Major video game mod sites Nexus Mods and ModDB have taken a public stand against anti-LGBTQ+ content, after the Spider-Man PC aimed to remove every Pride tag in the game.
Nexus Mods, a website where users can share their own custom content for computer games, started the movement after a new user created a new account (branded a sock puppet) to upload anti-LGBTQ+ content, which replaced the rainbow flag for the American flag . The mode was later removed.
The user, which Nexus Mods called a “coward”, blocked both their old and new account, making it a “very easy decision” to create a sock puppet account.
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Blog post on Nexus Mods He said, “The fact that the user needed to make a sock puppet like a coward to upload the form showed their intent to phish and they knew it wouldn’t be allowed. If they weren’t cowards and used their main account instead, we would have removed the mod and told them we didn’t want to host it, but we’d just ban them. If they re-upload it again after being justly warned.”
The site also clarified that it will take similar action against any similar cases in the future, stating that “we are for inclusivity, we are for diversity,” and as a private company, “we have the right to choose the content we offer and you do not want to host on our platform.”
Nexus Mods added: “We do not want and will not argue this matter with you. We have now made our position clear and will not provide you with a platform to distort our position in order to feed an irrational and paranoid narrative. You can do it elsewhere, as we don’t care enough to read it.”
“If this policy bothers you, if we violate some ethical code as a business that you cannot accept, please delete your account and move forward, as we will.”
Hello! We have removed content and banned users. ModDB is an inclusive environment and we do not allow marginalized groups to be targeted. Moderation of content is largely automated, but when selected, we have a zero-tolerance policy for this type of content. https://t.co/0leqjUxqJD
– ModDB (modDB) August 17 2022
As I mentioned computer gamesModDB has followed suit and removed the same Spider-Man mode and banned the users behind it. “ModDB is an inclusive environment and we do not allow marginalized groups to be targeted,” the site said on Twitter (above). “Our content is moderated largely automatically but when selected, we have a zero-tolerance policy for this type of content.”
The transfer of Spider-Man from PlayStation Studios to PC earlier in August saw a number of mods added to the game including one that turns Spidey into Stan Lee. Users have also searched game files, discovering what appears to be a scrapped multiplayer mode and pointing to a possible PlayStation PC player.
Ryan Dinsdale is a freelance translator at IGN. He’ll be talking about The Witcher all day long.
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