Putting Players at the Heart of Games

TIGA Publishes Detailed Report on Safeguarding Players

 Leading UK studios and tech companies share insights, advice and best practise for keeping your players protected while in your online game – or when wearing a VR headset

TIGA, the trade association representing the video games industry, has published a new report sharing best practice guidance to help developers and publishers keep players safe in their video games.

Much of the report, titled Safeguarding Players: Responsibility and Best Practice, focuses on policing and safeguarding player communities in online games. Additionally, its remit also includes the unique challenges VR brings with regard to the wellbeing and safety of users.

With insight and comment from leading UK studios including Jagex, nDreams and Lockwood Publishing, as well as technology outfits like Spirit AI, the report is packed with meaningful advice, as well as insights into how the most experienced are getting player safeguarding right.

The report recommends that games businesses should:

• Pre-empt the way content can be abused;
• Make the standard of acceptable behaviour explicit;
• Make reporting technologies and systems of protection clear;
• Provide the player community with the tools they need;
• Understand the parasitic website challenge; and
• Consider the distinct impact of VR.

Dr Richard Wilson OBE, TIGA CEO, said:

“This report provides best practice guidance to help developers and publishers keep players safe in their video games. Thanks to all our contributors, it will serve as a practical guide to preventing and responding to the likes of online bullying, toxic behaviour, inappropriate use-generated content and more. There is detailed guidance on how teams of every size can meet the challenge of policing 1000s-strong communities with only a handful of staff. We have also included spotlights on how VR changes online behaviour’s potential impact, and explored the additional ramifications of physical safety and comfort in virtual reality content.

“The report also touches on related issues such as parasitic websites that target developer’s audiences, and links to resources on some of the most troubling online behaviour. We hope that this report helps more games businesses to keep their players safe.”

Safeguarding Players: Responsibility and Best Practice is freely available now, and should prove invaluable to anybody making, publishing or serving a game with any online element, and those crafting VR content.

Source: TIGA