kuncol02
Banned
Even worse, Poles.
That virus is already in Poland, there is no escape.
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SUPERHOT VR update removes "self harm" - "Considering sensitive time we’re living in, we can do better than that. You deserve better."
- Thread starter ShadowLag
- Start date
That virus is already in Poland, there is no escape.
Shmunter
Member
The dev cried foul to steam?
kuncol02
Banned
Steam removes "off-topic review bombs" from overall game review scores
Responding to ongoing concerns about "review bombs" negatively affecting games' review scores for issues unrelated to t…
www.gamesindustry.biz
IMO in this situation that reviews are not off topic. They are response for current state of game.
Shmunter
Member
Holy shit. Talk about real world self harm, to your company, your reputation and all those that rely on a living working there. Goodbye and good luck you sanctimonious garbos.
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Portugeezer
Member
You're a product of your environment.
KormaChameleon
Member
"I regret nothing!" Speaking of which, everyone should buy Postal 4 and support Running With Sisscors. They're not going PC anytime soon!!
tommib
Member
That’s fucking sweet. Made my day.
This is SuprerIdiot. An update should not affect your gaming experience, considering updates are almost mandatory.
It would have been a better solution to remove the game entirely and re-upload it as a new game/id/whatsoever.
ShadowNate
Member
"I don't want us to sell this version any more"
So stop selling it. Delist it. Release a remake with changes.
Let those who already purchased it keep the original (or the final anyway) version, before you went woke.
Don't start chopping off stuff because of current climate and sensitivities, or expect the backlash and people not trusting you any more.
So stop selling it. Delist it. Release a remake with changes.
Let those who already purchased it keep the original (or the final anyway) version, before you went woke.
Don't start chopping off stuff because of current climate and sensitivities, or expect the backlash and people not trusting you any more.
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JumpMan1981
Banned
Right. As if I am going to investigate every update for every game that I own to then decide if I want the update or not.
tommib
Member
Honestly, what’s next? They’ll remove the ability to jump from a cliff on the original Tomb Raider so that you can’t commit suicide by neck-breaking? The problem with this type of self-censorship is that it can easily raise all sorts of question marks on what’s offensive. It’s a shit move and a possible Pandora box.
ripeavocado
Banned
One of the best VR games available.
SUPERHOT VR - Important update (1.0.22.1) - Steam News
“Skip disturbing scenes” toggle was added in a previous update. Considering sensitive time we’re living in, we can do better than that. You deserve better. All scenes alluding to self harm are now completely removed from the game. These scenes have no place in superhot virtual reality. We regret...store.steampowered.com
The game released on Steam 4 years ago (May 2017), and it's based on the idea of being in a Matrix-like reality where your own existence is in question and nothing is as it seems. One of the game's slogans is "mind is software".
The "self harm" in question is a couple of gameplay moments where you have to point your gun at your own head and pull the trigger to advance to the next level, really going in with the game's "who and what am I really?" story theme and teleporting you/your consciousness to the next scenario.
A previous update had added a toggle option to disable these scenes for those who were sensitive to them, but apparently someone decided that wasn't enough and this content was so offensive they got the devs to pull the sequences from the game entirely. They're currently getting review bombed on steam for this.
UPDATE:
After 27 pages of negative comments on the news post for the patch, the devs have locked the thread:
Recent reviews for the game on the store page have dropped from Very Positive to Mixed since I made this thread:
Of course it's not okay to trash the devs or anyone else personally in the comments, but I think it's definitely the wrong way to be responding to their playerbase right now.
this is retarded.
nemiroff
Gold Member
I think the absolute worst of this (well, I guess changing a years old game instead of making a new one is the worst..) is the odd idea from the developers that "killing" the fictional main character is somehow worse than the entire premise of the game which is "violence and murder" of other fictional characters.. To be consistent, and I'm not saying this in jest, they should remove the whole game from the market entirely to logically justify their feelings/reasons.
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ripeavocado
Banned
This is just virtue signalling by weaklings.
About the concerns about triggers: people are supposed to get better and become able to manage them, not get worse.
If we had to shape society to avoid any potential trigger people may develop we will be all fucking sick and have a shitty life.
This "some people have it worse so everyone else should have it too" is a stupid and selfish ideology coming out from people that are just hateful and envy at others (not necessarily the actual people that have it worse but usually people that want to speak for them)
Losers that don't want to get better but that enjoy seeing suffering people that are doing better than them.
Doczu
Member
JumpMan1981
Banned
I'm not offended or upset or outraged. Superhot is a good game that I already had my fill of some time ago.
I just find the situation so fascinating.
Gaming, when compared to other entertainment mediums, feels uniquely vulnerable to this kind of "censorship".
Back in the day you could hear a song on the radio with the naughty lyrics either changed or bleeped out but you could also go down to your local record store and buy a hard copy of the music that would have everything included. If you take care of your stuff you could still have that hard copy now and could still enjoy it. Even if for the world at large the original isn't easily accessible anymore. This goes the same for books and movies.
