About the Steam ban of our game "Animus Non Grata" (long post)

[FlimsyLegs]

Valve approved the game and its content after thorough playtesting ik 2024, taking weeks to audit the original release of the game. They found the content acceptable.

That the payment processors forced them to pull content they previously approved is the root issue here. Especially since ANG was banned at the same time as -incest- games, rather than in a bigger sweep of dark themes.

Anyway, I'm not in it for the money. But I want to fairly compensate the artists. I will only be supporting a censored version from now on.

I've always been open about the content of the original version of the game.

 

[Jaike]

I have not played this and don't intend to. But, does it use the noncon in such a way as to sexually stimulate players for sexual gratification? Based upon some of OP's posts in both game threads about this game (first for Twine, then for Ren'Py), they give the impression that it does. If so, then yes, it violates the site's rules and would be difficult to pass the test for artistic merit in the US.

You've already found the answer, but I'd say yes...-ish... It isn't one of the typical rape tropes, but a lot of the images on the rape path are similar to the ones on the "romance" paths and they are kinda pornographic, tho not extreme. I don't know if the images "do it" for someone who's bigly into ravishment fantasies, but it can't be denied that if the romance images are erotic or pornographic, the rape path images are that too.

Then there's the issue that the protagonist when she consents to sex on the romance routes doesn't really have an option to say no and have that respected, so it isn't really meaningful consent. The absence or contraining of consent is part of the central premiss. So, those routes are pretty much a "Hell no" for the PPs too.

"glorification" is another way to say "for sexual gratification."

Ah, right, a specific legal meaning. Do you know if it's an American law thing or a common law thing? I went off the general meaning in media discussion, where it's more like praising or romanticising sexual violence.

And again, they seemed to know they could not get on Patreon with their game's content; Patreon is very specific that rape content with artistic merit or within survivor stories may be allowed and creators should reach out with any questions.

Yeah, I don't dispute the OP could've known and should've done better research about the risk with PPs and the difficulties to monetise a work like this, or that the PPs are within their rights by the relevant laws to behave like this. That's why my defensive arguments focused on disproportionality and inconsistency (Game of Thrones has exploitative rape scenes with glorification), and the writing quality instead.

what about close-ups of penetration during the non-con and stuff like that which focuses on the sexual? it doesnt matter if the character doesnt like it. it matters if it is sexually exciting to the players who are into non-con and you are feeding that kink by focusing on the sexual aspect of the non-con scene, not just as a story element

I played the HTML version, there aren't a lot of close ups and the visuals aren't like a typical VN where you get a stream of pics in a sex scene, but like it was said before there are clearly sexual images of rape scenes.

More important, does those none consensual scene penalize the player?

To only take sleep sex as example, it's often used as a corruption mechanism. The MC rape the girl while she's sleeping, and it will subliminally increase her desire to have sex, and to have sex with the MC.
Even it it's not the intent, this is a glorification mechanism.

And the same apply as long as the fact to have none consensual sex do not penalize the player in its relation with the girl.
The instant the player is rewarded, or at least not penalized, for something that looks like a rape, it's logical that an external witness consider this as being glorification.

I think it doesn't really penalise the player per se, it depends on the player's goals tho. It's treated in the game as an alternative route. There isn't a mechanic system that explicitly rewards or penalises it. Many players would see the protagonist getting raped as a reward, some like me wouldn't. I don't know how the game's player base swings, but if it's anything like the average on F95zone...

Valve approved the game and its content after thorough playtesting ik 2024, taking weeks to audit the original release of the game. They found the content acceptable.

That the payment processors forced them to pull content they previously approved is the root issue here. Especially since ANG was banned at the same time as -incest- games, rather than in a bigger sweep of dark themes.

Anyway, I'm not in it for the money. But I want to fairly compensate the artists. I will only be supporting a censored version from now on.

I've always been open about the content of the original version of the game.

Do you have correspondence from them about the original Steam approval? Not that I want you to share it here...

I hope you'll hear from them soon. The recent purge wasn't only about incest tho, so I don't know if you should read much into that.

 

[anne O'nymous]

I think it doesn't really penalise the player per se, it depends on the player's goals tho. It's treated in the game as an alternative route.

The instant it's a route and not a dead end (that can possibly happen after few "sorry baby"), the penalization is explicitly written off.
If your partner abuse you, you could possibly excuse the first time because he was out of his mind, but you'll not excuse him indefinitely. At least not unless you're under influence, stuck in an abusive relationship. And it's precisely this kind of relationship that will be seen when the absence of consent do not penalize the player.

