Valve, please reconsider allowing games with explicit sexual content

[Kerfur]

Hi there everyone, particularly employees and volunteers working for Valve:

This is just a piece of feedback I would like to humbly offer to Valve, regarding their Steam platform. I would definitely like to open this commentary by saying that the Steam platform is amazing, and altogether serves as an excellent example of modern technology and ingenuity. The seamless integration of Store, Game Library, Workshop, Community, Badges, Achievements, Chat, and other functionality is superb, and I try to recommend Steam to my friends and family wherever possible.

There is one small issue that I feel needs bringing up, in the form of some consumer feedback. In the past, various members of the Steam moderator community have suggested that I leave any feedback Imay have in this discussion forum. Today I have decided to take the time to put my thoughts down in text, and post my ideas.

My concern is simply thus: I have noticed that Steam seemingly disallows games to be sold if they contain explicit sexual content. Without intending to be distruptive, I would like to say that this particular stance on sexuality in video gaming is not particularly appropriate or relevant, and I am providing this feedback to express disappointment.

As an adult gamer, I am content that Steam publishes many video games that feature heavy violence and gore. However, I am concerned that overt sexual content in video games is (apparently) not permitted. Consider this short (but by no means comprehensive) list of some violent video games available on Steam:

• Telltale's The Walking Dead (Season 1), which involves the player conducting rough limb amputations, overt cannibalism, and other gory scenes.
  
• Telltale's The Walking Dead (Season 2), which involves the player experiencing visceral dog attacks, suturing their own gaping wounds shut, witnessing the slow torture death of a man named Carver, as well as many other gory scenarios.
  
• Creative Assembly's Total War: ROME II - Blood & Gore DLC, which was specifically designed to allow the player to witness their troops decapitating, dismembering, and impaling their foe, as well as gratuitious blood splatter effects.
  
• Rockstar's Manhunt, which is famous for its varied forms of killing people with a number of different tools and instruments.
  
• Bethesda's Fallout 3 and Obsidian's Fallout: New Vegas permit various forms of decapitation and dismemberment of combatants, which is made especially easy with the VATS system. Futhermore, dead torture victims (and their removed limbs) are regularly found hanging up within raider camps.
  
• Bethesda's Wolfenstein: New Order contains multiple scenes of gruesome Nazi behaviour.
  
• Valve's own Left for Dead 2, which graphically simulates internal organs pouring from zombies' bodies when they are attacked with melee weaponry.
  
• Deep Silver's Dead Island series, which also displays visceral gore on zombies.
  
• Rockstar's GTA series, including GTA V, which is due for PC release in the near future. It contains various gory scenes, including the player (as Trevor) interrogating someone with torture.

I feel that this content is clearly appropriate for the Steam platform, and for video games in general. I strongly support the right of adults to access and consume games with this type of content. Adult consumers rightly deserve access to adult content, and Steam is admirably fulfilling demand for the adult content categories of violence and gore. However, note that violent adult entertainment is available, while sexual adult entertainment is not available. I find this to be very perplexing, and this inequity ought to be worrisome for adult consumers. Personally, I am worried by this inbalance, and I know many others that are too.

Aside from the various points regarding the unbalanced nature of adult content on Steam, I feel that Valve is missing a massive influx of profit by dismissing games containing sexual content. There is, in fact, a niche genre of video games that contain open sexuality, especially within many anime-based visual novels. If Valve were to step forth and permit the publication of video games containing (intact) sexual content on their Steam platform, I believe that the financial results of adapting to fulfill a whole extra market would be noticable.

I have heard arguments that sexual material is inappropriate for minors, as it can easily fall into underaged hands. To these comments, I would like to point out that there is already a massive amount of content on Steam that is (by that definition) 'inappropriate for minors', and it too could fall into their hands. I believe that the age-verification systems currently in use by Steam (based around the user's birthday) would be appropriate to protect children from overt sexual content. After all, the system has already been deemed appropriate to protect children from overt gore and violence. So, while I am not an age-verification expert, I believe it is a fair and unobtrusive 'honesty-based' system. (To those who would complain that children can lie about their birthday, I would probably recommend the application of parental guidance and/or PC parental controls.)