I'm thinking of the "Han Shot First" controversy with Star Wars where Lucas has changed things for the updated version and has also made some small attempts to suppress the old version. In so many ways it just feels wrong.
With a videogame that is only available digitally? I wonder how far they could push this.
Superhot is a 2016 game but in 2021 the developer has had a change of heart regarding the content.
So there is a possibility to wipe every copy of the game with a digital update.
What would it take to get players really properly outraged about something like this? How far could they go?
I just find the situation so fascinating.
Gaming, when compared to other entertainment mediums, feels uniquely vulnerable to this kind of "censorship".
Back in the day you could hear a song on the radio with the naughty lyrics either changed or bleeped out but you could also go down to your local record store and buy a hard copy of the music that would have everything included. If you take care of your stuff you could still have that hard copy now and could still enjoy it. Even if for the world at large the original isn't easily accessible anymore. This goes the same for books and movies.
I'm thinking of the "Han Shot First" controversy with Star Wars where Lucas has changed things for the updated version and has also made some small attempts to suppress the old version. In so many ways it just feels wrong.
With a videogame that is only available digitally? I wonder how far they could push this.
Superhot is a 2016 game but in 2021 the developer has had a change of heart regarding the content.
So there is a possibility to wipe every copy of the game with a digital update.
What would it take to get players really properly outraged about something like this? How far could they go?
JumpMan1981
Banned
It's a very valid point.
Violence is one of the core components of so many games.
It's like they want to change enough to show that they care but they don't care enough to just delete the game entirely.
There is a sense of inconsistency there.
Also wouldn't purposefully allowing yourself to die in game over and over again also be classed as "self-harm".
I am going to run into this bar with all these violent NPC and let them shotgun me to death. Is that not suicide?
ShadowNate
Member
Some people have voiced this concern specifically about the GaaS model, but you could say that that model inherently suggests that there maybe significant updates and changes in the offered content as time passes.
This is different, but not entirely unprecedented. I wouldn't put removing or replacing an original soundtrack due to licensing issues in the same box, but eg. the case of TellTale's Sam 'n Max Season One remaster that came out last year was quite similar. The new dev studio switched out the voice actor for a "black" (...) character and in the process of doing so removed a few jokes that they felt they were offensive in the current climate/current sensitivities. It was different in that the old version did not get retroactively changed (but it has a few serious bugs that also never got fixed) and they eventually included it as DLC with the remaster.
Still, it looks like there is a trend for this and, for now, sporadic attempts to gauge reactions (or maybe trigger them intentionally, I don't know).
This is different, but not entirely unprecedented. I wouldn't put removing or replacing an original soundtrack due to licensing issues in the same box, but eg. the case of TellTale's Sam 'n Max Season One remaster that came out last year was quite similar. The new dev studio switched out the voice actor for a "black" (...) character and in the process of doing so removed a few jokes that they felt they were offensive in the current climate/current sensitivities. It was different in that the old version did not get retroactively changed (but it has a few serious bugs that also never got fixed) and they eventually included it as DLC with the remaster.
Still, it looks like there is a trend for this and, for now, sporadic attempts to gauge reactions (or maybe trigger them intentionally, I don't know).
kuncol02
Banned
That explains a lot. For these who don't know Łódź is Poland's Detroit.
SJRB
Gold Member
Messiah complex, much?
This is so bizarre to read through. What world do guys like this live in? Get out of your bubble mate, it's not healthy.
MrFunSocks
Banned
I mean if you want to make sure you agree with everything that the update does then you’ll have to.
KormaChameleon
Member
A simple "This game contains scenes of suicide which some players may find distressing, We have included an option in the game play settings if you wish to disable such content" would have worked rather than censoring the game for everyone. Poor show from the developers.
Maiden Voyage
Gold™ Member
Why would anyone have confidence to buy another product from this dev? There is no guarantee they won't remove content. Seems to me like a dumb, short-sighted move.
Whitecrow
Banned
Its CEO just gained the studio some bad reputation.
I adore to see virtue signaling destroying things.
Razvedka
Banned
You should be worried of the present toughness of people, but lets focus on men. The signs have been here all along, this is not a recent phenomenon.
You're Not The Man Your Father Was
Traditional ideas about manhood are getting a shakeup as today’s lower-androgen men grapple with both physiological and social change.
www.forbes.com
Chemicals, lifestyle changes- whatever. People, but men specifically in this instance, are a far cry from what they were just two generations ago. Seeing such moral hysterics and hand wringing is not surprising in light of the evidence, and its easy to see how this course will continue to deepen.
This story means nothing to me, its just yet another amusing bullet point on a list of things which illustrate decline. We should be encouraging players to face adversity and to think on difficult things, not hiding from them. Coddling doesn't lead to productive ends.
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Old_and_Slow
Member
"Almost 8 years have passed and we're still stuck making games about self-destructive loop"
Once again Devs, put your money where your mouth is. Make something else that does not have any violence if you're so concerned. This whole stance is so stupid in a game about killing dudes in the most efficient way possible.
