreciate it if someone said this to me?” Being considerate of the feelings of others will help you to be among Game Jolt’s finest citizens!

• Read Community descriptions and adhere to their rules.

  Every Community on Game Jolt is different and may have its own set of rules. Always check a Community's description for specific guidelines on posting and expected behavior.

• Keep posts on topic.

  Thinking about publishing a post to a Community or two? Ensure your post is on topic with the Communities you have selected, and send it to the appropriate channel.

• Always link the source.

  Many of us love sharing our favorite art, videos and music. If the content was not created by you, it would only be right to credit and link to the content’s original creator. After all, if you like something enough to share it, why not direct some attention to the person who worked so hard on it? Please note that some Communities only allow original content, so again, check those Community guidelines before posting!

• Be constructive in criticism.

  Have you found user-created content that you think could be improved? That’s fine; we all have opinions! Speak up about your concerns and leave a comment, but be constructive and gracious in your criticism. Think about how you would solve the issue if it were your own content and then voice your ideas accordingly. People work hard on their various creations and will appreciate your feedback when delivered with care.

• Accept the block.

  Game Jolt has a blocking feature that allows everyone the option to choose not to see content or notifications from certain users. This feature is for the benefit of all. We know it can hurt to find you’ve been blocked by someone or a Community, but after giving some consideration to whether there’s anything you can improve in yourself for future interactions, try to apply whatever you may have learned and move on, forgive and forget. Blocking should not be considered an insult, especially since we do not know the individual circumstances of each person.

  Harassing users or Communities for blocking you by making posts about said users/Communities, or directing attacks from your friends and followers, is not acceptable conduct.

• Send a report.

  If you see someone doing something wrong on Game Jolt, please do not direct everyone else’s attention to the matter by the use of posts, shouts, Communities, etc. Rather, simply use the report button found on every user profile, game page, post and comment to report the issue for our moderators to review. Handling matters this way will ensure a more positive experience for other users.

  When reporting something, always provide as much information as possible so our moderators know what the issue is and can react quickly and efficiently.

  However, please do not abuse the report button. Reporting an individual or content multiple times in succession for the exact same offense, reporting for the same offense via the use of multiple accounts belonging to one user, and slander are not acceptable. One truthful report per offense from each affected user is all it takes to help our team get to the bottom of things.

  Also, while we greatly appreciate our community’s desire for Game Jolt to be completely free of all offensive content, do remember that we have moderators who are already working hard at taking care of this for us with the help of user-sent reports that come along with natural use of our site. We ask that you do not go out of your way to find misconduct or form groups/Communities for such a purpose; doing so only rewards offensive behavior by bringing more attention to it and often leads to greater problems.

Bannable offenses on Game Jolt

The following items will help to define some of the bannable offenses on Game Jolt. These are things that, if done, may result in someone's account being banned or even completely removed from the site.

Note that our moderators research and react to everything on a case by case basis. This means the results of an offense will vary and some offenses that result in disciplinary action may not be included on this list at all. While the reporting feature helps us get a better understanding of a situation, we still carefully review the actions of each user before making any decisions. Please also note that we avoid revealing the offenses of users publicly whenever possible.

The following offenses apply to all forms of content on Game Jolt including but not limited to games, Communities, posts, comments, shouts and personal messages.

• Harassment and abuse

  Harassment and abuse are vague terms and can come in many forms. Harassment and abuse on Game Jolt include but are not limited to:

  • Hate speech.

  • Racism.

  • Belittling someone for their actions, ideas or beliefs.

  • Calling someone out in a negative context in a public space.

  • Trolling or submitting negative statements with the aim of stirring up arguments or drama.

  • Offensive images, videos and animations.

  • Posting screenshots or video of private conversations without permission of the involved parties.

  • Leaking/posting privately shared information or content (known as "doxxing").

  • Targeted spam.

  • Creating Communities aimed to defame or harass others.

