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DrDeepFriar 7 Jun, 2014 @ 8:56am
Why is Mobile Port a banned tag?
So I read through some forum posts and what I gather is that negative or subjective tags have been removed from tagging. Did Steam remove references to "mobile" gaming in the tags because the community thinks that is a negative trait or because it actually IS a negative trait? That seems like a subjective evaluation of an objective trait, doesn't it?

I was kind of looking for mobile ports because some of them are actually pretty good.

Are there any other banned tags that follow this same formula? I don't care about the "negative/subjective" argument. I just don't particularly think this tag is negative or subjective and I wondered if anyone had come across any others.
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Showing 1-15 of 31 comments
DarkCrystalMethod 7 Jun, 2014 @ 9:20am 
I think the main idea with tags is to describe the gameplay itself and not what language, technology or platform it was built for.
For platform searches use the Advanced Search, including all those pulldowns.
Still amuses me that Free to Play is in the Genre list.
#1
Locke 7 Jun, 2014 @ 11:15am 
Originally posted by DarkCrystalMethod:
I think the main idea with tags is to describe the gameplay itself and not what language, technology or platform it was built for.
For platform searches use the Advanced Search, including all those pulldowns.
Mobile port is pretty useful because it gives you an idea of the likely scope of the game (i.e. it's probably smaller, designed for short bursts of playtime), as well as the fact that it may be designed for touch screens. If your logic was correct, Unity would be banned before mobile port ever was. And using advanced search won't find mobile ports.
#2
Fork_Q2 7 Jun, 2014 @ 11:27am 
Originally posted by Locke:
Originally posted by DarkCrystalMethod:
I think the main idea with tags is to describe the gameplay itself and not what language, technology or platform it was built for.
For platform searches use the Advanced Search, including all those pulldowns.
Mobile port is pretty useful because it gives you an idea of the likely scope of the game (i.e. it's probably smaller, designed for short bursts of playtime), as well as the fact that it may be designed for touch screens. If your logic was correct, Unity would be banned before mobile port ever was. And using advanced search won't find mobile ports.

Tag was inappropriate, it was just something for those who take the "PC Master Race" nonsense seriously. A good mobile port does not have to be limited by the fact it was a port at all. We have no "console port" tag either.
#3
Locke 7 Jun, 2014 @ 11:35am 
Originally posted by Fork_Q:
Tag was inappropriate, it was just something for those who take the "PC Master Race" nonsense seriously. A good mobile port does not have to be limited by the fact it was a port at all. We have no "console port" tag either.
I loathe the PC master race thing and would love to have mobile port and console port back. Like I said, they're useful because they tell you things about the game (and are not necessarily bad). It's not like it's "Terrible mobile port," it's not making a judgement call, it's just stating a fact.
#4
Black_Blade 7 Jun, 2014 @ 12:08pm 
But tags are not to state facts... there to help you search for a game you want.. and i really do not think someone will be really looking for a Mobile Port in there search... i think that is the main reason it was removed.. as its not using the Tags for what there made for
#5
Fork_Q2 7 Jun, 2014 @ 12:49pm 
Originally posted by Black Blade:
But tags are not to state facts... there to help you search for a game you want.. and i really do not think someone will be really looking for a Mobile Port in there search... i think that is the main reason it was removed.. as its not using the Tags for what there made for

They are to state facts, if I wanted a fantasy game, I would expected Skyrim to show up on list of games under "Fantasy", or a game with a female protagonist when I look under "female protagonist".
#6
Fork_Q2 7 Jun, 2014 @ 1:30pm 
Originally posted by UberFiend:
Originally posted by Fork_Q:

Tag was inappropriate, it was just something for those who take the "PC Master Race" nonsense seriously. A good mobile port does not have to be limited by the fact it was a port at all. We have no "console port" tag either.

I don't care how good it is I'm not paying $15 or $20 for a mobile port.

As Locke said above those 2 words - mobile port, tell me everything I need to know.

That's exactly the "PC Master Race" rubbish I was talking about. Why is it so wrong to pay for a port? Do you expect them for free?

I can't name many (or any) ports costing $15, there are far more sub-par original PC titles, and there are plenty of very good games ported from Android and iOS. There is no "identifiable" or even comparable trait between Sword and Sworcery, Bad Hotel or Halo Spartan Assault; chances are you wouldn't have figured them out for being ports if you haven't been told.
Last edited by Fork_Q2; 7 Jun, 2014 @ 1:31pm
#7
Satoru 7 Jun, 2014 @ 1:35pm 
Tags are not there to confer your ignorant biases upon a game
#8
Stevenson Family 7 Jun, 2014 @ 2:09pm 
If "mobile port" is an ignorant bias then surely "indie" is as well.
#9
Black_Blade 7 Jun, 2014 @ 2:14pm 
Originally posted by Fork_Q:
They are to state facts, if I wanted a fantasy game, I would expected Skyrim to show up on list of games under "Fantasy", or a game with a female protagonist when I look under "female protagonist".
I am really not sure if your joking or what.. skyrim show under "Fantasy" and same with the other as much as i know
#10
Fork_Q2 7 Jun, 2014 @ 2:19pm 
Originally posted by Black Blade:
Originally posted by Fork_Q:
They are to state facts, if I wanted a fantasy game, I would expected Skyrim to show up on list of games under "Fantasy", or a game with a female protagonist when I look under "female protagonist".
I am really not sure if your joking or what.. skyrim show under "Fantasy" and same with the other as much as i know

That was just an example, tags are for facts, or at least the most common, used and useful ones are. "Cyberpunk" is a great tag, because you and I know a cyberpunk setting when we see one in a game. Tags won't be really useful if they are using wholly subjective nouns like "fun", "good" or "boring".
#11
Black_Blade 7 Jun, 2014 @ 2:22pm 
Originally posted by Fork_Q:
That was just an example, tags are for facts, or at least the most common, used and useful ones are. "Cyberpunk" is a great tag, because you and I know a cyberpunk setting when we see one in a game. Tags won't be really useful if they are using wholly subjective nouns like "fun", "good" or "boring".
well guess you are right in a way facts is true.. but that is not the main thing its made for...

I may be wrong but i think its made to help search for games you looking for.. having Facts in a way is part of the search for games that need to be helpful

Its not made to state facts like the logo is blue.. that dose not help you find it as what you looking for
#12
Forcen 7 Jun, 2014 @ 2:26pm 
Originally posted by Gareth:
If "mobile port" is an ignorant bias then surely "indie" is as well.
I agree, Valve is my favorite Indie developer for example.
#13
Satoru 7 Jun, 2014 @ 2:45pm 
Tags are a neutral categorization system

The "indie" tag is a neutral accepted category for games.

Do not even try to pretend you want to use "mobile port" as a neutral category. The responses here show that is NOT the intention behind why they want the tag. It is NOT meant as a neutral category. You might as well try to claim the usage of a racial slur as "historically accurate category"
#14
Coffee 7 Jun, 2014 @ 6:37pm 
They probably banned it because people were using it at every game that was having 8-bit graphics.
#15
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Date Posted: 7 Jun, 2014 @ 8:56am
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