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Why gamers complain about their games being taken away |OT| Censorship Controversy Central



1st half: Sony's censorship policy
  • Appabend starts off with DoAX3: Scarlet getting censored on the PS4.
  • He talks about Morita's (Sony Japan) "think about the children" excuse as justification for Sony's censorship policy.
  • He briefly brings up the maker of the Change.org petition to talk with Sony UK.
  • He criticizes people from r/Playstation for labeling the fanservicey games as "freaky, rapey, weaboo garbage".
2nd half: Censorship of VN's on Steam
  • Appabend talks about how The Key to Home got blocked on Steam twice allegedly by a rogue employee even though the game is rated Teen by the ESRB.
  • He points out at the double standards and inconsistency by citing other VN's that have sexual content and lolis.
  • Cross Love got banned from Steam for "child exploitation" even though the characters are high schoolers.
  • Appabend posits that Valve is fine with games such as Senran Kagura and Nekopara, but does not like eroge/hentai VN's.
 

Enygger_Tzu

Banned
This might be a bit relevant to the discussion: https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/in...zT0evXb6zAPouSObJSgZDZayfuXJc0KDuF1tHYbrhCpmc

Senran Kagura series producer Kenichirō Takaki was featured in an interview with pop culture website Akiba-Souken on Saturday. He shared his thoughts on the sexual depictions in the currently airing Senran Kagura Shinovi Master TV anime series, which he has been writing scripts for.

Takaki said that across all the Senran Kagura media, the teams have "stopped putting in sexual content with no narrative reason." Whenever something sexual happens in Senran Kagura, there needs to be a narrative explanation for it. Characters should no longer just strip or look up each other's skirts "for some vague reason."

Takaki further stated that he wants the stories to properly convey character growth and have serious elements that co-exist with humorous elements. The anime has a heavy focus on action for this reason. However, he also admitted that sometimes the logic behind the fanservice scenes can't be fully explained and viewers should take it in stride.

Takaki also mentioned that, because of increasing international scrutiny due to the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, it has been getting harder to push the envelope with sexual content in both the games and anime. Games website Siliconera translated a small excerpt of the interview as follows: "Lately, regulations regarding sexual depictions have become more strict around the world, and for this reason, we need to make sure there isn't any misunderstandings in what we make. There are some parts that are difficult to work with, likely more so than we've ever experienced."

Takaki does not appear to think that sexual content is doomed, however. "There are people that want to see [sexual content], and there are people like us who want to make such games, so I'd like to think of a way for us to slip our way through.”

Crunchyroll is streaming both the censored and uncensored versions of Senran Kagura Shinovi Master. (The uncensored version is not available for free members.) The English release of the Senran Kagura Burst Re:Newal game was recently delayed to remove the "intimacy mode" from the PS4 version. The Steam version will still include the mode.

First time I hear about the scrunity from Olympic Games in Tokyo. Is it legit, does it have any merit? Or is Takaki's excuse for cucking to appease to Sony?
Because, I am pessimistic that intimacy mode and such modes will be further attacked and reduced and still be demonized even after the games are over.
 
First time I hear about the scrunity from Olympic Games in Tokyo. Is it legit, does it have any merit? Or is Takaki's excuse for cucking to appease to Sony?
This has been a problem for the past 10 years. Ishihara claimed that they failed the vote for Tokyo 2016 Olympics because of the non-existant porn laws around 2008/2009 (the article expired, but the headline is enough of a source).

Skip forward a year and Ishihara was fighting vigorously for new legislations which meant that lewd mags/porn get an R-18 rating and hence could only be sold behind closed doors to adults, before it was no problem for minors to buy this stuff. Back then lots of Publishers tried to fight this, because they feared to lose out on a lot of money if only adults can buy their stuff.

Skip forward another 2 years and Japan has finally banned possession of child porn, but Manga and Anime Lolis are still okay. 2 years ago the UN was urging Japan to ban sexual violence against woman and lolis in Manga/Anime, but the japanese don't share their views as Kumiko Yamada (from the Womans Institute of Contemporary Media Culture) defended their culture with saying that this shit is not real. She said:
“The so-called sexual violence in manga and video games is a made-up thing and as such does not threaten the rights of actual people; therefore, it is meaningless in protecting the rights of women.”
“In Japan, and especially when it comes to manga, these are creative fields that women themselves cultivated and worked hard by their own hand to create careers for themselves. If we were to "ban the sale of manga that includes sexual violence," it would do the opposite and instead create a new avenue of sexism toward women.”
I think what he says is believable, seeing as there seems to be a lot of stuff going on behind the curtains. There is prolly lots of pressure on everyone who produces lewd content in japan.
 
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Enygger_Tzu

Banned
Thanks for the relevant info Endless Fluff Endless Fluff I see that Japan's laws become stricter and stricter based on the kind of lewd material one should sell.