  • Lashing out at a moderator for any action taken on the site. They are people too, and they’re doing their best to help make Game Jolt better for everyone. Please remember that moderators often have access to evidence that goes unseen by other users.

  • Submitting false reports in an attempt to get someone or something you don’t like banned or removed.

• Spam, scams and malicious conduct

  Spam and scams are unfortunately commonplace in the wild world of the internet, but we do not welcome such content here. On Game Jolt, spam, scams and malicious conduct include but are not limited to:

  • Off-topic posts in Communities that don't have a specified channel for such content.

  • Excessive and/or repeated tagging of users in posts, comments and other content.

  • Posting nonsensical text or images (i.e. content that is not intended to make sense in the first place).

  • Posts that include links to off-topic or monetized external websites.

  • Repeatedly posting in quick succession (via posts, shouts, chat, comments, etc.).

  • Duplicate posts.

  • Performing actions that result in notifications on a single user’s content in quick succession with negative intention. For example, following users and games.

  • Using bots or scripts to post, like, and follow content at inhumane rates.

  • Phishing.

  • Spreading malware or viruses.

• Theft and plagiarism

  Theft and plagiarism is a widespread issue. On Game Jolt, we do our best to ensure our users are not claiming the work of others to be their own. Theft and plagiarism include but are not limited to:

  • Uploading a game you did not create.

  • Falsely claiming to have created content you are posting. Please note that it’s okay to share the work of others, but you should always credit and link back to the original source/creator.

  • Modifying and posting the work of others without first gaining permission and/or following the terms of the content’s original owner.

• Impersonation

  Impersonation includes both the derogatory imitation of, and posing as, other people or organizations via usernames or display names, posted content, and behavior and mannerisms. In spite of the verification of some user and organization accounts helping to prove identity, the above still applies; do not impersonate verified accounts or creator accounts.

• Unauthorized posting of private information

  On Game Jolt, we value everyone’s privacy and do our absolute best to ensure that private information remains that way. As such, sharing personally identifiable information or content that may reveal private details about others is unacceptable.

Adult content

Help us keep Game Jolt friendly for all!

• Do not post, upload, or share:

  • Content that is pornographic, sexually explicit, or contains gore of an illicit or realistic nature.

Community ownership and moderation

Being the owner or moderator of a Community of users who share your interests on Game Jolt is exciting! These opportunities do not come without responsibilities, however. This section of our guidelines is focused on helping Community owners and moderators understand what is expected of them, and what could lead to the removal of their privileges within a Community.

• Community Owners

  • While Communities are free to have their own specific set of rules listed in their descriptions or pinned in their channels, every Community is also subject to our Site Guidelines.

  • Choose your moderators and/or collaborators wisely and carefully. Remember that your moderators will have the power to make changes and decisions within your Community that could have a heavy impact on your Community’s reputation.

  • Check and make sure that your Community is being properly cared for, not only having undesirable content removed, but also good content featured if your Community grants posting privileges to users who are not moderators.

  • Inactive owners could have their ownership of a Community transferred to the most active and responsible moderator within their Community (or to Game Jolt until a new owner can be found), so please be sure to interact with your Community frequently (i.e posting, replying to, and featuring good content).

  • Owners should also take note of whether their Community’s moderators/collaborators are active. Using your best judgement, such responsibilities may need to be transferred to another user who is capable and willing to help.

• Community Moderators

  • Help to keep the Community active by removing unwanted content and featuring good/interesting content (if applicable).

  • Avoid creating posts that violate our guidelines, such as: public call-outs and/or screenshots that expose other users for wrongs committed, so-called “rants” targeting the Community itself, its members, or a specific user, and derogatory statements about other Communities.

  • Moderators should be aware of our Site Guidelines so that they can—along with removing offending posts, comments, and users from the Community—use the reporting function wherever necessary so that Game Jolt’s own moderation team can remove unwanted content and offending users.

