170°

Valve’s ‘Anything Goes’ Policy is Terrible

Alex S. from Link-Cable writes: "Right before E3 kicked into high gear Valve announced a new policy where they would no longer block content on the Steam store as long as it wasn’t “things that we decide are illegal, or straight up trolling.” This policy was in direct response to the company’s inconsistent track-record with attempting to police the storefront from content that was deemed in bad taste, was pornographic or just simply of extremely low quality. While some will view this policy as a victory for those who want a simple platform to publish their games to and for those titles to be as accessible as possible to everyone I do feel like Valve has a responsibility to protect its users and that this new policy goes directly against that."

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link-cable.com
AKS2134d ago

" I do feel like Valve has a responsibility to protect its users and that this new policy goes directly against that."

No, I have the responsibility to protect myself. There are user ratings for assessing quality. I don't need Steam or you to protect me or tell me what I should buy. I have zero interest in the weird, kinky stuff anyway, but I have even less interest in anyone else deciding to restrict what I can buy to "protect" me from making my own choices for myself.

"On top of that I 100% agree that the consumer has a right to decide what is, and isn’t appropriate for them..."

You can't pretend to have conflicting views. You're against "anything goes" and think Steam needs to "protect its users." That is not compatible with letting the consumer decide.

morganfell2134d ago

Of course the writer's idea of moral police force on Steam would only work if those people enforced his vision of morality. And you are dead on the money. Too many people exist, even in gaming, that expect someone else to wipe their backsides so they can shed any sense of self responsibility. If you are at that low level of maturity, you do not need to be purchasing titles on Steam. Let your parents select one for you before they tuck you in and turn on your night light.

ExPresident2133d ago

At AKS...

That was refreshing post. Thanks for that.

Teflon022133d ago

Common sense is rare on the internet. Be careful with such power

Princess_Pilfer2132d ago

YEAH! It's not like tons of good games are buried in Steams overwhelming flood of garbage and it's not like the ratings system is heavily biased in favor of positive reviews because Steam has a vested interest in selling games regardless of quality and people who buy something are already invested in it and so more likely to rate it highly regardless of actual quality, and it's not like *every other store on the entire planet* has some form of curation so they can maintain the stores reputation as a place to go for high quality goods.

Oh wait.

Gh05t2132d ago

Please post a link to 2000+ good games on steam that people cant find. Oh wait your exaggerating to prove a point arent you... Okay please post a link to just 100 games that are good but have less than 50,000 people who bought it. Oh wait you are just making stuff up arent you... Okay please post 10 games that are good but you honestly believe no one has ever heard of it. ...Oh wait good is subjective isnt it. Please stop pretending like good games arent visible on steam.

Casuals only go to steam to buy the known games they heard about, Non-casuals know how to find the games they like anyways. Even if they didnt then maybe start learning to use the filters, curators, and other options given by steam to make informed buying decisions.

*every other store on the entire planet*

Steam is not like every store on the planet. Steam does not own what they sell, Steam is essentially a consignment store with virtually unlimited space. Also if virtually every other store does this then how about you take your business to virtually every other store. Then you dont have to worry about it, and the rest of us can try to find some needles in the haystacks..

Princess_Pilfer2131d ago

Yeah. I'm making things up. It's not like indie devs are fleeing to the switch from the Sony and Steam stores because their games aren't buried under a flood of garbage on those platforms but get visibility and sales on the switch.

https://www.gamecrate.com/i...
https://www.gameinformer.co...

Oh wait, I'm not making stuff up, and Steam and it's flood of asset flip garbage are so bad for indie games that they sell multimple times their lifetime Steam sales in a single week by moving off Steam.

Oh don't come at me with that "good is subjective" garbage. Some people think actual litteral shit tastes good. In actual reality there are going to be mixed opinions, but it is 100% possible to look at a games objective quality and not allow things that can't meet that standard on the store. I'm sure some people have a fucking blast with Skate Man Intense Rescue and/or Temper Tantrum, but there are hundreds of similar quality games released on Steam per day, and that's an absolute flood of low quality garbage by almost everyones standards that are dragging the interesting games (say, blossom tales) down with them.

