Steam says NO to censorship. Gamers are happy. Journalists are not

I literally screamed in the office and people looked at me!

this is so frustrating!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If they are not doing what they claim they are doing currently and there is a lot of strong evidence to support that claim then ok then they are a bunch of baddies and you should not use them!!!!!!!!!!

if they are saying they are GOING to do something then you need to sit down and shut up and let them work on doing it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

the reality is these people spend literally hours hunting for a few examples that they can use to confirm their bias that Steam is horrible and needs to change and needs to have massive amounts of quality control instead of just not %^&*() USING THE SERVICE IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

its not like people who dont like steam dont know what games they want to buy? they do know what games thye want to buy so they should just F off and not use Steam.

'quality control' in gaming has proven to work horribly.

They said they are going to remove games that are illegal, they have done that in the past, they might not catch them the micro second they get on steam but they do get removed.

check yourself

This is rich. You want to leave Steam completely free and open to all things, but when I come to dispute the idea, you want me to shut up and stop posting. You're literally doing the thing you were bitching about, complaining about content you don't like and trying to make it go away.

If you're actually screaming in your office about an internet forum argument... Seek help.

yes that is correct, now you understand

bye

@tryit: "quality control in gaming has proven to work horribly"

You what? It was quality control that saved the game industry after the 1983 video game crash thanks to Nintendo being really restrictive about the content published for the NES after Atari basically allowed literally anyone to put stolen cartridges and code on the market. Read up on your history man.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game_crash_of_1983

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2013/07/time-to-feel-old-inside-the-nes-on-its-30th-birthday/

Listen, Steam is excellent. I love it. It has more good than bad points and it is no wonder why it is the prime platform for PC gamers but it has issues and one of those issues is allowing stolen assets and poorly made games onto the marketplace. There is no denying Steam has a larger volume of poorly made games on its market than any other platform, and this is due to Valve's totally passive nature toward quality assurance; Going so far as to allow games that literally do not run on their storefront. You can get all shouty and upset but it doesn't change the fact that there is a game on sale right now for $5.00 on Steam using a picture of Knuckles from Sonic without SEGA's consent. That would not happen on any other platform.

Well I can at least respect that you've accepted this wild hypocrisy. But it's an open forum so I'll still be here, sorry.

no no no hell absolutely friggin not hell no

1. on the topic of Steam not doing what they said they were going to do. Other than them going ahead and doing what they say they are going to do what is the problem? see? its NOT about them just doing what they said they are going to do. you want them to do something DIFFERENT from what they said they were going to do. address that please.

2. is good Quality control = AAA game, games that game journalists review on their websites. right?

ok you done now?

Well that depends, has Steam developed better methods for finding and promoting genuinely quality titles amidst their ocean of dumpster fires since I last posted?

@tryit: I mean yes. It's an undeniable fact but sure if you want to pretend like the console game industry dying is a good thing, be my guest. :P

Atari allowed for people to just re-release Pacman under a different name and it totally saturated the market with unpublished, low quality garbage that flooded the market and ended up leading to a total crash until Nintendo introduced the 'seal of approval' which curated the releases for the NES and restored the reputation of the video game market in the public eye, paving the way for the resurgence of the industry. That's history. It happened.

1. It remains to be seen. These processes take time I am sure, but as of this moment right now, the Steam store is not compliant with the standards leveled in their blog entry. There is still illegal content on their store.

2. 100% no. That is not right. Quality control is ensuring broken games that do not run and games displaying stolen assets and content are not on the market. Steam does not crack down on this. The are many poor quality games available to purchase on Steam; more than any other game storefront. I'm not talking about games that are well made of the independent persuasion. Those games should be welcomed with open arms. We're talking about a game featuring an unlicensed use of Knuckles being sold on Steam without permission from SEGA. :P

no of course not!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

what the f have you people not read what valve said?

I will paraphrase

'Instead of restricting we plan (as in future) to improve filtering''

people here are saying that is a bad idea because their current filtering doesnt work? and they should instead do what exactly?

its so absurd

1. think hard on what you saying, you are saying 'I dont like Valves idea because they are not doing it yet but if they did do it I would not like it'. makes no sense. what is it about what they said you do not approve of? specifically

2. sorry but i absolutely positively do not trust the gaming industries ability to curate. they have had a horrible past on that and I do not want them to do it again. huge empty lanscape of AAA garbage games for miles...nope...dont want it. So instead, lets do this compromise, you dont you Steam. After people like me play Subnautica for several years and our community approves it we will throw it your way to play. lets do that.

Undeniable fact accepted by the entire gaming community... But you say hell no? Omegalol!

Censorship sucks!

