How does everyone feel about Valve pulling 'Hatred' from Greenlight?

[Bateluer]

Game kinda looked dumb to me, so I didn't pay much attention to it. Lot of websites crying 'censorship' right now though, thats a valid statement to make. Why ban 'Hatred' but still allow a slew of other violent games?

I'd rather see Valve pull the plug on games that stay in Early Access indefinitely while still taking consumer's money. Oh, and improving their customer service . . . by actually having one.

 

[DaveSimmons]

It's hard for me to feel any anger over them pulling a game where the only activity is to go around murdering innocents for no reason at all.

Sure, you could kill everyone in the world in Fallout 1, but that wasn't the point of the game.

It also makes business sense not to sell a game that's instant bait for the "think of the childrenz!" crowd. Unlike other violent video games, this one really is just a murder simulator.

 

[Bateluer]

It's hard for me to feel any anger over them pulling a game where the only activity is to go around murdering innocents for no reason at all.

Sure, you could kill everyone in the world in Fallout 1, but that wasn't the point of the game.

It also makes business sense not to sell a game that's instant bait for the "think of the childrenz!" crowd. Unlike other violent video games, this one really is just a murder simulator.

And yet they're still selling both Postal Games, the entire Saint's Row series, and the entire Grand Theft Auto series.

 

[spat55]

I haven't heard of the game but isn't it up to people to make their own minds up? In Counter Strike you play as Terrorists that kill the Counter Terrorists, so is that encouraging me to have a stand off with the SAS?

 

[Jodell88]

And yet they're still selling both Postal Games, the entire Saint's Row series, and the entire Grand Theft Auto series.

And the point of those games isn't to go around and murder innocents just because you have a chip on your shoulder.

Can you go around killing innocents in those games? Absolutely.

Is it the point of those games? No, not at all.

 

[Demoralized]

I see nothing wrong with it. It's a game, a simple **REMOVED** game. If parents looked at the ratings and the reason for the rating, and gave some attention to what little Johnny was doing on PC/PS4/Xbone, instead of letting technology raise him/her, we wouldn't have this 'think of the children **REMOVED**'. It's an adults only game you **REMOVED**douchebag, little johnny is not an adult. **REMOVED**twats. Anyway, senseless murder is always fun in a game, why not have a game where that's the point? Nothing else, just kill.




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[Qbah]

I'm happy they pulled it. Next thing we know there will be a game about raping or tying people to chairs and repeatedly stabbing them, while they beg for their life and drown in their own blood. Cause it's just a game, right? Wrong. Such things are sick and I'm happy they're being actively blocked. They only serve to feed sick minds which should get some serious help instead. This goes double if it's an adult that wants to "play" such sick things.

GTA for me walks a fine line, never crossing it, as its purpose is not letting you kill innocent people. Killing is "just a side effect" of the characters being criminals with specific goals in their lives. Saint's Row is very over the top and killing is not the goal of the game either.

 

[Demoralized]

Holy Over Sensitive Batman! Most of the evening news is more horrific than a game about killing. That's real, this is a game. Why don't we ban violent, graphic movies and TV while we're at it. Maybe I just get the 'it's only a game' thing, maybe I have a twisted sense of humor, maybe I need some serious help.... who knows. But what I do know is that, as an adult, I get to make my own choices. Not have a bunch of overly sensitive twats make choices for me. You don't agree with the game then don't buy or play it. If you have kids make sure they don't get their hands on it, but let everyone else decide for themselves. Anyone remember Thrill Kill?

 

[Qbah]

Games are interactive. Movies are not. You do not get to decide anything while watching a movie. You actively decide to kill in a game. There's a huge difference. They are not really comparable.

 

[motsm]

I don't like that they removed it, but I understand why they would.

 

[NikolaeVarius]

Really really stupid. People need to get over themselves and their moral high ground.

"It's a murder simulator, there is no point to anything but killing people"

So? Who cares? Why do those arguments even matter?

 

[motsm]

Looks like Steam is still selling the Postal series. So I wonder where exactly their line is?

 

[rivethead]

I like it and I wish Steam would do more of this. I have a very limited amount of time in my life to spend on entertainment. I need all the help I can get in filtering through the mass of sh*t out there and zero in on quality games worth my time.

People that want to play this fringe stuff can go someplace else to buy it. I want Steam to be the Costco of video games (i.e. each product vetted before being sold) in some respects.

JMHO

 

[ImpulsE69]

Eh, it's their store so it's their right, but it is also the start of censorship since they have a such a big hand in PC gaming.

It does seem odd that Postals are there. Same controversy when it came out to. People got over it. And yes for whoever said the sole motivation in those games wasn't to kill innocents...yes, it was.

Murder is the primary gameplay in over half of the video games that come out. It is just covered by a thin veil of good vs evil and monsters.

 

[motsm]

I like it and I wish Steam would do more of this. I have a very limited amount of time in my life to spend on entertainment. I need all the help I can get in filtering through the mass of sh*t out there and zero in on quality games worth my time.

People that want to play this fringe stuff can go someplace else to buy it. I want Steam to be the Costco of video games (i.e. each product vetted before being sold) in some respects.

