Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 publisher Deep Silver has rolled out a new code of conduct for discussions in the game's Steam forums, forbidding discrimination, hate speech, and harmful ideologies, and warning of possible permanent bans for those who break the rules. «We are grateful for the vibrant and passionate discussions that take place here,» developer PLAION_MY4NH wrote. «Your love for this game and its immersive world has forged a unique and thriving community.
To ensure that our forums remain a welcoming place for all, we are introducing a new set of community rules designed to maintain smooth moderation and foster meaningful, respectful discussions.» «Occasional swearing» is fine, they added—Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 is an M-rated game, after all—but users are urged to «keep it reasonable.» Other broad points of acceptable behavior include the sorts of things typically seen in forum rules: Stay on topic, respect others, no «modern political or religious discussions,» and just generally don't be a jerk.
The trouble with the «don't be a jerk» approach, as anyone who's ever moderated or used an online forum can tell you, is that it sounds reasonable but just doesn't work.
So more specific rules have been laid down, and it's a pretty comprehensive list of bad behaviors: Discrimination in any form is strictly forbidden.
This includes: We stand against all forms of hate speech and dangerous ideologies. This includes: «Any posts, comments, or behaviour perpetuating these harmful ideologies will be removed, and offenders will face swift action,» PLAION_MY4NH wrote.