In a bid to promote inclusivity and fairness on its platform, Facebook has unveiled a new toolkit that allows creators to foster safe and inclusive environments for themselves and their communities.
Facebook partnered up with the Fair Play Alliance, a collection of games companies working to encourage safe and toxic-free spaces in gaming. Companies that are part of the initiative include 505 Games, Blizzard, EA and Epic, alongside community platforms like Mixer, Discord and Twitch.
This new toolkit comes with a number of default rules that creators can set within their communities. The 8 set rules are as follows:
- Be accepting - everyone is welcome, regardless of race, ethnicity, national origin, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, sex, gender identity, or ability.
- Respect boundaries - don’t make advances or comments on appearance that might make someone uncomfortable.
- Don’t criticise - We all have different styles—don't judge someone's gameplay or game choice.
- Don't be rude - don’t intentionally provoke, threaten or insult anyone. We’re all here to have fun.
- Don’t flood the chat keep the conversation going, but don’t repeatedly send the same comments.
- Don’t self promote we're not here for a sales pitch. Stay focused on the stream.
- Keep it clean if it's shocking, obscene, vulgar or inflammatory, leave it out.
- No profanity
Creators can choose which rules they want to enforce before they go live. Additionally, moderators can mark deleted chat messages with a disclaimer, letting the sender know which rules or guidelines their message has violated.
"We know gaming has changed over time, and so have the people who play, so it’s important for us to support creators and their moderators by helping set guidelines for positive conversations," Facebook Gaming Product manager Clara Siegel said in a blog post.
"Our work doesn’t end here - we’re excited to continue partnering with the Fair Play Alliance to develop additional features and ensure creators and fans alike can find safe and inclusive communities on Facebook."