Some, are more than completely understandable from my point of view (possession and distribution of CP), but some, like the the UN regulation are down-right censorship but that is to be expected from a down-right globalist and satanic organization.

I hope and pray Japan stands firm.
 

CatCouch

Member
I'm quite worried we're about to see serious censorship in the next few years. This whole year has been really hard on me as an artist and I suspect next year will be worse. It's so depressing to see so many people actually want censorship. It must be a side effect of social media where everyone gets a voice so we hear everyone's opinion and more than enough people are fine with censorship these days, especially if they don't personally care about the content being censored.

I'm really saddened to see how many people in the discussion on that Anime News Network article are for censorship. I can see there is a split between people who like sexual humor and those who view it as sexual harassment. Why does that only happen with sexual content and nothing else. now? I don't see people arguing about the lack of consent or context for violence.

It feels like it's the 90's again, like we're walking backwards and throwing out rating boards put in place for this reason. Why is it so wrong to enjoy sexual humor and fan service?

It makes me wonder, if we had social media like we do now in the early 90's would people have defended censoring violent games? Would we have lost them? I bet Mortal Kombat wouldn't be around today.
 
It makes me wonder, if we had social media like we do now in the early 90's would people have defended censoring violent games? Would we have lost them? I bet Mortal Kombat wouldn't be around today.
Well, there were lawsuits and concern-groups and Jack Thompson buzzing around in the 90s. Companies like Nintendo were already self-censoring crosses out of fear that religious groups would be offended (oh, what a simpler, more naive time...)

I would imagine that the "public outcry" (i.e. the very loud, very small minority leveraging social media to seem louder than they are) may have pushed things over the edge and resulted in a lot more censorship.
 

Dr. Claus

Banned
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I'm quite worried we're about to see serious censorship in the next few years. This whole year has been really hard on me as an artist and I suspect next year will be worse. It's so depressing to see so many people actually want censorship. It must be a side effect of social media where everyone gets a voice so we hear everyone's opinion and more than enough people are fine with censorship these days, especially if they don't personally care about the content being censored.

I'm really saddened to see how many people in the discussion on that Anime News Network article are for censorship. I can see there is a split between people who like sexual humor and those who view it as sexual harassment. Why does that only happen with sexual content and nothing else. now? I don't see people arguing about the lack of consent or context for violence.

It feels like it's the 90's again, like we're walking backwards and throwing out rating boards put in place for this reason. Why is it so wrong to enjoy sexual humor and fan service?

It makes me wonder, if we had social media like we do now in the early 90's would people have defended censoring violent games? Would we have lost them? I bet Mortal Kombat wouldn't be around today.

The ANN is a really miserable place to go for conversation. They are very much like the Polygon/Kotaku's of the anime world. I really wouldn't suggest you pay much attention to any of those folks. Sadly this was bound to happen. The parents did it during the 80s, the right/evangelical types did it during the 90s and early 2000s, now it is the left's turn to try to fuck up all the shit (and not in the fun way).
 

CatCouch

Member
1a92d77d7b3f24ac1fff5333025a037ab2f7c32a875600291f4fcc68117e125e.jpg




The ANN is a really miserable place to go for conversation. They are very much like the Polygon/Kotaku's of the anime world. I really wouldn't suggest you pay much attention to any of those folks. Sadly this was bound to happen. The parents did it during the 80s, the right/evangelical types did it during the 90s and early 2000s, now it is the left's turn to try to fuck up all the shit (and not in the fun way).
Is there any site that is good for discussion? From what I can tell, almost all discussions will have someone who equates these games and anime to sexual assault or pedophilia. It seems that whoever makes the most extreme claim gets all the attention and support. It goes both ways, I constantly see people make extreme claims about "SJW's" and feminists which get tons of upvotes.

This seems to be a flaw in the way we discuss and debate. It's all so facetious. I'm disappointed there is no way to get better coverage of censorship issues. So much of the media has become petty these days, actually.
 

Dr. Claus

Banned
Is there any site that is good for discussion? From what I can tell, almost all discussions will have someone who equates these games and anime to sexual assault or pedophilia. It seems that whoever makes the most extreme claim gets all the attention and support. It goes both ways, I constantly see people make extreme claims about "SJW's" and feminists which get tons of upvotes.

This seems to be a flaw in the way we discuss and debate. It's all so facetious. I'm disappointed there is no way to get better coverage of censorship issues. So much of the media has become petty these days, actually.

Honestly, it just depends on the people you talk to. I would say NeoGaf would be the best place to converse about it openly without one side being the overpowering factor. There are also a lot of random discords and chat rooms for anime/manga/general otaku that converse about this stuff. Then there are groups like 4chan and 5channel.
 
Is there any site that is good for discussion? From what I can tell, almost all discussions will have someone who equates these games and anime to sexual assault or pedophilia. It seems that whoever makes the most extreme claim gets all the attention and support. It goes both ways, I constantly see people make extreme claims about "SJW's" and feminists which get tons of upvotes.

