Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Google removes "Doki Doki Literature Club" from Google Play

bsky.app

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

121–130 of 309 posts

Re: Google removes "Doki Doki Literature Club" from Google Play

#121

Post by esperent »

jhbadger wrote: post #3

DDLC is a disturbing (good, but disturbing) game that opens as a bright cheerful one. So long as the description explained what the user is in for later on, I think Google shouldn't have done this. I haven't seen the Android version; I played it on PC, but as it is basically a "visual novel" I doubt there was very much difference between them.

I downloaded the Android version yesterday to see what everyone is on about. It's absolutely stuffed with trigger warnings. I had to click through about 4 screens saying that yes, I'm definitely ok with seeing disturbing content, and there's even a setting that will warn you before each individual disturbing screen.

I played 30 minutes and realized my personal trigger is sickeningly "cute" anime girls, and there's no warnings for that. Maybe I'll keep going and try to treat it as an artistic experience but I'm definitely not enjoying it so far and I'm just in the introduction.

Re: Google removes "Doki Doki Literature Club" from Google Play

#122

Post by bawolff »

j2kun wrote: post #44

Self-harm (especially when depicting minors) has special standards. The recent court ruling on child safety against Meta probably led directly to this decision.

I don't think it particularly does in other media. Plenty of books have that as a theme. On netflix, 13 reasons why was one of their big hits.

Re: Google removes "Doki Doki Literature Club" from Google Play

#123

Post by KennyBlanken »

bengotow wrote: post #7

Just want to drive by and mention - a friend told me to play DDLC and I was highly skeptical given the anime pin-up girl art style. I eventually gave in and gave it a shot. It's an amazing "playable story" unlike anything I have ever played. Super creative and well worth the couple hours it takes to play. I think it could use a few trigger warnings and it should be rated PG-13 / R, but there's stuff on Netflix 10x mo…

> I think it could use a few trigger warnings

There is no scientific evidence whatsoever that trigger warnings have a positive effect and growing evidence they are either ineffectual or actually negative.

Re: Google removes "Doki Doki Literature Club" from Google Play

#124

Post by lmm »

MikeTheGreat wrote: post #29
oceansky wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Brazil and India have created alternatives to Mastercard/Visa duopoly. EU is seeking to do the same.

I'm pretty sure that I know what the answer is (sadly), but I'll try anyways: Any chance folks in the US can use these, in the US? This is a genuine question, although I don't have my hopes up. It would be nice to have some actual competition / choices

It costs you nothing but a few hours (heck, you may even make money on the points) to get a Discover card, which you can use on Japanese game sites that don't apply the Visa/Mastercard censorship (they have a partnership with JCB). It's a small move, but most people can't even be bothered to do that much for competition.

Re: Google removes "Doki Doki Literature Club" from Google Play

#125

Post by brookst »

echelon wrote: post #88
throwaway2046 wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The official website states on the front page: This game is not suitable for children or those who are easily disturbed.

We do not need our hyperscaler minders telling us what content we can and cannot consume. This ought to be grounds to litigate antitrust. This should not be happening. We need web-based app installs without scare walls ("downloading from the internet is dangerous"), without hidden settings menus to enable them ("Settings > Apps > Special app access > Install unknown apps"), and without any interference or meddling fr…

I’m generally with you, but I am not prepared to say companies should be forced to host and distribute content they believe reflects badly on them.

That and I don’t see how Google and Apple can both be monopolies in mobile. Is this the “Ford has a monopoly on Mustangs” argument? Never found that persuasive.

Now, reframe as duopoly, and maybe layer in that a platform owner who curates their App Store must allow alternative app stores on equal footing, and I’d be with you.

Re: Google removes "Doki Doki Literature Club" from Google Play

#126

Post by brookst »

echelon wrote: post #95
stavros wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This should already be illegal under the DMA. I don't know how Google is planning to get out of it.

There hasn't been so much as a finger lifted against antitrust behavior since 2000. They feel as though they're invincible at this point.

