Valve, the firm behind the well-known digital distribution service Steam, has recently eliminated a considerable number of adult-themed games from its marketplace. This action was taken following pressure from major credit card companies, including Visa, which allegedly urged Valve to guarantee that their payment systems were not utilized for content that could be deemed illegal or problematic. The titles impacted predominantly belong to the “Adult Games” category.
An Australian anti-pornography organization, Collective Shout, has claimed to be a driving force behind this decision. The group, which advocates against the objectification of women and the sexualization of girls in various media, issued a public letter and initiated a consumer campaign aimed at payment service providers. They called for corporations such as PayPal, Mastercard, and Visa to sever their business ties with Steam due to the availability of games that portray rape, incest, and child abuse.
Collective Shout, co-established in 2010 by Melinda Tankard Reist, has a record of advocating against different forms of media they find harmful. They effectively campaigned to remove the game GTA 5 from significant retail outlets in Australia and were behind the petition that resulted in the developers withdrawing the game No Mercy.
Although it is not clear whether Collective Shout’s campaign had a direct impact on Valve’s choice, the timing indicates a possible correlation. The organization announced that since the commencement of their campaign, Valve had revised its policies and eliminated hundreds of games. This has ignited a discussion regarding the role of payment service providers in content censorship and the wider ramifications for digital platforms like Steam.
Former Vice journalist Ana Valens pointed out the potential connection between Collective Shout’s activities and the removal of games from Steam. She underscored the necessity for further inquiry into the effect of payment processors on content censorship across digital platforms.
Collective Shout’s accomplishment in this case may motivate them to persist in their endeavors to oversee content on Steam. Nevertheless, their expansive interpretation of pornography and anti-feminist material raises alarms about the risk of overreach and its effect on creative freedom within the gaming sector.