#bi lines

CONTENT WARNING: DISCUSSION OF SEXUAL ASSAULT & NSFW/ADULT WORKS IN THIS POST.

Of all the games itch.io chose as a reason to suspend me . . .  They didn't choose the NSFW erotica.  They didn't choose the ones about kink.  They choose the one that depicts a man's disbelief & pain over being sexually assaulted.  What.  The.  FUCK. (Twitter) (Bluesky)

So, in case you missed it on the above sites, itch.io (the indie game site where I host my projects) has decided to ban my 2018 release Bi Lines (they say "suspend", but it's not a decision you can fight/reverse, and it's a restriction that lasts forever, not for a limited amount of time).  

Currently, itch.io has delisted all NSFW/erotic projects on the site, and is banning certain ones in order to adhere to payment processors' stricter rules on what content they'll allow (which they have done thanks to a group in Australia called Collective Shout).  itch.io has made a statement on all of this here.

However, Bi Lines is not a NSFW game, nor is it meant to be erotic.  It's a game about a bisexual journalist in the 1980s who is sexually assaulted.  As the player, we experience his turmoil, conflicted feelings, and trauma.  In no way is this game meant to arouse.  But it was banned anyway.  The picture at the beginning of this post is the main part of the email I received about that.

I decided to respond to the email today in the hopes that the game can get unbanned.  Here's what I said:

So, that's already frustrating enough, but it doesn't stop there.

Like I said, all NSFW/erotic projects on itch.io are delisted.  This has affected my NSFW account's projects on there, and destroyed discoverability for the time being.  That account makes about half of my income atm, mainly through Patreon subscriptions to access games.  If my NSFW games on itch.io get banned, that is going to destroy my livelihood; I'm terrified of that happening.  I discuss this in more detail here.

I know a lot of people are very worried right now, and that includes me.  Payment processors should not be able to wield this much power over our purchases, and they shouldn't be able to be pressured by some conservative group.  Those kinds of organizations are ALWAYS gonna push the goalpost further once they get what they want.

If you want to help, sign this petition, and contact the payment processors--they are directions on how to do so in this article by my friend Radiant.  Also, here's a writeup on DoktorHobo with some insight on how calling helps.

Making a project for the @eternalttrpgjam has done wonders for my mood. The situation with itch.io and the waves of censorship that followed have been despair-inducing, but this has been a little spark of happiness.

If you've been following my posts the last week and a half, you'll know I'm not doing the best right now. I didn't expect that to change, and I only started working on this game because I failed to submit to June's Eternal TTRPG Jam, and I wanted to do something for July, damn it.

But working on it has really helped a lot. Perhaps it's because the game uses therapy tools like the Johari Window & Emotion Wheel, or maybe it's just the joy of creating and doing new things. Either way, the last few days have felt uplifting and hopeful.

This reminds me of how people say that self-care and not falling into utter hopelessness is resistance. I used to think that was a bit silly, but now I completely understand what they were talking about. We have to stay hopeful if we want to fight back.

Hey, so, remember when I talked about my game Bi Lines being banned from itch.io due to their new censorship policies? And how I might make a Neocities to host it somewhere else?

Well, I finally made that Neocities! Check it out:

The direct link to get Bi Lines is here: https://norbezjones.neocities.org/BannedGames/Bi-Lines/

Even though I've been making Twine games for a decade, I don't consider myself much of a programmer, so making this website has really helped exercise those muscles in my brain. It's been fun! I want to put more games there for sure. I also put an MS Paint gallery there, originally for the Gallery Jam.

Enjoy the website! Let me know what else you'd like to see up there, because at this point, the sky's the limit!

It was a difficult game to play, but it was reallt wonderful and I'm sorry that Visa and Mastercard are being pro censorship pieces of shit. Your game is important and helps people.

I hope you're having at least an ok day and that all of us tumblrinas can call up Visa and Mastercard enough to get them to back off. Thank you for sharing this game with the world.

I'm glad you found the game a good experience for you. I make my games so I can help myself & (most importantly) help other people, so I'm glad it's done that for you. That means a whole lot to me! <3

The day is ok, I suppose. Tbh, I've been scattered since Bi Lines got taken down, and it's been more difficult to function as normal. I'm hoping that (1) my games on my NSFW account aren't majorly affected (that accounts for a good chunk of my income), and (2) Desperate FleshEater stays online (it's similar to Bi Lines in its themes, and is an unfiction piece about my personal story). DFE is de-indexed right now, and I hope it doesn't get banned too.

I have very much appreciated the tumblrinas' response to my post; I thought only my mutuals would see it, but it's got way more attention than I expected. Reading everyone's replies in the tags and seeing people's solidarity has been lovely.