@tryit: Nope. That's not what I am saying. If they do actually act it out, it will be fantastic and I will be very happy.

I think curating the Steam store will lead to a healthier marketplace where genuinely good independent games would have a better shot at making a name for themselves.

I'd love that. How can I contribute? Do I have to sign something?

Anyway, I really don't understand why you want to remove games from Steam. You should take your name to heart and actually try something that's not AAA. You might like it. Ever played any indie games?

@nethernova: I think you got it a little backwards. :P

Tryit wants to keep everything on Steam because he is worried the indie games he likes would be removed due to curation. When really all the games he likes would be totally fine.

I am still confused.

You seem to be saying 'I agree with what they are suggesting but I am concerned with them carrying it out'

AND

'I think a curated system is good'

well that is not what they are planning on doing, so its a contradiction

also, if they are not good at doing what they say they are, why would you want to hand them the keys to a full curated system?

Regarding my position which is solid and unchanged, I have enough personal experience and evidence to support my view that curation is bad...not good. It seems good on paper but actual implementation of it has failed

@tryit: No it isn't a contradiction. :P

I am totally onboard with them acting out their policy which is curation.

Curate: "select, organize, and look after the items in (a collection or exhibition)."

This would include ensuring that what is in the collection - that is the Steam store - does not contain illegal or broken computer games. That practice is curation.

sorry but what they described yesterday is not curation.

but fair enough: I guess titles like 'Steam games store to 'allow everything''

is not really accurate

Again the quote:

The Steam video game store has changed its content policy to "allow everything", unless it is illegal or "straight up trolling".

ok well that is what they are going to do moving forward so you will just have to wait and see but other than that it appears to be what you want

you got me exactly backwards bro.

I hope you are not pretending

It's just lipservice at this point. Steam PR have given that same song and dance dozens of times when they've been called into question about the increasing tide of bad games. They've already dumped and rebranded greenlight because it flat out did not work and was regularly exploited, and the store page has been using the same formats and algorithms for years with seemingly no effort to sift through and pick out the errant feces. They literally let anything up that can beat their curation fees, and only ban it after the fact once they realize it's illegal or otherwise worthy of lawsuit. They can say they'll improve filtering, but they've said such things before. Until I see results, their words are meaningless.

And, until their word means anything, I don't trust them to elevate lower end but skilled devs who used to get better exposure and have since been falling to the wayside as they get buried. And I certainly don't trust them to provide methods by which I can see the content I want when the store has now verbally allowed, for all intents and purposes, any kind of content.

@tryit: I'm sorry but it is. :P

Any form of management of a group of items, in this case a group of computer games on a storefront is curation. That's just the plain English of it, buddy. If they remove items from that collection; That is curation. Allowing games on the store is as much a curation process as sorting and removing them.

think about what you are saying very closely

'its just lip service which is why I would perfer that those same exact people giving lip service should.....do what exactly?

have MORE control over what you see and dont see because they are so good at doing things?

ok then! you approve of them changing their policy to allow for more games and less action on their part to curate, as long as they do what they state.

good to here, got it.

@tryit: Sure, why not? The reputation of Steam, of course, will always remain an unhealthy storefront with lots of really bad games on it though. Good games too, but a home for some really shoddy work also; Stuff I would have made in high school.

and that is a good thing,

but not sure what your point is if you agree with the change in policy they have made

@tryit: It's that I don't believe they will actually act upon it. :P

I'm keeping my eye on that Knuckles game. I wonder if that will ever get taken down...

ok...you agree with the policy change they made but do not have the confidence that they will act on it.

cool story!

dont know what to tell you bro, maybe dont use Steam

@tryit: I'm just going to use it the best way I can so that deserving developers get paid and the bad ones don't.

Of course I can't help it if someone else gets duped into buying a game that doesn't work but that's how it is...

You forgot Waypoint, they're much worst than Polygon. Waypoint always include politics in all their articles as a requirement.

again you say you agree with the policy change that they have made you are just concerned they will not carry it out.

I gotcha.

how about this idea, create a curated store that uses Steam in the back end but the customer really only see the quality games you have curated (or whatever business expert). that way, I can still at least buy the games i like, even though I might have to go directly to steam to do so, I hope that will offend nobody :)

If you have to delete 90% of my post to pretend you have a point I don't know what to tell you. They can prove they are worthy of their word by offering better service, better marketplaces, better features, better monitoring, and not fucking said things up. Do those things first. At which point, I'd happily accept all the smut and gore and racism my mind can comprehend.

Again you're totally reliant on extremes. If they fucked up the opposite way and were to start blocking away legitimate content that they said they'd allow, I'd going to complain then. Because I wouldn't like that either. But there is a happy middleground that you seem to refuse to believe could exist.

