r/gameDevClassifieds • u/KevinDL • May 20 '26

Announcement A note on scammers, impersonators, and public blacklists

87 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

I want to address a recent post I removed by u/NotSUPERita about creating a list of trusted artists and scammers, as well as the broader issue of bad actors on r/gamedevclassifieds.

First, I want to apologize to u/NotSUPERita. I understand why you were trying to help, and I do not think the idea came from a bad place. Scammers and impersonators are a real problem here, and it makes sense that people want better ways to protect themselves and others.

That said, I do not think a public or semi-public user-run blacklist is the right solution.

Any single person’s list of “good” and “bad” experiences is subjective. Even with good intentions, lists like that can be abused, misused, or based on misunderstandings. A false accusation could seriously harm an innocent artist, developer, or freelancer’s reputation and business. Once someone is publicly labeled a scammer, that damage is hard to undo.

This applies to moderators too. Even I am subject to bias, incomplete information, and my own interpretation of events. I cannot be judge, jury, and executioner over someone’s professional reputation, and I do not think anyone else should be put in that position either. That is the line I am trying to be careful with.

I know scammers are a problem, and I am aware that this subreddit has been affected by bad actors, impersonators, and people misrepresenting themselves or their work. But I have not yet found a solution that addresses those issues without also creating a serious risk of innocent people getting caught in the mix.

For now, the best advice is still to do your due diligence before working with someone:

Verify that their portfolio actually belongs to them
Ask for links to established accounts or websites
Check whether their email, Discord, ArtStation, GitHub, itch, LinkedIn, or other profiles line up
Be cautious with new accounts, vague portfolios, stolen-looking portfolios, or people who avoid verification
Use contracts, milestones, and payment methods that offer some protection
Do not rely only on someone’s Reddit username or a single message thread

I know that is not a perfect answer. It is a frustrating situation, and I understand why people want something stronger. But asking people to do their homework before hiring or accepting work is better than creating a system where someone’s business can be damaged because they were falsely added to a list.

If there is a better way to handle this that protects people from scammers without turning into public reputation policing or false callouts, I am open to hearing it. Any solution needs to be fair, evidence-based, and careful about the harm it could cause.

Edit: I forgot to add one more important point: any solution also cannot require a heavy amount of moderator time.

Running this job board is not a job. No one on the mod team has the time, or realistically should be expected to have the time, to manually verify users, assign trusted labels, maintain reputation lists, or act as an ongoing approval system for freelancers and clients.

That kind of system would create a lot of work, and it would also create a false sense of safety. Even with moderation, users would still need to verify who they are working with and make their own judgment before hiring, accepting work, or sending payment.

13 comments

r/gameDevClassifieds • u/KevinDL • Sep 12 '24

Community-Wide Alert: Do not engage with P1 GAMES (Formerly P1 VIRTUAL CIVILIZATION)

130 Upvotes

I'm truly getting tired of this nonsense u/RedEagle_MGN

Changing your organizations name doesn't stop people from reaching out to me with horror stories every few months.

Previous topic: https://www.reddit.com/r/gameDevJobs/comments/198b5zi/communitywide_alert_do_not_engage_with_p1_virtual/

Comments:

https://www.reddit.com/r/gamedev/comments/198asb9/deleted_by_user/

Their pages:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/p1-games
https://p1games.com/

What they want you to sign:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_H0-KC3kxkuJGgMvanVjLIx_jTIV-yfh4Ze2c93sOWw/edit?usp=sharing

DO NOT ENGAGE WITH THESE PEOPLE, no matter what they call themselves. They exploit the inexperienced and naive, convincing you to sign away your rights to everything you create. Don’t fall for their lies. You do not need to join a volunteer group or give up ownership of your work to gain skills in the game industry. Learning on your own is far better than what P1 offers. If you want a real education, seek out accredited programs and courses instead.

Their latest tactic is using LinkedIn ads to lure victims. I’m unsure what it will take to stop this con artist, but I’ll do my part to be a thorn in their side. My goal is to protect people in this community from their schemes.

Spread the word, be safe.

