While the game got review bombed when a user was banned for using global chat to discuss LGBT topics – we’ve learned Tabletop Simulator kills global chat forever, while donating to a trans advocacy group.
The news that Tabletop Simulator kills global chat forever comes alongside developer Berserk Games publicly apologizing for the ordeal, while donating ten thousand dollars to the National Center for Transgender Equality.
“We understand that our silence may have been perceived as inaction, however, we realize the gravity of this situation and believe that it needed to be discussed and addressed with careful and intentional consideration,” the developer said in the apology.
The developer confirmed they “decided to officially take global chat down for good” while they’re in the process of “reforming our moderation policies” so that “everyone has an inclusive place to enjoy our great hobby of tabletop gaming.”
Here’s the word from Berserk Games:
We apologize for hurting the Tabletop Simulator community especially those from the LGBTQ+ community. With global chat, we only ever intended to create an open platform to discuss the hobby we all love, however, we have obviously fallen short of that standard and so we have decided to officially take global chat down for good.
Over the past week, we have spent a lot of time evaluating our company-wide practices. We understand that our silence may have been perceived as inaction, however, we realize the gravity of this situation and believe that it needed to be discussed and addressed with careful and intentional consideration.
To show our commitment to bettering ourselves as well as supporting and empowering the LGBTQ+ community, Tabletop Simulator has donated $10,000 to National Center for Transgender Equality. In addition to this donation, we will be running a series of articles on our blog to showcase the great work available on TTS created by members of the LGBTQ+ community. If you are interested in having your game featured please fill out the form below. Finally, we are reforming our moderation policies to ensure that everyone has an inclusive place to enjoy our great hobby of tabletop gaming.
We promise that these actions are just the first step in our renewed commitment to creating a culture that values inclusivity in board gaming and the world. We appreciate all of the feedback and suggestions from the wonderful TTS community and hope, with hard work, to regain the trust and respect of the Tabletop Simulator family.
Tabletop Simulator has been available for Windows PC, Linux, and Mac (via Steam).
