The Gif Rule

[MelancholyDreamer]

Then shouldn't the game have a seizure warning or something too? There are ALL kinds of movements and flashing lights and magics in there that could cause seizures. No?

For example, if this gif is going to give you a seizure, then the game would easily give you one.

Spoiler

We can't time magics in game or animation in rooms. They all have different timings and movements. Odds are if you can't handle a gif moving at normal speed, not flashing, etc, you cannot handle getting on a game where there are hundreds and thousands of movements and animations.

The lipgloss isn't going to cause a seizure.
That doesn't mean that someone won't post something like this gif, which could cause one:

Spoiler

Will MyVMK cause seizures? I don't know, to be honest. But why should we just assume that everyone who visits this site can't possibly be prone to seizures?

Hence why I said there should be a rule against gifs like those in the original post...

And hence my reply asking how people would determine risky gifs vs safe gifs and how we would prevent them from posting risky ones...

 

[WHO]

Then shouldn't the game have a seizure warning or something too? There are ALL kinds of movements and flashing lights and magics in there that could cause seizures. No?

For example, if this gif is going to give you a seizure, then the game would easily give you one.

Spoiler

We can't time magics in game or animation in rooms. They all have different timings and movements. Odds are if you can't handle a gif moving at normal speed, not flashing, etc, you cannot handle getting on a game where there are hundreds and thousands of movements and animations.

The lipgloss isn't going to cause a seizure.
That doesn't mean that someone won't post something like this gif, which could cause one:

Spoiler

Will MyVMK cause seizures? I don't know, to be honest. But why should we just assume that everyone who visits this site can't possibly be prone to seizures?

Hence why I said there should be a rule against gifs like those in the original post...

And hence my reply asking how people would determine risky gifs vs safe gifs and how we would prevent them from posting risky ones...

I guess the same way you and I did? If it has flashing lights/color, is moving fast? It's not that hard to decide which could cause a seizure and which wouldn't. If someone posts a gif like you just posted, it'd be reported and warnings would given and infractions if it continues.

 

[Whispered]

I don't mean to be disrespectful to persons with seizure disorders, but I don't feel like when so many people are against this rule out should trump all other wishes.

Persons with seizure disorders can't expect the entire internet to change for them, and the ones I've met know this and either block all gifs, don't play games, etc. They don't expect other people to change their ways for them.

How is that not disrespectful to people prone to seizures? I'm not epileptic, but I've had seizures in the past and yeah, I'm weary of flashy gifs bc I'm not totally sure what triggered them. So according to you, I should just stay away from all gifs or the internet in general, just so I don't inconvenience your desire to post some flashy image? And while we're at it, I guess we should stop making handicap ramps instead of stairs; people in wheelchairs should just know better and stay on ground level, right?

If you are going to have a seizure from a gif, you're going to have a seizure from playing myvmk..... lol

Do you have photosensitive epilepsy or are you just making an assumption? Because not all video games cause seizures and not all gifs cause seizures. Just because someone may be sensitive to flashing lights doesn't mean they should have to stay away from all technology.

Other sites enforce this same rule, or ask you to tag certain gifs with an epilepsy warning. Stop being selfish and grow up, all of you.

If you're concerned about the internet having gifs, then you can take steps on your end to mediate the problem, including but not limited to disabling gifs browser/addon side, not visiting sites you know will have moving objects, or not accessing the internet at all. It's as if I should go to a Christmas lights show and ask them to somehow let me enjoy the image of their house without the flashy lights at nighttime.

Your comparison is invalid, by the way, as you fail to realize that a) wheelchair ramps cause no inconvenience to others, b) they are actually supported by 99.999999% of people, and c) no public outcry against them is observed.

I have yet to find another forum that enforces a "spoiler all gifs" rule. Sure, any gifs that are excessively flashy. But all of them? No.

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I understand your point: 'If we don't allow flashing light gifs, then all other gifs can be free of the spoiler rule because they wont cause seizures anymore than the game would.' In theory that makes sense. But more than just flashing light gifs cause seizures; for example oscillating gifs and gifs with moving patterns can also cause seizures. The average person may have a difficult time knowing which ones are safe to post and which are not. Further more, how would we restrict users from posting a gif that violates the rule? Are we going to ask everyone to run their gif through some analytic tool to evaluate it's potential risk? It seems easier to just ask that all gifs are placed in a spoiler, regardless.

