BELLEVUE, Wash. – When a major mainstream company finds itself at the center of a controversy caused by offensive or inappropriate content, or even its suppression thereof, the company quite often responds by tightening its content policies, perhaps hoping that by establishing a stricter content policy, they can head off future content-controversies before they happen – and maybe buy themselves some good short-term PR in the process.
This is not the approach video gaming platform Steam has decided to take in connection with a recent content-based controversy of its own.
In the wake of criticism from developers and community members who complained the company’s content policies were vague and inconsistently enforced, the Valve Corporation has decided to “allow everything” on the Steam Store and allow consumers themselves to make their own choices and decisions about what’s appropriate to download and play.
In a blog post published Wednesday, Valve executive Erik Johnson noted the impossibility of coming up with content policies which will satisfy everyone, given how much tastes and perceptions of propriety vary from person to person.
“What do players wish we would do?” Johnson rhetorically asked in his post. “What would make them most happy? What’s considered acceptable discussion / behavior / imagery varies significantly around the world, socially and legally… The harsh reality of this space, that lies at the root of our dilemma, is that there is absolutely no way we can navigate it without making some of our players really mad.”
Faced with such a quandary, Johnson said Valve ultimately came back around to one of the company’s founding principles: “Valve shouldn’t be the ones deciding this.”
“If you’re a player, we shouldn’t be choosing for you what content you can or can’t buy,” Johnson wrote. “If you’re a developer, we shouldn’t be choosing what content you’re allowed to create. Those choices should be yours to make. Our role should be to provide systems and tools to support your efforts to make these choices for yourself, and to help you do it in a way that makes you feel comfortable.”
True to this bedrock notion, Johnson announced a new Steam Store content policy which is neither vague nor timid.
“With that principle in mind, we’ve decided that the right approach is to allow everything onto the Steam Store, except for things that we decide are illegal, or straight up trolling,” Johnson wrote.
Recognizing that the new policy won’t be the end of controversy surrounding content offered on the store, Johnson said the time saved by not having to closely police the content on Steam will be dedicated toward developing additional tools and options for users, to players and customers them more control over what the content and options displayed to them.
“We already have some tools, but they’re too hidden and not nearly comprehensive enough,” Johnson wrote. “We are going to enable you to override our recommendation algorithms and hide games containing the topics you’re not interested in. So if you don’t want to see anime games on your Store, you’ll be able to make that choice. If you want more options to control exactly what kinds of games your kids see when they browse the Store, you’ll be able to do that.”
Customers aren’t the only ones who will benefit from Valve’s efforts to enhance its tools and controls, Johnson noted.
“And it’s not just players that need better tools either,” Johnson wrote. “Developers who build controversial content shouldn’t have to deal with harassment because their game exists, and we’ll be building tools and options to support them too.”
Whether Valve’s new policy will survive future content-based controversies (and the internet outrage which inevitably follows them) remains to be seen, of course. But at a time when many platforms and sites seem to be backing away from controversial user-generated content or are being encouraged to develop tools to prevent such from being uploaded to their properties in the first place, I think Valve should be commended for putting choice back in the hands of its players and customers, rather than trying to serve as a game-content chaperone.
