# Being Better Internet/Forum Citizens **URL:** \ **Category:** Plaza\ **Created:** [December 27, 2018, 9:01pm UTC](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/t/being-better-internet-forum-citizens/47971 "2018-12-27T21:01:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 9
**Author:** ![rinari](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/choiceofgames/user_avatar/forum.choiceofgames.com/rinari/32/86277_2.png) [@rinari](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/u/rinari)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2018, 11:13pm UTC](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/t/being-better-internet-forum-citizens/47971/9 "2018-12-27T23:13:27Z")
(This is from @Dae-kalina, who’s been here a while but doesn’t have ‘regular’ status): > [@Dark Themes, Controversy and Why Meaning Matters](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/t/dark-themes-controversy-and-why-meaning-matters/47861/37): > > These are both extremely good points and I do agree with them both, but the point that I keep making is that, if there are controversial themes that HG don’t want to publish because it might negatively affect market projections (or for any other reason) then it is their responsibility to let the authors know what content is acceptable and what isn’t, so that that the author doesn’t waste several months (or years) of their life on a project that the company has no intention of publishing. Interpretation is not a precise art. Guidelines and rules exist for a reason, but also you must remember beyond what HG/COG have as the primary publisher, there is still the third-party publishers–Google, Apple, and Steam. So understanding their guidelines and what will be and won’t be permitted on each of those is also essential to comprehend prior to writing a game. Editing the guidelines is a potential solution, but the fact of it is, that’s an action that would occur after the rejection–until someone calls attention to the potential issue via flagging or speaking to an employee of the company itself, most of the ones who can make the final call aren’t playing these games until submitted. As for a point made in your previous post about how you don’t understand how you could be misunderstood: Primacy, recency, and cognitive load. People best recollect the first and last piece of information they read, typically. And especially with longer posts, people skim–it’s too heavy a cognitive load which is why breaking up information, such as making a page\_break in a game is so essential. Most of your post was counter to the point you were trying to make, according to you, but again, your words do not exist in a void. Here, and with interactive fiction in general, you aren’t the audience. You may be part of it, but the audience is larger than you and stating ‘that’s not my intention’ is not enough. Listen to the critique you receive, and try to understand how the perception of your words changes from when you write them to when others consume them. Ultimately you may have an intention, such as an author with their works, but if people aren’t comprehending, usually the burden of proof lies with the author. If your point is not making it across as intended, then you should revise. Also see games as a service if you’re interested in further discussion on the subject. > [@Dark Themes, Controversy and Why Meaning Matters](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/t/dark-themes-controversy-and-why-meaning-matters/47861/38): > > This I am commenting on simply because I found it unfair. He didn’t pull out a hypothetical or even put forth the possibility. Another commenter was saying that is what your company **should** do. He used a paragraph to illustrate what the reality of doing this would look like and why he felt you would not do this. > > I found nothing to suggest his argument was dishonest or malicious. Dishonest or malicious intent isn’t the point. I don’t think that anyone was suggesting that. The point, again, is perception. How your words are perceived. And Jason is correct. Sticking to the events being discussed, being concise, and not deviating with lengthy discourse on a point you don’t even support are all ways to do this. --- _[View the full topic](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/t/being-better-internet-forum-citizens/47971)._