I have zero faith this campaign will stop until we’re back in the stone age.
Future headline:
“Game vendors pressured to stop selling games where women are allowed to vote or express an opinion that doesn’t reflect her husband’s”
Payment Processors Are Pressuring Major Gaming Vendors to Pull LGBTQ+ and NSFW Titles
Submitted 3 weeks ago by tonytins@pawb.social to games@lemmy.world
https://www.them.us/story/itch-io-steam-adult-video-game-ban-delisting-lgbtq
Comments
partial_accumen@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
ms_lane@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
A few days ago there were many here saying the idea of a slippery slope to banning LGBTQ+ games was nonsensical.
Yet, here we are.
Eezyville@sh.itjust.works 3 weeks ago
It always starts with “Protect the children!!”
YiddishMcSquidish@lemmy.today 3 weeks ago
Same crowd is who the children need protecting from
h3rmit@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 weeks ago
If you read the article, it does not say there has been a second wave or something targetting LGTBQ+ games. It is one person saying their comic was SFW and was delisted.
We should definitely fight back regardless, don’t get me wrong, but as of yet there has not been LGBTQ+ targetting.
The author of the SFW comic should contact itchio and ask why their game was deindexed, since itch did MASSIVE removal of all “adult” and NSFW content beyond what their payment processors asked, as to evade any issue and then reindex according to them.
Again, we should be alert, and we should monitor their firther actions closely, but it’s not time yet to cry wolf with the LGBTQ+ targetting.
jaggedrobotpubes@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Thanks for this.
J92@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Sounds like Valve should set up a payment processing system.
pivot_root@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
At least in the US, it’s full of regulatory red tape that was designed to pull up the ladder behind the current large payment processors.
Even Musk and his ample bribe money, under the most corrupt administration in decades, hasn’t managed to get full approval for his “
XTwitter Money” payment service.halcyoncmdr@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Steam can 100% enter any market they want, especially something entirely digital like online payment processing. That’s pretty closely related to what they do already. They just have to have a reason to want to do so.
Steam makes a reported $3.5 million per employee from commissions alone. Possibly as much at $19 million per head across the board. To put that into perspective, Facebook, one of the most profitable companies on the planet, averages a net income of $780,000 per employee, and Apple at $476,000 per employee.
pcgamer.com/…/valves-reported-profit-per-head-fro…
Steam may not be as large as those companies, but they’re so effectively streamlined. So much of their profits come from existing systems that only need minimal maintenance as opposed to needing to constantly develop new products. It is a well-oiled money printing machine at this point. And nothing they do is based on any sort of speculation bubble threatening to burst at any point.
absentbird@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Couldn’t they just start accepting ACH to get around the payment processors? Or is that overly complicated?
wildcardology@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
I buy my games using steam wallet.
Lyra_Lycan@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 weeks ago
Clickbait doesn’t explain properly - the reason queer games were removed from Itch.io is because (and this is another issue) they were one of many who labeled anything LGBTQ+ as NSFW or adult-themed. They were still banning under 18s from learning and experiencing diverse life. Romance ≠ sexuality ≠ identity but slow people don’t understand that.
tonytins@pawb.social 3 weeks ago
While I agree, a lot of these banning campaigns do try to connect LGBTQ+ as NSFW to justify their actions.
muusemuuse@sh.itjust.works 3 weeks ago
They understand. They don’t care.
AlphaOmega@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
So they are going to ban Baldurs Gate 3?
halcyoncmdr@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
100% they would try to ban anything with any sort of romance in it if they could.
Collective Shout is a group of anti-porn nutjobs hiding behind a feminist facade.
Surprisingly, not American, the Australians decided to join the puritanical bullshit this time.
prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 weeks ago
Yeah, somehow I doubt this is just an unfortunate unintended consequence.
SkyeStarfall@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 weeks ago
I keep people repeating this, but where are you getting this information from? I’ve never seen this claim before, and I’ve not noticed this happening when I’ve used itch in the past either?
afansfw@lemmynsfw.com 3 weeks ago
18+ might be a legislative requirement in some countries too, for example Russia required it since 2013, not sure if there are more countries that have the same law, but I’m sure Russia isn’t alone in their backward ways.
samus12345@sh.itjust.works 3 weeks ago
they were one of many media hosters who labeled anything LGBTQ+ as NSFW.
Source? This doesn’t appear to be correct.
ChaoticEntropy@feddit.uk 3 weeks ago
And here we go… the inevitable conclusion.
Bronzebeard@lemmy.zip 3 weeks ago
The extremist group that convinced the payment processor is already targeting horror games next. They will not stop until they can dictate every media choice available
Aussieiuszko@aussie.zone 2 weeks ago
For anyone who wants to help stop them, reach out to their partners who fund them. Most of the orgs would not be happy to know they’re financially supporting a LGBTQ hate group.
www.collectiveshout.org/partners
These are Australian companies, and are not used to any sort of serious pressure from the public. They will drop CollectiveShout quickly if it looks like bad press for them.
Nikls94@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Why the actual apeshit are people giving them death threats??? That won’t solve anything… as much as I hate this group of extremists, that’s the wrong way… open letters, publicity, etc.
