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Thank you so much Margie. I really appreciate all yours and Joels work and how much and quickly you care for the members :)
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Some programs do have rules that you are not allowed to discuss the game at all until it's officially released. They may kick you out of their program or even fine you if you break confidentiality. So make sure you know the rules of the place where you beta tested, as well as Gamezebo's rules, just to protect yourself.
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Robin,
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That is good information to know, especially for people who are new to Beta Testing. Which developers or publishers have you encountered that do not want you to talk about the beta testing of their games? -
Sometimes it's on a game by game basis. You just have to check the beta tester agreement when you sign up for the trial. Electronic Arts, for example, has really specific rules. In their beta test agreement for Battlefield Heroes, you ARE allowed to say that there is a new EA game called Battlefield Heroes and that you are a beta tester. You are NOT allowed to say anything about the stability of the game, the new character classes, the new character features, or your detailed opinion of the new features. And they're very specific that they can come after you for money damages if you do. Sometimes they don't even let you say the name of the game that's in beta test.Other game developers usually have a similar NDA (non disclosure agreement), although details vary.The idea is that a test is their chance to fix things that are wrong. If testers are reporting "This game is so dark you can't see anything," they want to have time to fix that before it's out for general release. If beta testers are posting opinions of the beta on general public sites, it defeats much of the purpose of having beta testing, which is to be able to fix things before release so they don't affect the general public's opinion of the game or the publisher.So if you are a beta tester, just read the NDA/Confidentiality agreement for each game you're testing before you start talking about it during the trial.I just wanted to make sure people understand that just because you see a Beta Tester Discussion Topic on any forum, not just Gamezebo, it doesn't suddenly mean that's an approved safe zone where the usual rules don't apply.As a beta tester, you have an individual agreement with an individual publisher for an individual game. Only that publisher can waive the agreement you made.On the other hand, talking about how to become a beta tester, whether it's worth it, how much time it usually takes, most specific test opportunities coming up, and how to be a better tester would all usually be safe discussions for general sites.If you're talking about specific games that have not yet been released, I'd want to see a statement from the publisher that it's OK to talk about it. But I'm cautious that way.
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Mmmm,I haven't thought about that. Again Robin very clear and complete. So we will be extra careful. Now we know everytime we need a legal advice, we will ask you ;)
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Oh, anything I say here is just for general education and entertainment, and should not be construed as individual legal advice. Always consult your own legal advisor with regard to questions about any specific legal situation.;)But seriously, this stuff is all very individual, so something someone else brings up may help you think of questions you want to look into, but you'll need to get the specific answers yourself.
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Hey Rockin' Robin I would hire you as my attorney :-)
On a serious note, if at any time a developer asks us to delete a beta discussion on this site or we think that the copy of the game was not obtained legally we will delete it immediately.
Thanks, Margie B
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Ok I am confused. I though that comments in the Beta Testing Comments forum were only to be about games when they are being beta tested, so that you could talk about your experiences testing the game. I am asking because people’s comments and ideas about games are getting so scattered.
I thought that once a game is released, the comments about the version that has been released to the public would be in the game’s forum or in General Discussion. People’s opinions about games are being lost in the shuffle of the different forums.
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I do beta testing for a company; and, truthfully, I would not feel comfortable discussing the game/s in any forum other than the one that is on their website for the testing. In fact, I would be breaking a confidentialty agreement with them.
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Beta Games Discussion-Please Read Before Posting
Report as InappropriatePosted on 06/06/08, 05:19pm
Joel has given his OK to go ahead and discuss games that are in beta mode.We would like to keep this section solely for that.
If anyone wants to post issues regarding this site in general, please use the "Gamezebo Feedback" section of the forum.All other topics will be deleted.
Our main rule in here is that it is fine to discuss games that are in beta mode. However, it is NOT OK to post links to those games. If we see any links posted, we will delete the whole topic.
It's OK to post links to companies that offer beta testing for those that would like to sign up for future games.Of course, we at Gamezebo also offer games to test and our sign up link will be back up very soon.
If we see beta games being discussed in another part of the forum, we will delete them. However, You are free to post them again over here. We just want to make sure that all comments stay in this section only.
If anybody has any questions regarding any other rules regarding this subject, please post them here for all to see.
Thanks and let the discussions begin!
Margie B (Moderator) Send a Kudo Post a reply Quote & Reply