SquidVox Community Rules
These rules exist to protect the signal-to-noise ratio of every playtest. They apply equally to everyone — developers and testers alike. When the community respects these standards, everyone gets better feedback.
Core Rules
Rule 01
Mandatory Voiceover
Every playtest submission must include narrated, stream-of-consciousness voice commentary throughout the video. Silent screen recordings are automatically rejected.
This is the core value of SquidVox. A developer cannot see your face, but they can hear your confusion, delight, or frustration. That audio is the product.
Rule 02
One Claim at a Time
You may only hold one active playtest claim at any time. Claiming a second game before completing your current one is not permitted.
This policy exists to ensure focused, high-quality attention on each game. A split-attention playtest helps no one.
Rule 03
24-Hour Delivery Deadline
Once you claim a game, you have exactly 24 hours to upload your YouTube video link. The clock starts from the moment of claiming.
Missing this deadline results in an automatic claim expiry, a penalty to your Reliability Score, and the tester slot being returned to the pool. Repeated failures can result in temporary suspension from claiming.
Rule 04
Honest, Good-Faith Feedback
Feedback must be genuine. Submitting a fabricated or off-topic video to farm tokens is a serious violation.
Developers review every submission before payment releases. If a submission is found to be in bad faith, developers may reject it with a written explanation. Rejected submissions do not pay out tokens.
Rule 05
The Inking Policy (Anti-Abuse)
Any user who accumulates 3 malicious reports within a 7-day period is automatically suspended pending manual review.
“Malicious” means: filing false Unplayable returns, spamming listings, or coordinating with others to exploit the token system. This policy applies to both testers and developers.
Developer Responsibilities
Your Game Must Be Free to Access: This should go without saying, but testers should never need to pay anything to play your game. Link to a Steam page with a free demo (or a free-to-play game), or an itch.io page with no mandatory price. Listings that require testers to purchase access will be removed.
Proof of Work: You must successfully complete at least one playtest for another developer before you can create your first game listing. This ensures you understand the experience you are asking of others.
48-Hour Review Window: After a tester submits, you have 48 hours to Accept or Reject their video. If you take no action, the system automatically approves the submission and releases the escrowed tokens to the tester.
Rejection Standards: You may only reject a submission if it violates the voiceover rule, is clearly off-topic, or was submitted in bad faith. Rejecting legitimate feedback to avoid paying tokens is an abuse violation.
Unplayable Return Policy: If a tester legitimately cannot play your game due to a crash, severe performance issue, or broken core input, they may return the claim as Unplayable. This does not cost them tokens or hurt their score. Your listing will receive a yellow warning flag until the issue is addressed.
Tester Responsibilities
Minimum Playtime: Play for at least the duration specified in the listing. Submitting a video significantly shorter than the agreed time is grounds for rejection.
Commentary Quality: Your narration should communicate your thought process, not just describe your actions. See the Commentary Guide for examples.
Loading Time Counts: Loading screens and splash screens count toward your playtime. If a game takes 10 minutes to load on the recommended PC specs, that is the developer's responsibility — not yours. Simply leave your recording running and narrate the wait naturally (“still on the loading screen at the two-minute mark”).
Clear Background Processes: Before you start recording, close or pause any CPU/GPU-hungry background applications — game launchers updating, video renders, large downloads, etc. Performance issues caused by your own system are not grounds for an Unplayable return, and they will affect the validity of any performance feedback you give.
Reliability Score: Your score starts at 100% and decreases with expired claims and rejected submissions. Developers can see your score before you claim their game. Maintain a high score to remain eligible for all listings.
These rules are enforced by a combination of automated systems and community reporting. If you witness a violation, use the in-app report function. SquidVox reserves the right to update these rules with notice.