Community Guidelines

Games can be difficult. Conduct is the line.

Games contain violence, horror, sex, cruelty, grief and ideas people strongly disagree about. You can discuss those things plainly. Swearing at a boss fight is not the same as aiming abuse at another person, and Playthroughs does not automatically filter or replace words.

Context matters. Criticise a game or an argument as sharply as you like; do not turn that criticism into harassment of the person behind it.

Treat people as people

• Do not harass, bully, dogpile or repeatedly pursue someone who wants to be left alone.
• Do not attack or demean someone because of race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, caste, disability, age, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation or another protected characteristic. Slurs directed at people are not permitted.
• Do not threaten real-world harm, encourage violence against someone or celebrate harm done to them. Describing violence inside a game is not covered by this rule.
• Do not encourage self-harm or provide instructions for it. Talking about your own experience or a game’s treatment of self-harm is allowed. If someone appears to be in immediate danger, contact local emergency services; Playthroughs cannot provide crisis support.

Sexual content and child safety

Do not post pornography, direct sexual harassment at another person or use Playthroughs to solicit sexual contact. Thoughtful discussion of sexual content in a game is allowed.

Child sexual abuse and exploitation is prohibited without exception. This includes child sexual abuse material, sexualised depictions of minors, grooming, sextortion and soliciting a minor. We remove it, suspend the account and report it to the relevant authorities where required or appropriate.

Privacy and identity

• Do not publish someone’s home address, phone number, workplace, private messages, private social identifiers or other information they have not chosen to make public.
• Do not impersonate another person, a games company or Playthroughs. Parody and fan accounts are allowed when a reasonable person can tell they are not official.
• Do not use another person’s images, writing or identity to deceive people.

Profile photos

Only upload a profile photo you have the right to use. Do not use another person’s image to impersonate them, deceive people, harass them or expose private information. Pornography, sexual exploitation, child sexual abuse material, hateful imagery, threats and other prohibited material are not allowed in avatars either.

A profile photo is technically checked and published after upload. Other people can report the exact avatar from your profile. Three distinct eligible reports can temporarily hide it while a person reviews the reports; report volume is not a finding and a moderator decides whether to approve or remove it.

Keep it genuine

• Do not post scams, phishing links, key-selling spam, repetitive promotions or referral schemes.
• Do not use accounts or automation to manufacture likes, follows, comments, votes or reports, or to evade a block or suspension.
• Write your own reviews and list notes. Credit quotations and do not pass off someone else’s work as yours.
• Do not distribute pirated games or other material you have no right to share, or use Playthroughs to break the law.

Mark spoilers

Use the spoiler control where Playthroughs provides one, especially for reviews. Keep major unmarked spoilers out of titles, usernames and other text people cannot choose to reveal. A spoiler is not automatically a moderation offence, but repeatedly spoiling games to upset people can become harassment.

Reports and blocks

Every comment, review, list, playthrough, avatar and profile has a Report action. Choose the closest reason and add useful details. Do not file knowingly false or repetitive reports to pressure someone.

A report is read by a person and is not a vote. Reporting never removes content automatically, and the number of reports does not decide the outcome.

Blocking is separate. You can block from a profile or comment, or after submitting a report. It takes effect immediately, does not notify the other person and stops the two accounts seeing each other through Playthroughs.

Playthroughs is run by one developer, so we do not promise a response time. Reports are handled as promptly as reasonably possible. Email [email protected] if a matter is urgent.

What enforcement looks like

We use the least disruptive response that properly addresses the problem:

• No action when the content does not break these Guidelines.
• Permanent removal of a comment, review, list or playthrough.
• A profile reset that clears profile fields and assigns a neutral username.
• Account suspension for a severe or repeated breach.

Comments on your own work

The owner of a review, list or playthrough may remove comments from it without filing a report. You do not have to host a conversation you no longer want, even when the comment would not otherwise break these Guidelines.

If you think we got it wrong

Email [email protected] with your username, the content or restriction concerned, and why you think the decision was wrong. A person will review the complaint and reconsider the decision. Content removal itself cannot be reversed, but we can correct profile or account restrictions and use the outcome to improve later decisions.

Changes

These Guidelines will change as the community grows and we learn where the wording is unclear. The date above shows the latest revision, and material changes will be brought to users’ attention.