Go Play NW is a small tabletop gaming convention based in Seattle, Washington. At Go Play NW, we seek to create a welcoming space for new and experienced players and GMs, giving attendees room to explore, support, and play a diverse range of indie story games. To outline what we mean by “welcoming space,” we’ve developed this general code of conduct for both our volunteers and visitors. We ask that everyone examine this document before attending or volunteering at an event with us and commit to upholding the principles stated within.

Let’s meet new people and play fun games!

Principles and Policies

Respect

At Go Play NW, games are important, but people are more important. Our fun should not come at the cost of another’s safety and comfort. Let’s take care of ourselves and those around us by respecting the identity, presentation, and autonomy of all people in our space.

• Respect yourself! And others.
• Welcome new people enthusiastically. Everyone has the power to both play and run games. We can contribute by actively creating fun games.
• Acknowledge the larger context in which our games operate.

Anti-Racism Statement 

Like society in general, racism permeates geek culture and geek spaces, making them less welcoming and safe for POC (People of Color). At Go Play NW, we commit ourselves to prioritizing the voices of people who are often spoken over or erased in geek spaces, and make Go Play NW as accessible as we can to people from all racial backgrounds. We stand united against white supremacy, neo-Nazis, and the “alt-right.” We denounce their toxic hate, fear, and violence.

Iconography Policy

As we strive to provide a welcoming, safe environment for all attendees, symbols associated with historical atrocities, current hate groups, or material promoting bigotry are strictly forbidden from the convention. This includes (but is not limited to) swastikas, Nazi uniforms, and paraphernalia associated with these organizations. This also extends to any memes, jokes, or off-hand comments made in Discord channels which promote bigotry including (but not limited to) neo-facscism, anti-trans or transphobic rhetoric, xenophobia, anti-Semitism, ableism, fatphobia, or classism.

Safety

Online spaces can make communication difficult for some, while physical spaces can be more difficult for others. Let’s work together to make all convention spaces welcoming by communicating in good faith, with patience, and with respect for our own and others’ access needs.

• Strive to play kindly, safely, and patiently.
• Discuss with the table: what kinds of safety and calibration tools are most appropriate for today’s game?
• Honor the table’s chosen safety tools.
• Eat food; drink water; and take breaks.

Consent

Consent is an ongoing process; make sure to keep checking in during games and understand that anyone may revoke consent at any time for any reason.

• Understand the necessity of enthusiastic consent in all types of interactions.
  • When asking for something, the answer might be “maybe” or “no.” Only “yes” means “yes.”
  • When someone asks us for something, it’s okay to say “no!”
• Remember that harassment is never okay.

Harassment Policy

Go Play NW is dedicated to providing a great convention experience for everyone, regardless of gender identity or presentation, sexuality, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, or religion. For this reason, we will not tolerate any form of harassment of convention participants. We expect attendees and staff to follow these rules during the conference and all conference-related social events.

The following will be considered harassment: physical or verbal threats; unwelcome attention; stalking; pushing, shoving, or use of physical force; behavior that creates a disturbance or is dangerous, including lewd or generally offensive behavior or language; using sexually explicit or offensive language or conduct; excessive profanity; obscene gestures; use of racial, religious, sexual, gender, ability, or ethnic slurs. 

If you are being harassed or have any other concerns, please reach out to a member of the Go Play NW staff immediately. We are committed to assisting those experiencing harassment to make sure they feel safe for the duration of the event and to taking all appropriate actions to ensure their well-being.

Empathy

Participate in Go Play NW events with empathy and patience.

Events like the donut may have limited space, and the games on offer are not guaranteed. It’s okay to be disappointed, but it’s not okay to be rude to Go Play NW staff.

Go Play NW staff work hard, but during peak times, they can have limited capacity. We can support them by approaching waits patiently and requesting attention politely.

Not every conversation is appropriate for every space. Staff may request that online conversation be moved to a different channel, or off of the public Discord. 

Practices

During our online events, safety concerns can be directed on the Go Play NW event Discord through the Safety Team channel. Safety concerns about Go Play NW also can be directed to safety@goplaynw.org.

Failure to abide by this document may result in Go Play NW taking any of these actions, as the situation requires: 

1st Offense

• Verbal warnings given by Go Play NW volunteers or staff as a whole.
• Contacting convention safety staff or administrators.

2nd Offense 

• Expulsion from Go Play NW events on a temporary basis, including removal from the Discord server.

3rd Offense 

• Expulsion from Go Play NW events on a permanent basis.

Note that this list is not exhaustive, and other appropriate actions may be taken as necessary. 

Land Acknowledgement

Lastly, Go Play NW would like to acknowledge that the land on which we host our in person events is unceded ancestral land belonging to the Duwamish people. The Duwamish are a people that still live and work in Seattle today.  We recognize, also, that a simple land acknowledgment cannot be enough. Find out more about how you can lend your support to the Dwuamish Tribe on their website at www.duwamishtribe.org/stand-with-the-duwamish.  

If you are curious about why Go Play NW is making a land acknowledgment or wish to find out more about land acknowledgments as a practice, see A Guide to Indigenous Land Acknowledgement at nativegov.org.

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Written by the safety team headed by Angela Lemus-Mogrovejo (with reference to Big Bad Con, Emerald City Comic Con, Geek Girl Con, PAX West, and OrcaCon’s respective Codes of Conduct and Community Standards)