Steam stamps out anime disease - world rejoices

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uninspiredcup

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#1  Edited By uninspiredcup
Member since 2013 • 58635 Posts

Special beam cannon.

https://www.destructoid.com/valve-is-suddenly-targeting-adult-visual-novels-for-removal-from-steam-503730.phtml

Valve is suddenly targeting adult visual novels for removal from Steam
'Typical Valve style'

Over the last few days, developers and publishers of H-Games, eroge titles and more adult visual novels have been hit with takedown notices from Valve. From out of the blue, certain games are now in violation of Steam’s rules and guidelines for appropriate content on the platform. Valve is threatening to remove these games unless they are heavily censored, though that is baffling as most of the games are already censored. Crazier still, the publishers and developers in question have already worked with Valve to make sure their games don’t violate any of Steam’s content rules, so these issues should not even be happening.

While it could possibly be explained for titles that are relatively new and haven’t had a once over by Valve, the most famous title that is being targeted is Huniepop. For those unaware, Huniepop launched on Steam in January of 2015 and has been allowed on the platform unchallenged for over three years. Why Valve would suddenly want one of the most popular games on its service gone is puzzling, but Huniepop isn’t the only game in the crosshair. Kindred Spirits on the Roof, which is published by MangaGamer, is also under fire as is Mutiny!! by Lupiesoft.

Other games getting hit include multiple titles by Sekai Project (Re;Lord 1 and Tropical Liquor), Obscurasoft’s Coming Out on Top and Dharker Studio’s Battle Girls. The only common theme among these games is that they feature nudity, but that does little to shed light on the real reason behind this. As a matter of fact, Kindred Spirits doesn’t even classify as an H-Game. It mostly seems like a particular type of game is being singled out instead of ones with mainstream appeal.

I got in touch with John Pickett, PR Director of MangaGamer, and Peter Rasmussen, owner and main artist of Lupiesoft, to figure out just how little they knew before getting hit with these surprise demands.

MangaGamer issued a PR statement that contained a bunch of information of what Valve had told them. They specifically stated, “It is dangerous for every small, indie development team when a major entity can just cut off the revenue streams they rely on like this…If this is more than just a major short-sighted error on Valve's end, it could be disastrous for visual novels and the advancements in expression within gaming made in recent years.”

Pickett confirmed everything. According to him, MangaGamer actually suffered a takedown notice a few weeks back for its game A Kiss for the Petals ~Maidens of Michael~. They tried to appeal the notice to Valve for weeks, but got complete radio silence. Now, a similar thing is happening to some of its other games and Valve isn’t being clear on what these titles are in violation of.

Regarding Kindred Spirits, Pickett said, “what sexual content is present in the game is no more explicit than games like Dragon Age or the Witcher series, and we had the title thoroughly reviewed directly by one of Valve's representatives before publishing it on their storefront. Their representative gave us full approval and assured us the title was acceptable and fell within the standards for the Steam Marketplace at the time of publishing.”

Lupiesoft is in the same boat. Peter Rasmussen stated, “There's been no policy changes, they hit us out of the blue. One day Mutiny!! was okay, then suddenly it's not. No reason at all…they decided to just force a bad decision onto everyone in typical Valve style.” John confirmed that last part, saying, “To my knowledge there haven’t been any changes to its [Valve’s] terms regarding game content. At the very least we received no such notice that content standards have changed.”

While researching all of this, one group took to the internet to surprisingly claim responsibility for getting these games removed from Steam. The “National Center on Sexual Exploitation” posted a blog titled, “VICTORY: Steam to remove sexually explicit and violent videogames from platform.” They are claiming that Valve’s decision to remove these games has come about after a two year campaign by the NCSE. While this could be the possible answer, Rasmussen doesn’t think the answer is that easy.

“There's anecdotal rumors I've heard,” Rasmussen claims, “that suggests Valve is receiving a lot of pressure to remove any and all mature content from its platform. Maybe that group isn't directly to blame, but likely had a strong hand in this decision.” That last part is mostly speculation, but this is all the developers and publishers have to go on at the moment. With Valve remaining mum, it is anyone’s guess as to what is going on.

To give some background, the “National Center on Sexual Exploitation” (which, for a period, was called "Morality in Media") is a group that sprung out of Jerry Falwell’sMoral Majority” campaign a few decades ago. They have been big backers of the recent FOSTA/SESTA acts, which are attempts to curb sex trafficking both online and off. While this may not have anything to do with Valve’s current efforts to remove specific sexual content from Steam, the NCSE has always been eager to call any sexual content “exploitative,” so I don’t believe their claims of forcing Valve’s hand are false.

