Steam's moderation has once again been called out by developers and curators for failing to prevent harassment, bigotry, and abuse. Forums and particularly reviews are being highlighted as places where users can post comments or statements that go against Steam's policies, and still do not have these posts removed.
In a report from The Guardian, the outlet speaks to numerous developers and curators to get a picture of how Steam is turning into what one developer calls "the battleground for some kind of culture war." Nathalie Lawhead, an independent developer from the US, had to speak personally to a Valve employee to get a review of their game taken down, following it referencing their allegations of sexual assault made in 2019.
Elsewhere, communities and curator lists that highlight particular groups or cultures such as anti-LGBTQ+ representation pages like "NO WOKE" are able to post discussion threads which often devolve into conversations which bring insincere negativity to the games we see today. One developer brought up a particular curator they'd been targeted by, who follows developers to see if they mourned the right-wing voice Charlie Kirk properly following his death.
Valve has been called out for failing to moderate these discussions, but it's mentioned that the Steam owner likely doesn't want to be seen as censoring its own platform. There are occasions where comments are removed, as Valve's policies don't allow "abusive language or insults," as well as "discrimination," it's clear instances of these are allowed to remain on Steam, seemingly more often than they are being taken down.