When Microsoft launched the Community Games section (now Indie Games section) of Xbox Live, there were a few things we just knew we’d be getting; creative titles unlike anything we’ve ever seen, slapped together knock-offs of successful games, simple titles that play like online Flash games, and half-baked, but cleverly conceived game mechanics that could become standards in the future.  We also knew we’d eventually get some inappropriate content, and that’s finally happened.

Microsoft has pulled the game And Yet, I Love You from their servers for containing "visual reminders of sexual assault."  Essentially a visual novel, And Yet, I Love You was developed by independent game-maker Naoki Sagawa, and is not a hentai or adults-only game.  Microsoft’s objections were a result of three aspects of the game, which are illustrated in the above image;

• One of the girl's hands is restrained.
• The girl is being pushed down.
• The girl's underwear is visible.

No mention of the fact that the girl looks to be about 9 years old.  Funny, that.

Sagawa was contacted by Microsoft about the objectionable material, and the indie dev asked that the game be distributed only in Japan, and even altered the scene.  Microsoft still pulled the game, though, marking the first time an Xbox Live Community game has been taken down for content.

I’m not usually one for supporting censorship, especially in gaming and ESPECIALLY in the indie gaming world, but that image is unquestionably unsettling.  I haven’t seen the altered image, nor do I know enough about the game to put it in its proper context, but a scared, restrained, under-aged girl in a clearly sexually suggestive position is probably in poor taste.  If there is sufficient outcry over this decision or one similar to it, perhaps it would behoove Microsoft to open up an “Adults Only” channel on their online service.  Somehow, though, I doubt that And Yet, I Love You will garner quite that much attention, and even if it did, maybe we could focus on girls that look old enough to drive, if not vote.