Content Warning: Mentions of Pedophilia, Sex Work, Sex Trafficking, Fascism
Hosted by John R. Harness, an unapologetically gay male creator (and tabletop enthusiast), the #FuckingCensorshipBundle on Itch.io is a collection of games that, likely, would be censored elsewhere. The funds raised by the bundle went directly to the Sex Worker Outreach Project, a project dedicated to the human rights of sex workers and victims of trafficking. They strive to end the violence and stigma around sex work, create educational programs, build a community, and work towards other, similar projects.
The bundle contains thirty-two (32) games, all with varying levels of frequently-censored topics, from blatant pornography to discussions of pedophilia. Their official statement is as follows:
We, makers of sex games, know that these ongoing acts of censorship are prelude to further exclusion and destruction of the art, work, and livelihoods of marginalized people, queer people, and sex workers. Therefore, we have created this games bundle with several aims:
To highlight sex games. We're here, our work is here, and you can't just make us go away. (We are also making new sex games at the #SexGamesJam!)
To raise money for the support of sex workers and others in the sex industry. Money raised through the sale of this bundle will go to SWOP Behind Bars (@swopbehindbars), a support and advocacy group for currently and formerly incarcerated sex workers.
To bring attention to a platform that (for now at least) has not censored sex games and sexual content.
All money raised through the bundle will go to John R. Harness (@cartweel) who will then donate it to SWOP Behind Bars.
There are also two notes, one discussing content and player consent, the other briefly speaking on censorship. Two excerpts from these notes are as follows:
There are nearly forty games in this bundle. They vary wildly in terms of format, "heat level," and exactly what sex acts are alluded to or explicitly depicted within them. Many games are trying to be sexy--to get you off. Others deal with sexual themes in notably un-sexy ways--to make you think about sex, or through sex, or against sex. (Maybe some of them accomplish both?) Not all sex acts within these games are necessarily good, wholesome, or unproblematic.
And:
There are games about pedophiles and sex between teenagers in this bundle. There are games about non-consensual and dubiously consensual relationships and sex in this bundle. There are games made to be funny, or to express anger or grief or powerlessness or shame in this bundle. There are humongous animal cocks and dehumanized robo-psyches in this bundle. There are games about sex in this bundle.
John goes on to say "How might we[...] develop the tools to reduce harm in our communities without simply replicating the conservative tactics of censorship? I[...] am unsure of the answer to that question, and I doubt that this bundle serves as a perfect answer or model to questions such as this."
Censorship takes the form of the fascists who enforce it, every hyper-religious zealot who believes queerness is inherently evil, and the hateful, vile nature of "race separation" and the prevention of cultural exploration and expansion. Censorship has been a tool against POC, queer, Jewish, and alternative lifestyles alike. It has burned books important to our history, rewritten stories to better fit the chosen white man's narrative, and prevented people young and old from exploring the world (and themselves) in any meaningful way.
It's to be expected that there is some content one would believe should be censored, such as "pedophilic" material (Lolita often being sited, despite its clear anti-predator stance) which might "glorify" the idea of child sexuality. Anime such as Boku no Pico, Made in Abyss, Koboyashi Dragon Maid, and Moetan might also be sited, along with the deeply racist consensus from many that the Japanese are "all pedophiles" because of the lack of censorship of this content.
Censoring content deemed "pedophilic" is the most appealing to the masses, as any sort of nuance is stripped of the discussion when the buzzword is pulled. One cannot simply ask "Does this really count as pedophilia?" or "Shouldn't we talk about it so people who suffer paraphilic disorders can feel like they can get help?" without the immediate turnaround being "Oh, so you're defending child rapists?"
And, while pedophilia is one of the more extreme examples, discussion of pornography is often handled similarly. A glib, faux horror coupled with a weak "Think of the children!" argument that ends in a lack of conversation entirely. What if children find porn? What if children start thinking it's okay to have sex, or touch themselves?
What if you, as their guardian, pay attention to what your child is doing online? What if you, their guardian, stop advocating against sex ed, which has been proven to lower rates of teenage pregnancy and STIs? What if you, as their guardian, have the discussion with your children yourselves?
At the end of the day, this content isn't made for children. Regardless of whether or not it's educational or purely pornographic, this content is made for adults. Adults like John, who has generously created this bundle to aid against the dehumanization of sex workers and trafficked people. Adults like those who made these games, and the people who are simply curious in ways that is not "socially acceptable." Adults who are queer, othered, and longing to have those difficult conversations so that we as a society can move forward.
Finally, Itch.io has, paradoxically, become one of the last bastions of anything-goes content on the internet (the other being Baraag). While this may seem like the final "haven" for queer folk and people with more frightening stories to tell, the ".io" domain actually forbids pornographic content to be posted to websites using it. How Itch.io has flown under the radar for so long is deeply confusing, but once the website's content is noticed, they will have a choice: remove all content that could be considered "pornographic" or unsavory, or change their domain. A sweep of content that could be deemed "not safe for work" is far more likely, unfortunately.
Sadly, the bundle has since been retired, but we can only hope that similar projects will crop up. And, when they do, we need to put the money and support we can towards them: they may not be as "evil" as our conservative teachers and family have made us believe.
Special thanks to SWOP, John, and the creators of these strange, wonderful games.
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