Commenting Guidelines

Commenting is open to everyone on Gematsu. However, we ask that you please follow a set of guidelines when doing so.

  1. Know what you’re writing: don’t comment if you’re going to flame, troll, or “fanboy.” Everyone has their preferences, and we understand that, but they are no excuse to repeatedly rant about a publisher or hardware company you’re not a fan of, or any game or genre for that matter. It doesn’t add anything to the discussion. Don’t like a certain game? Either have a civil discussion about it, or move on to the next article.
  2. Think before you post: give your comments some thought. We’re not asking that you write a philosophical essay on the state of gaming each time you comment, but try to write something that will promote discussion.
  3. Stay on-topic: keep your comments relevant to the topic of the article. Have something else you’d like to talk about? Head over to our latest weekly Open Forum.
  4. Respect each other: you don’t have to agree with what we publish, or with what others say in the comments, but don’t be disrespectful about it. We put a lot of effort into keeping this site updated, as does your community in how they respond. If you have a different opinion, discuss it kindly.
  5. Respect our moderators: if the staff requests you end a discussion or stop posting something, please respect our wishes. We’re not out to get you, we’re only looking to make the community the best we can possibly make it. If you refuse to work with us, you will be temporarily or permanently banned depending on the situation.
  6. Port begging: don’t repeatedly ask for ‘Game X’ to be released on ‘Console Y’. We’re sorry that ‘Game X’ isn’t available on your platform of choice. But these requests are pointless and don’t add to the discussion. Understand that publishers decide on which console(s) they want to release their games, and that their stance won’t change based on your comments here. Your best bet in this case is to contact the publisher directly through their channels on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or e-mail.
  7. General whining:
    • Scenario #1: A handheld game is being ported to consoles or PC. Don’t comment complaining about how a handheld ‘lost another exclusive.’ If you don’t want to support a game’s new port, don’t buy it.
    • Scenario #2: A PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360-era game is being remastered for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Don’t comment complaining about ‘another remaster.’ If you don’t like remasters, don’t buy it.
    • Scenario #3: The western version of a Japanese game is being censored in some shape or form. Don’t comment complaining about censorship. In many cases, these changes are necessary to release the game in a market outside of Japan. If you believe that not to be the case, take it up with the publisher via their social channels.
  8. GamerGate/Feminism: We hate to limit conversation, but these types of comments don’t tend to generate the type of discussion our community is comfortable with. The staff requests you keep these discussions off-site.
  9. Spoilers and NSFW Images: Spoilers suck. But there may come times when you want to discuss a game’s ending, or other spoiler-worthy content. For this, we suggest copying and pasting the pastebin here just before leaving your spoiler-filled comment. This will create a “More” button in your comment that will only reveal the spoiler when clicked. Please also use this when posting images considered not safe for work in the Open Forum. But no nudity.
  10. Piracy: It goes without saying, but don’t share links to pirated content or promote piracy in any way at Gematsu. We’re all fans here and we want our industry to thrive.
  11. Ban Evasion: If you have been banned and would like to discuss it, please use the contact a mod page to get in touch with us. We believe in second chances and are willing to discuss any ban, so we typically issue temporary bans here at Gematsu. However, we have a no-nonsense policy when it comes to ban evasion. Do not ban evade. If you do and we catch you, we will ban you again no questions asked.
  12. Enjoy commenting: that’s our main goal here. We’re trying to create an environment where our readers can share their opinions openly and in a mature fashion. We hope you can be a part of it.

For questions, please contact a moderator.