Steam to allow everything!

robfosters · 7 Jun 2018 at 10:50

Valve (who own Steam) have decided that it’s not up to Steam to decide what content to sell unless it’s either illegal or trolling. This follows the furore over the Active Shooter game that was recently pulled from Steam. It opens up the possibility of all kinds of violence and pornography becoming available on Steam.

Thoughts? I agree that it’s good to let people make their own mind up, but surely there has to be a line drawn somewhere in the interests of common decency.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-44393415

Marky · 7 Jun 2018 at 10:53

I don't think this will end well - A store like Steam really needs some sort of regulation.

Gimpymoo · 7 Jun 2018 at 10:55

Fully agree with Valve.

They have been in a position for a long time of being the "gatekeepers" to PC gaming. If your game is not on Steam, you fail, unless you are one of the multi million pound publishers.

Why should Valve decide what is "good" or a "bad" game?

Regarding "content", I would HATE to have a BBFC system which mandates cuts etc.

If a game is **** or indecent, the public will sort that out.

We should be thankful Valve are Valve and not E.A or Activision.

snowdog · 7 Jun 2018 at 10:56

To hell with the moralists. There's one things that should be illegal and that's child pornography, otherwise, governments or organisations should have ZERO say of what's on the internet or in games.

Narrow minded ***** should mind their own business than to decide what people want. UK is supposedly a free country like the NL, and prohibiting certain content is simply bigoted.

Gimpymoo · 7 Jun 2018 at 10:56

Marky said:
I don't think this will end well

What will happen?

They are a privately owned company.

Kids will stop buying games on Steam because someone releases a game of kids shooting kids?

Gimpymoo · 7 Jun 2018 at 10:57

snowdog said:
To hell with the moralists. There's one things that should be illegal and that's child pornography, otherwise, governments or organisations should have ZERO say of what's on the internet or in games.

Narrow minded ***** should mind their own business than to decide what people want. UK is supposedly a free country like the NL, and prohibiting certain content is simply bigoted.

Bravo

Summed it up better than me.

Glanza · 7 Jun 2018 at 10:59

Will help Indie devs not having to mess around with greenlight.

robfosters · 7 Jun 2018 at 11:03

snowdog said:
To hell with the moralists. There's one things that should be illegal and that's child pornography, otherwise, governments or organisations should have ZERO say of what's on the internet or in games.

Narrow minded ***** should mind their own business than to decide what people want. UK is supposedly a free country like the NL, and prohibiting certain content is simply bigoted.

Not just child pornography, I think any game involving targeted violence towards children shouldn’t be available.

cheesyboy · 7 Jun 2018 at 11:05

Glanza said:
Will help Indie devs not having to mess around with greenlight.

Greenlight was killed off a couple of years ago. You just pay a fee and your game goes on Steam.

Glanza · 7 Jun 2018 at 11:11

cheesyboy said:
Greenlight was killed off a couple of years ago. You just pay a fee and your game goes on Steam.

That would explain the sudden influx of 'adult anime' games that used to flood the store front.

ace-rimmer · 7 Jun 2018 at 11:11

thats what steam needs, more junk

Nate75 · 7 Jun 2018 at 11:13

Are the Japanese schoolgirl panty games not child pornography anyway?

cheesyboy · 7 Jun 2018 at 11:14

I'm not particularly against Steam allowing everything on its platform. I do wish they would offer some curation, though. A bit more active in promoting good quality small games, rather than them going through the same conveyor belt as the garbage.

Maundie · 7 Jun 2018 at 11:19

I commend this, it isn't Valve's role to police the world, if there's a game on there that you don't like or find offensive just don't buy it.

cheesyboy · 7 Jun 2018 at 11:25

I think we, as gamers, stand to lose a lot more than we gain from trying to defend the right for some of the more extreme game themes to be on the PC's biggest gaming platform.

That school shooting game brought a lot of outside attention to gaming. I really think we, as gamers, need to think about the consequences of more of the same.

Don't want to kick the hornet's nest. Particularly when the honey* tastes like **** [poo] anyway.

(* I know hornets don't make honey)

Marky · 7 Jun 2018 at 11:28

Gimpymoo said:
What will happen?

They are a privately owned company.

Kids will stop buying games on Steam because someone releases a game of kids shooting kids?

More like games from trolling developers like the school shooter game will slip through the cracks and then the whole "games train killers" debate gets reignited, and before you know it becomes political and people that shouldn't get involved, get involved.

Another point is that Steam is full of junk games already.

ttaskmaster · 7 Jun 2018 at 11:29

Gimpymoo said:
Why should Valve decide what is "good" or a "bad" game?

Why should shops like Overclockers get to decide what is and isn't good PC kit? Why should they pick and choose what they sell?

snowdog said:
Narrow minded ***** should mind their own business than to decide what people want. UK is supposedly a free country like the NL, and prohibiting certain content is simply bigoted.

So you're fine if I start making money from a game about beating and raping your mum, yeh? Or a fundamentalist one about building realistic bombs and blowing up primary schools?
But then WHY should child pornography be illegal in games, anyway? Not like it's real, or anything, and prohibiting content is bigoted, right?

Hotwired · 7 Jun 2018 at 11:33

Nate75 said:
Are the Japanese schoolgirl panty games not child pornography anyway?

There are obviously no actual children involved or being abused so laws on this have creative reasoning.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_status_of_drawn_pornography_depicting_minors

heartburnron · 7 Jun 2018 at 11:43

I agree in principal with Steam - people should be free to choose what they consume and all forms of censorship for adults is completely wrong in my opinion. I do however understand and share the concern about the influx of rubbish games to add to what is already there and about the potential outside political attention. I don't believe either though, that the political thing is a reason not to do it, that would feel be a bit like bending over and taking the censorship and pompous views.

varkanoid · 7 Jun 2018 at 12:04

Palmer Luckey, creator of the Oculus Rift headset, welcomed the move.

Virtual reality pioneer Palmer Luckey said the change was good news for developers of adult content on VR

Mr Luckey was an employee at Facebook until leaving in March 2017. He became a controversial figure when it emerged that he had partly bankrolled a group behind a social media campaign helping Donald Trump's presidential bid

LOL.

If Steam are going to take this stance least they could do would be to embrace the PEGI rating on their platform. Its not a form of censorship (its a guide, not enforced) but will give parents at least an idea of the type of games their kids are playing at a glance.