PRIVACY POLICY
A privacy policy and terms of service should be pretty straight forward, so let's lay it out in simple language to start with!
Your information that you provide will be stored in our online database, and will only be shared with the other event hosts as needed. We're not going to sell your details or do anything else with them, and if you unsubscribe your details will be gone forever and you'll never be emailed about this again. Unless you sign up again I guess?
You will be emailed with the details of each SavePoint Industry Gathering event, as well as sometimes other emails around things we think are relevant and related - asking for feedback via a survey, suggesting we support the charity of someone in the group, or even information about other related events. Again, if this isn't cool, super simple to unsubscribe!
If you have any issues with the above text, click here to send us an email.
CODE OF CONDUCT
SavePoint Industry Gathering (SIG) is dedicated to providing a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, age, race, or religion. We do not tolerate harassment of members in any form.
Because this is a space that has been designed to be safe and kind, we have created the code of conduct to show our members how they can expect to be treated, and how they are expected to treat others. This code applies to all SIG spaces, including Discord, and Gatherings both online and off. Anyone who violates this code of conduct may be removed from these spaces at the discretion of the Admin(s) and Host team.
Some spaces may have additional rules in place, which will be made clearly available to members. Members are responsible for knowing and abiding by these rules.
Here are some examples of behaviors that are considered a violation of the code of conduct and may result in action being taken, up to and including removal from SavePoint spaces:
- Offensive, hurtful, or disparaging comments related to gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, mental illness, neuro(a)typicality, physical appearance, body size, age, race, or religion.
- Offensive, hurtful, or disparaging comments regarding a person’s lifestyle choices and practices, including those related to food, health, parenting, drugs, and employment.
- Deliberate misgendering or use of ‘dead’ or rejected names.
- Gratuitous or off-topic sexual images or behaviour in spaces where they’re not appropriate.
- Physical contact and simulated physical contact (eg, textual descriptions like “*hug*” or “*backrub*”) without consent or after a request to stop.
- Threats of violence.
- Incitement of violence towards any individual, including encouraging a person to commit suicide or to engage in self-harm.
- Deliberate intimidation or bullying.
- Stalking or following.
- Photography or recording without permission, including logging online activity or sharing screenshots of SavePoint chat or channels.
- Sustained disruption of discussion.
- Unwelcome sexual attention.
- Pattern of inappropriate social contact, such as requesting/assuming inappropriate levels of intimacy with others.
- Continued one-on-one communication after requests to cease.
- Deliberate “outing” of any aspect of a person’s identity without their consent except as necessary to protect vulnerable people from intentional abuse.
- Peer pressure to drink or otherwise engage in behaviors that a person expresses they are uninterested in.
- Aggressive self-promotion (beyond simply discussing work or projects), advertising, or overt attempts to turn a SIG space into a sales call.
We recognize that these situations can sometimes feel "borderline" or that people may be uncertain about expressing discomfort. Similarly, we also understand that differences in experience, perspective, or even miscommunications can result in an offensive or hurtful remark occurring where offense and hurt wasn't the intention. Where misunderstandings may have occurred, we encourage gentle corrections or requests to change behavior, and we ask that our members respect those corrections and treat fellow members with respect. If requests to cease behavior or conversation that is causing discomfort are ignored, continued forced discussion around topics that are hurtful to others may constitute a violation.
If you witness a member of SIG is violating our code of conduct, is otherwise making you or another member of SIG feel uncomfortable or unsafe, or if you have any other concerns, please contact the Admin(s) and Host Team either individually through Discord (all Admins and Hosts are name coloured dark pink) or via the general email address savepoint@industrygathering.com. If the person who is causing the issue is part of the Save Point team, please contact a different team member, and the incident will be handled by the rest of the admins. We will respond as promptly as we can.
The specifics of this code of conduct apply primarily to SIG spaces, but if you are being made to feel unsafe or uncomfortable by a member of SIG outside our spaces, we still want to know about it. We will take all good-faith reports of harassment by SIG members, especially the Admin team, seriously. This includes harassment outside our spaces and harassment that took place at any point in time.
The SIG team reserves the right to exclude people from SIG based on their past behaviour, including behaviour outside SIG spaces and behaviour towards people who are not in SIG. Additionally, SIG is an offshoot and partner of of the Games Industry Gathering, and as such if you receive a warning/suspension/ban from the GIG community, we may reflect that decision in SIG on a case-by-case basis. Similarly, if you are warned/suspended/banned from SIG, GIG may choose to reflect that decision as well.
