Anyone following the drama with Steam and the credit card companies trying to censor games?

[Cardboardtubeknight Cardboardtubeknight]

Two therapists walked into a bar and they psychoanalyzed the mental state of a whisky in the glass while philosophers in the room were like "WTF".

Keep your day job

 

[Strategist's icon Strategist Strategist]

Not delisted. Deindexed, which means they're still there but won't show up on a search, while a direct link will work still. Free adult games had this lifted since they don't involve the payment processing.

As for the overall discussion: It boils down to the payment processors caving to avoid bad press. Even if these games somehow aren't on these storefronts at some point, they will exist, you'll just need to find out about them in a different way than a storefront. Then they'll go through a different payment processor, and so while it'll definitely make an impact, it isn't as though the sky is falling on this kind of game. Over the years we've had similar panic about these things: Lieberman, Jack Thompson, none of them made the headway with it that they thought they might. An inconvenience for now if you buy those games, a genuine problem if you make those games, but it isn't over and dead.

But what is the difference between an adult game and the Witcher 3? I honestly don't care too much about adult games, but I'm worried about the chilling effect on the industry. It seems very arbitrary to me. Witcher 3 has plenty of nudity, virtual sex and quests where violence against women are central to the plot. What's to prevent them from targeting a game like that if they feel like it?

I'm calling it now, this will devolve into a "the code" type of situation in the video game industry that once affected Hollywood in the 1950s.

Hays Code - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Segadude113]

But what is the difference between an adult game and the Witcher 3? I honestly don't care too much about adult games, but I'm worried about the chilling effect on the industry. It seems very arbitrary to me. Witcher 3 has plenty of nudity, virtual sex and quests where violence against women are central to the plot. What's to prevent them from targeting a game like that if they feel like it?

I don't see Witcher 3 getting banned though. It's just porn games.

 

[bjork]

But what is the difference between an adult game and the Witcher 3? I honestly don't care too much about adult games, but I'm worried about the chilling effect on the industry. It seems very arbitrary to me. Witcher 3 has plenty of nudity, virtual sex and quests where violence against women are central to the plot. What's to prevent them from targeting a game like that if they feel like it?

I suppose none, but I feel like that isn't likely. This was a path of least resistance that took a handful of phone calls and not getting tied up with some game company's legal representation over creative freedom. That said, I guess it isn't impossible. But the only time any real impact was made by this kind of news was when they creating ESRB ratings, because at that point the Senate was involved. You're nowhere near there yet.

Also, and if you didn't mean it this way, then I apologize: you can't claim to worry about an issue and then go "I honestly don't care too much about adult games." That's the first pillar that has to fall, so if anything, that's the main thing you should care about in regard to this, even if you never buy or play them. To only pick and choose which games you personally don't want impacted by this, makes the entire argument seem disingenuous.

 

[Strategist's icon Strategist Strategist]

Also, and if you didn't mean it this way, then I apologize: you can't claim to worry about an issue and then go "I honestly don't care too much about adult games." That's the first pillar that has to fall, so if anything, that's the main thing you should care about in regard to this, even if you never buy or play them. To only pick and choose which games you personally don't want impacted by this, makes the entire argument seem disingenuous.

I didn't mean it that way. I meant to say I don't play adult games so I'm not overtly invested in their existence, but I don't support censorship, especially when we have a rating system that should theoretically prevent kids from playing adult games.

 

[Nidstang]

The only games i'm seeing get outright censored are porn games. I don't own any so I have no issues with Steam.

Porn games have been banned on Steam and Itch. Itch completely removed the NSFW category in its entirety. Other sites, mainly Japanese eroge sites, are unable to sell games. Other places, like Bandcamp, are reportedly no longer going to accept Paypal, and Steam even has banned Paypal in certain countries.

A horror game called Vile Exhumed was also banned. DreadXP has since picked it up and are distributing it for free to avoid the payment processor ban.

Other games such as Hotline Miami, Detroit Become Human, Grand Theft Auto, and Postal have already been targeted for future ban. The payment processors have also put out a list of content that they don't deem appropriate. Under their rules games like Postal, Duke Nukem, Bioshock, Baldur's Gate, and even Digimon World could potentially be banned in the future.

It is not "just porn games".

 

[Segadude113]

Porn games have been banned on Steam and Itch. Itch completely removed the NSFW category in its entirety. Other sites, mainly Japanese eroge sites, are unable to sell games. Other places, like Bandcamp, are reportedly no longer going to accept Paypal, and Steam even has banned Paypal in certain countries.

