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hello!
I'm posting early today because I had something urgent to take care of this afternoon. It may seem a bit empty, but it is full of rich information about events in the gaming industry, so read it and enjoy!
💦 [Game Censorship of the Week] Steam Begins Comprehensive Content Censorship! Is the Era of General Censorship Coming? ⚔️ [Industry Conflict of the Week] Anniversary Becomes a Day of Conflict… DnF 20th Anniversary Event Cancelled 🤣 [Game Humor of the Week] Fresh perspectives from people who haven't played games 😶🌫️ [Steam Summary of the Week] Dedicated Servers and Butts That Are Taking Over Steam Trends 🙀 [This Week's Side Story Chat] Is Illegal Copying Really So Bad? - The Postal Creator's Argument 👾 [Emulating News of the Week] Italy Arrests Emulator Reviewer, Could He Face Up to 3 Years in Prison? 🔊 [Game News of the Week] Short but important industry news
💦 [Game Censorship of the Week] Steam Begins Comprehensive Content Censorship! Is the Era of General Censorship Coming?
Updated “What Not to Post” suggests censorship of certain kinds of adult only content.
A big change has come to Steam, which has always advocated for content autonomy and non-interference . This is a somewhat unexpected change for Steam, which has been unwavering despite government requests.
Now, “Steam has changed its policy to not allow games that violate the rules and standards set by payment processors and internet network providers.” Although it says it uses the vague term 'certain kinds of adult only content' , The direction can be seen in the subsequent mass deletion of incest and violence-themed games .
As it says Steam's payment processors and related card networks and banks, Although there is no specific mention, many users see this as an extension of the Pornhub incident that occurred in 2020-2021. This is the case where Mastercard and Visa suspended payment services with Pornhub due to issues such as child sexual exploitation material, hidden cameras, and uploading without consent . Since then, both companies have begun requiring more stringent content monitoring and certification policies from adult content providers .
Most transactions on Steam are credit card-based, and violating Visa/MasterCard regulations could have a huge impact on global sales.
The deleted games give us a rough idea of the direction this censorship is taking: incest, child, and violent content.
Additionally, major infrastructure providers such as Amazon AWS, Cloudflare, and Google Cloud, which provide global web services, are also strengthening their service policies .
In particular , incest, children, **fantasy, etc. are mostly classified as “forbidden content,” and sites that use this server infrastructure have even been threatened with hosting suspension.
Although Steam has its own infrastructure, it operates some networks by outsourcing them depending on the region , so I think this is to respond to that. Recently, the Midnight Diner channel in Korea, which shared shady material, was shut down for similar reasons (threat to server host shutdown due to DMCA violations).
It could also be a problem with your Internet Service Provider . For example, in Korea, there are KT, SK Broadband, and LG U+, which provide Korea's internet communication network. It's also possible that Internet Service Providers (ISPs), who have no choice but to go there to access the Internet, have asked Steam to censor them as a "condition for using their network."
Domestic users have no choice but to use the Internet through domestic ISPs (SK, KT, LG U+).
These ISPs are required to block illegal sites and content.
People on Steam Reddit didn't seem to have any particular disagreement about censored content, but “Credit card companies should not be the ones deciding what kind of content is available for sale,” he said, clearly expressing concerns about censorship . It also revealed a perspective that values freedom of expression, saying that even if a particular game is unpleasant, that unpleasantness should not be used to block the expression of others.
I agree with the censorship of such “specific adult content,” but I think it’s wrong for the payment company to have the power to decide . There was also much criticism that card companies were focusing on managing their brand image rather than protecting consumers. There was also criticism about the current capital monopoly structure, which allows card companies with no understanding of content to exert strong influence .
People in regions where such content is not taboo have also expressed resistance to the cultural imperative of “why should content be removed based on American moral standards?” Surprisingly, European users also raised a lot of criticism about the unilateral application of these “American-centric moral standards.”
There have also been calls for competing payment platforms, or for signature campaigns like the recently successful Stop Killing Game.
There was also an approach from the consumer's perspective. There was also a libertarian view that “I should decide what to buy with my money.” He said that if the content is not legally problematic, the purchase decision is solely between the user and the seller, and that no one should be influenced by it.
