Steam has created an official hub web page for all games tagged LGBTQ+.
Tags have existed in Steam for 5 years now, however in keeping with a Kotaku report, not each tag issues.
Though Steam customers and builders can assign customized tags to any game on the shop, Valve solely depends on a listing of what it calls authorized tags. These prime tags get their very own hub pages – which checklist all games with the identical tag, and extra importantly, issue into Steam’s suggestion algorithm.
But, as a result of a few of the tags may be humours, or downright poisonous and deceptive, Valve elected to solely recognise a number of descriptive ones. The solely downside is, for some purpose, the corporate had but to contemplate LGBTQ+ amongst them – till this week.
The new LGBTQ+ Steam tag is obtainable for anybody to browse. It was reportedly made official this week after a developer made a case for a why it ought to exist in Steam’s developer boards. Nepenthe developer Yitz advised Kotaku of his quest to grasp why LGBTQ+ remains to be not an official tag/what may be finished about it.
Tags for LGBTQ+ content material had existed earlier than – and you may actually tag your games as something you need, however solely now has it been made official.
As a outcome, the web page doesn’t replicate the breadth of games on Steam with LGBTQ+ themes or characters, however games that use this tag in future shall be included. This additionally permits builders to tag their work as LGBTQ+, one thing Valve beforehand ignored.
Perhaps the argument generated by Yitz’s thread is what motivated Valve to lastly make it official. Though this can undoubtedly invite abuse from trolls and dangerous religion actors, its results in the long run are clear.
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