Also, fuck off with that. I'm not a "core" gamer because I don't have magical powers of discernment to auto-sort out the 300+ garbage games per day to find the like 3 ones that are of actual quality? The curation tools are *woefully* under developed and the curators themselves are unknown quantities for the most part. Filters filter by genre, not quality. Ect. I *can* find out if I might enjoy a game. I *cannot* filter though 300 releases over a 2 day period to figure out which of the games are high enough quality to even be worth looking at, and then do detailed research on those specifically to see if they fit my tastes. And neither can anybody else.

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bluefox7552133d ago (Edited 2133d ago )

No, be an adult, decide what you want for yourself. If you have kids, then try some actual parenting. No need to curate for quality, because they already have a ratings system, so let's not pretend this has anything to do with quality. Boggles my mind when people call for censorship.

xRacer74x2132d ago

Actual Parenting. Not sure that exists in todays world.

yarbie10002133d ago

The Thought Police's "Anything goes so long as we agree with it" is TERRIBLE

annoyedgamer2133d ago

Went on reddit yesterday on a thread about article 13 and got PTSD by the massive support of speech police I saw on there. They justified their position by saying free speech is Nazi propaganda.

starchild2133d ago (Edited 2133d ago )

Yeah, it turns out such people aren't really in favor of freedom and tolerance as they claim to be. Instead they are really only tolerant of people who think like they do. And the only freedom they want for others is the freedom to act as they think you should act.

I think people should be free to live their lives as the choose so long as they aren't directly infringing on that same right in another person.

We don't need Steam to be policed and censored. No one's rights are being infringed upon. We can choose for ourselves what is worthwhile and what is not. Why should Steam arbitrarily decide for everyone--developers and gamers alike--what is worthwhile?

Cobra9512133d ago

No doubt. If the trash doesn't get taken out, it festers and ruins your house. Trash can't help being what it is. I don't blame it. I don't judge it harshly, or feel guilty about discriminating against it. I just take it out.

bluefox7552133d ago (Edited 2133d ago )

The problem is, who gets to define what "trash" is? Many people would say that a game with "offensive" subject matter would fall under that umbrella, or female characters who don't happen to dress like nuns. Trash is an incredibly subjective word. So much so that there's a popular expression referencing this very point, "one man's trash...", etc.

jmc88882133d ago (Edited 2133d ago )

Yep, and next thing you know, what he values will be seen as trash, and taken out. But by then it is too late to change anything. The structure of tyranny is set up and fully functioning. In society around the world, we're already close to this.

These people don't know what they are speaking of, they are only speaking of feelings... their feelings, and forgetting everyone else's. That in of itself is the worst type of person to police anything.

They don't even realize they are being manipulated. Conditioned to believe they are right and everyone else is wrong, and this tyranny will save righteousness.

You can see this person has no problem 'discriminating against it'. They feel two wrongs does equal a right. As long as the wrong is what they and other people deem it wrong. Mob mentality.

Some people are just oblivious to reality and delusional. The world is full of this right now. So delusional they think they are in the right. It's quite sad. It's also quite dangerous. We live in dangerous times.

agent45322132d ago

Shouldn't there be at least some regulation to protect indie game developers from copycats. Bring back steamgreenlight.

Barneyco2132d ago

@jmc888 I couldn't have said it any better!

SegaGamer2132d ago

I don't think people understand what you mean by your comment Cobra. I wonder if the people replying to you even use Steam all that much, if they did, they would probably understand where you are coming from.

We aren't saying we want things censored or anything like that, we just want the absolute crap that Steam is full of to no longer be accepted. By crap, i literally mean crap, there are games being accepted where you play as an ass that s**** bullets. There are games on Steam all about s***, there are tons of games on Steam that are broken and never fixed, there are games that aren't even games, you just load up the "game" to pop thousands of achievements or leave idle to gain cards. This is the kind of crap that we don't think should be accepted on Steam.

This does harm to Steam's reputation, a lot of people are seeing Steam as a platform to dump their badly made "games" on because they can make a quick cash. It also harms people that are looking to make an actual good game. They miss out on sales because their game gets lost amongst the crap.

It's not just effecting the number of quality games compared to the bad ones getting released on Steam, its effecting the weekly / special sales too. I have noticed that more of these awful games are filling up the sales space. More crap games are going on sale over genuinely good ones. Steam sales happen every Monday, if people want so see how much of these junk games go on sale compared to actual well made games that people passionately worked hard on, go check it out.

