Steam has banned Super Seducer 3. It describes itself as a “seduction game.” Valve cited that real people are seen in “explicit sexual images” as the reason. However, the decision is met with disbelief by many, as they claim there are much worse games on Steam.
The game Super Seducer 3 was already on the Steam wishlist of nearly 62,000 users and was even available for trial on the platform in February 2021. But now Steam has informed the developers that their title will be permanently banned.
The support stated that “no explicit sexual images of real people” are shown on Steam. Steam and the developers have apparently been in discussions about this for some time.
There have already been several attempts to get approval on the platform, but the content was apparently still too sexual.
Richard La Ruina, one of the developers of the game, criticizes Steam and claims that they were promised approval or feedback, but no permanent ban. He expresses his disappointment on Twitter that there will be no further review opportunity:
Criticism of predecessors and the developer
What kind of game is this anyway? In Super Seducer 3, the goal is to “pick up” a woman using various dialogue options. There are cautious, but also very direct ways to approach women.
What’s particularly noteworthy is that the entire game was filmed with real people and is categorized as FMV (Full Motion Video). You are essentially playing real people who have executed these conversations and actions.
A demo provided a glimpse into the game in February 2021. In it, you do not execute the sexual act yourself; instead, the game ends beforehand, and the developer reveals whether you would have been successful or rejected, also giving tips on how to improve.
There are also interjections where the women are seen wearing very revealing and explicit sexual outfits. These are available in a censored and an uncensored version.
What is being criticized? Super Seducer 3 is the new installment in a series. The previous games also sparked controversial discussions. The focus was primarily on how women are treated, which was described as “creepy and disrespectful” towards women.
- In the dialogues, there are often options that are very direct and objectify women
- There are also creepy options such as following women into the changing room
- Even intrusive suggestions about women’s behavior are part of the game
An example option in the first part is: “If you can’t cook well, hopefully you can […] suck well.” Under this title, the game was already heavily criticized by Vice in 2018. For this, the game was also banned by PlayStation in 2018.
The developer Richard La Ruina himself is also under criticism for making sexist and negative public statements regarding #MeToo. (via gamesindustry).
On the other hand, there is also a group that insists that such a game shows men their disgusting behavior. They should learn from it and do better in the future.
Despite the criticism, the game seems to have an audience. The first part of the series sold over 125,000 copies in the first weeks, as NplusX reports.
Real people are the issue for Steam
How is the ban being reacted to? The Steam ban is currently being heavily discussed in various communities (as of March 21, 09:30 AM):
- The developer’s tweet has already been retweeted more than 700 times and received several hundred replies.
- In the subreddit LivestreamFail, the tweet was once at the top of the main page and has now received over 11,000 upvotes and over 1,000 comments.
- Also in the “Games-reddit”, a thread was long at the top with over 5,000 upvotes and over 1,000 comments.
In the comments and on Twitter, many express the opinion that there are already far worse games on Steam that sexualize content more. The only difference is that they feature drawn or animated characters.
It seems, however, that real people are the crux of the matter for Steam.
Both on Twitter and on reddit, there are voices that find the game itself tasteless and unnecessary. But only a minority agrees with the ban on Steam.
Censored version of part 3 was already successful on Twitch
In February 2021, a demo of Super Seducer 3 could be played during the Steam Game Festival. It was available in both a censored and an uncensored version.
Some people on Twitch, including the largest streamer Pokimane and xQc, played the game live at an average of 30,000 to 78,000 viewers. For them, it had no consequences because the “sensitive scenes” were censored from the start. This version was not a hindrance for Twitch, where nude skin is always a problem,.
Many commentators see an important point in this. If there is already a version that works on Twitch, it should definitely not be a problem on Steam.
However, streamer Pokimane made it clear in her stream how incredibly uncomfortable many of the dialogue options are:
The two predecessors Super Seducer and Super Seducer 2 have been available on Steam for years and remain playable even after the ban of the third part.
What’s next for the game? Richard La Ruina has already announced via Twitter that they want to distribute the game through other channels and bring it to the people.
How problematic nudity can be on Twitch is shown by the story of body painter “Delightfully Dani.” She claims to adhere to regulations and was still banned, while other streamers are much more revealing: Twitch permanently bans body painter: ‘I am losing my livelihood’.