Others have complained that explicit sexuality is inappropriate in general, as it serves to corrupt viewers psychologically, or is 'spiritually harmful' by some means. In defence against these claims, I would like to point out that we, as users of the Steam platform, generally live in free societies where we can make our own choices regarding our lives and wellbeing. Personally, I believe that access to sexual materials is in no way psychologically damaging; it is a valid form of media that expresses a very natural and very human process. Furthermore, I would like to dismiss claims regarding spiritual welfare, as religious beliefs vary wildly and cannot be measured in any empirical sense. I would suggest that the individual's right to freedom of choice overrides any such matters. Should someone not like sexual-based content, they are welcome to peruse any of the other games on Steam, which already number in the thousands.

Much to my sadness, several recent video games published on Steam (including Nekopara Vol. 1 and the Early Access Sunrider Academy) have had sexual content deliberately cut (presumably to meet Steam requests). As such, it is possible to see that paying customers are having content censored from them. Furthermore, at least one game has been removed from Steam Greenlight (that being Seduce Me). This game did not feature bloody combat with weapons, but only featured frontal, hand-painted sex scenes.

I appreciate that the Steam platform belongs to Valve, and that Valve ultimately has the full right to decide what does (and does not) get placed and sold on their store. I do respect this completely. However, my primary point with this feedback post is to bring the issue up with Valve, and kindly request that they reconsider their stance on the matter. If adult violence is okay, then there is no reason to believe that adult sexuality would not be okay too. I only wish to point out the inbalance, and politely ask for Valve's sincere consideration. (If not, then perhaps a general explanation of Valve's policy on sexual content, and how it contrasts with the ideas within general consumer feedback (including this feedback post), would be very thoughtful and helpful.)

I would like to complete my feedback by saying thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read my feedback. If you do agree with these beliefs, I would kindly ask that you please add your support in a reply below. Each single reply of support would help to bring this issue to the forefront of Valve's attention.

Thank you, and take care everyone.

TL;DR: There's lots of adult content on Steam, mainly gore and violence. That's great! I would like to see Steam allow other forms of adult content too, specifically sexual content, please.

Please note: I'm not trying to agitate anyone within the community. I honestly just want to give my feedback to Valve.

[Black Blade]

Well i think i understand what you mean and over all
How ever i like to point out a few thing, there are a few games on Steam i do belive that have some sexul content in them

And to the point of violence i like to point Hatred, Valve show they do put a line on that somewhere as well
They allow i think some sexul content but will depend on how much there is to were there line is..

But that is only my guess on these

[Laptop]

I would support this if there was a way to actually restrict even the viewing of the store pages to people who are only 18+ (and putting in a fake D.O.B. every time doesn't count.) Sadly, there isn't really.

[Peck]

Im not constructive, but;
FarCry 3, MassEffect

I think those games aren't meant for kids.

[supertrooper225]

I think there are games that have sexual content in them already that are nearly as explicit as some of the R-rated movies. The Witcher 2 definitely had some sexually explicit scenes and full frontal nudity. Explicit sexual scenes in games are becoming more and more common. They will eventually match R rated films. I don't see any games that Steam hasn't allowed due to sexually explicit content other than AO rated games that are basically porn. I don't see Steam allowing those since nearly no other retailer allows them either.

[Laptop]

Originally posted by Tulisotilas:

Im not constructive, but;
FarCry 3, MassEffect

I think those games aren't meant for kids.

Well yeah there's those but they don't actually SHOW what's going on, you just sort of see it happening.

GTA V on the other hand (and first person...) is going to be interesting... I'm really indifferent to it, but under 18s really shouldn't be playing this sort of thing. Either way, it's up to the parents, and a lot of parents these days (not all) are happy or oblivous to what their kids do on the net or what exactly is in that 18+ game they buy for their kids.

[Adoru]

"Coming Out On Top - A Gay Dating Sim Video Game" wasn't allowed. "Everlasting Summer" was heavily censored. I'm sure, there's more.
I see no reason in restrictions at all, since everyone I know had access to any kind of images they wanted in their childhood anyway.
OK, let us believe this kind of content is dangerous for children, but still, Steam is not for kids only, there are a lot of violent games, so it's better to stop this hypocrisy.

[ACSlater2001]

Originally posted by Laptop65:

Originally posted by Tulisotilas:

Im not constructive, but;
FarCry 3, MassEffect

I think those games aren't meant for kids.

Well yeah there's those but they don't actually SHOW what's going on, you just sort of see it happening.

GTA V on the other hand (and first person...) is going to be interesting... I'm really indifferent to it, but under 18s really shouldn't be playing this sort of thing. Either way, it's up to the parents, and a lot of parents these days (not all) are happy or oblivous to what their kids do on the net or what exactly is in that 18+ game they buy for their kids.

