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Mastercard recently made a public statement asserting that it has not imposed any restrictions on activities related to game development sites and platforms. This announcement came in response to claims from popular gaming platforms Steam and itch.io, which suggested otherwise.

Mastercard’s Clarification on Gaming Platform Policies

On Twitter/X, Mastercard communicated its stance by stating that it has never evaluated any games nor mandated restrictions on game developer websites and platforms, contrary to what some media outlets and allegations have suggested. In their message, they emphasized that their payment network adheres to legal standards, allowing all lawful transactions. However, they also noted that they expect merchants to implement necessary controls to prevent the use of Mastercard cards for illegal activities, including illegal adult content.

Recent Content Restrictions on Gaming Platforms

The clarification from Mastercard follows recent decisions by Steam and itch.io to limit or remove adult content from their services. In early July, Steam eliminated several games rated “adults only” from its platform, particularly those containing explicit sexual content. Additionally, Steam introduced a new policy guideline which prohibits content that might breach the regulations and standards of Steam’s payment processors, associated card networks and banks, or internet providers.

Itch.io also took similar measures shortly after, by deindexing thousands of NSFW games from its search and browse functions. The platform explained that this action was a result of scrutiny from its payment processors, spurred by pressures from the organization Collective Shout against certain adult games. Following this, itch.io announced it was conducting a detailed audit of its content to align with the requirements of payment processors. Recently, itch.io began to reintegrate free adult NSFW content and mentioned that it would slowly reintroduce paid content, while continuing discussions with payment processors.

In a related update, itch.io relayed a statement from their payment processor Stripe, which attributed its inability to support sexually explicit content to limitations imposed by their banking partners. Stripe expressed hope that it might support adult content in the future, acknowledging that generally, card networks do support adult content with the necessary registrations.

Broader Implications and Community Reactions

Collective Shout, a non-profit organization that campaigns against the sexualization of women and girls in media and advertising, has been influential in pushing for these changes. They argue against allowing payments for games that depict themes of rape and incest. However, developers counter that such restrictions amount to censorship, noting that pornography itself is not illegal. They also express concerns that such measures could inadvertently affect games that deal with serious issues like trauma or sex trafficking, or those that aim to raise awareness on these topics. There is also fear that this could lead to increasingly stringent definitions of prohibited adult content, potentially censoring LGBTQ+ themed games.

Following these developments, there has been a grassroots campaign urging payment processors like Mastercard to reconsider their decisions. Reports from Aftermath indicate that groups have been actively contacting customer support centers of companies like Visa, Mastercard, Stripe, and PayPal, demanding a rollback of these policies. Feedback from this campaign has been mixed, with anecdotal evidence of some customer service representatives expressing frustration over the volume of calls received on this issue.

In light of these events, itch.io is exploring alternative payment processors more amenable to adult content, while Valve (Steam’s parent company) has not yet made a public statement regarding the situation.

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Damien Brooks

From political headlines to cultural debates, Damien breaks down the news with clarity and depth, making complex topics easy to grasp.