Internet and social media have changed the way we communicate and build communities. We have the capabilities to grow communities faster, casting our nets wider. But like offline communities, we need to ensure the communities we create are safe. Nowhere is this more urgent than the gaming community. Building inclusive and safe communities in the gaming industry should be a priority.

To create safe communities in the gaming industry, community managers must go beyond plastering “no politics, no religion, no hate” in your community rules and guidelines. If your goal really is to create a community that is inclusive and safe for your members, you must understand the elements that make communities unsafe. Then, you must actively fight against those elements.

I’m always wary of joining communities whose efforts to create a safe community stops at “No racism, no discussing politics or religion.” My experience in those communities made me feel the opposite of safe and welcome, as those communities didn’t quite understand that racism is much more complex than people the n-word. Sexism isn’t just joking. And defending myself was, too often, met with being called “defensive” or “sensitive”.

How to Cultivate Safer and More Inclusive Communities

Too many people still labor under bigotry and push back anytime marginalized persons call out bigotry. Therefore, we continue to create safe spaces for us to exist in without being subjected to grossly harmful behaviors. For those who are serious about wanting to cultivate safe and inclusive communities, there are some things you can do.

The word cultivate means to acquire something or to grow something. Cultivating safer and more inclusive communities means growing a community by acquiring the people you want to be in it. You’re literally cultivating a specific environment based on the people you bring into your community. So, how do you make that space safe and inclusive? Curate, know your people, listen to the marginalized people in your community, and don’t tolerate hate. Like at all.

Curate your community.

When it comes to inviting people into your space, think quality over quantity. When it comes to growing a community, content creator and Star Wars aficionado, CtrlAltQuin focused on “establishing rules, values and providing a safe space where everyone is respected and comfortable” instead of “trying to appeal to everyone and just grow really fast.”

One of the main reasons larger communities, especially those that grow fast, have a higher rate of toxicity is because they don’t curate their community. They focus on having large numbers rather than the safety and well-being of the people in those communities.

Know who is in your community.

Marginalized persons who work to create safe and inclusive spaces often have some of the most strenuous security measures to gain access to their communities. They do this because hateful people will literally go the extra mile to join those communities just to troll and be hateful. Having security barriers helps to understand who is asking for access to your communities.

Having moderators and administrators (modmins) who are very active can go a long way to knowing who is in your community, what’s happening in your community, and ensuring everyone feels comfortable in the space you’ve created.

Also, if your goal is to add more diversity to your community, it helps to know who is already in your community. Too often brands and community managers advertise opportunities to their existing, nearly homogenous community. Then, they are somehow shocked when the responses do not include diverse voices.

Twitter is the social media platform for connecting to content creators from all over. There is no excuse for not knowing where to find Black, PoC, LGBTQ, and women creators. Do not be afraid to follow diverse content creators and DM them when you have an opportunity or ask them to share. Not to mention, Twitch has added more than 300 tags to help viewers find the content they are looking for. This can be a great tool for brands to find people from different backgrounds to work with.

Listen to the marginalized people in your community.

I’ve joined and left so many communities where the admins and owners thought that microaggressions were fair game in their spaces. From diet racist usernames to calling me “darling or sweetheart” when I politely asked not to be called pet names. And when I would say something, I was told to “be an adult” and “not everything’s racist or sexist just because you don’t like it.”

I often felt like I was being transported back to the 90s, when speaking out against being targets for racism and sexism were still a no-go. I didn’t feel safe in those communities.

Also, look into your community to see who communicates. Oftentimes, PoC and women do not speak up or engage in co-ed communities as often as their White and male counterparts because they have been shot down. If you do have marginalized persons in your community who are silent, ask them why? They could just be shy. Or there could be an issue with their voice not being heard.

Have a zero-tolerance policy for hate speech, including jokes and “devil’s advocate” comments.

Having a zero-tolerance policy for hate speech should be a given, but, again, too many people don’t know what hate speech is outside of racial and gender-based slurs.

For GalaxyBat, co-founder of the femme-tastic Fallout 76 community, Nuka Gals, having a niche community and mission was key. It made it a bit easier to “develop rules that help our community to go down the path that we want for Nuka Gals, and we enforce those rules.”

While there’s no doubt that women content creators are leading the way in creating safe and inclusive spaces, women don’t always get it right. There are plenty of women-only or women-led communities that are just as unsafe as male-run, co-ed communities.

Admittedly, my first attempt at creating a community—a WoW based community around my guild, was pretty bad. I didn’t stick to the rules and boundaries I set, and I was too timid to correct inappropriate behavior. My femme and LGBTQ friends left my Discord and guild without telling me why. When I asked, they all told me they didn’t feel safe in my guild and honestly, neither did I.

I created an environment that my closest friends did not feel safe in. That shit hurt. That is something that should have never happened. I left the guild, disbanded the Discord and really thought about everything I could have done better and everything I should have done. I wanted to create a community where I felt safe, where my friends felt safe. Second time around, I did just that. I feel safe and my community members feel safe.

When it comes to creating safe and inclusive spaces, we won’t always get it right the first time. What matters is learning and growing from those mistakes. Don’t be afraid to ask for help or constructive criticism.