The International Game Developers Association (IGDA) has issued a statement on the recent wave of Steam censorship, condemning the opaque rules that resulted in hundreds of game delistings and calling for greater transparency. The move marks the latest in a sequence of public pushbacks against Steam’s updated content guidelines and the manner in which they were updated.
Founded in 1994, the IGDA is the world’s largest nonprofit membership organization for game developers, which numbered over 12,000 members in the early 2020s. While some developers consider its influence to be waning, the IGDA’s Special Interest Groups (SIGs) still play an active role in advocating for key industry issues, such as game accessibility, inclusivity, and global labor rights.
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Another Platform Follows Steam’s Lead By Removing Adult Games Due to ‘Critical Pressure’
Following Steam’s removal of adult games and subsequent content policy updates, another major platform for indie developers goes the same route.
Continuing this trend, the IGDA has moved to condemn the recent wave of Steam censorship that saw Valve begin removing adult games from its digital storefront. “We are alarmed by the vague enforcement of policies delisting and deplatforming legal, consensual, and ethically-developed games, especially from LGBTQ+ and marginalized creators,” the organization said in a July 29 statement.
IGDA Calls for Video Game Storefront Reform
The IGDA has also joined the calls for Steam and other digital platforms to change their approach to content moderation. “Developers deserve clear rules, fair warnings, and the right to appeal,” a group representative said. In addition to Steam, the IGDA criticized Itch.io for its recent efforts to remove adult games from its platform without offering affected developers any form of recourse.
We are alarmed by the vague enforcement of policies delisting and deplatforming legal, consensual, and ethically-developed games, especially from LGBTQ+ and marginalized creators. Developers deserve clear rules, fair warnings, and the right to appeal.
IGDA Wants Game Content Moderation with Nuance and Accountability
The IGDA has acknowledged that the recent wave of Steam censorship is a result of payment processor pressure, which is something that Australian group Collective Shout previously took credit for, citing its activism efforts. According to Collective Shout, its campaign was aimed at adult games featuring harmful content, including rape and child abuse. The IGDA’s statement clarifies that payment processors have “long had” rules against such content and that it’s not opposed to them existing. Instead, the nonprofit is calling for reform in how these policies are enforced, advocating for greater nuance and accountability to prevent the removal of games that do not actually violate content guidelines, which it believes occurred in this case.
The IGDA’s July 29 statement also highlights the opaque dynamic between platforms like Steam and payment processors such as Visa and MasterCard, arguing that it allows the latter to shape which interactive stories can be told without public scrutiny. Beyond financial and reputational harm, the group warned that unaccountable and selective rule enforcement fosters creative suppression, particularly among developers already underrepresented in the industry. Looking to start addressing these issues, the IGDA has launched an anonymized data-gathering effort and issued a list of policy recommendations, including clear content guidelines, appeals processes, and regular transparency reporting.
- Brand
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Valve
- Original Release Date
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September 12, 2003
- Original MSRP (USD)
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N/A
- Weight
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N/A
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