As announced in the article about this week’s bonuses, Rockstar Games announces that it has established Rules for the community of millions of players of GTA Online and Red Dead Online in order to maintain fair play, respect, and a safe environment for them, a priority announced for the New York-based label, by updating its slogan from its early days: Say Sorry, Be Nice. Additionally, players who want to try something new can download the Pin Up Aviator app with the game. 

These rules also highlight the behaviors and actions that are not tolerated by the company with the starred R and will evolve to reflect any changes in the players’ experience.

The company of Sam Houser reminds that if you see players whose behavior does not respect the Community Rules, you can report them via the dedicated tools in-game or the options available on the official website.

FAIR PLAY

To enjoy a positive experience, playing by the rules is essential. Also, cheating disrupts this experience and goes against the sportsmanship at the heart of Rockstar’s online games. Excessive aggression can also spoil the fun and create a hostile environment for one or more players.

The British-American label reminds that these two behaviors can lead to the loss of game functionalities for their authors. Here is the definition of these reprehensible behaviors according to the company:

Cheating: “Obtaining an undue advantage by cheating, hacking, using third-party software, or exploiting bugs.”

Excessive Aggression: “Intentionally harassing another player or interfering with their experience and progression by playing inappropriately (such as eliminating players at their spawn point, disrupting the broadcast of a streamer, or going the wrong way during a race in order to hinder others).”

RESPECT

Respect is all that matters, as the GTA2 slogan said. Rockstar Games reminds of the need to promote mutual aid and good spirits for all players in a session (whether by accompanying beginner players, helping other players in heist preparation missions or sale missions, or being mindful of background noise from their mic).

The New York-based developer and publisher thus does not tolerate harassment, intimidation, threats, nor attacks on a player’s identity, including (but not limited to):

Harassment, Intimidation, and Threats: “Harassing or targeting other players including by humiliating, intimidating, or chasing them.”

Hate and Discrimination Based on Identity: “Glorifying or promoting hate groups or their ideologies, or attacking someone based on specific characteristics, such as their ethnicity; gender, identity or expression of gender; sexual orientation; disability status; country of origin; age; religion; family status; veteran status.”

Gore and Extremely Violent Content: “Sharing real images and representations of violent, gore, or animal abuse content.”

Nudity and Sexual Acts: “Sharing explicit sexual images or using our platform to solicit sexual acts or seek some form of sexual gratification.”

SAFE ENVIRONMENT

To ensure a safe online experience for all players, the company founded by Sam Houser does not tolerate any behavior likely to harm other players in any way or promote illegal activities in the real world, including (again non-exhaustively):

Violent Extremism: “Glorifying or promoting real-world terrorist, extremist, or criminal organizations or their ideologies.”

Suicide and Self-Harm: “Promoting suicide or self-harm in the real world.”

Illegal and Regulated Activities: “Discussing or facilitating the purchase or sale in the real world of weapons, drugs, or other regulated substances.”

Personal Data: “Sharing other players’ personal data, such as their contact information.”

Safety of Minors: “Engaging in behavior that could harm minors or promote their exploitation, such as sharing or discussing documents depicting sexual abuse of minors or any predatory behavior.”

Spam and Scams: “Annoying or inducing other players to view inappropriate or fraudulent content, via repetitive messages or deceptive practices.”

Rockstar also reminds that it does not tolerate abuse, inappropriate behavior, or threats targeting both its community and its employees.

CONSEQUENCES

In case of a violation of these Community Rules, Rockstar Games reserves the right to sanction the player’s account in question. The type of sanction applied will depend on the violation, its severity, and the frequency of bad behaviors observed on the account. Depending on their nature, these violations will also be reported to the authorities.

Players guilty of violations of the Community Rules may suffer additional sanctions concerning their account; including the suspension of functionalities as well as the suspension or ban of their account.

These rules apply to all aspects of the company’s online games, including textual and vocal communications, as well as any community-created content.

The video game label again encourages players to report any prohibited or inappropriate behavior as well as to maintain a safe environment in our games. As a reminder, these reports are possible via the dedicated tools in-game and the options available on the company’s website.

Rockstar concludes its statement by recalling its goal with its games: “We create these experiences so that they can be enjoyed by the largest number of players in our community. By ensuring fair play, respect, and maintaining a safe environment, you will allow everyone to experience these living worlds and help the community evolve in a pleasant and fun environment.”