JMHO

So you want Steam to filter out games based on completely arbitrary protesting? I despise that way of thinking, it's absolutely sickening to me. Far worse than anything I could imagine in that game.

 

[Bateluer]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWyLLoPHaMk

Jim Sterling really sums up my opinion well. I'd much rather Valve pull absolute crap; Slaughtering Grounds, Infestation, Gary's Incident, and so on, should have never been allowed.

 

[StrangerGuy]

And the point of those games isn't to go around and murder innocents just because you have a chip on your shoulder.

Can you go around killing innocents in those games? Absolutely.

Is it the point of those games? No, not at all.

I'm 100% sure you can't murder innocents, police or even hookers in GTA in every violent way possible-Oh wait.

Hell, let's not make anything at all since anything is going to offend at least some people. And the real kicker is NOBODY is forcing ANYBODY to play it.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

I could not possibly care less. They have every right to do it, people have every right to voice their displeasure. Frankly, I would be happy if they finally scrapped Steam Greenlight altogether.

 

[PrincessFrosty]

And the point of those games isn't to go around and murder innocents just because you have a chip on your shoulder.

Can you go around killing innocents in those games? Absolutely.

Is it the point of those games? No, not at all.

I don't think you've played postal 2, nor do you even have any idea what it means to go postal.

 

[clok1966]

I could not possibly care less. They have every right to do it, people have every right to voice their displeasure. Frankly, I would be happy if they finally scrapped Steam Greenlight altogether.

They are, at least it was said they where going to slowly ramp it down and end it. Wish i could remember where i read that.

 

[Jodell88]

I don't think you've played postal 2, nor do you even have any idea what it means to go postal.

Jesus H. Christ. /facepalm

Postal 2 is a game where you have to make it through the week. You get your everyday tasks and you have to complete them. How the player chooses to do those tasks are up to them. If you want to go murder the entire town, you can do that. If you don't want to kill anyone, you can do that to.

It's not the violence that's bothering people about Hatred, it's the context of the violence. That's the key thing, context. If the people were zombies this entire saga would not be happening. Again, it is the context for the violence is why there's a bit of an outrage against the game.

I personally don't care if the game gets made or if it's on Steam. I can see why it should be on it Steam and I can see why Valve doesn't want it on Steam. Good luck to the devs getting much sales though.

 

[sweenish]

Games are interactive. Movies are not. You do not get to decide anything while watching a movie. You actively decide to kill in a game. There's a huge difference. They are not really comparable.

If you think that makes all the difference in the world, you're wrong.

Violent video games do not influence violent behavior. Studies have shown this far more than the opposite.

Exposing children to R-rated movies does have a negative effect on them. Studies have shown this.

I may not care for a game like that, but censorship is a serious issue that easily leads to slippery slopes.

 

[Red Hawk]

It's their decision. If Valve doesn't want the game on Steam, they don't have to put the game on Steam. It would be different if this was a government agency censoring the game or something, but it's not, it's Valve's own decision. You can go around crying about "free speech" all you want, but "free speech" doesn't mean that everyone is going to help you with it. And I'm not shedding any tears over this game not being on Steam.

 

[sweenish]

I understand it's Valve's decision, and I'm not decrying the death of free speech. I know how it works.

Censorship is always an issue. It's so easy to get slippery as well. I understand that they would probably just not deal with it than try to make some kind of principled stand.

I wouldn't even care that Walmart refuses to sell CD's with warning labels, but they will carry censored copies of those albums with not sign or notification that all albums are clean?

Stores in Australia have pulled GTA V. Censorship is still an issue that needs to be addressed; regardless of the fact that it's not interfering with free speech.

Obviously they're free to do what they want. They're not my stores. My point is very easy to get, censorship like this is bad.

 

[PrincessFrosty]

Postal 2 is a game where you have to make it through the week. You get your everyday tasks and you have to complete them. How the player chooses to do those tasks are up to them. If you want to go murder the entire town, you can do that. If you don't want to kill anyone, you can do that to.

Wrong.

The first few mundane tasks can be completed without violence however the rest of the game has forced violence, various gangs of people take offense to you and attack you on sight meaning you're left having no option but to confront people and hose them down.

The game is OBVIOUSLY geared around mechanics that drive you to the option to go crazy and murder innocent civilians, there's no sense that waiting in line to cash a cheque is any kind of game, and to deny this blatent point would to be extremely intellectually dishonest.

Look up the definition of postal, wikipedia has this to say

Going postal, in American English slang, means becoming extremely and uncontrollably angry, often to the point of violence, and usually in a workplace environment.

The expression derives from a series of incidents from 1986 onward in which United States Postal Service (USPS) workers shot and killed managers, fellow workers, and members of the police or general public in acts of mass murder. Between 1986 and 1997, more than 40 people were gunned down by spree killers in at least 20 incidents of workplace rage.

Postal 2 was based off the original postal which is clearly what Hatred is some kind of spiritual successor to, it's just mindless violence against innocent people. Not a single person bought postal 2 because it was a stand in line simulator and no one who bought postal 2 played it through without being non-violent, that's not even possible.

Valve have the right to remove whatever they like from their own store, it doesn't mean they have a good reason to do it and it doesn't stop other people from pointing out their blatant hypocrisy.