So will hardcore porn be allowed on the Steam Store in the future?

[Pax]

With Steam's new policy of "anything goes" that's not illegal or trolling, I find myself wondering what this entails. My largest problem with this change is that it essentially opens the possibility that Steam becomes a dumping ground for porn.

I would like to point out that the language "that's not illegal" is questionable in and of itself; there are entire countries (China, Indonesia, Ukraine, etc) where pornography is illegal. Does that fall under Steam's umbrella of illegal? I think it's as good a reason as any.

If Steam doesn't want to lose many of its Asian customers, as well as a huge chunk of its American and European customers, it should respect the laws and values of countries that are against pornography.

[The nameless Gamer]

No, it won't. It's in their rules: explicitly pornographic content is not allowed. That rule remains in power.

[Ogami]

No. The same content rules as always apply and are still in the TOS.
No pornographic content, no illegal stuff and so on.
The only thing different is that Steam will not ban or disallow games on the store just because a group of players urges them to. Thats why they had the example about the "anime" games in their blog post, a TON of people hate any games with that artstyle and report games like that as inappropiate for Steam or starting petitions to get them removed.

Valve basically clarified that games that you dont like have still a right to be on the store and that the market will decide whats succesfull and what not.

Really, not much has changed with this new policy.

[Start_Running]

FOr the nlove of god did no one actually read the response?

[Ogami]

Originally posted by Start_Running:

FOr the nlove of god did no one actually read the response?

Honestly, i think the gaming media is largely to blame for this. Immediately after Steam released their blog post you had dozens of articles going up by all the "game journalists" that Steam will now allow pornographic, racist, alt right, anti gay and whatever contet on their platform and that it is the end of the world and bla bla bla.

I suspect most people did not even read the original blog post but just those "outrage" articles that followed.

The state of the gaming press in 2018.

[Pax]

Originally posted by Ogami:

Originally posted by Start_Running:

FOr the nlove of god did no one actually read the response?

Honestly, i think the gaming media is largely to blame for this. Immidiately after Steam released their blog post you had dozens of articles going up by all the "game journalists" that Steam will now allow pornographic racist, alt right and whatever contet on their platform and that it is the end of the world and bla bla bla.

I suspect most people did not even read the original blog post but just those "outrage" articles that followed.

The state of the gaming press in 2018.

I read the post, and from my understanding it was in part a reaction to some adult visual novels almost being taken down from the Steam Store. With that in mind, it sure seems this change was done to open the flood gates for porn. And based on their language, that might be what they're doing.

I extremely hope I'm incorrect on this, but just judging from the language of that message alone, porn will be allowed on the store.

[Moderate my posterior.]

You don't need to hope. You ARE incorrect. There are laws about the distribution of adult material and Valve is stating they will abide by them.

[Pax]

Originally posted by Popular Outcast:

You don't need to hope. You ARE incorrect. There are laws about the distribution of adult material and Valve is stating they will abide by them.

If that's true, what does this announcement even change and why they did they make it? Active Shooter was still banned, the risqué visual novels were left on the store. Why make the announcement if bigger issues were not on hand?

Until I see confirmation from a Steam representative that porn will still be kept off the platform, I stand highly concerned. Their language in that announcement, as it stands, leaves a gaping hole for it.

[Winged One]

Originally posted by Hospitaller:

If that's true, what does this announcement even change and why they did they make it?

because of the amount of users constantly posting "hey, I don't like this kind of game, stop selling it!"

[Moderate my posterior.]

Originally posted by Hospitaller:

Originally posted by Popular Outcast:

You don't need to hope. You ARE incorrect. There are laws about the distribution of adult material and Valve is stating they will abide by them.

If that's true, what does this announcement even change and why they did they make it? Active Shooter was still banned, the risqué visual novels were left on the store. Why make the announcement if bigger issues were not on hand?

Until I see confirmation from a Steam representative that porn will still be kept off the platform, I stand highly concerned. Their language in that announcement, as it stands, leaves a gaping hole for it.