If someone, either on purpose or by accident, forgets to spoilerize a gif they post that is seizure inducing, then the rule has done no good for the period of time until a moderator can add a spoiler. In that period of time, it is possible one of the seizure prone members of this site would view and be triggered by it.

People should not rely on the entire forum, its members, its moderators, etc. to carry a burden of making, enforcing, and following a rule that is extra effort when there is a very very simple solution - just disable all gifs on your browser(s), if you're that concerned. If you are asking they be spoilerized, and are afraid you may be triggered, I'd be willing to bet you won't open any of the spoilerized gifs - you don't know what's behind it. So why not just disable them altogether?



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Basically, I have a problem with this whole "let's impose upon everyone for something that is more easily fixed by those who need it fixed". It's as if (more comparisons) someone asked the US to outlaw peanuts in all products because they were allergic. No, they should be prudent of their own medical conditions and avoid peanut products - if that means not eating at restaurants that don't publish their ingredients/modify menus for them that's their problem, not the population's problem.

 

[Goddess]

I don't mean to be disrespectful to persons with seizure disorders, but I don't feel like when so many people are against this rule out should trump all other wishes.

Persons with seizure disorders can't expect the entire internet to change for them, and the ones I've met know this and either block all gifs, don't play games, etc. They don't expect other people to change their ways for them.

How is that not disrespectful to people prone to seizures? I'm not epileptic, but I've had seizures in the past and yeah, I'm weary of flashy gifs bc I'm not totally sure what triggered them. So according to you, I should just stay away from all gifs or the internet in general, just so I don't inconvenience your desire to post some flashy image? And while we're at it, I guess we should stop making handicap ramps instead of stairs; people in wheelchairs should just know better and stay on ground level, right?

If you are going to have a seizure from a gif, you're going to have a seizure from playing myvmk..... lol

Do you have photosensitive epilepsy or are you just making an assumption? Because not all video games cause seizures and not all gifs cause seizures. Just because someone may be sensitive to flashing lights doesn't mean they should have to stay away from all technology.

Other sites enforce this same rule, or ask you to tag certain gifs with an epilepsy warning. Stop being selfish and grow up, all of you.

If you're concerned about the internet having gifs, then you can take steps on your end to mediate the problem, including but not limited to disabling gifs browser/addon side, not visiting sites you know will have moving objects, or not accessing the internet at all. It's as if I should go to a Christmas lights show and ask them to somehow let me enjoy the image of their house without the flashy lights at nighttime.

Your comparison is invalid, by the way, as you fail to realize that a) wheelchair ramps cause no inconvenience to others, b) they are actually supported by 99.999999% of people, and c) no public outcry against them is observed.

I have yet to find another forum that enforces a "spoiler all gifs" rule. Sure, any gifs that are excessively flashy. But all of them? No.

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I understand your point: 'If we don't allow flashing light gifs, then all other gifs can be free of the spoiler rule because they wont cause seizures anymore than the game would.' In theory that makes sense. But more than just flashing light gifs cause seizures; for example oscillating gifs and gifs with moving patterns can also cause seizures. The average person may have a difficult time knowing which ones are safe to post and which are not. Further more, how would we restrict users from posting a gif that violates the rule? Are we going to ask everyone to run their gif through some analytic tool to evaluate it's potential risk? It seems easier to just ask that all gifs are placed in a spoiler, regardless.

If someone, either on purpose or by accident, forgets to spoilerize a gif they post that is seizure inducing, then the rule has done no good for the period of time until a moderator can add a spoiler. In that period of time, it is possible one of the seizure prone members of this site would view and be triggered by it.

People should not rely on the entire forum, its members, its moderators, etc. to carry a burden of making, enforcing, and following a rule that is extra effort when there is a very very simple solution - just disable all gifs on your browser(s), if you're that concerned. If you are asking they be spoilerized, and are afraid you may be triggered, I'd be willing to bet you won't open any of the spoilerized gifs - you don't know what's behind it. So why not just disable them altogether?