Now , Koreans are subject to not only domestic censorship, but also global censorship. I'm not advocating incest or violent content, but there are so many precedents for censorship that started this way and then expanded .
For example, Patreon, which was used by many creators, also had to strengthen censorship due to pressure from card companies and payment processors. Censorship has expanded every year, and since then, many creators have left Patreon, and it has been evaluated as a step back for creative freedom . The OnlyFans incident is also famous.
This censorship in particular is an incident that shows that “if the card company or internet provider doesn’t like it, they can erase it.” What do you think about this censorship incident?
🆙 Update) Since writing this, hundreds of adult games have been continuously removed from the Steam store from yesterday to today. Censorship is expanding across the board to include adult content other than incest and children. Even popular games like Manchayul 300% are being deleted.
🆙 Update) There are reports that censorship has begun not only for the current game, but also for various mods . Please note, mod censorship is currently only reported and not officially confirmed.
🆙 Update) In response to inquiries from some media outlets, Steam responded that this censorship was indeed carried out under pressure from card companies .
⚔️ [Industry Conflict of the Week] Anniversary Becomes a Day of Conflict… DnF 20th Anniversary Event Cancelled
Neople, a subsidiary of Nexon and the developer of Dungeon & Fighter, has announced the cancellation of “DNF Universe 2025,” the 20th anniversary event of DnF .
This event, celebrating the 20th anniversary, will include major updates for the second half of DnF, It was planned as a large-scale offline event where various games such as PC DnF, DnF Mobile, First Berserker: Kazan, and Cyphers will all be gathered in one place. This was an event that fans had been looking forward to, with a wealth of content including lectures, update demonstration zones, and limited edition goods.
However, we have decided to cancel the event because we judged that it would be difficult to present the content that we originally wanted to show with sufficient completeness . In lieu of this event, they plan to change the social contribution event . They said they will announce it again as soon as it is decided.
Although the announcement stated that the event was canceled “due to lack of preparation and completion,” the industry sees the ongoing Neople strike as a direct result of the cancellation.
Recently, Neople achieved its best performance since its establishment with operating profit of over 1 trillion won, thanks to the success of Dungeon & Fighter Mobile in the Chinese market. However, the performance-based pay that employees received was less than promised , and the accumulated dissatisfaction with the intensity of labor that they had endured while receiving performance-based pay exploded . As a result, approximately 900 people, equivalent to two-thirds of Neople employees, participated in a general strike , effectively paralyzing work.
This situation does not appear to be a sudden conflict, but rather the result of accumulated structural instability in the past. Neople once had an incident that shook the foundation of the lives of its employees when it relocated to Jeju Island. And later, when the Seoul branch was re-established, employees often expressed anxiety due to frequent changes in work locations. This was also pointed out loud during this strike.
However, Neople's employees are satisfied with the company's promise of a 30% high performance bonus (GI - Growth Incentive). They have been willing to move their land and work hard.
However, when Neople reduced performance-based pay (by 20%), the union membership rate exceeded 80%, showing that distrust in the company had reached its peak. This led to the current general strike. The union proposed distributing 4% of operating profits directly to employees , but management rejected the proposal, citing sustainability as a reason .
It looks like the strike will continue for some time as the opinions of labor and management continue to be at odds.
Despite our record-breaking performance, conflicts continue to arise, and we are now unable to even celebrate anniversaries together.
It 's unfortunate that the damage from that fight is passed on to the gamers who deserve it the most .
Paramedic and Chimera recently updated in DnF
🤣 [Game Humor of the Week] Fresh perspectives from people who haven't played games
So, when a game boasts about “good graphics!”, does that mean the PR person hasn’t played the game?
▷ Kedehun drawn with a classic beat 'em up game feel ◁
It would be fun if it really happened! ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ (@pixeljeff1995)
▷ What game's mistake scale ◁
I accidentally killed a few people…
It was clear this was intentional!
▷ People who say Hitman is difficult ◁
I told him to play hitman, but he's actually carrying out the assassination when there are no witnesses.
