Earlier this week, Tumblr made the shocking announcement that starting December 17, 2018, it is changing its community policies and it will begin banning all adult content on its platform. Tumblr's algorithms are already flagging any images, GIFs, and videos that contain human genitals, sex acts, or "female-presenting nipples," a phrase which has been widely mocked online. But, come December 17, posts containing unacceptable content will be set to private and therefore will not be publicly visible and cannot be shared online. Artistic, newsworthy, or educational depictions of nudity may still be permitted.

Many have expressed concerns about the ramifications of Tumblr's decision, with gamers in particular unsure of what it means for them. Tumblr has a massive gaming audience, as indicated by the platform's annual "most popular fandom" lists. Some of the most popular fandoms in 2018 included Overwatch, Undertale, Splatoon, The Sims 4, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and Cuphead. In 2017, indie hits such as Dream Daddy and Mystic Messenger also found themselves in the top 10.

These games have vibrant communities who tend to share image-heavy posts. This includes silly or meme-related posts, such as the campaign to troll Todd Howard or the Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery T-posing bug. But it also includes screenshots, and photos taking in photo mode, edits, GIFs and fanart (both of the SFW and NSFW variety).

Tumblr's algorithm has already begun to flag gaming content out of concern that it may be depicting nudity, lewd acts, or female-presenting nipples. On Twitter, gaming fan artists have been shaking their heads in bewilderment as their (completely innocent) art, including art of fully-clothed characters, has been flagged.

An artist going by the name of Satellite 9 revealed that artwork of a Splatoon character had been flagged as explicit by Tumblr. Meanwhile, an artist named Naomi showed how chibi-style character art of Fire Emblem characters as well as an innocent image of an FE character in swimming trunks had been flagged too.

Understandably, artists who share their work on Tumblr are concerned that the platform's wonky algorithms will hide the art that they've worked hard on. But more than that, they are concerned that it will directly impact their earnings. If they are unable to share their art with communities willing to pay and donate to support how will they continue to make money?

Tumblr's new, anti-adult content policy may not just affect artists though; it could have a knock-on effect to game developers and publishers themselves. The love for a game on Tumblr can translate into sales. The enthusiasm for Overwatch's cast and the romantic and platonic relationships between these characters is one reason why the game has millions of players. A reasonable amount of these players will have heard about it from Tumblr first and will have seen their friends playing and enthusing about it.

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The continued success of Skyrim and its many re-releases has a lot to do with the quality of the game, of course, but the communities help as well. Likewise, the incredible success of games like Dream Daddy and tough-as-nails action game Cuphead is in part thanks to Tumblr users raving about these games, their worlds, and their characters. Much of that enthusiasm includes the very same fanart that Tumblr's algorithm is now flagging as explicit.

Gamers aren't the only community that is being affected by Tumblr's shift. Artists in general, as well as fans TV shows, movies, and real-life entertainers all stand to face the wrath of the wayward algorithm. Many are already expecting a mass exodus from the site, to platforms such as Pillowfort.io and Newgrounds. So come December 17, Tumblr may get its wish of no NSFW content, but only because there will be no one around to post it.

Source: Tumblr (1), (2)