Mr. M Interactive

Statement regarding the recent censorhip on gaming platforms

It has come to my attention that there has been recent censorship attempts on gaming platforms such as Steam and Itch.io. I'm just starting out as an indie game developer and the current content I've been showing is pretty tame. However, some may be wondering if and how I'll be affected in the future by these censorship efforts.

Quite frankly, I don't really know lol. I don't intend to make a lot of games with suggestive or sexual content. However, some of my more story or dialogue driven games will probably have humor or references that may be NSFW, similar to that of your average M rated game. Also, some of my games might have subtle social commentary or feature characters that represent marginalized groups of people (and this includes LGBTQ+). I'm not sure at all if some of my games will be targeted, but I do have something I will say in solidarity with all of this.

Mr. M Interactive for me is simply a side business of making games and other media for my own personal expression. Yes, I do intend to make money with it, but this is basically my own self-published art. I wouldn't by any means call myself an "activist". However, I'm aware that the arts (including games) are inherently political, whether we like it or not. So I will have to be involved in a lot of political limbo, whether I want to or not.

Hear me out so I will make this clear. Although I do have my own political views, I am NOT in the business (quite literally) of caving in to political ideologies or campaigns and definitely am not making games or anything simply to make people comfortable. Don't get me wrong, though! I am open to criticism and feedback if I make or say something that genuinely is harmful or offensive so that I can learn to be more mindful. However, at the same time, I am not going to sanitize my humor to be politically correct. On the other end of this, I'm not the kind of person who will censor a "woke" character or "obscene" scene to appease some zealous conservatives either. I want to make games, animations, maybe comics etc. that have substance, reflect the diverse world we live in, makes people think and even innovates by showcasing what often is not talked about or explored not just in popular discourse, but games in general. I simply see no way I can do that if I walk on eggshells to appeal to censors.

There is a silver lining with all of this, though. I am not unprepared for possible censorship of any of my games or anything else I create. I'm already trying to expand into markets that at least in certain regions are no stranger to censorship attempts, so this is nothing new to me either.

If a specific game simply can not be published on popular platforms, I do have alternative means in mind. I will probably find other platforms to publish on, or I will make the game free, but ask for donations and crowdfunding simply to fund it.

Hopefully it doesn't ever get to that point, but considering the current state of things globally, I can only hope that it does not.

I hope everyone looks forward to seeing all of my finished projects and appreciates all of my real, unadulterated content. I was hoping it would not get to this, but I am willing to play this anti-censorship game in the name of free speech and expression. Games and all other sources of media deserve to be platforms where people, regardless of who they are or where they are, can express themselves freely without fear of censorship. I want Mr. M Interactive to be a direct reflection of that and have no intent of changing that at all.

Although a lot of the games, cartoons and movies of my time period (Y2K) were not always the most sensitive and even are questionable by todays standards, there were many that pushed boundaries and indirectly advocated for free expression in media, in direct opposition to people who wanted media that reflected a bland and sanitized view of the world. If there's anything that SHOULD continue from back then, it should be that.

Sincerely, Mr. M