Steam now bans games that violate the 'rules and standards' of payment processors and banks

Steam has added a new rule to its guidelines that has resulted in certain games getting banned, according to a report by Automaton. The new clause states that "content that may violate the rules and standards set forth by Steam's payment processors and related card networks and banks, or internet network providers" is not allowed and could result in removal from the platform.

In other words, if credit card companies get mad about something, they could actually have the power to ban a game. The clause goes on to say that this will affect "certain kinds of adult-only content."

This has likely already resulted in many games being pulled off the platform. The vast majority of these titles have obvious sexual themes and many have the word "incest" in the title. SteamDB doesn't give a reason for these removals, but the timing does match up.

This move might sound unusual on its face, but payment processors have consistently fought against being used to purchase adult content. These battles are typically instigated on the notion that adults-only platforms don't have enough safeguards in place against illegal content.

Mastercard and Visa blocked the use of their cards on Pornhub in 2020. Mastercard went a step further in 2021, adding language to its "Speciality Merchant Registration" requirements that announced "banks that connect merchants to our network will need to certify that the seller of adult content has effective controls in place to monitor, block and, where necessary, take down all illegal content."

I doubt you'll find too many people upset that games with titles like Sex Adventures - Incest Family were removed from the platform, but it could set a potentially troubling precedent. Some Steam users are upset with this rule change on the grounds that it creates the "quiet normalization of financial censorship."

In other words, if gigantic financial institutions get to decide what is appropriate and what is not, who is to say it won't eventually impact regular games? One Steam user notes that "queer content gets flagged as 'explicit' even when it's PG," which is a sentiment echoed by others. One user says this move "looks innocuous at first glance but it's a trojan horse."

On the flipside, Steam has been home to some truly foul content over the years. We've reached out to Valve to ask for a comment on this news and will update this post when we hear back.

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