A recent wave of censorship on Steam and Itch.io has sparked outrage among developers and players. The conservative Australian group, which was initially linked to the removal of games, has been accused of playing a role in the censorship campaign.
The group, known for its anti-pornography stance, led a movement in April to remove the game “No Mercy” from Steam, citing it as an example of how their efforts could work. However, logic and evidence suggest that the group had little to do with the mass removals.
Payment processors such as Visa, Mastercard, and PayPal took advantage of the situation to dictate the types of games they would support, leading to hundreds of game removals on Steam. Itch.io also de-indexed its adult games, affecting around 20,000 titles.
While the Australian group claimed responsibility for the Steam bans, experts argue that there is no evidence to support this claim. The group’s campaigns, which included emails and open letters, are unlikely to have had a significant impact on payment processors.
In reality, the real culprits behind the censorship are the organizations with power in the situation, namely Mastercard and Visa. Developers are being asked to redirect their ire towards these companies rather than the Australian group.
The incident raises concerns about the erosion of freedom of expression and the importance of subversive art during a time when marginalized communities are under attack. The use of censorship as a tool by groups with conservative leanings is particularly worrisome.
In other gaming news, BioShock 4 has failed a recent review and is heading back to developers for a narrative revamp. GOG released 13 games with adult themes for free in protest of the censorship on Steam and Itch.io, while Itch.io has reindexed its free NSFW games after deindexing them earlier.
The gaming industry is also feeling the effects of the UK’s Online Safety Act, which will require platforms to implement age verification methods. Microsoft plans to expand its age-verification program to other regions, starting with the UK.
In a related development, Sony is suing Tencent over Polaris Quest’s Horizon-like game, Light of Motiram. Meanwhile, Raven Software has ratified its union contract with Microsoft, marking a significant milestone in labor organizing in the gaming industry.
Developers can still access and play VILE: Exhumed, which was removed from Steam due to unrelated reasons. The game’s developer, Cara Cadaver, has rolled out her own distribution model, allowing players to download and play the game for free.
Source: https://www.engadget.com/gaming/video-games-weekly-censorship-and-stolen-puritanical-valor-234220878.html