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Valve confirms credit card companies pressured it to delist certain adult games

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Re: Valve confirms credit card companies pressured it to delist certain adult games

#91

Post by krustyburger »

nkrisc wrote: post #86
bji9jhff wrote: post #59

It is sad that in 2025 this needs to be repeated: fiction is not real. This statement imply that: * Simulated violence is not violence. * Simulated sex is not sex. * Simulated sorcery is not sorcery

And yet it is possible to make simulations extreme enough I would not opposed to banning them. There are some things that should not be normalized in society. It shouldn’t be payment processors doing it unilaterally, I’ll grant that. But I’m not (and I’m sure a great many more of a silent majority) wholly opposed to the outcome.

The term “silent majority” has a very specific political meaning.

But, in what way do you think those opposing “extreme” content being consumed by their fellow citizens are silent? State governments across the country are clamoring to censor all sorts of things, presumably to satisfy their constituents.

Re: Valve confirms credit card companies pressured it to delist certain adult games

#92

Post by miningape »

Hizonner wrote: post #89
nkrisc wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And yet it is possible to make simulations extreme enough I would not opposed to banning them. There are some things that should not be normalized in society. It shouldn’t be payment processors doing it unilaterally, I’ll grant that. But I’m not (and I’m sure a great many more of a silent majority) wholly opposed to the outcome.

> There are some things that should not be normalized in society. That attitude has recently become normalized, and I find it Concerning(TM).

Yeah, who gets to decide whats too far?

There's a similar issue with free speech - the moment you ban certain speech the door to banning your political opposition opens.

Re: Valve confirms credit card companies pressured it to delist certain adult games

#93

Post by wavemode »

raincole wrote: post #68
arprocter wrote: post #19

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melinda_Tankard_Reist#Collecti...

> a "pro-life feminist" What. Seriously what? I thought pro-choice is a core tenet of feminism?

You could have clicked the link embedded in the very text you're quoting, to read an explanation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-abortion_feminism

Re: Valve confirms credit card companies pressured it to delist certain adult games

#94

Post by mitthrowaway2 »

AIPedant wrote: post #34
astura wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Adult content has a high chargeback rate and high fraud rates so payment processing for adult content has higher fees.

The fact that these were specifically incest games makes me think a title was somehow involved in distributing CSAM, which is often why Visa/MC crack down on porn websites. But it is possible that Visa sensibly and correctly said "anyone who makes or purchases such a game is a despicable scumbag, and we shouldn't assume the financial risk of dealing with them."

I think the government should be the one deciding what makes someone qualify as a despicable scumbag, not a private payment processor that is essentially acting as a utility provider. For the same reason, I also don't think an electric company should be allowed to shut cancel your building's electricity if they don't like your mismatched socks.

Re: Valve confirms credit card companies pressured it to delist certain adult games

#95

Post by miohtama »

speeder wrote: post #30

For those thinking is only related to chargebacks and fraud, it is not. VISA and Mastercard have been banning a lot of content that is not porn but has political values that are disapproved by certain billionaires and investors. There is a bunch of links I wanted to post about, such as US billionaires bragging he personally called VISA CEO to ban content on PH or japanese politicians mad at the censorship of japanese…

Visa/MasterCard porn ban was driven by American extremist Christian organisation called Exodus Cry, which is also anti-gay, etc.

https://screenshot-media.com/politics/human-rights/pornhub-p...

Exodus Cry leader was later fired for sexual misconduct

https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-commentary/anti...

Trump changed banking regulations so that "reputation" can no longer be a reason for banks to "derisk" customers after crypto industry outcry, but the reason to exit customers must be factual money laundering or similar reason. But the change does concern cards, as payments are not under FDIC surveillance.

Re: Valve confirms credit card companies pressured it to delist certain adult games

#96

Post by 1970-01-01 »

bji9jhff wrote: post #59

It is sad that in 2025 this needs to be repeated: fiction is not real. This statement imply that: * Simulated violence is not violence. * Simulated sex is not sex. * Simulated sorcery is not sorcery

It's a slippery slope. It's not real but can certainly, by definition, create a situation that mimics reality to the point of assisting someone at committing a real crime that they couldn't possibly commit without the simulation.

Re: Valve confirms credit card companies pressured it to delist certain adult games

#97

Post by voxl »

1970-01-01 wrote: post #96
bji9jhff wrote: post #59

It is sad that in 2025 this needs to be repeated: fiction is not real. This statement imply that: * Simulated violence is not violence. * Simulated sex is not sex. * Simulated sorcery is not sorcery

It's a slippery slope. It's not real but can certainly, by definition, create a situation that mimics reality to the point of assisting someone at committing a real crime that they couldn't possibly commit without the simulation.

The slippery slope is in banning speech. If you want to make the claim that simulated sex leads to crimes we have been over this a thousand times with violence in games. There is no connection, you are without a leg to stand on except your own religious indoctrination.

Re: Valve confirms credit card companies pressured it to delist certain adult games

#99

Post by miohtama »

bobsmooth wrote: post #7
ranger_danger wrote: post #3

What can be done to loosen card companies' grip on this? It has been a constant problem now for decades.

Bitcoin was supposed to solve this.

You can get Pornhub subscription with Bitcoin, but not credit card.

Re: Valve confirms credit card companies pressured it to delist certain adult games

#100

Post by eddythompson80 »

throwaway071625 wrote: post #58

The article calls out “certain adult games” which is vague. It is interesting to note that most of the delisted games were themed specifically around incest. https://bsky.app/profile/steamdb.info/post/3lu32vdlsmg27 Wondering if this will be a slippery slope towards pulling more anodyne stuff.

Specifically incest, rape, and child abuse-themed games.
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