Post by Simpl_pseudocode in How a platform could curb low-effort submissions while protecting indie devs - e.g. stop the slop

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Resorting to personal comments like "AI psychosis" from my perspective only demonstrates the lack of actual arguments.

Moving past the deflections, the proposed alternatives actually demonstrate why a deposit model would be necessary.

First of all, a file size limit already exists on Itch, and it has done absolutely nothing to stop the influx of garbage. Lowering it further or placing caps would not stop slop, because low-res, low-effort AI (and human) slop weigh next to nothing. Meanwhile, legitimate projects with quality custom audio, textures, or complex frameworks would be punished. A file size cap targets the wrong variable entirely.

Second, saying the front page is curated misses the point. Discoverability relies heavily on tag browsing, category filters, and release feeds. When those automated directories are flooded with dozens (or hundreds) of daily submissions, users lose trust in the catalog and stop browsing.

Third, suggesting an algorithmic infinite-scroll feed like TikTok fundamentally misinterprets what an indie storefront should be. Turning Itch into an engagement machine driven by algorithms would reward clickbait rather than quality craftsmanship.

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protomo20 days ago (1 edit) (+2)

Alright go forge your perfect samurai sword and sell it at the cost of labor + materials for infinite yen because you are the master swordsmith.

It's literally a website full of erotic dating sims and jam games. I'm sorry it's not working out for you, or you're welcome for engaging with your bait.

Perhaps some of us like the garbage btw. Maybe go sell your game on Steam with the higher barriers to entry.

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Simpl_pseudocode20 days ago

Calling a respectful discussion "ragebait" is just a convenient exit strategy when arguments run out.

For the record, I am not trying to sell a game here. I released a free software tool specifically on Itch.io because I was aligned with the platform's open philosophy for indie creators.

Discovering the actual state of the platform, where the release index is buried in slop and support takes months to reply, is why I am trying to engage with fellow developers like you about the state of things. I honestly did not expect to encounter such fierce resistance, almost as if bringing up these issues was seen as a personal insult.

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protomo20 days ago (2 edits) (+3)

It's super hard to tell dude, cause basically itch has always had the problems you're describing but we don't really see them as problems. So you're like "What if everyone had to show ID, because that would filter some people out and then I would get noticed more."

Welcome to the Internet, no one cares what anyone is doing. It's literally not a discovery portal, its a hosting solution. If you want front page you should make friends not forum posts, but for *most* users, its a place to host games and they direct people here from other places. Very few people treat itch as a discoverability portal. Most people here get most of the plays, engagement, and interaction with other game devs in the context of jams and it has always been that way.

And yes I'm aware your suggestion is just $100 (refunded) for discoverability access.

It's an odd suggestion, because why not just like... actually help the site make money and pay $100 to be literally advertised. Just encourage them to start a game ads program where devs can spend money for front page space. Good for everyone, we all make money then. Someone can waste their money being seen, and we can all gain bandwidth from their sacrifice of finding out even the front page has no organic traffic and the web is literally dead of users.

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Simpl_pseudocode20 days ago (1 edit)

Thank you for being direct. That actually validates the entire point I have been making.

If Itch.io is to be viewed purely as a personal file-hosting service and a community hub for game jams rather than a functional store and discovery portal, then the current system "works" for that specific niche. However, for any developer looking for a fair, merit-based storefront where quality work can be organically discovered without relying exclusively on external marketing or social networking (because it is obvious that a certain amount of self-promotion is always necessary) the platform falls completely short.

That is, in my view, the fundamental disconnect: treating slop and zero internal discoverability as a "feature" rather than a flaw is fine for hobbyists, but disastrous for anyone trying to build a serious, sustainable path as a creator.

It does not bode well for the future of the platform either. If serious, motivated, and skilled developers eventually leave out of frustration, what is actually left in the end?

Edit: suggesting an ad program where space is sold to the highest bidder is the exact opposite of a merit-based system. That would simply favor deep-pocketed spam operations over genuine indie creators who cannot afford ad budgets, turning the front page into a pay-to-win billboard.

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protomo20 days ago (2 edits) (+2)

Right. The disconnect is that you want something that serves you even though it already serves countless other people in its current form. Even though you can literally open up an AI and type "make me an itch competitor with meritocratic systems and a $100 escrow for new accounts" you want to post endlessly about how this website should be that thing, but you insist it's not bait or facetious content.

Who's disconnected, you know what I mean? That's why I said it was inverted AI psychosis. The position makes no sense. It's like I went into a Wendy's and started complaining that it isn't a steakhouse.

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Simpl_pseudocode20 days ago

Forgive my frankness, but suggesting that anyone who points out systemic issues on an established storefront should simply "use AI to prompt a competitor into existence" is a completely surreal argument.

As for the analogy: Itch.io is explicitly framed as a digital marketplace for indie creators (their words, not mine). Asking for basic curation, functional search, and responsive support on an actual store is not asking for anything crazy or unreasonable; it is asking for the bare minimum of a functional platform.

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mid20 days ago

Yeah, I like them projecting with the ragebait part. Don’t give AI degens your time.

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protomo20 days ago(+2)

Guess we don't have your minimum viable platform. Go make your own, or type endlessly about it, whatever fills your soul.

I don't think your suggestions would improve the platform for my use case, so I've typed opposing thoughts. You find my position surreal, but AI itself is surreal. Congrats on surviving to the cyberpunk future.

Complaining about computers while using computers is the current zeitgeist, but being in consensus with other people who are wrong doesn't make anyone more correct. I don't see why it's a strange suggestion to tell you to go make your own platform.

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