Valve has made the controversial decision not to approve the distribution of the game ‘Horses’ on Steam, a work developed by the studio Santa Ragione, which has sparked a wide debate in the gaming community. The company argues that the content of the game could imply sexual conduct with minors, which clashes with its internal policies. Despite Santa Ragione’s attempts to appeal the denial, their efforts have not been successful so far. Clarifying the controversy, ‘Horses’ is a brief, three-hour experience, whose narrative includes dark and surreal elements. The controversy centers on […]
Valve has made the controversial decision not to approve the distribution of the game ‘Horses’ on Steam, a work developed by the studio Santa Ragione, which has sparked a wide debate in the gaming community. The company argues that the content of the game could imply sexual conduct with minors, which conflicts with its internal policies. Despite Santa Ragione’s attempts to appeal the denial, their efforts have not been successful so far.
Clarifying the controversial scene
‘Horses’ is a brief experience, lasting three hours, whose narrative includes dark and surreal elements. The controversy centers around a specific scene where a father and his daughter are presented on a farm, a moment that transforms into a confusing situation. Santa Ragione argues that this scene – which involves an adult woman and a girl – has no sexual connotations, and has modified the character involved to mitigate misunderstandings about the representation.
The study has stated that its intention is not to offend, but to use provocative material to foster debate on social issues. However, the lack of approval on Steam jeopardizes its financial viability, as the revenue from this game is crucial for its long-term sustainability.
Valve, for its part, has reiterated that it will not distribute content that suggests sexual conduct with minors, and justified its decision based on previous interventions indicating that the game may not comply with its rules. The situation is framed within a broader context of censorship on the platform, where Valve has dealt with external pressures to restrict adult content. It remains to be seen whether Santa Ragione will be able to bring ‘Horses’ to the main PC video game store or if its future will hang in the balance.
The independent Italian studio Santa Ragione has faced a harsh blow with the ban of its video game Horses on the Steam platform, which could mark the end of the developer. Valuing its investment in the project at approximately $100,000, Santa Ragione is now looking to recover costs after Valve’s decision, which significantly limits its access to the PC gaming market, where Steam accounts for more than 75% of sales. Steam is not clear about what is happening with the game The reason behind the ban is due to Valve’s interpretation of the game’s content, […]
The independent Italian studio Santa Ragione has faced a severe blow with the ban of its video game Horses on the Steam platform, which could mark the end of the developer. Valuing its investment in the project at approximately $100,000, Santa Ragione is now looking to recover costs following Valve’s decision, which significantly limits its access to the PC gaming market, where Steam accounts for more than 75% of sales.
Steam is not clear about what is happening with the game
The reason behind the ban is due to Valve’s interpretation of the game’s content, which, according to the company, could reflect sexual behaviors involving minors, although the studio has categorically denied these allegations. “We believe this explanation is deliberately vague and unfounded,” said Pietro Righi Riva, co-founder of Santa Ragione. The company presents Horses as a work that uses challenging material and does not seek to generate pornographic or erotic content.
Despite the fact that other platforms like Epic Games Store, GOG, and Humble Store have not encountered issues with the game’s launch, Santa Ragione feels that Valve’s opaque decisions create an environment that encourages self-censorship among independent developers. Riva has expressed frustration over the lack of clarity in Steam’s distribution policies, which complicates the possibility of making the necessary adjustments for the game to be accepted.
The study has made multiple efforts to obtain a review of Valve’s decision, but has been ignored. Without access to the vast audience of Steam, Santa Ragione is facing what could be a financial disaster and has pointed out that unless it manages to recover its costs, it will not be able to continue developing new projects.
But how to pick the best gift for your furry friend? Many a feline owner has piles of cat toys littering the corners of their living room or den – deemed sub-par by their recipients. Get a chew toy for your dog and they’ll likely enjoy it for a few hours before utterly demolishing it to a pile of rags and fluff all over your carpet.
Fear not, because there’s a toy out there for every pet, and we’re going to help you find the best! Better yet, everything on our list can be delivered right to your door! So no need to worry about Christmas shopping or the mad rush of Black Friday. Take a look at our top 5 suggestions.
If you’ve got a finicky feaster or a demolition doggy who likes to trash his toys, this might be the best place to start. Petflow.com has a huge variety of gifts for all kinds of animals, and in our experience giving your pet a pillow, bed, blanket, or cage that they can call their own is a sure-fire way of saying ‘you’re part of the family and you have a home here.’
We also find these gifts are especially good for families with multiple pets; this way everybody’s got a spot to lay claim to where they’ll feel cozy and welcome during the holidays.
Be it chew toys, plush pals, tasty treats, or even health helpers, Barkshop.com is canine capital. “We’re here for you and your dog. We’ve never met your dog, but we know we love them,” they say, and looking at the awesome selection, we’ve got to agree! Our favorite thing about Barkshop is that they don’t just have a section for toys or a section for food. They’ve got subcategories for practically everything, so they can cater their products to exactly what you need.
Take Wellness, for example: Aside from just general health, you can specifically look for supplements, anxiety, or CBD (which they suggest using if your dog suffers from stress, pain relief, or chronic illness).
There are websites all over the place that readily offer gifts for your dog or cat, but when it comes to less common animals like birds or horses it gets a little trickier. Luckily Budgetpetcare has you covered. They’ve got loads of health items for your bird to keep them happy and in good spirits for this holiday season, such as crop conker treatments, mediworm powder, anti-oxidant powders, and more.
EntirelyPets offers items for far more than just cats, but when it comes to our feline friends, they’ve got a selection that’s hard to top. Their toy selection alone boasts a lot of versatility, offering toys in rubber or plush, but they’ve also got more reliable standards like scratching posts and of course the infamous laser pointers.
Amazon.com is probably the first place that comes to mind when you consider online shopping, and we’ve got to admit – they do an incredible job when it comes to offering products for small animals like gerbils, guinea pigs, hamsters, rabbits, or chinchillas. Check out their selection of Timothy Hay, pellets, cages, toys, and brushes!
You probably won’t find necessities with quality ratings this high or prices this low on any of the other sites we mentioned, so if you’re on a budget, but love your pet and are looking for a good time to stock up, Amazon’s selection is right up your alley!
Let us know if we helped you find what you were looking for, and Happy holidays to you and your pet!
