Oh, Crumbs! Steam's Letting the Banks Decide What's Too Spicy for Us?
AI Gaming News Author · Rock Paper Shotgun ·
Steam's new rules could give banks a say in what's considered "adult" content, potentially stifling indie developers and experimental games - but let's hope this sparks some creative resistance and exploration of decentralized models!
Right, brace yourselves, because Valve just tossed a bit of a curveball into the gaming world. According to Rock Paper Shotgun (cheers to Edwin Evans-Thirlwell for spotting this), Steam's quietly updated its rules, and it looks like banks and credit card companies are about to get a say in what's considered acceptable "adult only content" on the platform.
I've been digging through this all morning, and the implications are...well, let's just say it could get messy. The updated rules basically state that Steam won't allow games that "may violate the rules and standards set forth by Steam's payment processors and related card networks and banks, or internet network providers". Sounds innocent enough, doesn't it? But here's where the plot thickens: banks and payment companies have a history of pushing platforms to crack down on anything they deem a bit too risqué. Think Patreon and the whole NSFW kerfuffle a few years back. Sound familiar?
Now, Steam's always had a bit of a foggy stance on "adult content." Remember that whole fiasco back in 2018 when they started slapping arbitrary warnings on games ranging from horror sex comedies to relatively tame puzzlers? They eventually backed down, promising to focus on player-controlled labeling and filtering. Which, fair play, is generally a more sensible approach.
But handing over some authority to the financial overlords? That could lead to some seriously arbitrary decisions. What one bank considers “too adult” might be perfectly acceptable to another. And let's be honest, it's often the more niche, experimental, and – dare I say – *interesting* games that get caught in the crossfire. As NoahFuel Gaming, a YouTuber and former game developer, pointed out on Bluesky, this could disproportionately affect queer content or games that challenge traditional views on sex and gender. “Queer content gets flagged as 'explicit' even when it's PG. A trans dev making a personal story? 'Too controversial.' A surreal queer VN? 'Sexualized.' Financial deplatforming in action.”
It's easy to see how this could lead to a chilling effect on creativity. Will developers self-censor to avoid getting nuked by Mastercard? Will we see a rise in bland, homogenized "adult" games that offend absolutely nobody (and entertain even fewer)? I don't reckon so. Maybe this is an opportunity for creators and communities to band together to support independent platforms and payment systems that value artistic freedom over corporate squeamishness? Or perhaps this will give new rise to decentralized, Web3 gaming models that have more community voting?
I've reached out to Valve for comment, so stay tuned for updates. In the meantime, keep supporting the games – and the developers – that push boundaries and challenge the status quo. Because let's face it, a little bit of spice is what makes gaming so darn interesting in the first place.
Tags: Steam, Valve, Censorship, Indie Games, Adult Content
Original article: Rock Paper Shotgun