Many players would see the protagonist getting raped as a reward, some like me wouldn't.

But, like for the Miller test, by example, it's not players' opinion that matters, but the one of lambda citizens. And they would more than surely see this as the player being rewarded, since he still have all the sex scenes despite his actions.

 

[MissCougar]

Just want to add in that if you have made modifications to your game to correct the things that were in violation of, don't try to hide anything or not say something in your appeal. Definitely be honest and just move forwards with the new rules in mind always and hope for the best. If you are deceptive you probably won't have a second chance and it may lead to worse things if you get listed again despite not being in full compliance.

I wish you the best of luck!

 

[BETiLose34]

I really don't understand where they are getting their definition of glorification from...I would love to see an example of steam or itch.io having said the same as count morado that the content is for sexual gratification....

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Here are three different opinions on what "glorifying sexual violence" means and while I disagree with their opinions it's important to the argument that none of these three had the same standard as count morado.

Count morado said "Glorifying, in this context, is meant as presenting rape in such a fashion that is meant to sexually excite players." Great then prove it, show where steam/itch made this clarification since as I've just proved there is no standard for what is considered to be Glorifying something.

Anne said this "The instant the player is rewarded, or at least not penalized, for something that looks like a rape, it's logical that an external witness consider this as being glorification." The problem with this is that they didn't specify what glorification meant... is gta glorifying violence when you get money for killing civilians? what about fallout when making a choice that is morally bad gives you better results. The sad thing about life which media sometimes tries to portray is that not all bad people get punished and often they are rewarded for their bad behavior, the last thing we should be advocating for is media to be less honest in it's portrayal of real life then it already is.

I might disagree with these definitions of glorifying/normalizing/glamorizing sexual violence, but at the very least if these gaming platforms were open about what they meant then we wouldn't have to ask these questions now would we?

as for this " Your game was retired by Valve as being in violation of Steam's terms about abiding by the rules of payment processors - which Steam should have been following for years and should have informed developers as such for that time, as well "

Yep I agree steam should have been following their own policies and I also agree they should have informed developers.

 

[anne O'nymous]

I really don't understand where they are getting their definition of glorification from...

A dictionary... They are getting their definition of "glorification" from a dictionary.

"1a: to make glorious by bestowing honor, praise, or admiration
2: to light up brilliantly
3b: to cause to be or seem to be better than the actual condition" [

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"the act of describing something in a way that makes it seem better or more important than it really is" [

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"to make (something) seem much better or more important than it really is" [

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"to make someone or something seem more important or better than they really are" [

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"2: an enhanced or favourably exaggerated version or account
3: a celebration" [

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"The portrayal of something as being ideal; idealization." [

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"2: a portrayal of something as ideal" [

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Is it good or should I quote more dictionaries?

I would love to see an example of steam or itch.io having said the same as count morado that the content is for sexual gratification....

'We spoke with Stripe yesterday about their content policies. They confirmed that they will not be able to support adult content that fits the following definition: “content designed for sexual gratification.”' [

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Anne said this "The instant the player is rewarded, or at least not penalized, for something that looks like a rape, it's logical that an external witness consider this as being glorification." The problem with this is that they didn't specify what glorification meant...

See above.

is gta glorifying violence when you get money for killing civilians?

Yes. But no one care about violence and murder.

what about fallout when making a choice that is morally bad gives you better results.

Except that here the notion of "better results" is purely subjective. Take New Vegas by example, what is "better" for one when joining Cesar's Legion, isn't the same than what is "better" for someone who decide to join the NCR.
In top of this, the more your actions tend on a way, the less you'll be accepted by people who morally tend the other way. To the point that joining a faction will turn others as your enemy.
The same apply even more for Fallout 4, where joining one of the main faction will imply at term the annihilation of one of the other main faction, closing definitively this path. Same if you decide to turn a settlement into a Raider one. To have it exist and progress, you'll have to fight the other settlements that you previously created.

It's the notion of consequences I was talking about. You can decide to make "bad actions", but this will have consequences for you and, to some extend, close doors in the game.

 

[morphnet]

I really don't understand where they are getting their definition of glorification from...I would love to see an example of steam or itch.io having said the same as count morado that the content is for sexual gratification....

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Sexually Gratifying Works

Bestiality

Bestiality refers to sexual activities or relationships involving humans and animals.

Not permitted

• Sexual activity between a human and any animal that exists in the real world.
• Depictions or glorification of animal genitals.