GameFAQs Help: Rules and Standards

Mark it for moderation. Click on the "Message Detail" link right above the message, select a reason, and submit it. This will inform the moderators that you believe that the message is violating the TOU, and they will act on it if they agree with you. Your account must be at least level 20 before being allowed to mark messages for moderation.

If the moderators find a message to be violating the TOU, there are several actions they can take.

• Delete Only: The moderators can delete a message or topic from the boards with no additional penalty to the poster. This often happens for very minor or technical violations, but should not be seen as a warrant to continue the same behavior.
• Notification: In addition to deleting the message, the moderators can notify the user of the infraction, reducing their Karma by three at the same time. This is done for more severe violations, and the user will receive a system notification when this happens. It is hoped that by notifying the user of their moderation, they will understand what it is they've done wrong and can correct their behavior.
• Warning: If a TOU violation is repeated, severe, or intentional, the moderators can place a warning on the user's account, which leaves them at Level 5 for two days. While warned, a user cannot create topics and can post very few messages per day, and 10 Karma is also deducted from the user.
• Suspension: If a TOU violation is repeated, severe, or intentional, and the user has shown a clear disregard for the site rules, they can be suspended, preventing them from making any more posts. Suspended users are reviewed by an administrator, who can permanently ban them from the site or take other less severe action if they feel that the user deserves a second chance.

Moderators can also close topics as necessary.

If a marked message is not a TOU violation or the marking feature was used abusively, the moderators can also choose to ignore or de-prioritize any further marked messages from that user, or even suspend them if the need arises.

If that user is violating the TOU, you can alert the moderators simply by marking that user's messages for moderation. If the user is not violating the TOU, they have as much right as you to post messages on the board. If you do not wish to see their posts at all, you can add the user to your Ignore List.

If your account was banned because you falsely admitted to being an underaged user, see here for more information. If your account was banned for any other reason, you can find more information here.

Each account may have a "usermap" associated with it that tracks all accounts that were used from a shared computer at some point in time. If any one of the accounts on a usermap are banned, the administrator may also ban any other accounts on that list. As many people do have multiple accounts, this adds a layer of accountability to those users.

GameFAQs accounts are the sole responsibility of the account holder. Any messages posted on an account are assumed to be from the account owner, and any TOU violations committed will count against that account. Furthermore, any accounts listed on a usermap are considered to be under the control of account holder, so if one account is banned for severe TOU violations, they all risk the same punishment.

The GameFAQs message boards are, for the most part, self-moderated by its users. Any user with a regular account can mark messages for moderation, and then only those messages marked are reviewed by the site's moderators to see if they do indeed violate the Terms of Use.

If your message was deleted by a moderator, that's because another board user marked your message, and the moderator found it to be in violation of the TOU and deleted it. Messages are looked at one at a time and not compared to other messages on that same board. If your post violated the TOU, it will be deleted. If you see someone else's post that violates the TOU in the exact same way, you have the ability to mark that message for moderation as well.

For up to 48 hours after your moderation, you can contest it. From your user preferences page, view your moderation history and then select the moderation you wish to examine. If you feel your message did not violate the TOU, you can send it to another moderator along with an explanation. If your argument is successful, the moderator can overturn the decision and restore your lost karma and even return your post to the boards in some cases. Should you not agree with the moderator's contest decision, you can appeal the moderation to a Lead Moderator and add more to your argument. If the Lead Moderator upholds the moderation, you will not be able to contest another moderation for a month. If you are still not satisfied, you can send it in again with more explanation to an administrator. However, if your appeal fails again, you will lose the right to contest any further moderations for three months. Abuse of this system will result in the permanent loss of all appealing privileges and possibly the loss of your account.

Yes, you may have a right to free speech, but not here. When you signed up for the GameFAQs message boards, you voluntarily gave up the right to certain kinds of speech in return for the ability to use the boards. If you do not feel that you can follow the rules here, you have the right to create your own message boards and make your own rules there. GameFAQs is a private business, and if you'd actually read the Bill of Rights, you'll see that "Freedom of Speech" applies to the government, not here.

The daily purge process archives or deletes older topics from boards every night at about 4am pst. Topical game board messages are archived (closed, read-only), all other boards are purged (deleted). Depending on how many messages a board has, the following schedule is followed:

• Under 6 messages: 10 Days
• 6-100 messages: 30 Days
• 101-250 Messages: 20 Days
• 251-500 Messages: 15 Days
• 501-1000 Messages: 12 Days
• 1001-2500 Messages: 10 Days
• 2501-5000 Messages: 7 Days
• 5001-7500 Messages: 6 Days
• 7501-10000 Messages: 5 Days
• 10001-12500 Messages: 4 Days
• 12501-15000 Messages: 3 Days
• 15001-20000 Messages: 2 Days
• 20001 or more Messages: 1 Day

A moderation that resulted in no karma loss (nkl) and is accepted by the user remains on the account for 7 days. A karma loss (kl) violation that is accepted by the user remains for 20 days. For unaccepted or upheld moderations, an nkl moderation remains for 15 days and a kl moderation remains for 30 days. An overturned moderation remains on the account for 30 days but is not considered a violation.

Account changes for gaining higher levels or coming off of Warned status take place at about 7pm pst. Karma for the day is also awarded at this time.