A horror game called Vile Exhumed was also banned. DreadXP has since picked it up and are distributing it for free to avoid the payment processor ban.

Other games such as Hotline Miami, Detroit Become Human, Grand Theft Auto, and Postal have already been targeted for future ban. The payment processors have also put out a list of content that they don't deem appropriate. Under their rules games like Postal, Duke Nukem, Bioshock, Baldur's Gate, and even Digimon World could potentially be banned in the future.

It is not "just porn games".

Could potentially in the future? The other games you mentioned aren't porn. They're safe.

 

[Nidstang]

Could potentially in the future? The other games you mentioned aren't porn. They're safe.

They arent safe though. Like I mentioned a horror game was already banned. Detroit Become Human and GTA have been specifically listed as in the target to be banned next. They are working towards banning any and all games with anything remotely adult, violent, sexual, or crude. Games have been undergoing censorship for a decade now due to external pushback. It wasn't enough for these people, they want outright bans. It starts with the porn game, it will leach into ALL games.

 

[qw90700]

Keep your day job

Sure, otherwise I can't afford to walk into bars.

lolol

 

[bjork]

Porn games have been banned on Steam

Is this case by case or region by region? Because I still get tons of listings for wild ass stuff and no tags appear to be missing either.

 

[Nidstang]

Is this case by case or region by region? Because I still get tons of listings for wild ass stuff and no tags appear to be missing either.

On Steam, case by case. On Itch its the entire NSFW category.

 

[qw90700]

Is this case by case or region by region? Because I still get tons of listings for wild ass stuff and no tags appear to be missing either.

Hmm I think I heard that Steam store page of the game exist but can't buy them despite you try hard?

 

[bjork]

On Steam, case by case. On Itch its the entire NSFW category.

So on steam, that sounds like it would've been the ongoing practice anyway...?

Hmm I think I heard that Steam store page of the game exist but can't buy them despite you try hard?

???

 

[Cardboardtubeknight Cardboardtubeknight]

Sure, otherwise I can't afford to walk into bars.

View attachment 102407

lolol

You can walk into a bar without a job

 

[Strategist's icon Strategist Strategist]

The biggest problem is that these morality police groups have a bunch of old ladies with nothing better to do than to call the payment providers day in and day out to get them to ban porn games. Sad to say, but have to match that energy if we want to protect our hobby. If they get an equal or greater pressure from anti-censorship gamers, it might mean something. But if the government is pushing for these censorship practices, we may be cooked.

 

[Octopus]

They arent safe though. Like I mentioned a horror game was already banned. Detroit Become Human and GTA have been specifically listed as in the target to be banned next. They are working towards banning any and all games with anything remotely adult, violent, sexual, or crude. Games have been undergoing censorship for a decade now due to external pushback. It wasn't enough for these people, they want outright bans. It starts with the porn game, it will leach into ALL games.

If you're referring to this tweet from Collective Shout for D:BH;

It's from 2018, before any of this even happened. Also, only in Australia given that they're Australian.

 

[Nidstang]

Just a constant stream of bad news and reports every day. It's hard to keep up with it all.

Buying NSFW games on Itch.io? PayPal may Nuke your account! - General Discussion

Just woke up to an Email from PayPal stating that my account was permanently limited, thinking it's a scam I check and lo and behold: But what had I done? Well my only purchases using PayPal were thro

itch.io

 

[Sir Auriel of Lionel]

Meanwhile they stayed silent and remain as a active partner as Roblox gets dragged in news articles and youtube videos with its massive predator problem. It's never been about child safety it's been about moral policing and being in control, no matter their cries of protesting otherwise. I don't know who they are other than they should have been passed and pushed out of the running years ago. I feel bad for some developers but if the problem is purchasing then we'll preserve the best way we know how, or some might have to just put their work out there for free. Or worse cypto.

 

[moonbits]

we must erradicate porn and gooning

 

[Strategist's icon Strategist Strategist]

we must erradicate porn and gooning

Bringing back an oldie meme.

 

[Questless Knight]

I know about it but I don´t follow it. Because I got better things to do than care what a bunch of adult kids with shit for brain do or not do.

It´s enough I have to deal with pathetic people´s drama in MMO games.

 

[bjork]

I know about it but I don´t follow it. Because I got better things to do than care what a bunch of adult kids with shit for brain do or not do.

It´s enough I have to deal with pathetic people´s drama in MMO games.

That's the spirit

 

[mistymermaid]

The motive is the most important thing.

While yes, independent companies can choose to not conduct business with one another... that argument falls short when there's a clear and obvious intent to censor.