As for the future of these games, MangaGamer is looking to start its own platform to help sell adult visual novels for anyone affected. At the moment, everything is still in the planning stages. John told me they have made great strides, “on a rather significant revamp of our current website and the storefront there, which will be the first step toward a full platform,” so the dream is that publishers of less mainstream titles won’t need to rely on Valve.

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stuff238

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#2  Edited By stuff238
Member since 2012 • 3284 Posts

Good. Anime fans are some of the weirdest people I have ever met in real life.

I don’t understand why they uhh...do stuff to cartoons.

I mean....everyone had their kinks and fetishes....but cartoons? Meh.

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Ant_17

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#3 Ant_17
Member since 2005 • 13634 Posts

Damn, poor @davillain-

Can i make a guess?

Disney is buying Valve.

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uninspiredcup

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#4  Edited By uninspiredcup
Member since 2013 • 58635 Posts
@stuff238 said:

Good. Anime fans are some of the weirdest people I have ever met in real life.

I don’t understand why they uhh...do stuff to cartoons.

I mean....everyone had their kinks and fetishes....but cartoons? Meh.

Well, technically when you look at any image, be a PNG, GIF, JPEG, or movies, they are cartoons. Sure, they are realistic, but it is an illusion of a bunch of squares bunched together.

-

But anyways.

I think the problem here basically lies in that alot of these games take place in high-school with what look like kids. They skirt around it because "it's not real" and you can attach any age to any design.

Some people are wondering why games like The Witcher 3 aren't targeted, those look like mature woman.

Overall, while the idea of "no sex in video games" is ridiculous, considering we are mass murderers most of the time, when it comes to that seedy level of stuff, I can understand why they wouldn't want that shit popping up on the storefront.

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Archangel3371

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#5 Archangel3371
Member since 2004 • 43988 Posts

Probably because they don’t have loot boxes with things that can be sold for ridiculous prices in a marketplace or offered through gambling sites.

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ReCloud

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#6  Edited By ReCloud
Member since 2018 • 4418 Posts

@stuff238: what? I'm a manga reader and I don't do stuff to the characters, please do not make this ridiculous generalization.

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Ant_17

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#7  Edited By Ant_17
Member since 2005 • 13634 Posts

@Archangel3371 said:

Probably because they don’t have loot boxes with things that can be sold for ridiculous prices in a marketplace or offered through gambling sites.

I see you have not seen the genre in the phone stores. EA would be proud.

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Ten_Pints

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#8 Ten_Pints
Member since 2014 • 4072 Posts

All the hentai degenerates are shit out of luck now.

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nepu7supastar7

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#9 nepu7supastar7
Member since 2007 • 6773 Posts

@uninspiredcup:

Sucks to be a Steam player! Thank god for Sony...

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nepu7supastar7

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#10 nepu7supastar7
Member since 2007 • 6773 Posts

Funny thing though....Steam never filters the garbage indies that keep spawning up daily yet THIS is what draws the line for them?! Seems kind of a weird line to draw.

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QuadKnight

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#11 QuadKnight
Member since 2015 • 12916 Posts

If only they paid this much attention to the garbage indie games that keep showing up in their store.

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Juub1990

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#12 Juub1990
Member since 2013 • 12620 Posts
@stuff238 said:

Good. Anime fans are some of the weirdest people I have ever met in real life.

I don’t understand why they uhh...do stuff to cartoons.

I mean....everyone had their kinks and fetishes....but cartoons? Meh.

It's easy to understand. Cartoon still depicts sexual acts which the brain can understand. It's not like it's a bunch of mish mash drawings meaning nothing. They depict something that is meant to arouse. Really not that hard to figure out why it's so popular.

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nepu7supastar7

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#13  Edited By nepu7supastar7
Member since 2007 • 6773 Posts

@quadknight:

Exactly!! lol

Somewhere I bet Jim Sterling is having a good laugh at this! I know I am!!

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foxhound_fox

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#14 foxhound_fox
Member since 2005 • 98532 Posts

Welp, fortunately Nutaku exists.

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ReCloud

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#15  Edited By ReCloud
Member since 2018 • 4418 Posts

@quadknight: "bu bu but muh Indies"

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VFighter

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#16 VFighter
Member since 2016 • 11031 Posts

@uninspiredcup: The first part of what you said is the dumbest thing I've heard all week.

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onesiphorus

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#17 onesiphorus
Member since 2014 • 5233 Posts

@recloud said:

@stuff238: what? I'm a manga reader and I don't do stuff to the characters, please do not make this ridiculous generalization.

He is not addressing manga fans, but anime fans, so what he said does not apply to you. Anime and manga or two different medium.

And I agree that it is not wise to make false generalizations of fan groups, as most anime fans are not into adult content.