This seems to be a flaw in the way we discuss and debate. It's all so facetious. I'm disappointed there is no way to get better coverage of censorship issues. So much of the media has become petty these days, actually.
This thread seems like an equal-parts repository of the stories and coverage you're asking for as well as the debate and discussion you're hoping for.

As others have mentioned, there are other places that discuss it but ymmv.
 

CatCouch

Member
Honestly, it just depends on the people you talk to. I would say NeoGaf would be the best place to converse about it openly without one side being the overpowering factor. There are also a lot of random discords and chat rooms for anime/manga/general otaku that converse about this stuff. Then there are groups like 4chan and 5channel.
I find Gaf to pretty pretty solid but it's likely due to its low user base right now. I don't really want to fall into a echo-chamber, though, which is a real possibility.

I'd like to find places that can debate how to rectify this issue. A discussion about Japanese games and anime going for a more mature look in their art like we had in the 90's would be nice. Anyway you go about it, something is going to change I believe games with young looking characters are going to be considered a legal issue so I'd like to find places that can debate these issues without all the sex-negative people who argue no sexual humor should exist. Way too many people don't undertand sexual humor, it seems.

The longer this all drags on the worse it gets for everyone. I'm sick of having to look up the ages of every character someone requests I draw fan art of just to make sure I won't get banned or harassed, you know? The amount of scrutiny on sexy art is taking a toll on me.
 
Anime News Network and its forums have been, for the lack of a better term, a socially progressive haven for quite some time. From an editorial and user standpoint, ANN is the type of place that openly loves lesbian content and homoerotic stories aimed at women, but has grown quick to criticize male-focused exploitative displays in anything beyond hardcore erotica. What I find disappointing is, much like the fandom around video games, Western anime and manga consumers increasingly fail to rally around the the problems faced by their fellow enthusiasts; the developed attitude is, unfortunately, if the situation occurring with the thing you like doesn't affect me and my pet interest, then why should I care?
 
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For what it's worth, Anime News Network tried their hardest to avoid covering Sony's recent censorship spree and only did so a few weeks later.

In related news, yet another mysterious delay for a Japan-only visual novel, this time citing "production circumstances" but the pre-release images are clearly already changed from their original versions, which would mean that still wasn't enough, and that the rumors that Sony is restricting developers from citing their censorship policy might be true after all.

Haruoto Alice Gram: Snow Drop for PS4 and PS Vita delayed to March 28, 2019 in Japan

Entergram has delayed the PlayStation 4 and PS Vita versions of romance visual novel Haruoto Alice Gram: Snow Drop from its previously planned January 24, 2019 release date in Japan to March 28, 2019 due to “production circumstances.”

It's worth noting this policy already affected higher profile games such as Persona 5, and very likely, Catherine's remaster. It doesn't just cover lewd visuals, but even text. In Persona 5's case in particular, considering some of the deleted lines made it to the anime, it might be worth it comparing the rumored upcoming Switch version with the PS3 original to see if there are more deleted scenes than those from Makoto's arc.
 
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CatCouch

Member
For what it's worth, Anime News Network tried their hardest to avoid covering Sony's recent censorship spree and only did so a few weeks later.

In related news, yet another mysterious delay for a Japan-only visual novel, this time citing "production circumstances" but the pre-release images are clearly already changed from their original versions, which would mean that still wasn't enough, and that the rumors that Sony is restricting developers from citing their censorship policy might be true after all.

Haruoto Alice Gram: Snow Drop for PS4 and PS Vita delayed to March 28, 2019 in Japan



It's worth noting this policy already affected higher profile games such as Persona 5, and very likely, Catherine's remaster. It doesn't just cover lewd visuals, but even text. In Persona 5's case in particular, considering some of the deleted lines made it to the anime, it might be worth it comparing the rumored upcoming Switch version with the PS3 original to see if there are more deleted scenes than those from Makoto's arc.
I'm back to being completely lost here. Looking at some of the changes in the comment section it looks like Sony is blocking lingerie. If a clearly adult woman can't show her bra in a game that is some insane censorship. And it appears it wasn't enough since it's delayed. Catherine has more suggestive lingerie images than that.

I keep mulling over whether to buy the few PS4 exclusives I'm interested in that are not censored (like Earth Defense Force 5) but I just don't know if I want to play on a platform that censors to this level. If Catherine is censored then that is the final nail in the "underage argument" coffin. This really looks like censorship targeted at anime style art. Why?

The opaque nature of these changes is definitely worrying. Not being upfront about it makes it seem nefarious.
 

petran79

Banned
Anime News Network and its forums have been, for the lack of a better term, a socially progressive haven for quite some time. From an editorial and user standpoint, ANN is the type of place that openly loves lesbian content and homoerotic stories aimed at women, but has grown quick to criticize male-focused exploitative displays in anything beyond hardcore erotica. What I find disappointing is, much like the fandom around video games, Western anime and manga consumers increasingly fail to rally around the the problems faced by their fellow enthusiasts; the developed attitude is, unfortunately, if the situation occurring with the thing you like doesn't affect me and my pet interest, then why should I care?

