I'm proud to announce that as of a few days ago the VAC Banned Club has reached 500 members! The group also seems to be growing at an even faster rate than before, but we've still got a long way to go. In a few months we'll be celebrating our 2 year anniversary too, and I'll try to host a game giveaway for group members when that happens.

Keep up the good work and remember to invite anyone you know that's eligible to join. I very much look forward to the day we reach 1000 members, no matter how long it is from now.

Good luck out there, and don't get caught (again)!

It's been over a year since I was first VAC-banned and decided to create this group in retaliation. My goal was to form a community of people with similar experiences, so you could know that even though we may be branded as cheaters by the Steam community, there will still be others that welcome you as a friend. I never tried to get anyone's bans lifted, but instead to fight discrimination against VAC-banned players.

Although some of us were really cheaters, there was usually a reason behind it. Perhaps you were protesting the decisions of a development team like I was. Maybe you weren't cheating at all, and the system banned you for using a texture pack or other harmless addon. Even worse, you could have been game-banned just because a developer doesn't like you. I've seen this happen many times, but no matter what you did this mark on our profiles can never be removed. So I figured why not make the best of it?

Many people look at our bans and think of us as careless rule-breakers and misfits. I know this isn't the case, and the more our group grows the more this will be realized. That's why I not only want to congratulate this group on it's 1-year anniversary, but for reaching 250 members as well. I'd also like to remind all members that you have the power to invite and should do so for anyone you think would be a good addition to the group so we can grow even more.

The next milestone is at 500 members, and I have no doubt in my mind that we'll reach it eventually. Until then I wish you all good luck. Stay strong, and keep doing what you're doing.

EDIT: I just added a new custom avatar for the group to celebrate. I hope you like it.

Steam has recently added a feature allowing game developers to ban players from their games. It's just like a VAC-ban except it's done by developers rather than an automatic system.

Just a theory, but I think that in time we'll see game bans more often than VAC-bans. Game developers are best suited for making games, not messing with moderation powers for which they have no expertise. These bans will be numerous and for wildly different reasons, even personal. But I digress from the point of this announcement.

We are now gladly accepting all users with game bans! They are very similar to VAC-bans, so I don't see why they can't be apart of our community as well. People who oppose this new banning system are also welcome.

Remember, everyone has the power to invite!