Long story short, some of my images were deleted for being pulled from a flash game (post #1234762). I don't disagree with them being deleted as per the rules, but at the same time, I'm not entirely comfortable with those rules. After all, the images are from a source that wouldn't be accessible to mobile users or any browser without flash support, and beyond that, animations from games have already been allowed without issue. I could also mention how there's a dialogue box covering the images in-game, but it's small enough that I feel like I'd be splitting hairs if I used it as a legitimate criticism (though I imagine other games might have more intrusive HUDs). In my discussion with the janitor who deleted the images, they also brought up how it would be easy for someone to upload dozens of images from the same source, therefore letting them increase their upload limit with minimal effort and also being spam. As someone who hasn't been active here for too long, I have no idea how much of an issue this is, but when I see samey CG sets and hoards of gifs made from a video, I have to wonder how much concern there really is for that sort of thing (for the record, the janitor also said that they dislike the sets of gifs).

As it stands now, I'm not expecting my images to be immediately reapproved anytime soon, but the same time, I wouldn't mind starting a discussion about images pulled directly from games and whether or not they'd be worth having on the site.

I am going to say this immediately, there are mobile options that support flash, as well as WebM; browsers and apps, respectively, lets you work around the disability.

But, I argue for the removal of images pulled from a flash (or video) on site. Unless these stilled images are directly from the artist's page, it is not as needed as it's perceived beneficial. It causes an image bloat, especially for long playtime or multiple scenes in a flash. I recall flash games that feature over 20 partners, both top and bottom, in a "make your own sex scene", and if still images were ripped of every option, and limited to three stages of sex, this would still bring at least over 100 images (a very generous underestimate).

Then there are videos, flash or otherwise, which also feature long playtimes and may feature consecutive different scenes, as if telling a story from ceiling to floor and every inch in between; since you could make stilled images or gifs of every single one, this would also cause image bloat. And even if it is a short, looping video, you could just make one gif for everyone's convenience (and some artists do this).

Hence why I do not want to see images ripped from games: they can clog up the site with images, bloating search results in unnecessary quantities.

Strikerman said:
After all, the images are from a source that wouldn't be accessible to mobile users or any browser without flash support

Somehow this is my most controversial opinion... Which, considering my other opinions, is saying something.

I don't like phones. I think they cause all sorts of problems, people use them like idiots, and they are a crippled version of what a computer should be.

When people complain about not being able to access certain types of content on their phone, it is similar to my mind to someone who cut off their own arms complaining that they're not being picked for the tennis team. Maybe I'd have some sympathy if you were forced into this position, but you're the one crippling yourself here.

Sure, websites can try to be somewhat accommodating, if they want, but it's not their responsibility to cater to those using awful devices.

Point being, to my mind, this just isn't a valid justification. This also applies to browsers lacking features, mind you.

Now allow me to sit here and have stones thrown at me until I am dead, for besmirching the honor of mobile users.

BismuthGalaxy said:
Hmm, what about games like Angels With Scaly Wings that feature still pieces of artwork? Would those images also be considered bloat?

Yes, if you are referring to my statement then: I specified stilled because they are from a flash, which can include animations, transitions, fade outs, X-rays, the list goes on; since it is a flash game, my argument is still valid. Your statement falls under "multiple scenes".

Yeah, the argument that people can't consume the content on a handheld device is a very weak one. If you can't browse porn on your own computer you're probably not old enough to be here in the first place (or are homeless and porn should be the least of your worries).

And just for the record, there is an official standalone version as well as mobile options.

BismuthGalaxy said:
I was referring to the actual pieces of artwork shown in game, not just screenshots from a given scene. (This one, for example) What I meant by "still" was that there's none of the customizable stuff for these images.

Well, is it an edit, or part of the flash's gallery? I am willing to say that if a still image is part of a gallery, then it is pretty much intended to be distributed. I'm not about to go chastise artists for clever usage of storage and incentive to get the game (unless the artist specifically asks for it to not be distributed, but that's a tangent).

Hell, if the flash itself is just a gallery, I'd argue that the flash deserves to go; this is where a gif or just the images themselves are better used.

BismuthGalaxy said:
I'm not entirely sure that "Flash's gallery" is applicable. It's available via download and Steam, not as an in-browser thing.

I'm simplifying. We don't need to get into every little detail when in the end, it's all the same.

BismuthGalaxy said:
I was referring to the actual pieces of artwork shown in game (This one, for example) , not just screenshots from a given scene. What I meant by "still" was that there's none of the customizable stuff for these images.

This is screenshot from video game, so literal screencap which is againts the guidelines and which is being kinda argued here. The way you get that from the game is irrelevant and there are actually tons of those on deleted posts. Also it's part of paid content which is game, which was released in january so it's also paid content under two years old here (which does sound kinda weird because everyone screenshots and captures video games these days).

Unless artist has released those images outside the game, they are not allowed. Also the issue isn't single game, but all of them. Guidelines still needs to reflect all posts, having exclusion like "assets from flash games posted on site" or "from AWSW" would be allowed would just be really dum.