Steam opens up platform to include “everything,” barring “illegal” content or “trolling”

Steam is radically changing the parameters for the content it allows.

Steam is radically changing the parameters for the content it allows.

Following controversies that have raged over the last few weeks over what types of games are allowed on the gaming storefront, Valve’s Erik Johnson has explained the company’s new position: It will allow anything except illegal content or obvious trolling. 

“Taking this approach allows us to focus less on trying to police what should be on Steam, and more on building those tools to give people control over what kinds of content they see,” Johnson said.

The blog lined out the fact that Steam already has a team that inspects “every controversial title” that’s submitted, with employees disagreeing over certain classifications just like regular Steam users do. Johnson said that there just isn’t any real way to navigate the choppy seas that come along with content curation without making some people mad. 

The solution, according to Johnson, was to just allow everything onto the store, and aloow users to police their own content from their own store page. New curation tools will allow anyone to simply override Steam’s store algorithms and block types of content they find offensive. Additionally, improved anti-harassment measures will be implemented to protect developers who end up creating games that could potentially be seen as offensive.

Valve will handle some of this content on a case-by-case basis. 

“Our current thinking is that we’re going to push developers to further disclose any potentially problematic content in their games during the submission process, and cease doing business with any of them that refuse to do so honestly,” Johnson explained. 

Steam was quick to remind users that this decision isn’t about taking a side, or choosing to work with those who generate offensive content. But the takeaway is that anyone who finds certain games an affront to good taste shouldn’t have the power to take away developers’ voices. 

“We believe you should be able to express yourself like everyone else, and to find others who want to play your game. But that’s it,” Johnson said.