EDIT: The policy was updated since I posted this comment to explicitly ban all genAI content from the site. I am extremely pleased with this change. I want to acknowledge the willingness of RPG Trader to listen to our feedback and adapt. It takes courage to be willing to change, and I applaud them for doing so. I know that moderating these policies presents an increasingly difficult challenge. I am not expecting perfection, but rather a genuine desire to do good and expect better in our industry. I think RPG Trader is doing that and I can’t wait to upload my catalogue of games!
I personally think a stronger stance would be better. Under the existing guidelines, all of the same problems exist as if it was an outright ban, but with a tacit endorsement of genAI in our industry; an endorsement I am not interested in supporting.
AI-generated content is noticeably demoted on the site… Anyone can opt out of seeing AI-generated content
These two measures will only encourage bad actors to try and pass off their genAI products as legitimate. There is no incentive to behave in good faith.
While it’s tempting to say “no AI-generated content of any kind is allowed, even in part”, we believe that approach will result in AI-generated content simply not being declared and then going unchecked.
There is nothing stopping someone from uploading genAI content and not declaring it with the current policy. You are already relying on a “catch offenders” methodology, while also incentivizing genAI users to try and dodge the policy since flagging their content truthfully will negatively impact their product’s visibility.
The current policy feels like it is coming from a good place. I think you understand that generative AI is an unethical technology that creates immense harm in both the world and our industry. But this policy does nothing to prevent the technology’s continued use, and in fact encourages bad behavior while offloading the moderation responsibility to users.
I don’t think there’s any way to avoid having user-reporting be a part of your genAI strategy, but an outright ban would properly disincentivize the content from being posted to begin with. It would also clearly communicate the risks of doing so and better enable clear, direct action when a violation is found.
I am excited to see another digital marketplace, particularly one focused on catering to TTRPG makers. I have well over a dozen titles that I would like to add to the storefront. But if I’m going to add yet another marketplace to my list of management tasks, I want that place to be one that I can fully endorse. Right now this policy is in line with the equally disappointing policies of Itch.io and DriveThruRPG. Why should I go through the effort of posting my products here when it does not better protect my content or more closely align with my ethics?