On April 19th, the well-known developer Garry Newman posted a poll on Twitter regarding the necessity of removing Nazi-themed game modes from the browser servers of Garry’s Mod. Unsurprisingly, the majority of respondents voted for removal. This event is noteworthy primarily because it pertains to Garry’s Mod, which is not a common topic for Garry, as his Twitter content usually revolves around S&Box or his personal life.
The following day, April 20th, Garry published another post, this time without a poll, but with a detailed explanation of the situation. In short, Garry decided to raise the issue of Nazism on certain roleplay servers, mainly those themed around World War II. He noted that there are players on such servers who, as he put it, seem to really like Nazis, and some of them appear to carry those sentiments beyond the game. He is also concerned about what this could lead to for both regular players and server owners.
At the end of the post, Newman stated that they would not impose total control over servers or dictate the “correct” thoughts to players; rather, such servers would be shut down as they had been in the past. He made an announcement to all server owners, asking how he could begin working with them to avoid potential server bans.
According to Garry, he has begun to view this situation differently than he did ten years ago. He now has a daughter and a son who play games, and like him, they learn new things about the world through them. He is very concerned about what such servers might teach others. This could be a hint that rules for server owners may indeed tighten, and there will be more detailed oversight.
It is likely that the community will see fewer such players over time, not only on World War II servers but possibly on other large and small projects as well. These individuals not only irritate others with their antics but also behave immorally, damaging the reputation of not just the servers but the entire gaming community.
We may be facing some changes ahead; this issue might not only affect World War II servers but could extend to other areas as well. All we can do now is to refrain from behaving in such a manner.
Garry Newman’s post with a survey
Garry Newman’s post with explanations
Sereganeon retains authorship of the article