You need to make them shovel their own grave.
h3rmit@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 weeks ago
Source?
Taleya@aussie.zone 3 weeks ago
SHOCKER.
Fucking fundamentalists
GiuseppeAndTheYeti@midwest.social 3 weeks ago
Anyone got one of them antitrust lawsuits?
pinheadednightmare@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
If I can’t have my lgbtq+ and nsfw games, then I don’t need my non-lgbtq+ and nsfw games. Go ahead and play this game and fuck around and find out. I’ll sell all of my consoles real quick. Fuck this mess.
lostoncalantha@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
There’s a reason why Christ was crucified and it wasn’t for your sins. Christianity is a cult. Time to enter the 21st century people. Even the ancient Romans knew this.
REDACTED@infosec.pub 3 weeks ago
Uhh, I don’t think ancient roman is a good example, unless barbarism, constant expansionism, slavery and patriarchy is your thing, and I’m skipping over a lot of other fucked up shit like forced sex based on status quo. While their culture was indeed rich, they were far from being an example country.
HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Oh, I have some pretty advanced sins
LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Can I subscribe for advanced sin stories
jsomae@lemmy.ml 3 weeks ago
Headline is misleading reagarding LGBTQ+ games:
- no evidence that payment processors are asking for the removal of any games for being LGBTQ+, except for
- one person says their SFW LGBTQ+ webcomic was delisted on itch.io,
- I’m speculating, but it’s likely the eventual goal of Collective Shout to go after LGBTQ+ content in general.
Taalnazi@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Still, even one person having that delisted for being LGBTQ+, is a telltale sign.
jsomae@lemmy.ml 2 weeks ago
I don’t know, it’s extremely unlike itch.io. I wonder if it’s similar to Mouthwashing, which was also delisted, and the creator and many fans complained, but then it turns out it was delisted for unrelated reasons. (We know 100% for sure it was for unrelated reasons because it was actually delisted last year and nobody noticed until now.)
Taalnazi@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Fuck these billionnaire fascists
Dutczar@sopuli.xyz 3 weeks ago
I expected potentially shitty management of next gen Valve employees to ruin Steam, not this.
Worst case scenario if it get worse, what will the alternatives be in the future? Since most stores use these processors, would a store need to open up without them, or can the current ones decided to stop using them? I assume Steam won’t pull out even if they could, since it sounds like financial suicide when most of the customers are there for convenience.
REDACTED@infosec.pub 3 weeks ago
Apparently payment processor. Singular. Stripe. Visa/MS never changed it’s policy and still allows NSFW content, they’re not even a payment processor. It feels a bit bonkers now that internet bombed them when they weren’t even involved with this mess and it was just Stripe. On the bright side, itch.io already announced they’re ditching them and are in talks with other payment processors.
zzx@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
What? I’m not sure if that’s true, you seem to be the only person thinking this. Source?
REDACTED@infosec.pub 2 weeks ago
RobotZap10000@feddit.nl 3 weeks ago
Somehow, they’re forgetting that sex sells like hot cakes. They’re also not passing up the opportunity to marginalize minorities even further!
rickrolled767@ttrpg.network 3 weeks ago
Is there any way to see a list of whats been removed from both platforms? I know a lot of archiving is going on for Itch, but is there any site that’s popped up to show what’s been removed on both platforms?
MITM0@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
It was only a matter of time. Well now what are we waiting for ? Let’s go after the easy target, CollectiveShout & end them & then use the example to “convince” payment processors to back off while simultaneously constructing alternatives
nibble4bits@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 weeks ago
I don’t choose a payment processor over their morality standards. I choose how to spend my own money, not them. They shouldn’t have a say in that matter.
Adalast@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Time to start lobbying governments. EU/USA legislation stating that outside of legal violations, a payment processor is not allowed to refuse a legitimate legal transaction.
bacon_pdp@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Well if we wanted to pressure payment processors. We need only stop using them for about a month. Just use only cash.
remon@ani.social 3 weeks ago
Most websites don’t take cash, though.
bacon_pdp@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Well, can you survive 1 month without buying anything online?
AceFuzzLord@lemmy.zip 3 weeks ago
Just don’t use any websites/apps to buy/pay for things unless absolutely necessary.
IzzyJ@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
I’m not a tech bro saying this, never used it before myself, but crypto seems like a sensible solution to that. Which is good cuz that means they can actually operate as currencies instead of investments
Cyberflunk@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Jumped up bitches telling everyone how to live. Enjoy your doxxing.
Gloomy@mander.xyz 3 weeks ago
The Article dosn’t bring up anything the Austraians have done SO FAR to remove LGBTQI+ content from steam. Is there a creditable source for that?
etherphon@midwest.social 3 weeks ago
Man, shit is going bonkers everywhere. What a weird time to be alive.
ArchmageAzor@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
It starts with porn, and ends with anti-church content. Everything in between must go.
FartMaster69@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 weeks ago
Haha, it doesn’t end there it just keeps going.
Regrettable_incident@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
No violence!