Major PC modding sites Nexus Mods and ModDB have banned users for uploading anti-LGBTQ content they modded into Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered. The bans specifically target mods that replaced every Pride flag with American flags.
Nexus Mods wrote in a blog post yesterday that a modder created a sock puppet account named Mike Hawk to upload a mod that swapped out the Pride flags flying off a few buildings in the game with American flags. The site called the user a “coward” for creating an alternative profile to troll other users with their anti-LGBTQ content, knowing that such content wouldn’t be allowed had they uploaded it from their main account instead.
The fact that the user created a sock puppet account made it “a very easy decision” for Nexus Mods to ban that account and the original one. The site then reiterated that “we are for inclusion, we are for diversity,” saying that it will take action against anyone who uploads content that goes against those values going forward.
“As a private business, we have a right to choose what content we do and do not want to host on our platform. Respect this right the same way you want respect for your rights,” it said. “If this policy upsets you, if we’ve broken some moral code of conduct as a business that you can’t accept, then please, delete your account and move on, as we will.”
Several hours later, ModDB banned the same flag-swapping mod and the users associated with it. The site then tweeted the following statement: “ModDB is an inclusive environment for all and we do not permit targeting marginalized groups. Our content moderation is largely automated, but when identified, we have a zero-tolerance policy for this kind of content.”
Hi! We've removed the content and banned the users. ModDB is an inclusive environment for all and we do not permit targeting marginalised groups. Our content moderation is largely automated but when identified, we have a zero tolerance policy for this kind of content. https://t.co/0leqjUxqJD
— ModDB (@ModDB) August 17, 2022
Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered is available now on PC.
Acer’s Predator Atlas 8 finally has a US release date and price, several months after the company first showed off the handheld in May. The highlight is the Intel Arc G3 Extreme chip inside, which has been adopted by only a couple of other consoles besides the Atlas 8. This version will go on sale exclusively at Best Buy on November 1 for $1,299.99.
Acer originally said the Atlas 8 would arrive in North America in October, but left pricing open at the time. The launch came amid the ongoing DRAM crunch, which has made memory more expensive across the PC industry and complicated pricing for hardware makers.
Gaming laptops and I have a complicated relationship. One of my first gaming rigs was an Acer Predator that was already outdated when I bought it. I was a broke college kid, and that was the best I could afford. So trying out high-end gaming laptops is always fun. But ASUS' ROG Zephyrus G14 is a lot more than a laptop that can run AAA games. It is portable, so you're not lugging around a 2.5kg machine everywhere you go. It is built well, none of that plastic chassis, and can even function as a normal laptop outside of just gaming.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.