Would people like to see this on Microsoft, Sony or Nintendo consoles? Hell no, they want some quality control and i'm happy to see that it exists on those platforms. A lot of these pieces of crap that are getting released on Steam are worse than those games you can play for free on your browser.

whothedog2132d ago

Is it really that hard to scroll past bad games? My front page does a pretty good job of showing me potentially good games, what are you doing?

Rachel_Alucard2132d ago

What quality control are you talking about on consoles? Sony and Microsoft's platform is already filled with trash, just none of it is advertised on the front page. Just look at this quality control https://youtu.be/uM523jjrvf... or this https://youtu.be/U3vr4El4cm...

While you're at Microsoft's store and Xbox next time, check out all the low effort mobile ports and indie shovelware there too. None of it is in your face, and neither is steams. I think many are over-exaggerating just how much exposure brings sales. Games with a low amount of effort put into them are just as capable of getting popular as hyped games, like Getting over it, and the many VNs.

Steam has been like this for years and the people crying for quality control are arguing against the idea of an open platform, from which the ideals of being a PC was founded upon. The stance Steam takes to this is one that requires users to do the work themselves, instead of letting others do it for them. Which is how it should be on the daily, it's just people are so conditioned to the store doing everything for them, that this opposite position is difficult for them to accept so they'll fight tooth and nail to keep things the same.

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260°

Microsoft’s Surface and Xbox hardware revenues take a big hit in Q3

Microsoft just posted the third quarter of its 2024 fiscal financial results. The software maker made $61.9 billion in revenue and a net income of $21.9 billion during Q3. Revenue is up 17 percent, and net income has increased by 20 percent.

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theverge.com
darthv7222h ago

Xbox content + services up 62% while hardware down 31%... seems about right with the way they tout you don't need the hardware to play. People can play on their phones or smart tv or other means. I don't hardly play on my consoles directly since getting devices like the logitech g-cloud and ps portal. Which is to also say I have been playing more digital than physical because of these devices.

solideagle9h ago

you should apply in MS PR team buddy, I think you will do a great job in my humble opinion :)

Sonic18817h ago

I thought darthv72 and Obscure_Observer already work for Microsoft 🤔

dveio6h ago

MS: "Xbox services and content without AB up 1%, with AB up 62%. Hardware down 31%. In total a loss of 350 mill."

darthv72: "Seems about right."

MS: "Excuse m ..."

darthv72: "I don't hardly play on my consoles directly."

MS:

Lightning772h ago

What he said was facts. How he plays games is no concern of you. Don't get too mad about it.

Cacabunga9h ago

I can tell people like you are an absolute minority..

If service is up means their fans and fanboys accepted this model and subscribed to it. The near future you will see a big decline because the service is saturated.

shinoff21838h ago

But that's been ms for years. When things aren't going their way they try to change the way things are said. For instance console sales are down, they stop telling how many sold instead telling us how many hours spent in halo or headshots. So it makes sense console sales down just say people are playing on more devices then previous. What they won't say is how many xbox players jumped ship to ps5.

Cacabunga7h ago

Hardware sales are so bad that Sony and Nintendo are blowing the sales off the water with their hardware.

If Xbox are losers, others aren’t..
Xbox already tried everything with Xbox live then subscriptions went down so much that they had to find something else. Their fans subscribed then reached saturation rather quickly.

Hardware and exclusive games is where it’s at! Keep gamers excited, announce decent software and people will support you

itsmebryan3h ago

@shin
Well keep it simple Sony 's operating income is down 26% and Microsoft's is up 32%. No MS spin there, just facts. 😉
Cheers

romulus232h ago

Odd that a company that touts you dont need the hardware to play is already touting another console in the works.

darthv722h ago

They are not reliant on the HW but still want to maintain a presence (no matter how small) is a good thing. It shows commitment to the craft. It reminds me of SNK and how they made games for their own hardware (Neo Geo) while also making them for others because they knew there was a market to do so. They knew they would sell more to others but also sell to their own niche fan base.

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purple10112h ago

Xbox hardware revenue tanks to lowest point of Xbox Series generation

Profchaos11h ago

I'm not surprised surface is struggling they aren't relevant anymore

DOMination-1h ago

In the last two years they've started exiting the consumer market altogether. All of the newest Surface products are business models only. They can't seem to work out what they want to do with it.