Some reading:

https://www.reddit.com/search/?q=P1+Virtual+Civilization&type=link&cId=80e066ed-a60b-4bd9-b7b6-8f2e0a75d044&iId=73e82563-aaa9-416a-9d57-54df97ab2c82

6 comments

r/gameDevClassifieds • u/Prudent_Plate_4265 • 3h ago

PAID - 2D Art | Animation Looking for artist to create game tiles.

12 Upvotes

I have a game that is in need of game tile creation. Specifically, Hexagon.

Nothing terribly fancy, it's for a hexagon battlefield. I am looking for around 15 different types of terrain, and then 2-3 options for each of those types.

I have a map that I want to be able to slap hexagonal terrain tiles down onto. There is a game whose art-style is close to what I am looking for called Card Hunter, though I don't want to copy it (plus that's square and isometric, this is hexagon and top down). There terrain needs to be slightly opaque because I am going to lay icons on top of it as well.

Looking for a normal, web, burning, frozen, poisoned, windy, tangled, dark, higher-ground, lower-ground, cramped, necrotic and electrified, and again, 2-3 styles of each.

I don't need continuity between two of them, as each is a self-contained tile. The overall size should be 228x264 (I can scale from that source, but that should give enough detail). Hex template numbers for the actual hexagon for that (polygon points="114,0 228,66 228,198 114,264 0,198 0,66") - nothing outside the hexagon shape will show.

Format is webp, and we could even do animated tiles depending on cost (though probably not right away).

I had an request for a splash-screen up here, and it was fulfilled. When I needed this, I went back to people who responded to that to ask; but either no replies or uninterested. I figure maybe this will allow people to respond to me if this is of interest to them doing.

No specific budget at this time only because I don't know what this takes to do, so I would either be insulting someone or breaking my bank.

DM me here. If I find someone, I will update this post. I usually will get back to you via DM within a day.

8 comments

r/gameDevClassifieds • u/foxxglovve • 5h ago

PAID - 2D Art | Animation In Need of Pixel Artist

14 Upvotes

Hello pixel artists,

Me and my partner are looking for a pixel artist who works fluently in 64x64 resolution for our indie game we are creating. We've been building this game for the past year and a half now and have a bit of artwork already completed from our current artist. We were hoping to hire another artist to help speed up the process and get the game released sooner!
This job would require the ability to match the artwork that we currently have in the same style and color pallet.
We need artists to be able to do character design, props, UI elements, sprites, tiles and all their animations as well.

The game is in the color pallet of Zelda BOTW, with a top-down/isometric POV and playstyle of the game Hyper Light Drifter. We would be happy to talk more and show our current art that we have over a meeting through Discord or classic phone call.

We would love to see your portfolios or any examples you would like to show us!

Discord: _foxglov3
Email: [afterlightdevelopment@gmail.com](mailto:afterlightdevelopment@gmail.com)

8 comments

r/gameDevClassifieds • u/Urufuzu_Rein • 4h ago

FOR HIRE - 3D Modeler | Animation [FOR HIRE] game ready 3D models and animations made by senior 3D artists

gallery

7 Upvotes

Hey everyone! We’re HiMASTERS -- an indie Art Team of senior 3D artists working for over a decade across gamedev and cinematics. Some of the titles our artists contributed to: Exoborne, Metro: Exodus, STALKER 2, Warthunder, Payday 2/3, World of Tanks, Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020/2024), DCS World, Halo, Battlefield, and many-many more!

What we do:

Hard-surface modeling (we REALLY love vehicles, weapons, aircrafts, mechs)
Stylized + Realistic characters
Props + environments
Game-ready optimization (Unreal / Unity / custom engines)
Animation / Tech. Art / Tech. Animation

We're open for project-based work. Not just some random freelancers-for-hire -- we actually work as a team, help with planning, QA, and can support you all the way through production.
And yes, we’re totally flexible and indie-friendly when it comes to budget and collaboration style -- just tell us what are you looking for and what budget you want to fill in, and we will try our best to find a solution for you.

Official website with info on our team:
https://himasters.art

You can DM me here or send us an e-mail on [contacts@himasters.art](mailto:contacts@himasters.art)

[HIRING] Programmer – Richwood Correctional Facility

About Richwood Correctional Facility

Responsibilities

Requirements

Compensation

How to Apply