Back when Steam first added tags, users were allowed to add literally any tag they wanted, leading to a lot of spam tags. Valve would later trim down the list to pre-approved tags, preventing spam. However, one tag that was removed was “furry”, which collected all of the games with anthropomorphic characters together.

Steam has a significant population of furries, so the loss of this tag makes it harder for furries to find anthropomorphic games. Steam currently has hundreds of tags and some of them either mirror a furry tag for another type of character, like elves, or are far less useful than a furry tag would be, like jump scare.

In addition to the utility aspect, furry devs want their games to be easy for other furries to find. My game has a fully anthropomorphic cast and I want to be able to apply the tag when it’s done to help other furries find it. There are undoubtedly plenty of gems I’ve missed due to lacking the tag. I believe it would increase the sales of games with the tag.

Valve is within their right to choose, but I don’t think this choice was made out of a disdain for the term and more of a misunderstanding of its potential. Even if the word “furry” isn’t used, “anthropomorphic” would be a good term to keep it neutral. Thank you for your consideration.