STLGDC Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct

The St. Louis Game Developer Co-op (“STLGDC”) is an educational organization dedicated to providing a safe, supportive, and professional environment for all participants and members. This Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (“Code”) is the official STLGDC policy for participant conduct at STLGDC events, and in STLGDC spaces, both real and virtual.

It should be noted that certain events or spaces may have additional local rules or regulations in place.  All participants are responsible for conducting themselves in accordance with both this Code and and any other applicable guidelines. Failure to comport one’s behavior to these standards may result in loss of privileges to participate in STLGDC events and spaces.

This Code may be updated from time to time, and you are encouraged to check this site for any such updates prior to attending a STLGDC event.

Core Principles

While we foster a casual and comfortable environment, all participants in STLGDC events and communities, whether in person or virtually, are expected to conduct themselves in a professional and constructive manner, and to treat other members and participants as respected professionals in the game development business. Violations of this core principle are taken very seriously, and harassment and other inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated.

Expected Behavior

STLGDC expects participants to communicate and behave respectfully, professionally, and constructively, whether in person or virtually.  All participants are expected to handle differences of opinion with courtesy, dignity, and an open mind, and to provide feedback respectfully.

Unacceptable Behavior

STLGDC does not tolerate harassment of its members, or of participants in STLGDC events or spaces, whether in person or virtual, in any form.  Harassment includes, but is not limited to,

• Offensive comments related to gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, mental illness, neuro(a)typicality, physical appearance, body size, age, race, or religion.
• Unwelcome 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 behavior 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 group or individual, including encouraging a person to engage in self-harm.
• Deliberate intimidation.
• Stalking or following.
• Harassing photography or recording, including logging online activity for harassment purposes.
• Sustained disruption of discussion.
• Flirting, “come-ons,” propositions, or 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.
• Publication of non-harassing private communication.

Reporting and Response

If you experience or witness any unacceptable behavior at an STLGDC event or space, or by an STLGDC participant outside of an official event or space, you are encouraged to report such behavior to a member of the STLGDC Board at leadership@stlgamedev.com.

We take all reports of harassment of or by STLGDC members seriously, and will investigate the merits of any claim that this Code has been violated, including unacceptable behavior occurring outside of official spaces.  All reports, and the identity of the reporting individual(s), are kept confidential unless disclosure is required by law.

An accusation is not an indictment.  The Board reserves the right to determine the legitimacy of any report, including by discussing the incident with any involved parties.  The reporting individual(s) may or may not receive a direct update on the status of the report.  The absence of an official update from the Board should not be misunderstood as inaction.

The Board reserves the right to take appropriate action in response to any violation of the letter or spirit of this Code, which may include verbal or written warnings, or exclusion from participation in STLGDC events or spaces.

STLGDC will err on the side of the safety and protection of its members and participants, particularly for those individuals who belong to historically marginalized or disadvantaged groups.