I will explain it as cautiously as I can to avoid any misunderstandings, since that trend is more or less a part of this:

It is a trend for socially progressive governments and administrations to appease the oppressed groups or the ones in need (LBGT, Disabled, Minorities etc), not because of humanitarian reasons or because they care, but because they are less likely to lose their power or priviledges by them. By playing with sensitive social strings they can push forward other policies contrary to their ideologies that would not have succeeded otherwise. Eg if more Conservative governments had done those policies, there would be riots on the streets.
 
I'm back to being completely lost here. Looking at some of the changes in the comment section it looks like Sony is blocking lingerie. If a clearly adult woman can't show her bra in a game that is some insane censorship. And it appears it wasn't enough since it's delayed. Catherine has more suggestive lingerie images than that.

I keep mulling over whether to buy the few PS4 exclusives I'm interested in that are not censored (like Earth Defense Force 5) but I just don't know if I want to play on a platform that censors to this level. If Catherine is censored then that is the final nail in the "underage argument" coffin. This really looks like censorship targeted at anime style art. Why?

The opaque nature of these changes is definitely worrying. Not being upfront about it makes it seem nefarious.
If you're worried about Sony's level of censorship, but still want to play certain games on their platforms, then perhaps buy the games (and the PS5) 2nd-hand?
 

Barakov

Member
This has been a problem for the past 10 years. Ishihara claimed that they failed the vote for Tokyo 2016 Olympics because of the non-existant porn laws around 2008/2009 (the article expired, but the headline is enough of a source).

Skip forward a year and Ishihara was fighting vigorously for new legislations which meant that lewd mags/porn get an R-18 rating and hence could only be sold behind closed doors to adults, before it was no problem for minors to buy this stuff. Back then lots of Publishers tried to fight this, because they feared to lose out on a lot of money if only adults can buy their stuff.

Skip forward another 2 years and Japan has finally banned possession of child porn, but Manga and Anime Lolis are still okay. 2 years ago the UN was urging Japan to ban sexual violence against woman and lolis in Manga/Anime, but the japanese don't share their views as Kumiko Yamada (from the Womans Institute of Contemporary Media Culture) defended their culture with saying that this shit is not real. She said:

I think what he says is believable, seeing as there seems to be a lot of stuff going on behind the curtains. There is prolly lots of pressure on everyone who produces lewd content in japan.
The olympics thing sounds really legit and it would explain how this is all coming to a head now.
 

CatCouch

Member
If you're worried about Sony's level of censorship, but still want to play certain games on their platforms, then perhaps buy the games (and the PS5) 2nd-hand?
I still want the developer/publishers to get the money for games that are not censored. I really want to support games I like. Earth Defense Force 5 seems to be digital only, anyway. Seeing more games being censored right now makes me hesitant, though. Sony is nearing complete irreconcilable damage for me.

I may just stick with Smash Ultimate for a while. So depressing to not play games I was looking forward too...
 
I still want the developer/publishers to get the money for games that are not censored. I really want to support games I like. Earth Defense Force 5 seems to be digital only, anyway. Seeing more games being censored right now makes me hesitant, though. Sony is nearing complete irreconcilable damage for me.

I may just stick with Smash Ultimate for a while. So depressing to not play games I was looking forward too...
There are other ways to support the developers/publishers such as buying the merch of their respective games you play. Though if that's not your jam, then fair enough.

The olympics thing sounds really legit and it would explain how this is all coming to a head now.
Though the $1 million question is will Sony roll back after the Tokyo Olympics? And if maintaining a positive company image following up to the 2020 Olympics is the reason, then I find it odd that Sony didn't say so the first time.
 
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CatCouch

Member
There are other ways to support the developers/publishers such as buying the merch of their respective games you play. Though if that's not your jam, then fair enough.
I do buy some stuff like statues and tons of collectors editions. I actually bought that Shantae Pirate's Cruse bundle with the vunyl from Limited Run Games this morning (I try to buy when I luck out and actually get through to the check-out)!

It's trickier when it's smaller game like Earth Defense Force or Omen of Sorrow. I'm torn between buying Steam or Switch versions of some games, too. Song of memories interests me but it's 28 GB's on Steam. That's rough. Physical Switch seems to be a Gamestop exclusive. PS4 is too risky. Why is gaming so complicated!?
 
The problem with using the Olympics as a scapegoat is the indication this push on Sony's part originates from its US headquarters, plus evidence of companies like Nintendo seeming to have no issue with the same content Sony is forcing to be altered. In terms of a push to sanitize aspects of Japan's erotic culture in advance of the Olympics, we're probably looking more at the likes of stricter oversight of late-night television (specifically anime), making sure convenience stores keep naughty magazines out of view, and possibly a slight cleansing of Tokyo's red light districts.

