IGA VALUES

Below you will find a clear statement of official values on critical issues we hold at the Indie Game Academy. We respect and support our community, and these values are something we believe in, expect of our team members and those we work with, and actively work to bring to the world.

LGBTQ+ Rights

IGA is PRO LGBTQ+ and non-binary peoples. Games are for all, regardless of gender identity or sexuality.

Diversity and Inclusion

IGA is PRO Diversity and Inclusion. Traditionally the game industry has not been of equal opportunity for all, and we actively seek to remedy this.

Women’s Rights

IGA is PRO Women’s Rights. Games are still largely are a male dominated industry where women can feel marginalized. We want to play a role in changing this.

Hate Speech

IGA is AGAINST hate speech in any form. Hate speech is a breaking of the social contract and we have zero tolerance for this in our community.

Violence

IGA is AGAINST violence, including graphic depictions of violence and materials which encourage violence in real life. We also believe some forms of comic or fantasy violence are acceptable, as long as they are approached tastefully. We believe video games have evolved beyond glorified, graphic or incendiary violence.

Use of AI

IGA believes a few things surrounding AI and the use of AI:

• We believe that, for better or for worse, AI WILL become a common tool for game development. As a result, we encourage its study and thoughtful use.
• IGA is PRO establishing ethical boundaries for AI. IGA believes that AI should not be used to replace humans. Its use should be limited to augmenting human work, preferably trained on the user’s own creative works. At a minimum, ALL training data for AI must be given consensually, and not consenting to train AI should not restrict the use of commercially available products. Finally, any creator who consents to their work being used to train generative AI should be compensated fairly.
• IGA also believes that the intended use of AI must be publicly disclosed by the development team when hiring creative talent. If any work will be used in training AI, creative talent must give consent to their data being used to train AI and should be given the option not to.
• If AI generated assets are used in any public release, IGA believes that the use of AI must be clearly disclosed.

Community Safety

IGA cares about the safety and support of its community members above all else. Should you ever feel unsafe, please do not hesitate to reach out to us: team@indiegameacademy.com

Black Hat Gamification

IGA is AGAINST predatory and manipulative monetization and gamification techniques. Gamification tactics should never be used to negatively manipulate, strong-arm or coerce players.

Differing Opinions

IGA is PRO difference of opinion! A healthy discourse is important, as long as it does not violate our community safety and inclusion values, or otherwise diminish or harm other humans.

Conflict Management 

IGA is PRO patience and kindness in moments of conflict. Whether in public or private, we believe in facilitating steps to address and resolve conflict directly, ethically and quickly to our best ability.

Restorative Justice

IGA is PRO Restorative Justice. We believe that our society can over-penalize and be quick to condemn people. We believe we should attempt to first aid those who transgress the law or our social contracts, and only take punitive action if this aid is ignored or abused.