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Basically, I have a problem with this whole "let's impose upon everyone for something that is more easily fixed by those who need it fixed". It's as if (more comparisons) someone asked the US to outlaw peanuts in all products because they were allergic. No, they should be prudent of their own medical conditions and avoid peanut products - if that means not eating at restaurants that don't publish their ingredients/modify menus for them that's their problem, not the population's problem.

I have to say that's a valid point. While I'm not trying to be disrespectful to anyone with medical disabilities (as my youngest brother is epileptic), it's a safer alternative to spoilers to just disable them completely on your computer if at all possible. If you had a major medical problem that is triggered by things such as gifs, wouldn't you want to take the precautions to allow yourself to observe the internet in a healthy, non-threatening way?

It's sort of like how I get major migraines from a head injury in June. My migraines make me sensitive to light, and sound. I'm not going to tell everyone in my house to stop making noise or talking, or to sit in the dark until my headache goes away because that would inconvenience them. Instead, I would take my prescribed medication to alleviate my headache so I can still enjoy my day without problems, or inconveniencing those around me.

It seems like such a small thing to be upset over. I'm not going to personally cry about gifs having or not having a rule about being spoilered, but if all these people would prefer it be retracted and there is a solution for those with a medical problem to block these images completely, isn't that a better alternative? A healthy middle ground for both sides? Just some food for thought.

 

[WHO]

What I'm failing to understand either way is why are epileptic people on a forum for a game that has hundreds and thousands of animations/flashing images? No disrespect, but I'm actually curious how that works.

 

[Jasmine]

It's a common misconception that only flashing lights and such cause seizures in those with PSE (they're merely the most common triggers). The fact is that people with PSE can be triggered by nearly anything - it doesn't even have to be moving. So yes, technically speaking, normal gifs, and especially some of the effects in game, could trigger someone with PSE. Even striped patterns (and some bold colors and even certain fonts) have been known to cause seizures. Since it differs so drastically from person to person, it's certainly the person with PSE's responsibility to stay away from their triggers at all times. (I've also heard that some can be triggered by things such as start-up screens on games or computers and even TVs, I suppose. It should also be mentioned that some people with PSE can't watch TV at all... it's just that bad. Others can be affected by something we'd hardly notice, such as a flickering light bulb.)

I've never understood any of the gif rules because I agree that there are alternatives and it just doesn't make sense to make a rule that literally only helps a select few people. I don't even necessarily disagree with the rules, it's more that I disagree with the reasoning that's been given for implementing them. Say, if the reason was that they're usually spammy (as Sil pointed out), then I don't think as many people would have a problem with the rule. It's just the fact that the rule seems to have been implemented without any research having been done into epilepsy in general (and especially into PSE) and into alternatives for those affected.

I give my sympathies to anyone with PSE because I know how badly it can affect people. However, I still believe that it is a personal responsibility to stay away from triggers. Considering something like a police car or an ambulance's flashing lights could trigger a seizure, that shows that you can't exactly expect other people to stop doing what they're doing to better your health. (That probably sounds harsh, but it's not meant to be.)

Eh, just my opinion.

 

[Halcyon]

GIFs are really just spammy by nature... if you cannot get a point across without a GIF then maybe you should reconsider posting. If you want to add to your post with a GIF, just put it in a spoiler so people can choose whether they want to see them or not. It's really not that much effort to click a spoiler tag, and we want to accommodate as many people as possible here (and yes, we were contacted by people with real medical conditions who were concerned about excessive GIFs in posts).

Thank you for respecting our decision.

Thanks everyone for your feedback!

I believe someone did request this feature and if adding a spoiler tag makes someone's experience more enjoyable... I believe it is worth it.

The reason it does not apply to signatures is because you have the option to turn signatures off. This can be done by doing the following: User CP> Settings and Options > Edit Options> uncheck show signatures.

Hope this clears some things up!

I will bring this thread to the other moderator's attention but for the now the rule will stay. Reversing the rule would be disrespectful towards someone's disability. The alternative would be to eliminate Gifs completely .

Two staff members have answered this thread re the GIF rule.

We will not be changing our decision about the rule, as we have said numerous times before. It is not something to argue about; put your GIFs in spoilers and there will be no issues - those who want to see them can still see them.

Thank you for your feedback and for understanding the staff's decision.