As for trying to avoid supporting Sony and still play certain titles on their platform, I think the best thing is to be an informed consumer and buy physical. If you know beforehand a release has not been compromised on their platform, then buy a physical version of the game, as those copies have technically already been sold. This certainly isn't a foolproof strategy, but outside of boycotting anything on the PS4 and Vita, it's an avenue that at least doesn't completely punish the consumer by just not playing certain games.
 
Why would you want ANY art censored? Its just a scum bag move to silence culture and free thinking. Fuck censorship thats my stance.
 
Why would you want ANY art censored?
I've always felt like it was fear of the other. Like, you could handle seeing that kind of stuff (not that you'd want to), but somebody else out there is just stupid enough, angry enough, violent enough to take it the wrong way - and since it is something you don't care about, you'd feel much safer if those stupid, angry, violent people had less things causing them to be stupid, angry, and violent.

Of course, any rational person would realize that this isn't true, but unfortunately, loses that perspective when it comes to children. A normal child could always grow up to be an abnormal adult, and since we don't really have a good model for how this happens, it must've been the anime boobies, right?
 

CatCouch

Member
Has anyone brought up FOSTA/SESTA (Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act/Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act) in this yet?

I'm hearing about it being the reason Tumblr got rid of nude/adult content. I'm also hearing there are some crazy speech restrictions coming to Facebook, like not being allowed to say something like "I'm looking for a good time tonight" due to liability issues with solicitation now. While FOSTA/SESTA passed earlier this year they seem to go into full force at the beginning of next year.

It makes me wonder if it's related to why we see Sony and Steam (recently) censoring games but not Nintendo. I believe it this only affects US based platforms, which Sony is now. The statement Sony put out in Japan said as Pot Meet Kettle Pot Meet Kettle posted earlier:

"Regarding the regulation of the depiction of content, it’s simply a matter of matching global standards.

“As for the freedom of expression… we have to think about what might be unpleasant for children and shield them from those things while also thinking and assessing ways to find a balance [for that expression].”

Maybe it's not "think of the children" but instead referring to the sex trafficking bills? A different type of "think of the children"? Maybe this is the global standard mentioned. Not sure why this isn't hitting western games but it's possible this is just a voluntary start, like Tumblr, before the real thing starts next year.

It's all speculation but I'm seeing this come up a lot in my art circles. It's pretty scary because it means any US platform could be impacted by vague wording in these bills. No idea if this is connected to gaming censorship but the Tumblr issue raises some of these questions and it kind of fits with Sony/Steam but it could be coincidence. I can't say.

A vox article on it from before and some recent speculation. A few articles on Facebook's rather extreme new policy. Something is definitely going on in regards to sexual content. Feel free to correct me if any of this is wrong or disproven already. I'm no expert.
 
Some recent updates:

There seems to be internal strife at Valve over their new content policies that allow for porn allowing potentially illegal porn as well (a policy that however extended to visual novels with no sex as well). An interesting development is that aging up the characters or adding scenes that show they are adults with IDs no longer cut it if the Steam reviewers deem the characters or the art style to be too youthful.
It's not a new thing, since the same kind of content is not allowed on comparatively laxer storefronts specialized in eroge games, however the takedown from this was that Valve is indecisive over when and when not to apply this newer policy, with only smaller eroge developers targeted for now, but games like Saya no Uta and Senran Kagura and the spiritual successor of Alone in the Dark left alone for the moment, probably owing to their popularity. The justification used (feels override facts) while used here against non credible (credibility would be the more appropriate rationale here) obvious 1000 year old dragon cases can be dangerous in the long run, because context omission is always dangerous.

More interestingly, in applying this newer policy Valve shifted to interesting practices like the bans having final effect and no recourse, and games that release incomplete on steam with external wink wink nudge nudge patches distributed elsewhere are getting banned for even thinking of this as a solution, as one more similar game fell down very recently.

A more rational explanation to this might be that Valve felt some pressure from payment processors and had no choice, but the other alternative that someone is gearing up for a hunt on fanservice games and testing the waters with those obvious quasi-illegal games is just as likely. In that event, game journalists like Kotaku which previously advocated for censorship of story themes and fanservice in RPGs have broke their radio silence on the whole censorship wave, to caracterize it as a drive to ban "sex games with young girls" which tries to lump the Sony censorship into the mix and justify it.

In other news,

Some Super Smash Bros Ultimate Japanese players are having fun on twitter with Incineroar's throw moves, Diddy Kong jumping at girls, and the black void in dresses that can be glitched out of visibility with a well timed visual effect from one of Ness' moves. Western game journalism is of course not happy, and so are some forums that run regular threads to hate on fan art and try and get it policed or removed. So outrage topics came like clockwork. The supposed solution is to "adjust" the hell of the game to patch out all of that.
If an update does just that, you know who to thank.

