itch.io Shares Partial List of Themes Now Banned from Video Games Because of Payment Processors
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Game site itch.io recently “deindexed” its NSFW content, pointing to payment processors and pressure from the pro-censorship group Collective Shout for the action. On July 28, itch.io gave an update on what’s going on, including a non-exhaustive list of subjects now banned.
Partly explaining the situation in the update, the site noted, “itch.io is a small company, both in team size and in transaction volume, compared to a company like Steam. We have limited ability to ‘push back’. . . .If we lose our ability to accept payments from a partner like PayPal or Stripe, we impact the ability of all creators to do business. Losing PayPal, for instance, would prevent us from sending payouts to many people. Our actions were taken to protect our payment processing abilities for as much of the platform as possible.”
It also said that even if something got deindexed, you can still have that game if you bought it previously. It gave this suggestion and warning: “Regardless of what happens, I personally recommend you maintain control over the content you own. itch.io is a DRM-free platform from day 1 for this reason. Download and backup your games and don’t let any corporation dictate what you can own.”
itch.io acknowledges many things are going on, and more information will be forthcoming.
Here is a list of things fictional characters in video games can no longer do or be involved in, according to the card processing networks involved:
- Non-consensual content (real or implied)
- Underage or “barely legal” themes
- Incest or pseudo-incest content
- Bestiality or animal-related
- Rape, coercion, or force-related
- Sex trafficking implications
- Revenge porn / voyeur / hidden cam
- Fetish involving bodily waste or extreme harm (e.g., “scat,” “vomit”)
Before this, itch.io had already banned anything sexual with minors and anything sexual with real, living people.
itch.io cautioned that this list does not cover everything that’s forbidden, noting, “It’s almost impossible to come up with an exhaustive list of unacceptable products to sell, so often we have to take content reviews one at a time.”
Some people who disagree with these changes have spoken out by signing a petition titled “Tell MasterCard, Visa & Activist Groups: Stop Controlling What We Can Watch, Read, or Play” or urging their representatives to get behind the Fair Access to Banking Act, which would place “restrictions on certain banks, credit unions, and payment card networks if they refuse to do business with a person who complies with the law.”
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