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ReCloud

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#18 ReCloud
Member since 2018 • 4418 Posts

@onesiphorus: oj please, manga readers watch anime. I STILL don't do stuff to characters. It's still a generalization.

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Basinboy

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#19 Basinboy
Member since 2003 • 14495 Posts

Wait, are you saying I could get porn on Steam and I’m only learning this now?

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foxhound_fox

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#20 foxhound_fox
Member since 2005 • 98532 Posts

@Basinboy said:

Wait, are you saying I could get porn on Steam and I’m only learning this now?

More like hentai, and not without third party "patches" to remove the unnecessary censorship.

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xantufrog

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#21 xantufrog  Moderator
Member since 2013 • 17875 Posts

@uninspiredcup: something being depicted by pixels is not the definition of a cartoon

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nepu7supastar7

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#22 nepu7supastar7
Member since 2007 • 6773 Posts

@foxhound_fox:

So does that mean no Senran Kagura or just the nude mods?

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Zaryia

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#23 Zaryia
Member since 2016 • 21607 Posts

JPRGS have been owned. Sony has been owned.

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NoodleFighter

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#24 NoodleFighter
Member since 2011 • 11780 Posts

I wonder what my lowest point in life would be if it gets me to buy one of those types of games

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Shewgenja

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#25  Edited By Shewgenja
Member since 2009 • 21456 Posts

I suppose now is a bad time to mention that an "All digital future" is just playing russian roullette with whatever people might find distasteful at any point in time down the road?

Just to make myself personally clear, my girlfriend is 26 and her girlfriend is 28. So, no skin off my nose on the lawley shit. Just throwing it out there.

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lebanese_boy

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#26 lebanese_boy
Member since 2003 • 18036 Posts
@quadknight said:

If only they paid this much attention to the garbage indie games that keep showing up in their store.

Now that would require Valve to actually make some darn efforts, are you out of your mind?

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KungfuKitten

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#27  Edited By KungfuKitten
Member since 2006 • 27389 Posts

Team America!

Sucks for everyone outside the USA. Maybe we'll see a competitor that supports hentai games, and then see that competitor overtake Steam by having n times the users? Like VHS. Hmm... Cream vs. Steam?

Nutaku (adult only site, NSFW) seems the likeliest candidate.

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deactivated-5ebea105efb64

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#28 deactivated-5ebea105efb64
Member since 2013 • 7262 Posts

@NoodleFighter said:

I wonder what my lowest point in life would be if it gets me to buy one of those types of games

Playing those game on youtube for moniez.

Loading Video...

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uninspiredcup

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#29 uninspiredcup
Member since 2013 • 58635 Posts
@Shewgenja said:

I suppose now is a bad time to mention that an "All digital future" is just playing russian roullette with whatever people might find distasteful at any point in time down the road?

True.

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Vaasman

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#30 Vaasman
Member since 2008 • 15541 Posts

Funny thing is Steam won't fucking touch their cesspool of hot garbage and broken bullshit and asset flips that are basically ruining the service, but oh no some decently popular games are being lewd what a nightmare!

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Howmakewood

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#31  Edited By Howmakewood
Member since 2015 • 7693 Posts

Culling of the dirty weebs, Gaben on the road to save humanity, god speed Gabe!

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VFighter

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#32 VFighter
Member since 2016 • 11031 Posts

@Shewgenja: I'd say it's a perfect time to mention it.

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#33 R4gn4r0k
Member since 2004 • 45988 Posts
@uninspiredcup said:

Well, technically when you look at any image, be a PNG, GIF, JPEG, or movies, they are cartoons. Sure, they are realistic, but it is an illusion of a bunch of squares bunched together.

-

But anyways.

I think the problem here basically lies in that alot of these games take place in high-school with what look like kids. They skirt around it because "it's not real" and you can attach any age to any design.

Some people are wondering why games like The Witcher 3 aren't targeted, those look like mature woman.

Overall, while the idea of "no sex in video games" is ridiculous, considering we are mass murderers most of the time, when it comes to that seedy level of stuff, I can understand why they wouldn't want that shit popping up on the storefront.

One day I was browsing the steam store just casually and suddenly a game pops up that gives me underaged barely dressed school girls as gameplay pictures for a game.

That sets the wrong tone I guess, especially since many people are browsing the steam store, and many people will encounter a game that's pretty much exactly like that.

Nothing wrong with those games being on steam but I don't think the Witcher 3 comparison really flies as people seeing screenshots from that game's gameplay won't be offended (if that is the right way to put it) as much.

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#35 npiet1
Member since 2018 • 3576 Posts

@stuff238 said:

Good. Anime fans are some of the weirdest people I have ever met in real life.

I don’t understand why they uhh...do stuff to cartoons.

I mean....everyone had their kinks and fetishes....but cartoons? Meh.

