PC/Mobile GOG Gives away PLOT games for free to Protest Censorship
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Thread started by cm2
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This is great to see! Thankfully GOG isn't submitting to censorship. I hope eventually Steam and Itch.io can look into alternative payment options so they can bring back the games that were removed. Until then the goated GOG is stepping up!
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Nice to see some companies going against the growing censorship.
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We take those.
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It is nice of GOG to giveaway games, and not support game censorship.
PayPal Is Only Processing Steam Purchases in EUR, CAD, GBP, JPY, AUD, and USD
An image has appeared on Reddit that includes a statement explaining that PayPal is no longer processing Steam purchases in currencies other than the following six: Euros, Canadian Dollars, British Pound Sterling, Japanese Yen, Australian Dollars, or United States Dollars.
The image shows an answer from Steam Support as to why using PayPal in the user's current currency (which is presumably not one of the above six) is unavailable. "In early July 2025," the statement reads, "PayPal notified Valve that their acquiring bank for payment transactions in certain currencies was immediately terminating the processing of any transactions related to Steam. This affects Steam purchases using PayPal in currencies other than EUR, CAD, GBP, JPY, AUD, and USD."
"We hope to offer PayPal as an option for these currencies in the future," the statement continues, "but the timeline is uncertain. We are also evaluating adding additional payment methods on Steam for the customers affected by this." The statement then concludes by suggesting the user try a different payment method, including adding funds to their Steam wallet.
read from the gamer:
Although Collective Shout is seen as the torchbearer of this campaign, it seems like the root of this censorship goes further back, with a video from almost exactly a year ago resurfacing featuring US government official Russel Vought expressing his plans to implement a "national ban on p*rnography".
Russel Vought is a conservative political analyst and government official serving as the director of the Office of Management and Budget. He is one of the central figures in the creation of Project 2025, an initiative designed to force right-wing political policies into law in the United States. Much of Project 2025's wishlist has started to come into play, with mass deportations, a ban on DEI programs, and changes to energy and climate change policies in effect, and the program also suggests "banning p*rnography and shutting down tech and telecoms companies that allow access to adult material," which is where we're at now.
First shared on Reddit, an undercover video from The Intercept released on August 16, 2024, sees Vought outlining his plans for an outright ban on adult material. "What's the immediate fight leverage point that we can win, that allows the next fight to get more of a win than we could have," Vought says.
"We came up with an idea on p*rnography, to make it so that p*rn companies bear the liability for underage use, as opposed to the person who visits the website. We've got a number of states that are passing this, and the p*rn company then says 'you know what, I'm not doing business in state', which, of course, is entirely what we want," he continues. "We would have a national ban on p*rnography if we could."
So how does this tie into what's happening now? Part of Vought and Project 2025's plans are to remove Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (CDA). This law currently protects platform holders, providing immunity for any content uploaded to said platform that third-party users created.
By removing Section 230, platform holders, like Steam, would be liable for any "illegal" content uploaded to the platform, as opposed to those creating and uploading said content. If Steam were found guilty of hosting this content, the company could be hit with huge fines. Therefore, Steam, Itch, and many other platforms would likely place a blanket ban on any adult content, mitigating any risk of fines or other legal action. This, as pointed out on Reddit, would affect all forms of user-generated content, including fan art, mods, and videos, not just games themselves.
Even the prospect of Section 230 protections being ended is likely to embolden groups like Collective Shout to move forward with their rhetoric, which has brought us to the situation the video game space finds itself in, and given how little fight companies like Steam have shown against these changes, the signs are ominous.
Although Collective Shout is seen as the torchbearer of this campaign, it seems like the root of this censorship goes further back, with a video from almost exactly a year ago resurfacing featuring US government official Russel Vought expressing his plans to implement a "national ban on p*rnography".
Russel Vought is a conservative political analyst and government official serving as the director of the Office of Management and Budget. He is one of the central figures in the creation of Project 2025, an initiative designed to force right-wing political policies into law in the United States. Much of Project 2025's wishlist has started to come into play, with mass deportations, a ban on DEI programs, and changes to energy and climate change policies in effect, and the program also suggests "banning p*rnography and shutting down tech and telecoms companies that allow access to adult material," which is where we're at now.
First shared on Reddit, an undercover video from The Intercept released on August 16, 2024, sees Vought outlining his plans for an outright ban on adult material. "What's the immediate fight leverage point that we can win, that allows the next fight to get more of a win than we could have," Vought says.
"We came up with an idea on p*rnography, to make it so that p*rn companies bear the liability for underage use, as opposed to the person who visits the website. We've got a number of states that are passing this, and the p*rn company then says 'you know what, I'm not doing business in state', which, of course, is entirely what we want," he continues. "We would have a national ban on p*rnography if we could."
So how does this tie into what's happening now? Part of Vought and Project 2025's plans are to remove Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (CDA). This law currently protects platform holders, providing immunity for any content uploaded to said platform that third-party users created.
By removing Section 230, platform holders, like Steam, would be liable for any "illegal" content uploaded to the platform, as opposed to those creating and uploading said content. If Steam were found guilty of hosting this content, the company could be hit with huge fines. Therefore, Steam, Itch, and many other platforms would likely place a blanket ban on any adult content, mitigating any risk of fines or other legal action. This, as pointed out on Reddit, would affect all forms of user-generated content, including fan art, mods, and videos, not just games themselves.
Even the prospect of Section 230 protections being ended is likely to embolden groups like Collective Shout to move forward with their rhetoric, which has brought us to the situation the video game space finds itself in, and given how little fight companies like Steam have shown against these changes, the signs are ominous.
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Calls for restrictive internet access for Porn caused by right wing:
Therefore, liberals watch porn:
Way to set yourself apart, guys.
Therefore, liberals watch porn:
Way to set yourself apart, guys.
Read from Noisy Pixel:
Visual novel publisher JAST USA announced that it was banned from exhibiting at San Japan 2025 in San Antonio, Texas, citing its content as “too provocative” for the convention. The news comes just days before Texas Senate Bill 20, an “anti-anime” bill, is set to go into effect on September 1.
JAST confirmed the decision in a post on social media, stating it was removed after “a very successful Friday” on the show floor. While details on the ban were not made fully clear, the publisher implied that its adult-oriented catalog was the cause.
Still, rather than letting this unfortunate reality get to them, JAST is shifting its focus. Now, they will appear at VeXpo 2025, held at the NEC in Birmingham, England, on September 6-7.
This occasion marks another instance in the ongoing discussion around adult-themed anime and game content at U.S. conventions, particularly with Texas’s new SB20 legislation raising concerns.
Visual novel publisher JAST USA announced that it was banned from exhibiting at San Japan 2025 in San Antonio, Texas, citing its content as “too provocative” for the convention. The news comes just days before Texas Senate Bill 20, an “anti-anime” bill, is set to go into effect on September 1.
JAST confirmed the decision in a post on social media, stating it was removed after “a very successful Friday” on the show floor. While details on the ban were not made fully clear, the publisher implied that its adult-oriented catalog was the cause.
Still, rather than letting this unfortunate reality get to them, JAST is shifting its focus. Now, they will appear at VeXpo 2025, held at the NEC in Birmingham, England, on September 6-7.
This occasion marks another instance in the ongoing discussion around adult-themed anime and game content at U.S. conventions, particularly with Texas’s new SB20 legislation raising concerns.
ShadowSniperX
Well-Known Member
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I can see this causing frustration for players in regions not covered . At least Steam Wallet remains an option, but it’d be great if Valve provides updates soon on new payment solutions to keep things smooth for everyone.