Disputing a ban from the Avowed forum

[Resident Neutral]

Hi mods/users. This is word for word on my 1 and only comment on the Avowed forum.
I was banned within seconds for "Developer Harassment." This is what I wrote:

"Hi Matt Hansen, Cruelty Squad is on sale this weekend for 5.99$ American. Buy it!"

Apparently recommending a more creative game that barely had a budget is grounds for harassment ban, instead of off topic ban and promoting another game.

I laughed for like 10 mins. I may have peed a little, as well.


I did not harass anyone, and an apology from the Avowed mods would be appreciated.

[76561199566220743]

Steam forums are not the correct place to discuss bans. Contact Support.

[Banelord]

Originally posted by Resident Neutral:

Hi mods/users. This is word for word on my 1 and only comment on the Avowed forum.
I was banned within seconds for "Developer Harassment." This is what I wrote:

"Hi Matt Hansen, Cruelty Squad is on sale this weekend for 5.99$ American. Buy it!"

Apparently recommending a more creative game that barely had a budget is grounds for harassment ban, instead of off topic ban and promoting another game.

I laughed for like 10 mins. I may have peed a little, as well.

Welcome to the club. You’ve just experienced the Obsidian Special™: wrongful ban, zero accountability, and devs lurking under alt accounts to mock you like petty schoolyard bullies.

Here’s what got me banned:

“Woke stuff doesn’t add anything to make the game better, but it can definitely make the game worse if all there is to the game is forced-in DEI stuff.”

Ban reason? "Promoting anti-DEI and anti-woke agenda."

Not harassment. Not hate speech. Just an opinion on game design. Obsidian isn’t moderating; they’re purging dissent. Enjoy the ride.

[Heraclius Caesar]

Congrats? But this thread is just going to get closed since you're talking about disputing a ban, something you should be doing privately through Steam Support.

[GobboKirk]

Oh look another one... zzzzzzzzzzz

[Banelord]

Originally posted by Heraclius Caesar:

Congrats? But this thread is just going to get closed since you're talking about disputing a ban, something you should be doing privately through Steam Support.

This isn’t really a ban dispute, it's more like discussion about toxic developer mods abusing Steam’s platform to silence opinions they don’t like, and judging by the sheer number of legit users affected, it seems to be getting attention.

[Mad Scientist]

Originally posted by Resident Neutral:

Hi mods/users. This is word for word on my 1 and only comment on the Avowed forum.
I was banned within seconds for "Developer Harassment." This is what I wrote:

"Hi Matt Hansen, Cruelty Squad is on sale this weekend for 5.99$ American. Buy it!"

Apparently recommending a more creative game that barely had a budget is grounds for harassment ban, instead of off topic ban and promoting another game.

I laughed for like 10 mins. I may have peed a little, as well.

Steam mods and game hub mods have been known to ban people for advertising games in game hubs that isn't made by the same developer.

Especially for upcoming/recently released games. As most people are intentionally doing so to try getting people to not buy the game and buy something else.

Advertising is against the rules. Can only recommend games in the Off-Topic section in the game recommendations megathread, or any general steam hub (in the right sections) where people are asking for recommendations.

[Heraclius Caesar]

Originally posted by Banelord:

Originally posted by Heraclius Caesar:

Congrats? But this thread is just going to get closed since you're talking about disputing a ban, something you should be doing privately through Steam Support.

This isn’t really a ban dispute, it's more like discussion about toxic developer mods abusing Steam’s platform to silence opinions they don’t like, and judging by the sheer number of legit users affected, it seems to be getting attention.

Right and I totally understand and commiserate as I hate arbitrary moderators just as much as the next cat but OP really needs to change the title if he wants to keep the thread open do you see what I mean?

[rawWwRrr]

Originally posted by Heraclius Caesar:

Originally posted by Banelord:

This isn’t really a ban dispute, it's more like discussion about toxic developer mods abusing Steam’s platform to silence opinions they don’t like, and judging by the sheer number of legit users affected, it seems to be getting attention.

Right and I totally understand and commiserate as I hate arbitrary moderators just as much as the next cat but OP really needs to change the title if he wants to keep the thread open do you see what I mean?

Title change won't improve chances.

Originally posted by Resident Neutral:

"Hi Matt Hansen, Cruelty Squad is on sale this weekend for 5.99$ American. Buy it!"

Apparently recommending a more creative game that barely had a budget is grounds for harassment ban, instead of off topic ban and promoting another game.

It's at least off topic, an attempt to advertise a game. I'm not an Avowed mod but unless there's more to the story that you're not telling, I can already justify moderating it.

[Chompman]

Originally posted by Banelord:

Originally posted by Resident Neutral:

Hi mods/users. This is word for word on my 1 and only comment on the Avowed forum.
I was banned within seconds for "Developer Harassment." This is what I wrote:

"Hi Matt Hansen, Cruelty Squad is on sale this weekend for 5.99$ American. Buy it!"

Apparently recommending a more creative game that barely had a budget is grounds for harassment ban, instead of off topic ban and promoting another game.

I laughed for like 10 mins. I may have peed a little, as well.

Welcome to the club. You’ve just experienced the Obsidian Special™: wrongful ban, zero accountability, and devs lurking under alt accounts to mock you like petty schoolyard bullies.

Here’s what got me banned:

“Woke stuff doesn’t add anything to make the game better, but it can definitely make the game worse if all there is to the game is forced-in DEI stuff.”

Ban reason? "Promoting anti-DEI and anti-woke agenda."

Not harassment. Not hate speech. Just an opinion on game design. Obsidian isn’t moderating; they’re purging dissent. Enjoy the ride.

It's not on you to determine what's hate speech as that falls on the forum moderators of a private forum and they have determined this is the case.

It's now on you to either dispute the ban by posting on the community message or find somewhere else to post that allows you to post such content if that forum does not allow what they believe to be hate speech to be posted there.

[Realigo Actual]

So after looking at the Avowed forum

I see that they're doing the thing.

Why you guys gotta do the thing? Why not find a videogame to play on this videogame platform?

If I boot Avowed, there better be gay sex and focus groups about peoples' feelings of awkwardness in the first 5 minutes for there to be that much thing over there on the Avowed forum.

Keep it appropriate, people. You do not thing all over the Avowed forum unless Avowed was some kind of ridiculous WTFBBQ circus. If it's not, then you are the one out of line.

[Mr. Smiles]

Another day, another round of "i got unfairly banned from this months popular game forum" threads.

[KarmaKrazi]

Originally posted by Caelin:

Steam forums are not the correct place to discuss bans. Contact Support.

Yup reported and moving on. The last one was taken down, this one will be too most likely. Good riddance, they can keep their culture war bs too themselves.

[Chika Ogiue]

Originally posted by Banelord:

This isn’t really a ban dispute

Are you admitting that you didn't bother reading the OP's post? I mean, it's right there. Plain as day, in the largest letters in the entire topic:

Originally posted by Resident Neutral:

Disputing a ban from the Avowed forum

[Lunacy]

It's funny
but you know why

[WolfEisberg]

Originally posted by Lunacy:

It's funny
but you know why

So it looks like there is an underlining meaning in this, something that Matt Hansen and others would know. A hidden developer harassment is still developer harassment.