XBManiac10h ago

Too expensive hardware when others offer the same or more for less? Good work, Green Team.

SimpleDad10h ago(Edited 10h ago)

"Despite some early successes for Xbox games on rival platforms, Xbox hardware is down by a massive 31 percent this quarter."
"Without Activision Blizzard, Microsoft’s overall gaming revenue would have actually declined this quarter."
"Xbox content and services would have only been up a single percent without Activision Blizzard..."
"It looks like next quarter is going to be a similar story for gaming at Microsoft, too."

That is crazy... so A/B/K is carrying the whole Xbox gaming.
Oh and Microsoft will be fine. Windows, Office and Cloud are growing with each pc purchase.

purple10110h ago

Activision: "we gonna need a bigger rucksack/backpack please"

Microsoft: "why's that"

Activision: "to carry yo' weak ass'

Profchaos9h ago(Edited 9h ago)

Top brass have also wanted to start seeing returns on the 100 billion they have put into various Xbox related moves so seeing more multiplatform games is highly likely especially from abk

It's basically saying that PlayStation is the reason Xbox is afloat right now thinks to Ps5 versions of COD

Kornholic8h ago

So basically PS and PC gamers' money is keeping Xbox on life support.

MrDead1h ago

The only growth MS will get out of the console industry is if it supports it's rivals platforms. Xbox is a pointless machine now. I can see them on a big push for live next, and they won't give up on trying to buy Steam.

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80°

Razer Kishi Ultra Review - Remote Play and Mobile Gaming Goes XL

PSLS writes: I have traveled across the country using the Razer Kishi Ultra in airports and hotels for both PlayStation Remote Play and mobile gaming in general, and I am thoroughly impressed.

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playstationlifestyle.net
150°

Sony Patents To Prevent You From In-Game Harassment By Reading Your Emotions

A new patent recently published by Sony wants to gather biometric data of gamers to track whether one is being harassed using AI tools.

Profchaos1d 12h ago (Edited 1d 11h ago )

I hope this is one of those patents that never comes to fruition.

I already dislike the fact you can pay a significant amount for a online service buy associated games and content on said service and get banned from that service over potentially a misunderstanding the bans are already handed out for flimsy reasons

I'd rather see money invested in a ban that simply removes the offensive players ability to communicate with unknown players allow them to continue party chats with friends but not with Joe blow on cod.

exputers1d 8h ago

Agreed. Blizzard recently banned a college Overwatch 2 player who's dependent for saying "shit." Pretty harsh.

Profchaos17h ago(Edited 17h ago)

How rediculas really. You can't say a word that's allowed in most PG films and prime time TV but the game is based around killing the enemy team using guns, explosives etc.

It's just backwards.

just_looken19h ago

What your talking about is called block list

In 2006 a spaceship dropped of the playstation 3/xbox 360 i say that that generation was the last great gen with game functions/tech that has yet to comeback

Anyhow the playstation 3 if you block listed a id they could not talk to you in chatroom with either text or voice. But that was pre mind fucked 2018 when people were more human than sheep.

But hey gta 6 is coming out billion dollar budget without a single player custom character creator and without singeplayer coop off/online something saints row 1-3 had on the xbox 360.

z2g1d 4h ago

Take my social security and bank account numbers too! Here’s a picture of my wife and our address.

phoenixwing1d 4h ago

Cmon where's the pictures of your children. Don't hold out on them.

H91d 4h ago

At this rate I feel Sony will eventually sell a room to play games in it where they can monitor your every breath

jambola1d ago

I genuinely get a bit worried sometimes when a friend says something that could be offensive In a party
Because I have no trouble believing some bans would happen when in a private party for saying something wrong

SegaSaturn6691d 3h ago

I want them to censor erotic content by measuring my groin temperature so i dont get too distracted while playing black ops 2.

Popsicle1d 3h ago

Terrible idea. Not only do I not consent to providing my biometric data, the potential for mishandling biometric data is almost a certainty. Positive stress and negative stress can produce similar changes in biometrics. Interpreting the precise emotion a person is feeling is not only invasive but could be easily misconstrued. I hope this never comes to fruition.

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