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Code of Conduct

The PLAY – Creative Gaming Festival is dedicated to providing a harassment-free social experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age, religion or game preferences. We do not tolerate harassment of participants in any form. This applies to our onsite program as well as to all online spaces, including our Discord Server and any comment sections.



How to contact the Code of Conduct team

If the behavior of someone makes you or anyone else feel unsafe or unwelcome or if you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, please contact us immediately. You have several options:

- Discord: Scroll down in the #❗-code-of-conduct channel and click on “Create ticket”. A private channel will open. Only the PLAY team and you will be able to read and write in this channel.
- Mail: Write an email with the subject “CoC:'' to welcome[@]playfestival.de.
- On Site: Contact any member of the staff. We value your attendance.


How we define Harassment

Harassment includes, but is not limited to

- verbal comments that reinforce social structures of domination related to gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age, and religion.
- discriminatory display of sexual images in public spaces.
- deliberate intimidation, stalking, following, harassing.
- unauthorized photography or recording, including logging online activity for harassment purposes.
- sustained disruption of talks or games.
- pattern of inappropriate social contact, such as requesting/assuming inappropriate levels of intimacy with others.
- continued one-on-one communication after requests to cease.
- inappropriate physical contact.
- unwelcome sexual attention.
- deliberate misgendering or use of ‘dead names’ or rejected names.


Participants asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately.


Protocol for dealing with personal reports

All reports are handled by our code of conduct team. When an incident is reported, the person reporting will be treated with kindness, respect, and care. Safety and consent is our priority.

When taking a personal report, our code of conduct team will work to find a space that is private and comfortable for you. You are welcome to have a friend or support person with you. We will document what happened, taking special care to ensure we understand what happened and what you need. You won’t be asked to confront anyone. We won’t tell anyone who you are. We will listen to you carefully. Advisory team members may be contacted for support, but details will be kept need-to-know and confidential. We will try to help file a report, access local support services, or otherwise assist you.


Actions we take on violations of our Code of Conduct

If a participant engages in harassing behavior, the PLAY team may take any action they deem appropriate. Depending on the incident, this could include giving out a warning; exclude them from all PLAY – Creative Gaming Festival spaces or filing a legal report with the authorities.

This anti-harassment policy is based on the example policy from the geek feminism wiki, created by the ada initiative and other volunteers, and it was adjusted by the PLAY – Creative Gaming Festival.

geekfeminism.wikia.com/wiki

PLAY23 – Creative Gaming Festival is an event produced by the Initiative Creative Gaming e. V. and jaf – Verein für medienpädagogische Praxis Hamburg e. V.

Funded by Projektfonds Medien und Bildung Hamburg, der BürgerStiftung Hamburg, Gamecity Hamburg, Das Zukunftspaket des Bundesministeriums für Familien, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend and JIZ - Jugendinformationszentrum Hamburg der BSB

Supported by the University of Applied Sciences Hamburg, dem Fonds für kreative Zwischennutzung von der Freien und Hansestadt Hamburg und der Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft, KUTI-Spiele, Fundus Theatre | Theatre of Research and Kurzfilm Agentur Hamburg

Sponsored by siebold/hamburg messebau GmbH, OPAK Entertainment Systems and Fritz Kola

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