“It’s a UGC platform, there is always going to be dog s***” Garry’s Mod creator says as S&box’s latest update aims to punish AI-generated thumbnails
S&box, Facepunch Studios’ open-source game development platform and spiritual successor to Garry’s Mod, is taking a firmer stance against AI-generated content. Following the platform’s mixed-reception launch, the latest update specifically targets creations with AI-generated thumbnails as part of broader efforts to combat low-quality AI-generated submissions.
Facepunch founder Garry Newman previously pledged that the studio would “take action to promote human creativity and push obviously AI-created slop off the main page.” This latest update extends those efforts by implementing systems to discourage and penalize AI-generated thumbnails from prominently appearing in S&box’s workshop, a key discovery mechanism for new creations.
Newman acknowledged the inherent challenges of moderating a user-generated content platform, stating: “It’s a UGC platform, there is always going to be dog s***.” He outlined the studio’s strategy: “What we need to do is remove obvious trolls, discourage it and make sure it doesn’t keep floating to the top.” This pragmatic approach recognizes that while some low-quality content is inevitable, the focus should be on preventing it from dominating visibility.
The move reflects broader gaming community concerns about AI-generated content flooding distribution and creation platforms. S&box’s targeted approach aims to reduce the visibility of low-effort submissions while encouraging authentic human creativity. As a successor to Garry’s Mod—one of gaming’s most influential community-driven platforms—S&box’s proactive AI content moderation appears designed to preserve the platform’s focus on genuine community creations while maintaining the open nature that made its predecessor successful.