I think the question simply come from whether the policy is pro-active, or re-active.
If someone has a playmat of a scantily clad woman, is it allowed until someone complains?
What if it is a playmat of Eve Campaign?
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Most people wonât speak out. Theyâll prob. tsk tsk, or mention to a friend that itâs bad taste.
What about an Adonis playmat? Good, bad, or ugly? (the last option is for the alt art, of course)
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It depends if the mat is titillating or not, which eve campaign most likely isnât.
I know that the line is somewhat blurry, but I consider Netrunner to be a game that is extremely respectful and inclusive towards people of all genders, religions, etc. I donât consider Eve or Dirty Laundry or any card art for that matter to be offensive and I donât believe many people do. If youâre going to go out of your way to create a playmat that pictures scantily clad women specifically because you think itâs sexy to look at, thatâs just a different story. I donât want to go supreme court justice on everyone, but you really do âknow it when you see itâ.
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Just want to echo thisâŚwhile itâs never really come up for me there is often the fear as a female player when asked âhow did you get into Netrunnerâ and the reply is that you started by playing with your SO that the other person might stop taking you seriously. While I Did get into the game by playing with my boyfriend, and we both play competitively and everyone in our meta knows us and no one has ever disrespected me because of it, the fear of being accused of being a âfake gamer girlâ thatâs leaked over from other gaming hobbies definitely lingers. Iâm sure this is also the case for many other female gamers.
Iâm not saying you canât ask this question, but maybe just be aware that it could make some women uncomfortable.
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Oof, this hits really close to home and I definitely donât have the energy to wade into this thread fully, but I just wanted to stop by and say: Thanks so much to all the Big Name ⢠Stimhack and ANRPC folks speaking up for taking a pro-active role in shaping inclusive communities. I like the CoC @mediohxcore posted a lot, and I definitely hope it gets well publicized in connection w/ ANRPC events.
Even beyond big events, itâs so important (especially as non-marginalized players) to take an active, out-loud role in shaping the kind out groups and spaces we want to spend our free time in. Itâs easy to say âwe donât have a problemâ or âsome people just get offended easilyâ but the reality that we donât get to decide what is or isnât intimidation, unwelcoming, or hurtful to another group of people. If we want to be a fun, welcoming space for anyone interested in the game (and I say we do) then we need to step up and speak up.
Our community has an advantage over a lot of other game communities in that we are already overall a really great group of people - that doesnât mean âMission accomplished,â I think, rather itâs an opportunity to keep getting better and better!
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I am going to move forward and publicize this version of the document. Thanks everyone for having such a productive, respectful discussion.
I know that it can be hard to recognize that that sometimes you might do something thatâs offensive to someone, and I also know it can be difficult to better yourself or even admit that you were wrong in some situations. Thatâs what we have to live with in our day to day lives, though, and getting better about these sorts of things really is important to creating an inclusive society.
Please remember, this policy is not being put into place so people can nitpick your every move and get you thrown out of events. The people who the policy is meant to protect are the ones who are at risk every time they come out to play. If they feel unsafe, serious measures should be taken. If they feel like someone is being unreasonably disrespectful, itâs important that we let that person know so that they can take notice of their own behavior and look to improve it. Even if we have to make some personal sacrifices or admit that weâre sometimes wrong, please realize that in doing so we are helping to shift the social burden away from people who might regularly be marginalized, and that is something that is very, very worthwhile.
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@Jage I did specify the small talk was fine. I opined that it was a bit annoying, but wasnât the crux of the problem. I specified where it went off the rails from just inquiring into toxic territory.
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Letâs stay on the safe side and ban indeed.
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I like it. Nice work, Dan and everyone else.
Letâs face it: there are many clueless, feckless, and/or degenerate people throughout the world, and some of those are in the gaming space. They may be completely unaware of their actions, or just not care. Weâre adults, and should speak up when we see a wrong occurring. An offended minority may be scared to speak up, but if the majority helps them, perhaps citing said CoC as a their weapon, possibly ugly situations can be defused.
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Reading this thread makes me want to give everyone a hug
you are doing fine guys, so are your playmats. 
On this topic, you should just encourage her to say anything she wants instead of trying to become a protector. Image how easy this would be if she said something there to that guy instead of just feeling gross. It could be both polite and firm and he may not turns out to be that bad. Also most people are awesome and they will have her back. Itâs unfortunate that this happens to her and I feel sorry for both of you, but it is more unfortunate to make the whole community panic and question how bad they are when they are doing really well.
