GOG announced today they've taken a step towards making it easier to get games onto their store, and more clear on what they won't accept.
They've launched a new form for developers and publishers of all kind to fill out, who wish to have their games released onto GOG. Over email they told me the entire process is simplified, with it offering up "more context and focusing on the most important aspects to ensure our team gets all the necessary information from the get go".
Historically, GOG has been a little odd in what they accepted and denied to be placed onto their store, I've seen various Twitter posts from developers over the years frustrated on it when GOG denied their game for no real reason. GOG is still much more curated versus the likes of Steam but perhaps this is set to change a little.
Additionally, the GOG team have put up a dedicated page going over what they say are the benefits of releasing on GOG.
You can see the types of games GOG say they won't accept here.
In other GOG news they're also doing their own thing for Pride Month, and a little differently this time too. Instead of just one game collection, they've made an entire page to highlight games across various categories including Masculine romance representation, Female romance representation, Featuring transgender characters and more.
GOG's Summer Sale will also begin at the end of the week.
When I browse on GoG I set a minimum price to get all the garbage out of my list when looking for new games I've never had before. That might just exclude me from something good, that happens to be cheap though. But I don't have time to second guess garbage.
I'd love to see the day when they don't need "pride month" or any exhibition to be accepted, but for now... in your face, bigots. More Pride recognition is the answer for now. Good for GoG.
There also aren't trans characters in Stardew Valley or Fallout: New Vegas. I have no idea why those are in the category at all, someone was definitely asleep at the wheel.
The categorization in the GOG Pride selection is so messed up. Like Night In the Woods is a game that allows you to choose your character's gender and pronouns? No it isn't!
There also aren't trans characters in Stardew Valley or Fallout: New Vegas. I have no idea why those are in the category at all, someone was definitely asleep at the wheel.
This feels like a pretty weird response... are you suggesting that only games that do all the things you mention would qualify under a celebration of Pride?
Because Pride is a celebration of the entire range of LGBT+ communities. The point is that its inclusive, not exclusive.
Anyway... Night in the Woods features multiple LGBT+ characters. The entire Fall Out series was reasonably famous for being amongst the first games to allow same-sex marriage in-game and features various LGBT+ characters throughout. Similarly, Stardew Valley supports gay marriage and includes various other LGBT+ features.
Hope that helps.
The categorization in the GOG Pride selection is so messed up. Like Night In the Woods is a game that allows you to choose your character's gender and pronouns? No it isn't!
There also aren't trans characters in Stardew Valley or Fallout: New Vegas. I have no idea why those are in the category at all, someone was definitely asleep at the wheel.
This feels like a pretty weird response... are you suggesting that only games that do all the things you mention would qualify under a celebration of Pride?
Because Pride is a celebration of the entire range of LGBT+ communities. The point is that its inclusive, not exclusive.
Anyway... Night in the Woods features multiple LGBT+ characters. The entire Fall Out series was reasonably famous for being amongst the first games to allow same-sex marriage in-game and features various LGBT+ characters throughout. Similarly, Stardew Valley supports gay marriage and includes various other LGBT+ features.
Hope that helps.
Did you look at the actual page? It has separate categories for "Masculine romance representation", "Female romance representation", "Choose your gender", and "Featuring transgender characters". Stardew is rightfully in the first three, but not the fourth, and I think if someone bought that, or Fallout: New Vegas, based on GOG saying they have trans characters they'd be disappointed.
It isn't inclusive to say something has trans characters when it doesn't, or has the ability to choose your gender and pronouns when it doesn't. That's got nothing to do with diversity. Rather, it makes whoever assembled the categories look like they don't care about what representation is in a given game, and just shoved them into the categories with little thought.
Hope that helps.
The categorization in the GOG Pride selection is so messed up. Like Night In the Woods is a game that allows you to choose your character's gender and pronouns? No it isn't!
There also aren't trans characters in Stardew Valley or Fallout: New Vegas. I have no idea why those are in the category at all, someone was definitely asleep at the wheel.
This feels like a pretty weird response... are you suggesting that only games that do all the things you mention would qualify under a celebration of Pride?
Because Pride is a celebration of the entire range of LGBT+ communities. The point is that its inclusive, not exclusive.
Anyway... Night in the Woods features multiple LGBT+ characters. The entire Fall Out series was reasonably famous for being amongst the first games to allow same-sex marriage in-game and features various LGBT+ characters throughout. Similarly, Stardew Valley supports gay marriage and includes various other LGBT+ features.
Hope that helps.
Did you look at the actual page? It has separate categories for "Masculine romance representation", "Female romance representation", "Choose your gender", and "Featuring transgender characters". Stardew is rightfully in the first three, but not the fourth, and I think if someone bought that, or Fallout: New Vegas, based on GOG saying they have trans characters they'd be disappointed.
It isn't inclusive to say something has trans characters when it doesn't, or has the ability to choose your gender and pronouns when it doesn't. That's got nothing to do with diversity. Rather, it makes whoever assembled the categories look like they don't care about what representation is in a given game, and just shoved them into the categories with little thought.
Hope that helps.
It does, thanks. Yep, I don't have too many issues with the first three categories, but now that you point it out, I don't see any mention of trans characters in a few of the fourth-category games. Even the first three, they're being very... liberal with the classification, aren't they?
I doubt it's malicious (even with GOG's history of being shit in this regard), but it's definitely misleading!
In other GOG news they're also doing their own thing for Pride Month, and a little differently this time too. Instead of just one game collection, they've made an entire page to highlight games across various categories including Masculine romance representation, Female romance representation, Featuring transgender characters and more.And you have to scroll aaaaaalll the way down to see this collection. Shameful. Cowards.
making it easier to get games onto their storeI don't believe this bit is true. They already had the submission form going for many years. And they still arbitrarily decide which game to allow on their store.
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