Finnish Game Jam Code of Conduct

Everything you need to know for a safer game jam experience.

  1. SAFER GAME JAMMING

1.1 Fast dial info!

The Police

Reporting an offence online

Police’s helpline: +358 295 419 800 — weekdays from 8.00 am to 4.15 pm. If it’s an urgent matter, call 112.

Victim Support Finland

Rikosuhripäivystys: helpline 116 006 Mon – Fri 9 am – 8 pm in Finnish language and Mon – Fri 12 noon – 2 pm in Swedish. If you want service in English, we recommend using the contact request form.

Code of Conduct Team

During the event, contact your site’s Main Organizer.

1.2 Philosophy Guideline

Does something feel off? Try asking yourself the following questions:

  1. Is everyone safe?
  2. Is everyone comfortable?
  3. Is everyone respected?
  4. Does everyone give consent to their social environment?

If you answered ‘NO’ to more than one of these questions, then there is a cause for you to refer to our Code of Conduct and intervene with the behaviour that violates it.

You are more than welcome to contact our Code of Conduct Team and ask for help.

1.3 Finnish Game Jam Code of Conduct

POLICY

We at the Finnish Game Jam are committed to keeping our community safe and inclusive; our events are a celebration of our different backgrounds and experiences making games. To help us, we ask you to read and follow our Code of Conduct, but above all, we ask you to act and speak from a place of compassion towards your fellow jammers and organizers.

CODE OF CONDUCT

Finnish Game Jam Code of Conduct is active from the start till the very end of every event, official and non-official board meeting, official afterparty, and at all times on any of our event-specific Discord servers and the official FGJ Discord server.

The Code of Conduct also applies if you are clearly representing the FGJ organization outside of any of those social settings.

Please remember that by participating in any of the FGJ organized activities you agree to treat everyone with respect regardless of their gender expression, sexual orientation, physical appearance, disability, language, nationality, race, religion, age, or socio-economic background. We expect you to apply the same considerations to the games and other media you create during these events.

Harassment of any kind will not be tolerated. Be mindful of other people’s boundaries — we are all different and so are where our boundaries start and end.

HARASSMENT INCLUDES:

  1. Sexual harassment
  2. Unsolicited physical contact
  3. Threats and deliberate intimidation
  4. Derogatory speech
  5. Disruption of talks and presentations
  6. Photographing or recording without consent
  7. Stalking, unwelcome messaging and phone calls

Harassment can be intentional or unintentional. Sometimes a joke one perceives as funny and innocent, can make someone else feel uncomfortable, disrespected or even hurt. Harassment can occur due to ignorance or cultural differences; in these cases, an honest conversation may clarify the situation. If someone feels your actions or words are inappropriate — stop, listen to them and reflect on yourself.

Please note that repeated inappropriate behaviour will result in your expulsion from the current and future public events at the discretion of the organizers.

2. THE JAMMER SAFETY-KIT

We encourage you to report all cases of harassment, even if the situation is resolved without our help. By reporting all incidents you help us learn how to make our event even safer.

PERSONAL REPORTS

All reports should be brought to the Code of Conduct Team. Please note that the other volunteers are not equipped or trained to manage reports.

Safety and consent are our top priorities. When taking a personal report, our team will find a private space that is comfortable for the victim. At the victim’s discretion, we will document the incident, taking care to understand what happened and what you want to do next. The details will be kept confidential. We can also help you contact the police, file a report, access local support services, or otherwise assist you in obtaining information.

IF YOU HAVE BEEN HARASSED:

  1. Inform the harasser that you do not accept their behaviour. Name the act and ask them to stop.

 “Hey! Don’t touch me.”

  1. Reach out to someone you feel comfortable with. You can ask for help from a friend, our Code of Conduct contact person, organizers or volunteers.
  1. Take notes and be ready to explain the situation (what happened, when, where, who, were any other people present).
  1. Seek the Code of Conduct contact person — they should have been pointed out at the start of the event. Alternatively, you can make a written report and submit it via form or email.

 Your well-being and recovery come first.

The decision to report the incident should not be seen as an immediate obligation.

We will not proceed with confronting the harasser without your explicit permission.

  1. If possible and you feel safe to do so, clear the situation with the harasser. Let the harasser know what type of behaviour towards you is unacceptable in the future.

IF YOU WITNESS HARASSMENT:

  1. Ask the parties involved if everything is alright.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, all good!” ✔

“… I’m not comfortable with this.” ✘

  1. Disrupt the harassment, but don’t put yourself in harm’s way. Say something like: 

“That joke wasn’t funny.”

Another option is to pretend to be the victim’s close friend and start a conversation exclusively with the victim, ignoring the harasser. If needed, ask for help.

  1. Make sure the victim is safe. Try removing them from the situation by asking them to help you with something in another room.
  1. Respect the wishes of the victim on how to move forward. Ideally, the matter should also be discussed with the harasser, so that they can change their behaviour, but if the victim doesn’t want to confront the harasser — that’s okay!
  1. Direct the victim to the Code of Conduct contact person or event organizer.

IF YOU ARE ACCUSED OF HARASSMENT:

  1. Stop.
  1. Listen to the person explaining the situation to you. The accusation can feel unfair or unbelievable, but remember that you don’t decide whether an act is disturbing to others just because it wasn’t disturbing to you.
  2. Assess your behaviour as objectively as possible, and also from the perspective of the other party.

If you repeatedly encounter accusations of harassment, it’s worth talking about it with

trusted friends or family and/or seek professional counselling.

  1. Explain your point of view on the incident.
  1. Clarify the situation with the victim if they wish it and discuss possible ways of resolving the situation. If it feels difficult to discuss the issue — ask for help. Sometimes difficult subjects can be easier to discuss over an email than face to face.

If you have been wrongfully accused — report your grievance to the Code of Conduct contact person. We are here first and foremost to help you communicate with others.