EA Steam Discussions Forum Rules & Guidelines

[Joe_EA]

EA Steam Discussions Forum Rules & Guidelines

Our community moderators monitor posts. Posts that break the rules and guidelines may be removed. Breaking the rules can also result in sanctions or bans being applied to the forum account on a case by case basis.

Dos and Don'ts

Here's a breakdown for what to do and what not to do within our Steam Community forums. The below rules are enforced across all our games here at Electronic Arts however we would also encourage you to be vigilant of the rules enforced by Steam themselves, you can read more about that here.

Do's

• Post in the right place. Check the section you're posting in before submitting. If a post is in the wrong place we might move or remove it.
  
• Use the search feature to see if there's already a thread for your question. If there is, use it instead of making a new one. Try to include all your points in a single place.
  
• Be descriptive. Give us as much information as you can.
  
• Be accurate. Make sure the title of your thread matches what your post is about.
  
• Link to first party sites when you're helping with tech issues. If someone needs help with their nVidia driver, link to the nVidia website. That way we know we can trust the source of the info.
  
• Keep it on-topic. If someone created a thread, it's because they're looking for an answer to their question or want to discuss a specific topic. Changing the topic of the thread isn't helpful. Please also encourage them to get their tech answers via Answers HQ!
  
• Keep it game-related. We're not here to debate politics or religion or lobby for anything, so keep the conversation about our games.
  
• Keep it appropriate. Players of all ages may be able to see Steam. Make sure that any posts or images you use are in line with the Steam Rules & Guidelines and the EA User Agreement.
  
• Be patient. Keep track of your thread using bookmarks or by subscribing to the thread. Other players will post in your thread when they are interested or have an answer for you.
  
• Be polite and kind. Respect others even if they have a different opinion. If you disagree with someone, you are free to do so politely, but please don't make it personal. Respect also means you never harass, embarrass, or threaten other players.

Don’ts

• Don't call out Community Managers and Officials in thread titles. Be cool, folks. We know you want to grab our attention, but good thread titles like the example in Dos will help you get our attention much easier.
  
• Don't call for boycotts or misuse petitions. Inappropriate petitions and boycott discussions do not contribute to a useful and productive forum.
  
• Don't post personal information. Forum posts are visible to everyone and can show up in search engine results. Protect the privacy of yourself and others.
  
• Don't be inappropriate. That means no obscenity or other explicit posts i.e. sexting. This includes role play threads.
  
• Don't chat about moderation. Our moderators are here to keep this place happy and helpful for everyone. Discussing the way they do things on the forum is not okay, if you have any questions about your own moderation history feel free to reach out to a moderator or Community Manager.
  
• Don't impersonate anybody. This includes EA employees, other community members, celebrities and anyone else. It also includes simulating privileges of forum accounts with a higher level rank, like signatures.
  
• Don't spam or flood boards. That means don't post disruptive numbers of messages, memes, gifs and images e.g. posting the same message in multiple forums, or sending the same DM multiple times. Spamming can include:

1. Bumping threads or messages: Doing this once or twice is fine. Multiple bumps in a short period of time is considered spamming. Use your bumps wisely.
   
2. Post blank or 'no text' messages: You won't receive an answer if your question is unclear.
   
3. Mass tags: It's very rare that more than one tag is needed. Don't tag multiple forum members or EA Employees to get attention.

• Don't curse or swear. Don't try to get away with it by using symbols in place of letters, too. We all k*** what you're trying to s**
  
• Don't bully. Online bullying is against the rules. Bullying is a one-stop-shop to getting banned from the forums. Your gaming account will also be reviewed. Bullying can include:

1. Personal defamation
   
2. Gossiping about other people
   
3. Harassment

• Don't "name and shame." If you see a suspected cheater, please report them by using the appropriate tools. We can't take any action against such accounts on Steam, and such posts can lead to harassment.

Don’ts treated with Zero-Tolerance

These are more serious don'ts. That means if you do something from this list, we might ban you right away.

• Link to or discuss pirated and/or harmful content: Such as Trojan horses. That's not allowed and will result in account action.
  
• Be a troll, bait or flame. This includes deliberately trying to cause an argument by making sarcastic, off-topic, rude or disruptive posts, and discussions.
  
• Do anything illegal. That includes:

1. Identity theft
   
2. Identity fraud
   
3. "Swatting"
   
4. Doxxing
   
5. Stalking
   
6. Making personal threats
   
7. Blackmail and extortion

• Discriminate. That means no sexism, racism etc.
  
• Promote or discuss activities that are against the EA User Agreement. This includes software piracy, "hacks", "torrents", game "cracks", and more. See that happening on the boards? Report it directly to EA.
  
• Posting anything that references adult materials. This includes linking to adult-themed mods for games. We've got young gamers on here, too.
  
• Asking for or giving out CD-Keys/Product Codes.
  
• Posting copyrighted material. This includes images as well as text from game guides. If you don't own it, don't post it.
  
• Creating more than one forum account. Accounts created for inappropriate or unauthorized reasons will be banned.
  
• Coin Buying / Selling / Promoting / Gambling. These are all against our EA User Agreement.
  
• Posting real-life threats.