Publishing giant Electronic Arts has unveiled what it calls the ‘Positive Play Charter’ with the aim of curbing toxicity in its games, and reminding offenders that there’ll be a price to pay.
Video game companies have been under increasing pressure to take action against abuse and harassment in online games, leading many to draft policies to tackle such behavior. According to EA, the Positive Play Charter isn’t about punishing players; its goal is to create a positive experience for everyone.
Salient features of the charter are as follows:
- Treat others as they would like to be treated – Don’t engage or promote harmful behavior including attacks on race, sexual orientation, religion, heritage, country of origin, etc. or unwelcome sexual advances and messages.
- Keep Things Fair – No cheating or giving yourself an unfair advantage
- Share Clean Content – Create and share stuff that’s appropriate
- Follow Local Laws – Keep it legal in our games and services, just as you would wherever you are in real life
EA has provided a detailed breakdown of the above, which you can peruse on its website. As far as consequences are concerned, the publisher said it’s not keen to drop the ban hammer. However, short-term bans and suspensions will be utilized to prevent toxicity. Repeat or severe offenses may result in permanent account terminations.
“This includes all of your EA Accounts if you have more than one account,” warned EA. “When your EA Account is terminated, you will lose your username and access to the account.”
Those who think they’ve been banned by mistake will be given the right to appeal.