  • Before featuring content, please make sure to the best of your ability that the content has not been stolen from another source. This can be difficult, but an initial check will at least help to reduce the chances of stolen content being featured.

• Do not:

  • Create Community channels that attack or target specific users.

  • Add Community rules that somehow violate Game Jolt’s ToS and/or Site Guidelines.

  • Instigate or contribute to drama within a Community by making public any sort of disagreements that have occurred among its collaborators.

Streaming (We will be shutting down the livestreaming system on October 16th 2023.)

Streaming is a fun and personal way to share your adventures and interact with friends and fans alike. We’re all about allowing our users to express their creativity, showcase their skills, and reveal their colorful personalities, and streams are a great way of doing all three!

Try following these tips to make sure your stream is noticed by as many as possible:

• Post about your stream before it goes live. Inform potential viewers of the starting time and subject matter so they will know what to expect and when to expect it!

• Make sure the title of the stream matches the content. For example, the title “Bleh” would not properly convey that you are streaming an intense action game!

We also want to make sure that the content being streamed on Game Jolt is as safe as possible for all viewers, so we ask that you please adhere to the following rules:

• Do not:

  • Stream NSFW content.

  • Violate copyright law by streaming videos and other content belonging to third parties without express permission from the property’s owner and/or the legal right to do so.

  • Use streams to attack and/or expose individuals, groups, communities, ethnicities, religions, or other entities.

As a streamer, it is your responsibility to ensure that the content of your stream’s chat does not violate Game Jolt’s Site Guidelines. To help limit unsolicited spam and other undesirable chat content, please consider the following suggestions:

• Wisely and carefully select willing and responsible moderators to help manage your stream’s chat.

• Do not leave your stream unattended for long periods of time, as doing so could encourage unwanted chat content and would not be respecting the time and energy of your moderators.

User and Community verification

Sometimes we endow users and Communities with a verification badge. This section will attempt to clarify the purpose of verification, the conditions that are considered before users/Communities are selected for verification, as well as events that could ultimately lead to the removal of verification.

When it comes to users, verification can help those who are prime targets of impersonation—as well as onlookers—to identify them as being truly who they say they are. As such, user verification is primarily a form of identity protection.

• Users are considered for verification when they:

  • Are part of the Game Jolt staff.

  • Officially represent a well-known company or development team.

• Communities are considered for verification when they:

  • Are well maintained by their owners/moderators.

  • Have frequent activity from their members.

  • Create a friendly and inviting atmosphere.

  • Fill an interest that is unique and highly desired, or are the main hub of a popular topic.

Verified users do not represent Game Jolt, but verification does highlight users/Communities in the public eye. Verified users should ensure that they are taking good care of this privilege to keep from losing their badge, or in the case of owners of verified Communities, have their ownership transferred.

• Verification could be lost when:

  • A verified user severely or repeatedly violates Game Jolt’s ToS and/or Site Guidelines. Similarly to when a regular user account faces disciplinary action, depending on the severity of an offense when evaluated by Game Jolt, a verified user may either be given a warning or immediately lose their verification badge.

  • A verified user announces that they are leaving Game Jolt permanently or for the foreseeable future.

  • There is a clear lack of activity from a verified user or Community, except in the case of individuals/entities who are particularly at risk of impersonation.

Questions and concerns

If your account has been banned on Game Jolt and you would like to appeal this action, or you have any questions, you can always reach out to us by emailing [email protected].

Our Site Guidelines are still a work-in-progress and will continue to be updated as our experiences broaden, but we hope it has helped to clarify the kind of behavior that is expected of everyone here on Game Jolt.

Remember, every individual is different, so let’s try our utmost to remain empathetic toward our fellow humans and robots.

In closing, we just want to mention that following the advice found here will also give us as much time as possible to make this the greatest place ever, so we heartily thank you for your effort and consideration! If we all pitch in and do our best, we’ll be helping to keep Game Jolt a welcoming place for all!