On NexusMods, countless modifications for popular games can be found. Currently, there is a discussion about a decision made by the moderation team: They deleted a mod and banned the modder. The controversial modification removed ‘Pride’ flags from Spider-Man Remastered and replaced them with US flags. The team stands behind this decision and takes a clear position.
What mod is it about?
- In the game ‘Spider-Man Remastered’, there are individual ‘Pride’ flags. These flags symbolize support for the LGBTQ+ community.
- A modification replaced these few Pride flags in the game with the flag of the USA, which also exists in Spider-Man Remastered.
Mod deleted, modder banned, main account of the modder also banned
How did the moderators respond?
- The moderators of NexusMods deleted this mod.
- They banned the modder who uploaded it.
- And then concluded: It was just a second account created for trolling, so the moderators permanently banned the main account of the modder as well.
That’s why the ban occurred: A spokesperson, DarkOne, says: The ban was only enacted because the modder specifically created a second account, ‘Mike Hawk’, just to upload this mod:
It was very clear that he did this intentionally […] The fact that the user created a sockpuppet account like a coward to upload the mod shows his intent to troll, as he knew we wouldn’t allow it.
DarkOne says: Had the person uploaded the mod under his real account, the mod would have been deleted as well, but the user would have only received a warning. However, due to the second account, a ban had to take place.
Why was the mod deleted at all?
Our stance is: We are for inclusivity, we are for diversity. If we think someone uploads a mod to our site with the intent of being explicitly against inclusivity and diversity, then we will take action against it.
If this annoys you, please delete your account
This is the statement from the moderators: It is clear:
We do not wish to argue about this with you. We have laid out our position and will not provide a platform to disturb our stance or to build an irrational and paranoid narrative. You can do that elsewhere, where we don’t care.
If this stance annoys you, if we as a company have broken any moral code, and you cannot accept that, then we ask you to delete your account and just move on – just as we do.
The biggest topic in both gaming subreddits – But discussed very differently
How is the discussion about this? It varies greatly depending on where you look. The topic NexusMods is on 18.08 the biggest topic in both major English-speaking gaming subreddits, but it is discussed differently:
In the subreddit ‘Games’, the voices are positive. The company ‘NexusMods’ is commended for taking such a clear stance. The statement is considered well thought out and clearly formulated, many users of the gaming forum say, where articles and videos about games are often discussed.
In the subreddit ‘Gaming’, the discussion had to be closed because there were too many comments that broke the rules. Here, the discussion tends more towards the direction that there are indeed much worse mods. This is just a PR gag. The mods only yielded to outside pressure, and they are heading down a very dangerous path. In general, people are getting too upset about such things.
LGBTQ+ and gaming are also an important but sensitive topic for gaming companies:
