On the PC platform Steam, the person behind the gladiator simulation “Domina” uses the patch notes to spread his political views. This has negative consequences for him: alongside poor reviews from disgruntled players, he has now also been banned from the Steam forum for his own game. Valve has clearly threatened to throw him and his game off Steam.
What kind of game is this?
- Domina is a €20 gladiator management simulation on Steam, released on April 3, 2017.
- The reviews are actually “mostly positive” (78% positive). Critics also acknowledge that the game was developed with dedication.
- Recently, however, many critical reviews have been coming in because the man behind the game is behaving toxic and aggressively. He uses the patch notes to spread controversial views.
The GameStar even calls the game “grandiose”:
Suddenly, patch notes are about OnlyFans, wasted semen, and masks
What messages does “Domina” spread in the patch notes?
As the site PC Gamer writes, it began to get strange in May 2022. In the patch notes for version 1.2.89 Beta, the developer wrote in a footnote (via steam):
Some men do not want to fight. They are weak. […] Strong moral fortitude is hard to attain. You earn it through hard work and sacrifice; it does not come through OnlyFans or Pornhub. No. Those damn things are demonic obsessions waiting to show you succubus breasts, hoping that you waste your semen, […]
In the patch notes for v 1.3.18, alongside some lines about how the game has been improved, there was also a statement about masks (via steam):
Take off the damn masks! Next time you are in a grocery store, try showing a woman your face. Be confident, fearless against THE LIES.
Conflict with Steam escalates
How has this escalated now? The controversial messages in the patch notes trigger a backlash. The game, which was previously well-reviewed on Steam, now has a “mostly negative” rating (only 33% positive) in the “Recent Reviews” section.
The reviews mainly revolve around statements made in the patch notes. The developer does not want to let this stand.
This apparently leads to an escalating conflict:
- He writes these messages in the patch notes
- Users write negative Steam reviews for Domina
- The developer marks these reviews as fraudulent
- Steam moderators later retract this marking
- This enrages the developer greatly
In a post on August 6, the developer furiously announced about Steam’s treatment of him: It is “doubtful” whether Domina will receive further updates via Steam. If this bothers people, they should contact Gabe Newell (via steam).
His ship would sink, and “he would not give a shit about that”.
Some people support the developer in his views—especially the criticism of masks is well received by some. Others openly mock the man.
Steam bans developer, clearly threatens to remove from Steam
This is the escalation now: As the developer behind Domina himself writes, he has now been banned from the hub of his own game. He has violated the community guidelines for the second time, specifically, he has “flamed another user”.
Additionally, he is “abusing” people whom he bans from his hub. If he continues to violate the rules, it could “jeopardize our business relationship,” Valve writes to him.
In general, he should stop reversing decisions made by Steam moderators.
The Steam moderators are therefore threatening him quite clearly with the removal of him and his game from Steam.
This is how the developer reacts: He calls the people from Steam “Stupid Fucks”. They should confront him in a “man-to-man” fight.
They are: losers, clowns, garbage. The developer apparently has no desire for de-escalation.
It looks like it is only a matter of time before “Domina”‘s time on Steam is up.
Indie developers can sometimes be peculiar. A significantly better way of dealing with “a big corporation” was found last year by the developer of the Steam hit “Terraria” when Google crossed him:
Developer of Steam hit takes revenge on Google and forces them to yield