Anime fans are tho like the ones with the display pic being anime and having the dolls etc. I like anime but not that much

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Gaming-Planet

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#36  Edited By Gaming-Planet
Member since 2008 • 21064 Posts

This is messed up!

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SOedipus

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#37 SOedipus
Member since 2006 • 14788 Posts

I hope they perma ban everyone that bought that crap.

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#38 djoffer
Member since 2007 • 1856 Posts

While I have zero interest in the games, I hate any kind of censorship... specially if it comes because of pressure from some retarded group that hate all sex... I mean why the fack is America so afraid of a damn naked boob/penis but on the same time be totally fine with very graphic violence??

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KungfuKitten

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#39  Edited By KungfuKitten
Member since 2006 • 27389 Posts

Well they do allow non-hentai games that show nudity. Like The Witcher 3. Or are AAA games showing nipples or some such going to be censored/banned from now on?

I would prefer a toggle for users. Do you want adult-only stuff to show up? Do you want sexy stuff to show up? That way we don't have to make people go out of business, and we don't have to censor games. Maybe make it opt-in so that children who lied about their birthday don't automatically get tiddyblasted.

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deactivated-5b01abbec19e9

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#40 deactivated-5b01abbec19e9
Member since 2018 • 104 Posts

Good.

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Kali-B1rd

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#42 Kali-B1rd
Member since 2018 • 2241 Posts

I thought these adult visual novels were ceensored (as in scenes removed) anyway? But yea... seeing "TRENDING GAMES" have tons of questionably aged anime girls which is clarely all about the porn that was removed is abit weird.

Not that I am against porn games on Steam.... I think this childish "We can't allow porn on gaming platforms" idea is incredibly dated and typical western-christian bulls*it.

I saw a VR "Game" with a little japanese girl (realistic) on there the other week though that I thought "Christ, if I was the goverment I'd have everyone who bought that put on a list!"

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npiet1

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#43 npiet1
Member since 2018 • 3576 Posts

@kali-b1rd: I think that's the issue that the have obvious 8 year olds but saying there age is 108. Like its still child porn no matter how you look at it.

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uninspiredcup

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#44  Edited By uninspiredcup
Member since 2013 • 58635 Posts

Resetera

> Complain about female representation in games, Dem womans aren't dressed right!

> Defend seedy, borderline illegal content

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DaVillain

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#45 DaVillain  Moderator
Member since 2014 • 55896 Posts

@Ant_17 said:

Damn, poor @davillain-

Can i make a guess?

Disney is buying Valve.

LOL I heard about this news from the Anime Community and all the Anime fans are all piss about it. No worries, we'll always find loopholes but most of this stuff I'll get from another site. These games aren't being targeted because they objectify woman, they are being targeted because some group of religious zealots decided to enforce their so called brand of justice.. It's stupid, silly and flares up every few years against adult content, Valve sure don't give a damn about what is added to the Steam however.

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Howmakewood

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#46 Howmakewood
Member since 2015 • 7693 Posts
@davillain- said:
@Ant_17 said:

Damn, poor @davillain-

Can i make a guess?

Disney is buying Valve.

LOL I heard about this news from the Anime Community and all the Anime fans are all piss about it. No worries, we'll always find loopholes but most of this stuff I'll get from another site. These games aren't being targeted because they objectify woman, they are being targeted because some group of religious zealots decided to enforce their so called brand of justice.. It's stupid, silly and flares up every few years against adult content, Valve sure don't give a damn about what is added to the Steam however.

Or that vast majority of these games also include minors and slapping "she's 20 / 2000 year old dragon" stamp doesn't change the fact. If that wasn't a thing then there would be hella less people against these games.

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APiranhaAteMyVa

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#47 APiranhaAteMyVa
Member since 2011 • 4160 Posts

THHBO

Looks like the only place to get your 2D waifu fix is on the Playstation 4

SONY DOMINATION CONTINUATION.

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DaVillain

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#49 DaVillain  Moderator
Member since 2014 • 55896 Posts

@howmakewood said:

Or that vast majority of these games also include minors and slapping "she's 20 / 2000 year old dragon" stamp doesn't change the fact. If that wasn't a thing then there would be hella less people against these games.

I won't lie, Japanese developers will do that just to cover up the "she's a loli" who is 18+ beyond is what they don't wanna admit, this is wrong. Never understood what's so big on lolis lately. I prefer Anime girl MILF anyways. The Neptunia games is another story.

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deactivated-5b19214ec908b

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#50 deactivated-5b19214ec908b
Member since 2007 • 25072 Posts

Apoerently they're now going back on it. Guess they realised that Christian lobbying groups are run by weirdos that don't actually have the power to harm them.

https://mobile.twitter.com/HuniePotDev/status/997979877977436160