Soooo, your complaint is that they aren't allowing games that "show" the details of sexual "activity"? I guess I just don't understand why. Why would you want games to show that level of detail? I'm genuinely asking. Is it because you are opposed to general forms of decency laws? Are you concerned that religious views on morality have seeped too far into society? Are you opposed generally to all forms of censorship? Are you just plain curious about how all of that stuff works? I'm genuinely curious as to why you would be requesting this.

[Laptop]

Originally posted by Agent_ACSlater2001:

Soooo, your complaint is that they aren't allowing games that "show" the details of sexual "activity"? I guess I just don't understand why. Why would you want games to show that level of detail? I'm genuinely asking. Is it because you are opposed to general forms of decency laws? Are you concerned that religious views on morality have seeped too far into society? Are you opposed generally to all forms of censorship? Are you just plain curious about how all of that stuff works? I'm genuinely curious as to why you would be requesting this.

No... I wasn't complaining that they weren't allowing it... I was complaining about a lot of parents today are happy to buy a game for their kids without even looking at what exactly is in it or let them roam free on an unrestricted Internet connection. Sure there's little that you can 'do' about it, but still, it's pretty sad.

As for Valve allowing sexually explicit games - GTA V has first-person view now, so you can rent a woman in GTA V and "do the do" in first person now, I wonder how many kids have seen + played this already. As for Valve allowing sexually explicit games in general... I really don't know as there's very little restrictions. At the end of the day it is down to the parents.

[HLCinSC]

They just need an outside company that can do real age verification. It may be costly, but it could be passed onto customers as a fee to access Adult Only games which would be in their own section where not even the store page can be viewed prior to actual age verification.

[Azza ☠]

Go to a pron site instead, this is gaming...

[ACSlater2001]

Originally posted by Laptop65:

No... I wasn't complaining that they weren't allowing it... I was complaining about a lot of parents today are happy to buy a game for their kids without even looking at what exactly is in it or let them roam free on an unrestricted Internet connection. Sure there's little that you can 'do' about it, but still, it's pretty sad.

As for Valve allowing sexually explicit games - GTA V has first-person view now, so you can rent a woman in GTA V and "do the do" in first person now, I wonder how many kids have seen + played this already. As for Valve allowing sexually explicit games in general... I really don't know as there's very little restrictions. At the end of the day it is down to the parents.

Hmmm, ok. I was basing my questioning off of your line, "Well yeah there's those but they don't actually SHOW what's going on, you just sort of see it happening.". I was basing my comments off of your quote in combination with the OP's request. I guess I...misunderstood...the point of why you said that then.

[Laptop]

Originally posted by Agent_ACSlater2001:

Hmmm, ok. I was basing my questioning off of your line, "Well yeah there's those but they don't actually SHOW what's going on, you just sort of see it happening.". I was basing my comments off of your quote in combination with the OP's request. I guess I...misunderstood...the point of why you said that then.

I mean you don't actually SEE it in those games, GTA V you will see 100% of it in first person.

[supertrooper225]

Originally posted by Laptop65:

Originally posted by Agent_ACSlater2001:

Hmmm, ok. I was basing my questioning off of your line, "Well yeah there's those but they don't actually SHOW what's going on, you just sort of see it happening.". I was basing my comments off of your quote in combination with the OP's request. I guess I...misunderstood...the point of why you said that then.

I mean you don't actually SEE it in those games, GTA V you will see 100% of it in first person.

Not really. I doubt you will see everything. Your view will be locked or something so you can't fully see what is going on and the women will still be fully clothed. If they show everything it would be rated AO. If it was rated AO it wouldn't be on Steam. And I know it isn't rated AO because the console versions already have the first person mode and the game retains its M rating.

[AzE]

This is Valve, not P*rnhub. Steam meant for Games, and not Porn games (If that's what you mean).
Games can have sex scene, but not too much like that online 3D virtual ♥♥♥♥ game that explicitly showing Vag everywhere. you can't really call them games though. they are porn.

but if you mean R rated scenes like normal people doing normal sex, well it's already there.

[BloodShed]

Originally posted by Black Blade:

And to the point of violence i like to point Hatred, Valve show they do put a line on that somewhere as well

Did you forget the part where Valve (Gabe N. to be precise) added it back on greenlight?

And it got greenlit.


I find it weird that non you have mentioned Mafia 2
People care to not care.