Safety

Our safety system relies on players to comply with all the game security rules, to inform PROXIMA's team about any health problems or allergies they should take into consideration, to set and respect boundaries, to say safe words, and to speak with the safety team if they are not ok. If you are not willing to do so, this LARP is not for you.

CODE OF CONDUCT

• Safety is PROXIMA's team priority.
• People’s comfort is more important than LARP mechanics.
• Each participant is responsible for their own actions; for reading, understanding and abiding by this Code of Conduct; and for the consequences of their actions to others.
• Each person’s body is their own. They alone may set their boundaries and say what makes them comfortable. Consent is inviolable, must be freely given and clearly pronounced. Please be clear in establishing your limits, both physical and emotional. Don’t be afraid to modify your limits if you wish to during the game. Practicing active consent negotiations allows everyone to feel more comfortable, so don’t tease, gossip about, ostracize or retaliate against someone who has set a consent boundary or reports harassment or abuse.
• Off-game harassment, abuse, or assault of any participant – or using the alibi of being in character to harass, abuse, or assault a player – are not tolerated. This includes any reference to race, gender identity or presentation, sexuality, body size, conventional beauty, age, and experience of the player. While in character, comments about the actual body of the players are prohibited.
• Should anyone harm another participant, whether intended to do so or not, or keep a risky behavior in some way, they must accept responsibility for their own behavior and indications on how to change it, without deflecting, blaming, or becoming defensive.
• If a participant witnesses someone behaving in a manner that is against this Code of Conduct, they are encouraged to ask them to stop, informing the Safety Team of the incident - even anonymously, if they feel more comfortable doing so.

SENSITIVE TOPICS

The following is a list of topics that are part of the game; as such, they are heavily referenced in plots and/or mechanics. Players should expect to encounter them frequently:

• Addiction (In the game setting, the dependence on relieving other's memories is a social scourge)
• Physical violence (In the game setting, it is fairly common to point a gun just as a negotiation tactic)
• Illegal or unethical activities (In the game setting, you never get anything done by playing fair)

The following is a list of topics that are NOT part of the game; as such, they are never referenced in plots and/or mechanics, and players are not allowed to act during the game:

• Nudity
• Sexual acts (During the game, such an act can be depicted by action more consistent with the setting, such as sharing a Track (memory recording)of an orgasm)
• Discrimination (The game setting is transhumanist; in an age of bio-mods and bodysculpting, it is considered medieval to have prejudice based on appearance alone)
• Sexual violence

Other topics may appear in a specific plot / quest. In that case, they are explicitely marked, so that if you avoid that plot / quest, you can expect to don't encounter them directly. In-game app: the game features an app that players can use to exchange texts, photos, and videos. The exchange of sexually explicit photos and videos is prohibited, even between willing players. The exchange of sexually explicit texts (sexting) is allowed only between willing players (those that have chosen the relevant quest "Hardcoded Desires").

SAFE WORDS

“Emergency, stop playing”. Everyone stops and follows PROXIMA's team’s instructions, as there is a real-life emergency.

“Green”. When someone uses this, it means the rest of the players can raise their game intensity, if they want.

“Yellow”. When someone uses this, the other players are obliged to lower their game intensity. 

“Red”. The scene must stop immediately, and the player who used the word can opt out, go away or stay to play a different scene. . 

SAFE SPACE

An out-of-game space intended to relieve the player who is experiencing negative impacts from the game. It’s possible to have a chat with a member of the safety team, eat a snack, have a soft drink, rebalance, relax or sleep. To reach the safe space you can contact a member of the safety team in every moment of the game.

ARE YOU OK?

PROXIMA's staff members or other players can ask if a player is ok with the "Are you ok?" sign:

They can reply:

"I am ok"

"Not sure" The player should be asked if they want to stop the scene.

"I am not ok" In this case, the player has to be brought to the safe space.

If the player doesn’t answer, the scene must be stopped.

MEDICAL TEAM / FIRST AID TEAM

A First Aid Kit is available, but this does not include medication: everyone has to bring their own.

PROXIMA's staff is happy to welcome any player volunteering to help the First Aid Team.

For this LARP, the supervisor of the First Aid Team is: Paola Tigrino (contact).

SAFETY TEAM

PROXIMA has a Safety Team on the field to support players in distress or deal with any issue that can be considered a violation of the Code of Conduct or threaten someone’s safety.

There isn’t a psychologist on the team, but players can speak with safety team members in confidence, and their privacy will be always respected.

Feel free to raise any complaint to the Safety Team. Each complaint received will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

For this LARP, the supervisor of the Safety Team is: Paola Tigrino (contact).

HARASSMENT

For our purposes, harassment includes:

• Verbal comments or displayed images that denigrate individuals based upon gender, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age, religion, political beliefs, philosophies, geographic origin, or socioeconomic status;
• Non-consensual physical or emotional interactions;
• Non-consensual sexual acts.
• Unwelcome sexual attention, whether verbal or physical.

Feel free to report harassment to the Safety Team at any time, even if it’s something that happened before the LARP or if you decide to talk about it just after the LARP - in this case, contact PROXIMA at this mail. Your communication will be kept strictly confidential, properly checked and a follow-up will be given, issuing a verbal warning or, in the worst cases, removing the harasser from the game and, potentially, from future PROXIMA events.

RESTRICTIONS ON COSTUMES

In order to have an event safe for people suffering from epilepsy, please note that no flashing light will be tolerated on costumes. It's not important if they are strobo, or slow blinking ones. Costumes can contain autonomous light sources (such as led, starlights, etc), but the light pattern has to be flat.

BRACELETS

At the start of the event, each player will choose a single bracelet to wear. This bracelet will be non-diegetic, and will signal to other players their availability for physical interactions and/or violence.

• Green bracelet: full availability - start freely the physical interactions, but be ready to modulate its intensity based on other players' reactions and/or use of safewords;
• Yellow bracelet: discretionary availability - please ensure the other player is OK with the physical interactions before starting it;
• Red bracelet: no availability - avoid the physical interactions by any means possible.

(This document is inspired by the safety documents from NotOnlyLarp events.)