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How to Protect Your Video Games, Website or Blog (Ethics Part)

Written by: Jay Allen Moffitt

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Posted over 2 years ago. 0 helpful votes, 0 comments

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Disclose fully any perks or gifts associated with a game review

If you’re a video game reviewer for a blog, or in any way give a positive or negative input on a game, you should disclose whether you received the game as a comp or not. Morally and ethically it’s the high ground, and if there’s a worst case scenario you have a good defense against a possible (though extremely unlikely) event of FTC questioning.

Give clear guidelines to reviewers they must diclose if the game being reviewed is free or discounted

If you are running a site or online magazine reviewing games, you need to include guidelines for your reviewers that if they receive comps or discounted pricing for games they put forth an opinion on, they must make a clear disclosure of this fact as a condition of their continuing participation. It wouldn't hurt to include it in any employee policy manual or writers' FAQ pages. Make certain at the very least that the writer signs off on understanding these ethics rules (or include it in the employee guidelines signoff).

Make certain legal counsel and marketing personnel understand these rules

If you are the legal counsel for an online magazine or games blog, you should consult these regulations to make certain your clients are fully protected. Inform them in writing of the rules, and give them a pointer to the FTC's updated page so that the developer, game magazine publisher, or online blog publisher can follow the laws as they become updated.