▷ Game Options The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse ◁
These are options that eat up the specs as they should, but actually make the graphics look worse. These are options that I really don't know why they were created. Let's turn them off for now. ㅠㅠ
▷ Unprecedented incident in trike history ◁
The representative's house deed that was held as collateral was blown away to another world.
Now even the boss himself is enjoying it hahaha
cc
Purchase completed, thank you for the great event.
congrats
I didn't expect it and got 3000,000, so I spun it quickly and couldn't capture it for a moment~
It's finally here after so long and so long~~
Hello, this is Pepper Game Studio!
Forest Heroes has officially launched today after approximately 6 months of Early Access!
Although it hasn't been long since we launched on the stove, we sincerely thank everyone who has supported us.
Rule Change - 'Flower'
When a battle starts at Curse Stage 5 or higher, a 'flower' will appear.
What would happen if you plucked this flower that looks so appealing?
Check it out in the game!
Hidden 4th Act 'Dawn' Opens
With the official launch, the hidden 4th act, 'Dawn', has been revealed.
Beyond the 'Oak Tree Long' stage, a secret final stage awaits, which only fairies who meet certain conditions can enter.
Add a card border
Card borders are applied to allied units that win together.
15 Allies who win the curse together will receive a golden border!
Changes
Buffer: Duration 5→8 seconds Fungi Mushroom: Increased explosion radius Rose Cupcakes: Common → Uncommon Heart Cupcakes: Uncommon → Common Cursed Doll: Uncommon → Common Rainbow: Damage 10→30 Shampoo: Increased thorns by 2→1 Charcoal: Activation time 5→6 seconds Socks: Common → UncommonAdditional Notes
Pale Fairy Skill Added: Skeleton Archer
Bug fixes
Fixed an issue where 'Puberty Monkey' was not affected by 'Arrow of Deception' Fixed an issue where the special unit that the 'Ball Bread Hamster' was appearing in did not receive a buff Fixed an issue where units with self-destruct effects such as 'Ssamdak' were not properly processed as dead when they self-destructed. Fixed the phenomenon where the 'Vulnerability' effect was applied to fixed damage such as 'Poison' and 'Bleeding'Current Puzzle & Casual Party and Exclusive Collaboration Event
There are various events where you can get discounts of up to 45% as shown above, so please enjoy them as much as possible!
thank you !
Big deal purchase today too~ Thank you for the 1+1 event~
I gave up on the game that gave me a 15% coupon.
I have poor hands so it's hard for me to get over 80 points.
My life is too precious to get a 15% coupon while I'm stressed out..ㅋㅋㅋ
Today, in a stove full of 2D pretty girls, there are a few real people appearing.
This is the RZ Cosplayer Club.
<Intro video, provided by Stove>
<Opening video, courtesy of Studio Tabi>
⚠️Mild spoiler alert⚠️
I tried to write a review that was as spoiler-free as possible, but some of the game content may be included.
For those who are sensitive to spoilers, please play the game and then read!
It is a new product that has been released less than a month ago (released on 25.06.26) .
It was created through a collaboration between the professional cosplay team 'RZCOS' and 'Studio Tabi', the developer of non-novel/unreleased works such as Love Stitch and The Incinerator of White.
When I first saw it, I thought it was one of those FMV games that come out a lot these days because it had a real person's photo as the title.
The game company also describes it as a ‘photo visual novel’...
I think it would be good to understand it as a spoonful of the high-quality cosplay photos of the RZCOS team .
<Character Branch UI>
Three heroines ( Nari, Yasal, and Shiru ) appear,
The basic plot of the story is about me, a returning student, joining my school's cosplay club as a photographer.
😀 Characters 🐱
Nari (CV, Su-hyeon)
She is a senior heroine who enjoys cosplaying while attending the computer engineering department, giving her a surprising(?) charm.
Yasal (CV, Bae Ha-kyung)
We met online and played games together for a long time.
The super pretty girl in the cosplay club was that friend?!
The heroine is in the friend position with the element of doing.
Siru (CV, Park Ha-jin)
The heroine has a younger sister position as a fashionista and junior.