This is false and it weakens your position.

https://www.justice.gov/atr/case/us-and-plaintiff-states-v-g...

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/department-justice-prevails-l...

https://www.justice.gov/atr/case/us-and-plaintiff-states-v-a...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antitrust_cases_against_Google...

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/19/eu-orders-apple-to-open-up-a...

…and there are many more.

You can say those aren’t enough, but it is 100% fallacious to say there has been zero antitrust actions against Apple and Google since 2000.

Re: Google removes "Doki Doki Literature Club" from Google Play

#127

Post by anonym29 »

lxgr wrote: post #81
anonym29 wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well-placed trust is a small asset, but misplaced trust is a massive liability.

It might not always be warranted, but where it was, increased trust in society, institutions, and systems has been the enabler for economic growth and human development in the past centuries. Talk it down at your own (or more accurately, at all our) peril.

Economic growth and human development over the last several centuries has been the result of a complex web of interleaved prerequisites, that said, trust wasn't one them.

People trusted institutions for thousands of years prior to the scientific revolution. Europe had plenty of trust in religious institutions between the collapse of the Roman empire and the scientific revolution, and you know what it got them? Superstition, witch hunts, barbarism in the name of proselytizing, failed pandemic responses, and a near complete stall in technological and scientific breakthroughs for a millennium.

What the scientific revolution brought us was the decision to not trust, but to reason, to measure, to hypothesize, to verify. Facts matter. Humans are stupid and it is human nature to place trust exactly where trust is least warranted.

Re: Google removes "Doki Doki Literature Club" from Google Play

#128

Post by nickv »

esperent wrote: post #121
jhbadger wrote: post #3

DDLC is a disturbing (good, but disturbing) game that opens as a bright cheerful one. So long as the description explained what the user is in for later on, I think Google shouldn't have done this. I haven't seen the Android version; I played it on PC, but as it is basically a "visual novel" I doubt there was very much difference between them.

I downloaded the Android version yesterday to see what everyone is on about. It's absolutely stuffed with trigger warnings. I had to click through about 4 screens saying that yes, I'm definitely ok with seeing disturbing content, and there's even a setting that will warn you before each individual disturbing screen. I played 30 minutes and realized my personal trigger is sickeningly "cute" anime girls, and there's no…

Oh dude, this game is going to rock your world. I'm like giddy for you experiencing this for the first time with no spoilers.

I was like "meh" too at first ("what are people TALKING about?") and, then, it just gets incredible.

Re: Google removes "Doki Doki Literature Club" from Google Play

#129

Post by catcowcostume »

phendrenad2 wrote: post #70
numpad0 wrote: post #60

It's a relatively old game, so I'll put up here a spoiler so to remove potential confusion: DDLC is a __horror__ game that contains some gore, death, and self harm content, as well as small fourth wall breaking, disguised as a Japanese Visual Novel style soft/hard porn game. The entire game is a figurative jumpscare. Which makes it technically true to call it a "disturbing and shocking" game, but not as in """disturb…

I'm intentionally not reading your post, but the "it's old so I can spoil it" is never an acceptable stance in a world where they keep making more people. The world doesn't begin and end with your experience.

Not spoiling something to others is a courtesy, not an obligation. People live by their own rules.

Re: Google removes "Doki Doki Literature Club" from Google Play

#130

Post by cyberrock »

dangus wrote: post #45

Aside from the comments on the rest of this thread, I’ll point out this unique point: If this game’s content is objectionable, where was Google 5 months ago when it was released? Are they admitting that they don’t review apps that are submitted? Do their reviewers have zero familiarity with major multi-platform game releases? How are they justifying the availability of the Grand Theft Auto or Resident Evil series on…

It's obvious that the game was yanked as a reaction to the current moral panic regarding technology and mental health in minors, not for the violence or gore.

This is just how moral panics are. We can say we just wanted social media to be 16+, but after the lawsuits roll in, no one is going to take a nuanced stance. Steam and EGS didn't stand up for Horses either, even after those devs changed the objectionable content, because earlier headlines made the work toxic in the current world.

Post reply on HN