Finally, an insight on some policies by the new Chinese policies mandated by the recently established policies.

Hints from these policies were brought to the mainstream through Ubisoft's recent drive to impose global censorship to match the Chinese region's visuals in a recent Tom Clancy shooter. The importance of that policy is sometimes overstated, considering most forget that when Vivendi attempted a hostile takeover on Ubisoft, the latter at the end of their wits and with few parties willing to bail them out had Tencent save them and get a sizeable share of the company. However it mustn't be downplayed.

Interestingly, some games were issued warnings to take corrective action, while others were completely banned with no recourse. The various violations are really interesting to read. I quoted some parts of that thread here, while bolding the more interesting parts (besides what's already known, like how puritanical China is).
  • Overly revealing female characters
  • Blood and gore
  • Vulgar content
  • Game visuals promote incorrect values (Overwatch)
  • Distorted concepts of history and culture: Nominally it's supposed to mean Marxist historical materialism, but in colloquial use, it can refer to misrepresentation of history as well. The official Communist Party version of Chinese history is written into Chinese law as part of the PRC's constitution. Fantastical depictions of historical figures can be problematic, as is time travel, and unflattering depictions of revolutionary leaders is downright illegal.
  • Rewards given based on rank: Something communism related probably.
  • Game missions include fraud: Depiction of immoral acts ingame is an endorsement of these acts. The same thing is advocated for by Western game journalism but here it's enforced legally
  • Inharmonious chatroom: a chat filter that doesn't go hard enough. Game journalism has run pieces before on word filters that didn't censor enough, that had the raw list accessible through datamining easily enough, that censored controversial words they would like to use but have contexts they will condemn the developer for even allowing, and so on. Latest one is the RPS journalist who harped on the FFXIV developers in person for condoning double-entendre textual sex sollicitation roleplay because the chat doesn't have an AI powerful enough to detect it and ban the filthy sinners.
It's very important to look at these aspects and learn the right lessons from this whenever you see game journalists who push for harsher and generalized application of one or more points out of these either by shaming the developer, the console / storefront owner, the rating boards, and in extreme cases the government directly, for not taking a hardline enough stance on these aspects
 
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Regarding Steam's new crusade on erotic content, a developer of one of the banned games has tweeted that Valve may provide some clarity on the issue, by the end of the week.


The same developer also posted the following in a related Reddit thread:
So everyone knows, we were contacted out of the blue today by a liaison who has told us they reached out to us - and various other studios similarly affected - to essentially what boils down to mediating a response to Valve, who - as we all know - is infamously hard to get in direct touch with. They've given us specific name(s) as to who has been contacted and who to expect a response from.

The person in question has requested to remain anonymous. The email they sent us was pretty positive in nature/tone, but I guess we'll see what happens - no promises or anything. We were just told to expect a response by the end of the week. Whether this is a final response or not was unspecified for now. We'll keep everyone updated here and on social media as it progresses.


As I previously wrote in a somewhat related thread, while I recognize the value of the Steam brand, I've long held developers of erotic games should be making a greater effort to drive their audiences towards more welcoming platforms like JAST, MangaGamer, DLsite, Denpasoft, and now FAKKU (and to a lesser extent Nutaku).
 

petran79

Banned
Probably it has not been mentioned but Shadowverse cards continue being self-altered for the international market, which is absurd considering they are already filled with fanservice. They add mainly some very minor clothing details.
I think Shadowverse has to be the first game to feature self-editing to such an extent. Fortunately being a card PC game and Unity game, fan made mods can restore the original portraits or even replace them with their own lewd mods. Even the animated leaders, though it automatically turns into a AO game and would be banned by Steam and current legal VG standards.
 
Thought I would put this in here considering how inconvenient it might be (it's bi-partisan after all). Emboldened by game journalism's blitz advocating for game censorship, this bill was suggested as a way to discourage developers from... "violent" videogames. Since it's enshrined in law, customers can't even make their own choice anymore.

The crusade against violence in videogames is often said to be a thing of the past, or associated with the american christian right, but both political sides of the US political system, and especially modern game journalists have indeed argued for the need of getting it censored. It falls in line in a general trend of dismissing rating board systems, and it should be remembered games like Mario were once called violent, and government funding programs for indie games indeed favor walking simulators, edutainment and puzzle games over action platformers even as tame as the average 16-bit platformer because the latter meet their definition for "violent videogames".

https://nichegamer.com/2018/12/13/pennsylvania-state-rep-proposes-tax-on-mature-video-games/

House Bill 2705 was submitted on September 25th, and proposes: “A tax is imposed on each separate sale at retail of video games which have an adults only rating or mature rating according to the rating system established by the [ESRB].”