Other characters
Although the amount of screen time is not large, some other people also appear!
Story & Characters
I felt like the heroines were created following the standard grammar of non-fiction/novel.
These characters are neither particularly unique nor particularly unusual.
I play visual novels often,
Three heroines with different styles, what happens in a new group (club), etc.
If you look at the story itself, it feels like a common(?) story in non-novels.
There are also elements like this messenger
There are also scenes that seem to be directed as if they are making a phone call.
However, the photos themselves are included in a variety of ways.
<Full gallery collection>
<Various photos>
Various actions for each theme photo(?) are also provided in the game. (I felt it was very rich.)
And bad endings and villains , which are often seen in non-novels these days
In the 'beginning-development-crisis-climax-conclusion' sequence , there were no major parts or characters that corresponded to 'crisis'.
So the game itself is very comfortable to play...
Minigame (Photo Time 📷 )
There is a mini-game in the middle where you take pictures, but the game itself isn't that long.
I only got to take pictures once or twice, and I was disappointed that the game itself seemed small compared to the cosplay pictures that appeared in-game.
Play time
I played a little quickly, so I played for a little under 3 hours.
It doesn't take that long to collect all the photos, one by one, for each route.
Photo visual novel...?
As a visual novel/game, I felt that there wasn't anything particularly unique about the gameplay elements.
There were definitely parts that gave a different feel to it because real photos were used.
The main impressions I had while playing the game were as follows.
Barriers to entry...
First of all, there was a barrier to entry to purchasing and starting the game.
I play a lot of visual novels, but...
This is because I find it cringey(?) to see artificial(? ) visual novel text in front of a real person’s photo.
In the early stages of play... I experienced several withdrawals due to not being able to sustain the game.
But again, humans are creatures of adaptation, so before I knew it, I just kept doing it.
The sense of dissonance that comes from a real model + voice actor...
The combination of 2D illustration + voice actor is a combination I've seen a lot, but the combination of 3D photo + voice actor was unfamiliar, so I felt a sense of discomfort.
I don't think the dubbing quality is low or anything.
It was awkward that only the actual photo was dubbed, which made the photo look awkward, similar to the entry barrier explained earlier.
However, as I watched this, I got used to it and it seemed okay.
Differences from cosplay photobooks
The RZCOS team has been selling high-quality photos in photo books in the past.
They didn't even make a purchase.
It felt expensive, and I thought, "Why would I pay money to buy something that only has pictures in it?"
But since it was released under the guise of a visual novel, I thought it was something new... and gave it a try.
It seems to have a similar structure to the photo book, but I didn't buy the photo book, but I bought this and played it.
<Clothes that are a bit revealing>
<Rather a precious kawaii(?) outfit>
These are my main impressions from purchasing to playing this game...
Here, I will summarize the pros and cons of this game and the people I recommend it to.
👍️Advantages
💡High-quality cosplay photos from professional teams💡
💡Full dubbing and easy-to-play game💡
👎Cons
💡Awkwardness from a cringey(?) story that takes place over real people’s photos💡
💡If you look at it positively, it's familiar, but on the other hand, it's a predictable story plot💡
So to sum it up, I think I can recommend it to those who were originally interested in cosplay or the RZCOS team .
Also, I usually play a lot of visual novels and games...
For those who feel too familiar with other 2D pretty girl illustrations, I recommend trying this as a new experience(?) .
It seemed to have another difference from the many video-focused FMV games or 2D visual novels that have been released in recent years.
And all the people who appear in this game are real people(?)
I'm leaving the Twitter links for the cast members in case anyone is curious.
Siru
[しる/sɪʀᴜ✨ (@siru_0207) on X]( https://x.com/siru_0207 )
Night owl
[Yasal / Yasal (@Yasal_170) on X]( https://x.com/Yasal_170 )
Naribat
[Nari✨나리땽 (@nariddyang) on X]( https://x.com/nariddyang )
Thank you for reading,
If you're interested in cosplay and visual novels, I highly recommend giving it a try!
😺Go straight to the RZ Cosplayer Club Store!➡️
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