💌 Lewds to lift your spirits

Steamy games, dangerous claims, and more in Mr. Hands' Naughty List #38

Jul 18, 2021

Hello, lovelies!

I always try to keep things positive and upbeat for this newsletter, but I have to make an exception this time. I learned this week that a close friend of mine has passed away. She was my biggest fan and actually the first person ever to sign up for this silly newsletter about adult gaming. And now she’ll forever be #1 to me.

The news of my friend’s departure has been hard to deal with this week, but luckily I was able to get support from other people who knew my friend well. They have been a huge help in keeping me afloat and allowed me to share my grief.

And whether you’re here for the first time or have been following me from the very beginning: thank you for reading. If you like my writing about adult games, the best way you can support me is to share this newsletter with a friend:

Now let’s get into the news, shall we?

Top steamy games on Steam 🚂

Once again Sex Positive Gaming has come out with an absolute banger of a video, this time taking a look at the top adult content games on Steam of all time. It looks like a lot of research went into the video, with Annie dividing the games into Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum categories based on (estimated) sales figures.

If you’re at all familiar with the genre, I don’t think the top spots will surprise you, but I definitely wasn’t familiar with all of these games myself!

Debunking dangerous claims about porn 🔞

ThirstyGameDev dove into the claims made about pornography from the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) in a very long thread:

ThirstyGameDev 🔞 @thirsty_dev

1/ Alright, let's talk about The National Center on Sexual Exploitation because this shit has bothered me all day! TLDR they're alleged liars trying to ban porn under the guise of ending sexual exploitation and I don't like it...

Specifically, they dove into a report that the organization released that links pornography to child sexual abuse:

ThirstyGameDev 🔞 @thirsty_dev

3/ What I am saying is that the NCOSE has published a "Pornography & Public Health Research Summary" that literally says pornography fuels child sexual abuse, and since I'm making pornography, I take a particular issue with this accusation...

And wouldn’t you know it, once you dive into the sources for the report, you find all the Greatest Hits, including “think of the children”:

ThirstyGameDev 🔞 @thirsty_dev

11/ This is their first reason porn ruins everything: children are being exposed to pornography. Classic "think of the children" which is fair enough, certainly a sensitive topic, and they've got 3 good sources! However, I'm going to break it down because it gets interesting

Then we get “porn is addictive”, which is based on a source with an evangelical slant:

ThirstyGameDev 🔞 @thirsty_dev

28/ Moving right along, their next reason porn is bad is 'Pervasive Use'. This one always strikes me as odd, since I've never understood the issue with actively seeking out porn, but after reading their 4th source it became very clear

And of course, there’s “porn causes rape” as well:

ThirstyGameDev 🔞 @thirsty_dev

64/ In fact: "Men who watch rape pornography and sadomasochistic pornography were significantly more likely to indicate willingness to rape women if they could be assured of not being caught or punished." But, if I may, is porn really the genesis for these feelings?

I’m happy that ThirstyGameDev took the time to pull this report apart because it’s clearly based on a lot of misinformation. But that doesn’t mean the document is harmless.

One of the NCOSE’s stated goals is to get rid of porn, what they call “the public health harms of pornography”. And when people, including lawmakers, read a report titled “Pornography & Public Health Research Summary”, they may think it comes from a neutral source.

As an adult game maker, it is obviously in my vested interest to ensure that pornography remains legal. Even so, I am aware that my work may promote harmful views about human sexuality. I do my best to be aware of that and e.g. make sure that consent is clear in all my scenes and that my games do not feature any sexual violence.

Luckily, ThirstyGameDev has the same considerations in mind:

ThirstyGameDev 🔞 @thirsty_dev

55/ I've since cut the mechanic as the implications are quite horrific; and while I can assert in-game that it's simply blobs of non-sentient magic darkness you heal with sex magic, the lack of consent is a gnawing issue that leaves a bad taste in my mouth

Keep your princesses satisfied in Park After Dark 🏰

Park After Dark gives you a magic pen that can rewrite reality, which you immediately use to create a magical theme park and fill it with your favorite princesses.

This free dating sim was inspired by the House of Mouse and asks you to manage the girls as well as your park. The game already features multiple sex scenes with the princesses, with multiple variations and unlockable outfits.

And don’t forget to manage your park! You will need to keep your guests happy by building and upgrading several iconic attractions.

Park After Dark is available for free on Itch.io.