The bill continues, stating the tax shall be at 10% of the purchase price and that “The additional rate of tax shall be in addition to any applicable State and local sales taxes.” The proposal does lay out where the money collected from this tax will go. “The secretary of the department shall deposit the money remitted under this subsection into the General Fund. Section 2203. Digital Protection for School Safety Account.” The aforementioned account is used for “the purpose of enhancing school safety measures implemented by school districts as provided by the laws of this Commonwealth.”

Co-sponsors include Representatives Stephen Barrar (R), Steven C. Mentzer (R), and Rosita C. Youngblood (D). Quinn’s memo when he submitted the bill states: “Over the past few years, acts of violence in schools seem to be occurring more frequently and with more intensity. From Colorado to Connecticut to most recently in Parkland, Florida, students have experienced unthinkable actions by peers in a place that should promote learning and enrichment, safety and protection.”

He then cites a quote from a study by The National Center for Health Research as one factor in the increase of school violence: “Studies have shown that playing violent video games can increase aggressive thoughts, behaviors, and feelings in both the short-term and long-term. Violent video games can also desensitize people to seeing aggressive behavior and decrease prosocial behaviors such as helping another person and feeling empathy (the ability to understand others). The longer that individuals are exposed to violent video games, the more likely they are to have aggressive behaviors, thoughts, and feelings.”

In other news, Apple removed from their App Store a tactical RPG set in Afghanistan but with very muted political commentary, over “depicting a specific government or other real entity as the enemies.”
 
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Dr. Claus

Banned
Thought I would put this in here considering how inconvenient it might be (it's bi-partisan after all). Emboldened by game journalism's blitz advocating for game censorship, this bill was suggested as a way to discourage developers from... "violent" videogames. Since it's enshrined in law, customers can't even make their own choice anymore.

The crusade against violence in videogames is often said to be a thing of the past, or associated with the american christian right, but both political sides of the US political system, and especially modern game journalists have indeed argued for the need of getting it censored. It falls in line in a general trend of dismissing rating board systems, and it should be remembered games like Mario were once called violent, and government funding programs for indie games indeed favor walking simulators, edutainment and puzzle games over action platformers even as tame as the average 16-bit platformer because the latter meet their definition for "violent videogames".

https://nichegamer.com/2018/12/13/pennsylvania-state-rep-proposes-tax-on-mature-video-games/



In other news, Apple removed from their App Store a tactical RPG set in Afghanistan but with very muted political commentary, over “depicting a specific government or other real entity as the enemies.”

It was only a matter of time before this was brought back to the forefront. Despite plenty of research to show that violent videogames do not create violent individuals, these shitty "journalists" have helped foster this imbecilic viewpoint in the modern day.

Hope it was worth it, Kotaku and Co.
 
This is video games’ second moral panic really, and they were wholly unsuccessful last time. The problem with it this time is that this moral panic seems to coming from the very people who stopped the last one. I think we need to find a new set of defenders because, as it turns out, game journalists parade around in the fleece of morality, while being opportunistic bitches that can be bought with doritos and the promise of feminist approval. We need defenders with actual integrity who will stand up for video games, even after being labeled alt-right misogynist neo-nazi pedophile incels for liking politically incorrect video games. We need teflon gamers that labels can’t stick to.
 

Enygger_Tzu

Banned
And while we were waiting for clarification in relation to Steam's new-found ban spreading, Valve continues to ban and censor more anime games.
 
It appears that the consumers are not letting Sony's censorship situation to just blow over. Apparently, Sony uploaded a video about parental control on their PlayStation YouTube channel around December 11. The video was immediately met with overwhelmingly negative criticism and Sony eventually removed the video. A few people were able to screencap a bunch of comments before the video was taken down. You can look them up here and here.

The story does not end there. Sony has recently re-uploaded the same video only for it to still receive negative reception. As of this comment, there about twice as many dislikes and likes, and the vast majority of comments are extremely critical against Sony's censorship.
 

CatCouch

Member
That's interesting. Looks like this is snowballing for Sony. I bet the other forms of censorship going on like with Tumblr will help keep the pressure up to protect games and art from being removed. Sony certainly deserves the pressure.

I still can't bring myself to buy any games on my PS4 until Sony at least gives me an explanation for why only Japanese games and not western games (with maybe the exception of Super Seducer) are being subject to this "global standard". The apparent cultural bias is insulting.
 
It appears that the consumers are not letting Sony's censorship situation to just blow over. Apparently, Sony uploaded a video about parental control on their PlayStation YouTube channel around December 11. The video was immediately met with overwhelmingly negative criticism and Sony eventually removed the video. A few people were able to screencap a bunch of comments before the video was taken down. You can look them up here and here.

The story does not end there. Sony has recently re-uploaded the same video only for it to still receive negative reception. As of this comment, there about twice as many dislikes and likes, and the vast majority of comments are extremely critical against Sony's censorship.