I think TO should always go and greet the new players (no matter gender) and let them know if anything makes them uncomfortable please do not hesitate to tell him/her. Then by the end of the event, go and check on them again.
And thatâs enough.
I donât like any rules sticking on the wall saying things about gender protection.
I hate anything that will make people panic when they are talking to me in fear of anything they said might offend me. I love my badass netrunner friends.
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@Kingmaker Yes indeed. The work questions were fine. Strange, but fine. I also agree this is a case of education and correction, and as Iâve mentioned clearly in the FB group I did not call him out by name (though most of the âinner circleâ will know who it is) the point wasnât to crucify him specifically, but remind us all how just one guy can ruin a new players experience.
He certainly isnât a monster that needs a banning, I have every confidence in him that he feels shitty about it now that itâs been pointed out. But I donât agree that classifying it as âinadvertently inappropriateâ is an ok description. Jokes like âwhat if I wanted to hit on youâ are blatant and just cannot be tolerated. Not knowing better is not an excuse. Even his background, which Iâm not 100% sure how much you know, doesnât excuse it either.
Like Iâve said elsewhere, I feel bad for not speaking up louder at the time. Iâm also more than willing to discuss it in private with him, or if he so chooses not at all further. The point of my article wasnât directed at teaching him a lesson, but all of us. That this stuff still happens. Does that make sense?
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when youâre in the minority in a group and reluctant to bring too much attention to yourself, itâs difficult â even frightening for some â to stand up for yourself and call someone out like this. a lot of the conversations in this thread have been about trying to make people feel comfortable with raising these concerns when they come up, not interrogating them or dismissing their real hurt by saying itâs just a joke, precisely because of that.
itâs hard to communicate just how uncomfortable this can make you feel when youâre already perceived as an outsider (and made to feel even more of an outsider when these problems come up). i mentioned it in an article i wrote last year, but one of the first times i played with a new group, several of them just decided, âoh letâs all speak with an offensive chinese accent because someone played mr. li.â am i going to call even more attention to myself by making a scene, arguing against this group of friends as the only asian/new person there, when it should be obvious thatâs already offensive? instead, i just didnât make it out to play with that group that much anymore â which is probably how most marginalized people would react, if not just outright dropping the game or avoiding the community.
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Me and Amber both agreed we should have said something at the time.
She could have said something, but she didnât feel comfortable starting a confrontation in front of my friends.
I could have said something, but what I said was too weak and didnât get the point across.
This is a learning point for us as well, certainly. I have her back, but Iâm also not going to go âprotectorâ mode for her. Weâve been together for over 2 years now and while I know her very well, there are still times where I canât read just how uncomfortable sheâs feeling in a situation. Especially when sheâs putting on âbrave faceâ to get through it and then expresses just how rough it was later. Itâs really tricky.
The point of putting up specific rules is not to hunt down offenders and give people a way to ban and ostracize people, but a way to have a reminder up about acceptable behaviors. The reminder is the key there. Iâve seen them used in other spaces to excellent effect, and once up and explained they were never used to punish anyone because no one needed it at that point. It was understood what was and wasnât acceptable and that solved it.
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Fun story, the guy who made that image (http://i.imgur.com/3Q6AH.jpg) is one of my best buds. It was a fun day when he made it to #1 on reddit front page.
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I know that everyone who comes to play wants to just be treated like everyone else and not have to worry about getting into this sort of thing. The fact is, though, that until the landscape shifts and people of all types are more commonplace, the players who arenât members of marginalized groups are going to have these things in their mind as soon as the first woman (or whatever) walks in the room, regardless of whether we make an official policy. This document is not meant to be plastered on the walls or even be at the forefront of everyones mind all the time; most of us are first and foremost concerned about making sure everyone feels welcome, not protecting our own asses from frivolous accusations of discrimination.
However, I do believe that having something is better than having nothing. In a perfect world, it would be better not to have something like this so that no one has to feel like theyâre part of a victimized group in the first place, but we donât live in that world yet. Recognize, @crfluency, that you live and play in an area that is at the forefront of progressive, inclusive behavior for Netrunner and that (as an example) a female player who lives in an area with no other female players will be encouraged to come out if they know the organizers list their safety and comfort as high priority.
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You can get ANRPC leggings?!
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You can also get Laptop Skins; Those poor poor laptops never saw it coming. 
The majestic laptop is quickly becoming an endangered species as poachers illegally seek them for their plastic pelts.
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This is a good thread. Well done everyone.
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Possibly the only thing Iâve ever heard thatâs made me want to go to heaven, to see such a beautifull sight. I wonder if he got that 1-2-3âŚ
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