Then you will stand concerned forever. Your loss. Active shooter was removed because it was a troll game by a dev with a history of removed games, and the rest were left because they were never any danger.

[Start_Running]

Originally posted by Ogami:

Originally posted by Start_Running:

FOr the nlove of god did no one actually read the response?

Honestly, i think the gaming media is largely to blame for this. Immediately after Steam released their blog post you had dozens of articles going up by all the "game journalists" that Steam will now allow pornographic, racist, alt right, anti gay and whatever contet on their platform and that it is the end of the world and bla bla bla.

And they wonder why the airquotes are needed when ever they are refered to as "journalists".

The state of the gaming press in 2018.

I wish it were only the gaming press.

Originally posted by Hospitaller:

If that's true, what does this announcement even change and why they did they make it? Active Shooter was still banned, the risqué visual novels were left on the store. Why make the announcement if bigger issues were not on hand?

Nothing changed. Because the statement was just a restatement of the policy they have repeatedly spoken of fore the last 8 or so years.

Active SHooter was removed due to the developer having a bad history with valve as far as I have heard though it would not be surprising if the dev voluntarily pulled the title rather that be at the centre of a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥.

Until I see confirmation from a Steam representative that porn will still be kept off the platform, I stand highly concerned.

Read the actual statement they made. No where do they say they are going to let explicitly pornographic material on steam. Your concern is over something no one at Valve said. Mayhaps you should have applied more critical thinking to whatever half-assed article put that cincern in your mind to begin with. No one who actually read the statement and understood it could have such a concern.

Their language in that announcement, as it stands, leaves a gaping hole for it.

What you mean the rather plain english?

[Pax]

Originally posted by Start_Running:

Nothing changed. Because the statement was just a restatement of the policy they have repeatedly spoken of fore the last 8 or so years.

The two key lines are this:

"With that principle in mind, we've decided that the right approach is to **allow everything onto the Steam Store, except for things that we decide are illegal, or straight up trolling**."

It's NEVER stated if pornographic content is included in that "everything" or not. For all we know, it is.

**"In the short term, we won't be making significant changes to what's arriving on Steam until we've finished some of the tools we've described in this post."**

This is saying there WILL be changes coming. "In the short term there won't be significant changes *UNTIL*" Key word : UNTIL they've finished tools to edit the filter system.

[Moderate my posterior.]

In short, "I don't want to have to actually think about it, so until someone holds my hand and tells me everything will be alright, I'm going to throw a fit"

Or you could use your brain, look at the laws on the distribution of adult material, see how the store does not support it because it would be illegal, and go to bed happy.

[Pax]

Originally posted by Popular Outcast:

In short, "I don't want to have to actually think about it, so until someone holds my hand and tells me everything will be alright, I'm going to throw a fit"

Or you could use your brain, look at the laws on the distribution of adult material, see how the store does not support it because it would be illegal, and go to bed happy.

""In the short term, we won't be making significant changes to what's arriving on Steam until we've finished some of the tools we've described in this post.""

What "significant changes" are they talking about?

[WolfEisberg]

Originally posted by Hospitaller:

Originally posted by Popular Outcast:

You don't need to hope. You ARE incorrect. There are laws about the distribution of adult material and Valve is stating they will abide by them.

If that's true, what does this announcement even change and why they did they make it? Active Shooter was still banned, the risqué visual novels were left on the store. Why make the announcement if bigger issues were not on hand?

Until I see confirmation from a Steam representative that porn will still be kept off the platform, I stand highly concerned. Their language in that announcement, as it stands, leaves a gaping hole for it.

It didn't change anything, it was a blog post to basically explain to people what their stance is, and their stance is the same stance they always had. Nothing literally changed.

[Spawn of Totoro]

No, "hardcore porn" is not going to be on Steam. Valve still has guidelines that need to be followed and need to comply with many laws in reguards to such material. Material that many places have classified as either controlled or illegal.