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Developers need to be able to tackle a greater number of seemingly risqué themes if the games industry is to evolve.
That was the argument from indie creator Robert Yang at this year’s GDC, where the developer of Hurt Me Plenty and Succulent slammed what he perceived as a reluctance to address topics such as sex.
"If games want to be the most powerful industry and artform in the world, don’t freak out about dick jokes," he advised (via GI).
"Everyone loves to play games, some games are about sex. Don’t ban games just because they are about sex. Society will not collapse. Chill out, go get laid. Go get over it."
Yang admitted that the problem doesn’t lie solely with studios, as platforms such as Twitch and PayPal have also banned content that explores sexual topics.
"’Certain sexualities are banned’,” he stated, quoting PayPal’s Content Policy.
“Which sexualities? They won’t tell you. They say not to cross the line, but the line is invisible and shifting.”
Although the problem is industry-wide, Yang homed in on the hypocritical nature of restrictions to often ban smaller indie titles, while the adult content of triple-A efforts such as The Witcher and South Park makes it through unscathed.
“Not only does Twitch have a bad policy in my opinion, but they also enforce the bad policy inconsistently," he observed.
"If I were cynical, I’d say Twitch allows games with big publishers, but they don’t understand smaller developers."