In order to protect volunteers from abuse and burnout, we reserve the right to reject any report we believe to have been made in an attempt to harass or harm another member. Reports intended to silence legitimate criticism may be deleted without response.
We will respect confidentiality requests for the purpose of protecting victims of abuse. At our discretion, we may privately warn third parties about a person about whom we’ve received harassment complaints if we believe that doing so will increase the safety of SIG members or the general public. We will not name harassment victims without their affirmative consent.
Members asked to stop any harassing behaviour are expected to comply immediately.
If a member engages in harassing behaviour, the Admins or Hosts may take any action they deem appropriate, up to and including expulsion from all SIG spaces and identification of the member as a harasser to other SIG members or the general public.
PROCESS
INFORM
A complaint about another member of SavePoint that has violated our code of conduct needs to be received and acknowledged by a host or moderator of SavePoint. Note that a moderator of SavePoint can also act based on their own information or observation of bad behavior also. During our monthly online gatherings, the best way to quickly notify a SavePoint mod or leader of bad behavior is by messaging them via Discord.
During in-person events, there are a few ways you can notify the team of violations. You can approach one of the moderators or SavePoint leaders that is currently hosting the event. If you do not feel comfortable speaking directly about the problem in a public setting, please feel free to ask them if you can "talk about sponsorships." They will find a way to separate from the group for a private conversation with you.
If this is not possible or comfortable, you can message a moderator or SavePoint leader who is not currently attending the event via Discord or email, and they will contact those hosting and let them know there is an issue as soon as they receive the message.
The specific details of the complaint made will remain confidential only to moderators of SavePoint unless the individual who made the complaint wishes otherwise.
ACT
The violator will be immediately removed from the space that the moderator has control over, whether that's a Wonder session or the Discord. The person who issued the complaint will be informed that this has happened.
As soon as we can, we will then place the violator in a time-out state as we assess next steps, where all their access to SavePoint Industry Gathering will be removed. The violator will be informed that this has happened via email, however no details about who or why will be provided unless the individual who made the complaint wishes otherwise.
Note that moderators are also empowered to lock or mute channels, conversations, or any other location that is under SavePoint's banner at their discretion.
DECIDE
The leaders of SavePoint will be presented with the details of the violator and the situation and deliberate internally. This process may be quick, or it may take a significant amount of time.
Our priority is to the person who issued the complaint, to ensure they feel safe, secure, and confident in remaining in SavePoint.
The violator will have the option to provide a written statement that we can then pass onto the person who issued the complaint, who can then provide input as to what they feel the severity of the outcome should be.
OUTCOME
One of three outcomes will then take place, following discussions between the mods, admins, and where appropriate, the person who submitted the complaint in the first place. For serious violations, we will work with those who may have been harmed by a violation to ensure they are safe and feel comfortable with our decision.
WARNING
The violator will be warned that they breached the rules, however they will then be allowed to remain as a member of SavePoint and full access will be returned. Note that an individual can only receive a warning outcome ONCE, a second violation of rules will result in one of the other outcomes only.
SUSPENSION
The individual will be suspended from SavePoint for a period of no less than 6 months, starting from when this notice is issued. Note that an individual can only receive a suspension outcome ONCE, a second violation of rules will result in a banned outcome only. The suspended individual may reapply to join again after the suspension period has ended.
BANNED
The individual will be banned from SavePoint and all SavePoint activities permanently.
In all cases, the person who issued the complaint will be informed. No other public statements will be made by SavePoint about this process or outcome, other than to answer if a question is asked as to whether an individual is a member of SavePoint or not.
The final outcome and overall process will be overseen and the collective responsibility of all four members of SavePoint leadership.
In addition, because SavePoint is in the same network as the Games Industry Gathering, SavePoint and GIG will share their warning, suspension, and banned lists with one another. No one who has been banned from GIG is permitted in SavePoint Industry Gathering, and GIG may take independent action on individuals who have been banned from SavePoint in order to protect its own members and community.
CAVEAT
Please keep in mind that SavePoint isn’t a commercial organization. It’s a group of industry professionals who volunteer their time and energy toward creating a space for gaming industry friends and colleagues to connect that is safer and more effective than other options out there.
All those involved in the SIG Admin and Host teams have other jobs and commitments, and we’re fallible people that are doing our best. Our hope is that collectively we can steer this group in a fair and cohesive way (along with input from our amazing partners), but if we stumble, we are open to feedback on how we can learn, grow, and improve.
If you'd like to discuss any of these rules, click here to send us an email.