Kabrutus, the creator of the controversial "Sweet Baby Inc. Detected" Steam curator, has launched a new site called "DEIDetected".
DEI, which stands for
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, is an organizational framework that proponents claim is meant to encourage the participation of historically underrepresented groups in society.
However, in recent months DEI has become a catchall term for progressive policies and in the context of media has come to refer to
censorship and design choices that are seemingly motivated by this cause.
https://twitter.com/kabrutusrambo/status/1782803022231613808
A quick glance at the DEIDetected site shows a list of a small handful of games including
Pokemon GO which recently sparked fan backlash after an avatar redesign, speculatively inspired by consultants
GaymerX, as well as the recently released
Eiyuden Chronicles which stands out for not having a known consultancy firm attached to it, but makes the list nonetheless for
"political-driven Western localization".
DEI Detected claims to have the same goal as the initial Steam group when it comes to informing consumers about the products available to them, saying in the official FAQ:
The DEIDetected has the goal of bringing consumer awareness by letting people know what games have DEI ideology implementend[SIC] in their development cycle as well as how it affects our culture as a whole.
In the wake of rebranding, it seems the site has moved on from merely informing users if Sweet Baby Inc. is involved in a game and making their own decisions, to advocating that players avoid games which it considers as
"DEI infested" saying:
Forced DEI is becoming unbearable on games. It's time to push back. Vote with your wallet!
However while the site does host articles with researched evidence about a game's alleged "DEI" design, the site refuses to inform consumers where to purchase the game if they consider the issues worth ignoring, simply saying
"we do not share links to DEI infested games".
You can check out the DEIDetected site for yourself here:
DEIDetected Website
Kabrutus announced the website's launch today in an X post where he revealed that the site's first act was to add Pokémon GO to the DEI list following the update that eliminated gender identification for character selection.
https://twitter.com/kabrutusrambo/status/1782756370644877668
On the About Us page, Kabrutus explains how and why he made the website, what it will look like as it expands, and what he hopes visitors will get out of it. As with Sweet Baby Inc. Detected, he's trying to
protect the hobby he loves from being hijacked by people who want to ruin it, and he's doing that by telling gamers which games have DEI consulting attached to them. It's all about
keeping the customer informed, which you wouldn't think would be controversial. He also explains that he started his own website in order to "have total control over the content without having to rely on a platform," as he does with his Steam curator (which, he also just announced, will be expanding to include more than just Sweet Baby Inc.-influenced games, like the website). That's smart, especially with the consulting firms and games journalists trying to get him canceled (and, when it doesn't work, accusing him and his subscribers of harassment). It's unfortunate, but you have to protect yourself when the rug can pulled out from under you at any moment, and having your own website is a good way to do that. It's impressive what Kabrutus has accomplished in just a few months.
https://retro-replay.com/kabrutus-launches-deidetected-website-to-expose-games-with-dei-influence/?feed_id=278&_unique_id=6629592854b48
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