A wave of removals hit the Steam Store, recently, as Valve revealed certain types of video games would no longer be sold on their storefront. A glance at SteamDB shows that the affected games are of a very particular variety featuring adult content. Valve issued a statement on the delistings, explaining that they were due to potential violations with "payment processors", and in order to continue taking payments for non-adult content, they would be removing those title that do not meet "rules and standards" put forth by companies such as Mastercard, PayPal, etc.

We were recently notified that certain games on Steam may violate the rules and standards set forth by our payment processors and their related card networks and banks. As a result, we are retiring those games from being sold on the Steam Store, because loss of payment methods would prevent customers from being able to purchase other titles and game content on Steam.

We are directly notifying developers of these games, and issuing app credits should they have another game they’d like to distribute on Steam in the future.

While all of the affected games are of a controversial variety, it has unnerved some, as the newly implemented "rules and standards" that led to the delisting of these titles is vague.

Content that may violate the rules and standards set forth by Steam’s payment processors and related card networks and banks, or internet network providers. In particular, certain kinds of adult only content.

Source

 

[Dark_Ansem]

don't think anyone in Collective Shout cares about women

Bingo

 

[Eightcoins]

Apparently, an Australia based activist group "collective shout" is behind this. And there was past news about GTA being removed from sale in Australia. I wouldn't be surprised if the women who initiated the petition for GTA were from "collective shout" as well, especially given that the group seemed to have taken credit for its removal at that time (see the following link)

https://www.collectiveshout.org/win_target_and_kmart_remove_r18_game_from_stores

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-30328314







Now, if they want do to it just for Australia, fine. But with due respect, them Aussie women shouldn't be speaking for the rest of the world. Steam could very well have restricted those "questionable" games from sale in Australia. There was absolutely no need to do so for other regions.

Worse, its not just Australians speaking for the whole world, its Australian Terfs speaking for the whole world judging by what content they chose to host. I'm already confidently predicting anything with positive depitictions of transgender people will be next.

 

[Mythrandir]

Some distinctives of Puritanism, in a more formal sense rather than the informal, rhetorical, and pejorative, sense used in this thread, include the assertion of Covenant Theology, affirmation of the five solas of the Protestant Reformation, affirmation of the Doctrines of Grace, and paedobaptism (infant baptism). Prominent Puritan figures include John Owen, John Bunyan, Jonathan Edwards, and William Perkins.

In the strict historical sense, the Puritans were a group that believed the Church of England was too much like the Church of Rome (Roman Catholicism) in imposing unbiblical tradition and appealing to ecclesiastical (church) authority above biblical authority. They desired the separation of the Church of England to embody the values of the Protestant Reformation. The term "Puritan" was applied by opponents believing they were too precise in following biblical authority. Interestingly, Puritans were not separatists like the Pilgrims. The Puritans desired that the Church of England reform, much like Martin Luther desired that the Church of Rome reform so that the Church would remain united. The most vocal were persecuted out of England for their dissention.

I would advise not confusing the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) movement with Puritanism. It is conflating two very different frameworks. Looking into Collective Shout, I very much doubt that any of the co-founders would assert the Reformed framework. I am open to correction if anyone can dig up anything on the organisation suggesting that it would assert the distinct characteristics of Puritanism.

 

[JaNDeRPeiCH]

From the people that support here to collective shout,you should not support them because of this:



This video should be pinned in the frontpage and remind us those activist only want power&control for their agendas,not helping real victims

 

[LightBeam]

It's shovelware, why should I care

 

[Lumstar]

The payment providers aren't going to stop at these games, and you know it. They're just going after some adult games that most people(including me) don't give a shit about, so they can "test the waters". Power tripping payment providers scare me. Valve didn't "willingly" remove these games, they were threatened and bullied into it.

Ding, ding. A winner here.
No, payment providers don't have to provide their services to Steam

But the motives and methods at play in this case, are clearly very wrong.

 

[Skelletonike]

This is extremely stupid but thankfully all of my games were safe. A lot of them usually have certain content locked by default and only unlocked with certain patches, so all is good.

On the bright side, most of the games that were banned that I saw involved futanari and furry stuff, so a certain community that enjoys censorship will not be as happy as they usually are about these things.

 

[MarkDarkness]

Visa and Mastercard have been on this quest in every niche... freaking marketing companies with nothing better to do.

 

[QuestionEmulation]

If you're an individual in this thread that doesn't understand that with any position that can control someone will overreach with their power sooner or later needs to read up on history on how militaries, mercenaries, churches, governments, etc has thrown their weight around that escalated into violence.

The targets of Visa/Mastercard are obvious targets. Targets that should be quelled as they happen throughout history and a civilized society would not like to see in their day to day. Violence and rape will always be a thing. Reducing it to 0 will almost always be appreciated and encouraged by the vast majority of understanding individuals.

But the methods used to attempt to reduce it, the methods used against people who question how they use their power to "reduce it" has been shown to be red flags, especially when they misuse and misdirect people when questions are asked that they know will affect how they use their power. So if you think that people questioning someone in the "position of power" of any field that's making themselves the arbiters of truth is wrong, I have a lawless world to sell you and would like to see how long you'd survive there. I'd say maybe you can stream a game similar, but they may ban you themselves if they decide their upset with you now.

This is the same argument to why people advocate for privacy. Everyone breaks the law because the vagueness and nuance to how you present it can be used to make any argument near it's intended target seem lawless. So if information of your every action is recorded, all someone has to be is upset with you and decide to flex their emotions to someone that can punish you at their discretion with proof that they can align with a law that they decided you broke.

Never hesitate to question someone in the position of power. Thank them for doing right and take action when they do wrong.

 

[SMNFXCN]

literally 1984

 

[QuestionEmulation]

affect how they use their power.

Dammit.

 

[DavidinCT]

At least they didn't take away my copy of FlipWitch Forbidden Sex Hex.

Actually, it's a castlevania type game and it's pretty good and the theme is entertaining to say the least.

 

[Viri]

They ain't going to stop!

Spoiler

 

[1stmoon]

All of you chuds who oppose "censorship" have only brought real censorship on everyone. Thanks a bunch.

 

[Dark_Ansem]

And to clarify, no one is defending those games. Honestly, they should have never appeared in the eshop to begin with. If Steam wants to clean itself up then it needs to raise its standards, not ask other corpos to do its dirty work.

 

[Kioku]

2025 is going to be a great year...

/s

 

[Xzi]

Itch.io has now been caught up in this ordeal, shadowbanning or outright removing NSFW games after being pressured by payment processors. This time including those without any of the more controversial themes in them, as well.

 

[Dark_Ansem]

Itch.io has now been caught up in this ordeal, shadowbanning or outright removing NSFW games after being pressured by payment processors. This time including those without any of the more controversial themes in them, as well.

Oh so just stuff they don't like.

 

[Xdqwerty]

Welp, i'll guess I won't get to play adult games when I grow up, or atleast the ones that havent been pirated yet

Aaaaand idk what i just said

 

[SeventhSon7]

this is Valve's cue to start it's own payment processor