Hell I'd do it for them. Hire me minimum wage for a 2nd job, I'll play through their shitty titles and make sure we get rid of nonexecutables and stolen asset content. Then they could hire a second guy, he'd make sure that asset flips and equally terrible non-games are, at the very least, getting dropped into their own little dark corner far away from the storefronts. Maybe a 3rd guy too, he could make sure we elevate the obscure but really good titles that need a boost. As far as I know Valve is still the highest paid company per employee, I strongly doubt they couldn't bring in an intern-tier employee or two to keep an actual watchful eye on things.

Either way, the simplest solution is actual human inspection and giving some TLC to the store. Neither of which are things they have been interested in in the past, and I have no confidence in a promise alone that it is their interest in the future. And thus, I don't like it when they say they'll just be allowing whatever-the-**** onto the store.

Who said anything about banning "Anima" games?

@tryit: There are many ways it could work. Although broken games is another story. I can't think of anyone who would want to buy a game that never runs.

I entered this topic to explain that I don't think the sim games you like really play into the conversation that is going on at the moment. It's more about broken games, illegal games and potentially immoral.

The latter requires a lot of deliberation. It's not a black and white discussion and as Steam themselves have noted, no matter which way you go; someone will be mad about it.

Not only did you miss the point you jump onto the political bandwagon just like the people you indicated you despise. How typical.

then dont use them!

I am not sure what ACTIONABLE on their part you are suggesting? if you do not have faith in their abilities then its a full stop, you should not use them PEROID, because regardless of what solution they declare you will not have the confidence that hey can pull it off, so that is that. done

dont use them.

I think they are best thing to have ever happened to the gaming industry EVER, so..I use them, you should not,

simnple

that is what is called 'using an example to illustrate a point'

frankly you should not be bothered to be concerned with why. its not your business.

So lets have a curation store that uses steam on the back end and then weirdos like me who like porno games can find what we want by accessing Steam directly.

worry a lot less about what other people are buying...ok?

and by the way Unturned is a very popular 'high school project'

But banning of the games was never implied and was not my point.

Well, it´s hard not to view this in a political view.

But you are correct, if viewed on the pure content put on, one could wish for a better QC, but at the same time as an advocate for openness, that outcome would be a slippery slope, no one wants.

Yeah I consider Waypoint to be part of Vice. They're on the list.

so you support Valves declared change in policy?

@Orchid87:

Yup OP.. How times have changed.. OC game journalists were different people back then.. Gamers first at the very least. But yeah, it's sad to see that after all the years of fighting the nonsensical "games/media causes ______" bullshit, and finally seemingly winning.. We are right back here under attack again because of another group of dogmatic idealogues with the very same old illogic and arguments, only of a different topic. With the worst part being that we're no longer united against it cause of some of "our own"... allegedly.

As for the topic as a whole.. like I said in my comment.

This is very great news.

For those worried about scam/fake/broken games, it sounds like they aren't giving them a free pass. As it seems like this was only about content and censorship. They just didn't do a good job of making that clear. That's how I read it at least.

And the whining has already begun from some places/types.. lol

How is the console industry dying?

My problem with Steam was its low standard "openness". Now its no standard openness. The lack of quality control on Steam has been the main reason I simply avoid browsing games on the platform. Filters are mediocre at best because games are multi tagged and the trash built up is immense. I am all for allowing developers to have a avenue to show and promote their games but without some sort of filtering process of some sort the system is going to be overwhelmed with shit. I can guarantee that. Just look at the shit that currently fills up Steam library with the already shit low standards.

Maybe instead of going on the same loopy tirade over and over you could spend that time actually reading what I've said around here since I have already explicitly addressed this.

To be clear, again, since nothing is sticking I guess, I want to have faith in Steam, I have enjoyed it in the past, and I like the idea of a central all-purpose game store. But they have broken their word about improving their store curation and quality as they continue to slide more and more into a state where good games are buried under horrible games.

I have lost faith in their word to fix it, but that doesn't mean it is impossible to fix, nor does it mean they can't surprise me and rebuild faith by implementing fixes. Stop going insane because you can't possibly comprehend a middle between two extremes. If I get pissed about one part of the store service, that doesn't mean the store is irredeemable and unusable. It's a simple fix and I've already said my personal proposed solution. You should try reading it and seeing what you think.

Nope! Because it does not address the real problem.

what problem and what is the solution?

also..I dont see a problem with Steam. Been using it for the last several years and to me its the solution, not the problem.

best thing that has ever happened to gaming.

so how is your solution to the problem not remotely related to banning anything?