Once again Devs, put your money where your mouth is. Make something else that does not have any violence if you're so concerned. This whole stance is so stupid in a game about killing dudes in the most efficient way possible.
Twinguistics
Member
You slipped into option when you said "illustrate decline". It's just an opinion that this is a symptom of some social decline. Some could argue that it's a societal incline.You should be worried of the present toughness of people, but lets focus on men. The signs have been here all along, this is not a recent phenomenon.
You're Not The Man Your Father Was
Traditional ideas about manhood are getting a shakeup as today’s lower-androgen men grapple with both physiological and social change.
Chemicals, lifestyle changes- whatever. People, but men specifically in this instance, are a far cry from what they were just two generations ago. Seeing such moral hysterics and hand wringing is not surprising in light of the evidence, and its easy to see how this course will continue to deepen.
This story means nothing to me, its just yet another amusing bullet point on a list of things which illustrate decline. We should be encouraging players to face adversity and to think on difficult things, not hiding from them. Coddling doesn't lead to productive ends.
Being so invested in the anti-woke narrative that you're aware of articles on alleged testosterone decline is really sad.
People on this forum have really blown this 'woke' stuff up into a world ending threat to peoplekind when its really not that serious.
Knickers dun be twisted.
My issue with your post was that you took your own tolerance for removed content as the limit for when it's okay for other people to be upset. Your tolerance is completely arbitrary and the people crying about the removal of 30 seconds of unique content shouldn't be condescended because you personally don't think it's worth a fuss.
As for my opinion on the matter, I don't care what the content is, I don't want it removed at another person's discretion after I already paid for it. After the point of sale a seller of a product should not be able to alter it without the buyer's permission.
This is a fascinating subject, though, and it's always curious how different people feel about owner's rights. Apparently the developers are erasing controversial content because they think the times are too sensitive and they're doing it for some greater good cause. I don't like that.
For some of the same reasons I wouldn't want someone else to alter my copy of Huckleberry-Finn by removing the racial slurs.
ShadowNate
Member
I would argue that in this case, and some similar ones, they actually believe what they write, and that their decision is justified.
It's just that for an external observer it is obvious they undergone some mind poisoning by woke idiocy.
I don't think this going as well as they thought it would. Despite the "modern sensitivities climate". Probably see it as dying on the cross in the name of what's just or something.
Complete disconnect from their own user base, holy shit.
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worldwithpyramids
Member
Did anyone tell these devs that they make video games? A video game where you methodically murder things? What about our current culture makes self-harm a necessary cut but mass murder simulations are just fine?
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Razvedka
Banned
I'm asserting there is a decline in the fortitude of people, absolutely. That is my argument. I am not arguing that this position/conclusion is self evident- because I don't believe in self evident truth.
Naturally people take umbrage with my argument and have an alternative perspective. I welcome that dialogue. So I'm not clear what the point was for the first half of your post, but certainly we're on the same page there.
As for "invested"- I actually know this stuff because I study male health for my own benefit. This includes seeing the effects of Testosterone, HGH, etc on the body and what happens with our bodies as they age. In this process, you invariably come across literature on what "healthy levels are" for a male, and then history of what levels are recorded to be at in the pop on average. But there's other aspects I look into, like combative chronic inflammation, creating healthy conditions for cartilage repair, etc.
So, no, I didn't know this because I'm invested with the "woke" situation. It's because I'm a bit of a health nerd. I'm texting this to you in-between deadlift sets. While on a 30hr water fast lmao.
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Twinguistics
Member
That's actually really interesting.
Never heard of a water fast but am aware of food fasting benefits.
You're probably an interesting person to talk to as I'm interested in health too but clearly less so than you are.
Razvedka
Banned
Hey, appreciate the kind words. And I hope I didn't come across like an ass to you personally, didn't intend it.
I'm all about good conversations.
I think I'm about to die though.
With respect to the OP, as stated, this one incident is meaningless if disappointing. When examined next to a bigger data set, it becomes disconcerting. I'm all for loving people, but the universe is a cold and violent place. To the degree which it is beneficial, we must all be strong.
So confronting uncomfortable concepts, like in this video game, I think is *good* for personal growth. We shouldn't turn away.
Memorabilia
Member
It's 2021. Nobody should be surprised by this. Woke-ism is a collective mental illness/mind virus & it's spreading fast...
Captain Toad
Banned
Self harm is bad. Please stick to shooting other people.
RayHell
Member
Art takes courage, when you change your art to appease someone sensibility you do pretty much the same than medieval mob burning science books. Seeing company bowing in front of over sensitive minority is pretty sad imo and reflect the growing sickness of our time.
Removing self harm will not do a single thing to cure depression and suicide, but it's doing a lot to kill art/history.
Removing self harm will not do a single thing to cure depression and suicide, but it's doing a lot to kill art/history.
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