What a shit-show. The video itself is about parental controls, a full year and a half late from a very similar video by Nintendo for the Switch but for a very different motive: whereas Nintendo used this video to justify opening the floodgates for publishers and shift the responsibility for policing content to parents, Sony's video comes in a context where it's doubling down on a ban of everything from cross-play to ideologically non-conforming content (no, not just illegal content and porn) under the pretense it's "not children friendly" (which comes with the unfortunate implication that the ultra violent, or ideologically-correct sexual pandering, are child friendly as far as Sony is concerned)

The Streisand effect here also showed Sony is worried enough about this controversy they delisted the video, and then listed it again after pulling some strings to affect the upvote/downvote rate (the Diablo Immortal tactic) as well as go manually through comments to remove anyone that mention the censorship policy, but leaving ones that defend it.
Usually this social media comment drama is pretty unimportant, but this by itself can be considered a stance on their policy, how they are self-conscious about criticisms of that policy that are consuspiciously absent from western gaming journalism (that completely omit any news of the policy's existence at all), and what their idea is going forward to deal with that criticism.
 

Enygger_Tzu

Banned
https://www.oneangrygamer.net/2018/...ation-school-settings-according-to-dev/73665/

This site claims that Valve now abides by a Washington law obscenity law regarding "Child Exploitation" whatever that means, the term is vague.

Is me harvesting Little Sisters in Bioshock child exploitation?

In any case, it seems that Valve is backtracking from her previous "we won't be the taste police" statement, silently and snidely at that.

I am not versed in American Law, but the people on this forum say obscenity laws are unconstitutional, but have to fought in case-by-case basis.

To me the targeting of all the Japanese games indicates that Valve as all US companies wish to play thought police on the rest of the world.
 
S

SLoWMoTIoN

Unconfirmed Member
Jesus Christ that disqus! Great read either way for a GG site that exists in 2018.

I for one welcome Valve's and Sony's attacks on Japanese games. I want a world were only AAA games like Fallout 76 exists devoid of all deviancy, unique, colorful and with great gameplay!
 
Whether Valve's current--or past--strikes against certain types of games are due to malicious intent or employees simply feeling as though they're doing their jobs, it increasingly appears these actions aren't being directed by any set policy. What remains to be seen is whether the number of affected titles grows to a point where the company is forced to create some manner of real content guidelines or the whole thing dissolves into nothing, like the previous attacks on titles from earlier in the year.
 

CatCouch

Member
Looks like Super Neptunia RPG may be censored. From what I can gather the PS4 version adds steam to cover up a hot springs event and the Switch version might not be censored. I can't find anything that fully confirms the Switch version, though. I only see what the scene is supposed to look like versus what it does look like on PS4.

Comparison shots (kinda NSFW). Video of the scene. There's some more Reddit discussions but they are just full of fighting with no more information. Seems like a confusing situation so take it with a grain of slat.
 
Yuusha Neptunia is going to be a bit of a weird situation. At the moment, the game is only available in Japan on the PS4, with--as far as I'm aware--no current plans to release the title on other platforms. The game is coming to the West on both the PS4 and Switch.

Whether there's been censorship of the hot-springs scene is questionable. What's being referenced as the unaltered image was only ever solicited as a preorder-bonus poster from Animate; we don't actually know, if the poster version is how the scene was originally intended to be featured in-game. Relatedly, there were fears this shot was censored, due to how it was featured in an update from the Playstation Japan website, but it's already confirmed to be unmolested in the game.

Just my two cents: unless a Switch release subsequently gets announced for Japan, I'd expect the Western version on both platforms will offer the same content as the existing Japanese PS4 game.
 
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On a personal note, I just built my PC in time for the holiday break and will be buying Japanese games on the PC from now on. DQXI is on sale for $36 on Steam, so I might jump on that deal.
 
At this point I just have nothing else to say.
I have plenty to say, but nothing Sony would allow on their platform without editing. My obscenity laden tirade would be a thing a legends, but no doubt would be "localized" into a brief paragraph about my love of American donuts on the PS4.
 

CatCouch

Member
There are some indication that One Piece World Seeker ps4 version will be altered to comply with Sony Policy
e0c665a07b23adfbaee3790aa9272e84.jpg

tumblr_pk5g0n9P631y32xd4o1_1280.jpg


Source : toward the end of video
What the? If this is what games on the PS4 are going to look like then I'm done. I've mulled over buying a few PS4 games recently but decided to hold off and see if this censorship stuff would change but it appears not. If it looks like this in the shipped game I'm not buying any PlayStation products again. I already cancelled all my PS4 orders and even cancelled my PS+ but it doesn't run out until September. I guess Sony has until September to change my mind, ha ha~

I don't know much about One Piece but is it safe to assume this would be a "Teen" rated game? This really looks like an attempt to force any kind of fan service out of games. If Teen games have to be censored like this Sony has hit a new low.
 
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