The VIGMA manifesto published

The organisers of the Video Game Critics Festival (VIGMA) have signed the VIGMA manifesto to protect the rights of game developers and participants and to uphold the dignity and importance of the festival.

According to VIGMA's press office, in this manifesto, which every organiser of the festival, including the members of VIGMA's core team and the event's jurors, has agreed to, VIGMA's members show their commitment to the game development community in twelve clauses. By agreeing to its terms, VIGMA's members have bound themselves to observe every one of them.

Among its terms are "striving to review and judge games without personal taste or personal interest" and "a commitment to keep the festival's confidential matters and news such as judging results". Another clause reads: "We commit to respecting every game developer taking part in the festival and their work, regardless of taste or quality."

Here is the twelve-clause VIGMA manifesto signed by the festival's policy council:

We, the video game journalists and critics who have accepted responsibility for and membership of the Video Game Critics Festival, declare that we will decide and give our views relying only on God's help, the spirit of faith and our professional abilities, for the advancement of our country in video games, and we pledge our honour to this manifesto. Therefore:

1. We commit ourselves to give all our strength, through the Video Game Critics Festival, to raising awareness of Iranian games and creating the conditions for sharing experience.
2. Accepting that our views and perspectives differ, we strive to review and judge every work without personal taste or personal interest.
3. We respect people's privacy, rights and dignity, and always try to stay within the bounds of ethics and the law.
4. We accept our mistakes; we try to make good any harm they cause, and when necessary we apologise formally.
5. As part of the Video Game Critics Festival, whether in running it or in judging, we commit not to damage its reputation and credibility for personal gain.
6. When the festival's managers take a collective decision on a matter, we commit to carrying it out, even if we disagree, and to do nothing against it.
7. We commit to keeping the festival's confidential matters to ourselves and never to disclose or publish news such as judging results before their time.
8. We respect the festival's statutes and regulations and the majority vote of its policy council, and we work towards the festival's goals.
9. When we take on a responsibility in the festival, we commit to doing it with the utmost effort and care.
10. We commit to respecting every game developer taking part in the festival and their work, regardless of taste or quality.
11. We commit to keeping political and private opinions, grudges and revenge out of our decisions and views.
12. We will try to resolve disagreements and problems through dialogue and avoid hasty and unprofessional behaviour.

The deadline for submitting games to the Video Game Critics Festival has passed and judging has begun. The VIGMA event will be held with the support and cooperation of the Iran Computer and Video Games Foundation and the ICT Research Institute on Thursday 15 Esfand (5 March 2020), and besides the festival it will include an experience-sharing section of at least 6 talks and 2 specialist panels.