Revamp Games Database Moderation Guidelines (Help Center)

📋 Summary

Create a fully updated, centralized set of moderation and submission guidelines hosted on the LaunchBox Help Center, replacing outdated and fragmented documentation.

❗ Problem

Current moderation guidelines are:

• Outdated and scattered across old forum posts

• Difficult to find and not centrally maintained

• Inconsistent or unclear on key topics

• Not aligned with how the database is used today

This leads to:

• Conflicting moderation decisions

• Ongoing disputes around naming, regions, and media types

• Confusion for new contributors

• Reduced trust and consistency in the database

💡 Proposal

Rebuild the moderation and submission guidelines as a dedicated Help Center resource:

• Create a centralized, easy to navigate documentation hub

• Clearly define standards for:

  • Naming conventions (games, developers, publishers)

  • Region tagging

  • Media classification and usage

  • When to accept, reject, or modify submissions

• Include real examples and edge cases where relevant

• Keep documentation versioned and regularly updated

• Link directly to these guidelines from the Games Database interface

🧩 Use Cases

• A new contributor quickly understands how to submit media correctly

• A moderator references clear rules when reviewing a submission

• Disputes are reduced because expectations are clearly defined

• Contributors feel more confident their submissions will be handled fairly

📦 Benefits

• Improves consistency and quality across the database

• Reduces moderation conflicts and ambiguity

• Lowers the barrier to entry for new contributors

• Builds trust within the community

• Creates a scalable foundation for future improvements

⚠️ Considerations

• Guidelines should remain clear and concise, not overly complex

• Should evolve alongside features like tagging and new media types

• Requires ongoing ownership to keep documentation up to date

✅ Outcome

A modern, centralized Help Center for moderation guidelines creates a shared standard for contributors and moderators, improving consistency, clarity, and overall database quality.