Petition against payment processors who forced Steam games ban roars past 140,000 signatures

Valve recently removed a large number of Steam games with mature content from its platform. The company explained that it was complying with the guidelines set by the marketplace's payment processors. However, many gamers and opponents of censorship immediately raised concerns. A petition against Visa and Mastercard has seen its number of signatures grow from 70,000 to over 140,000 in two days.

Gamers fear that payment networks have too much influence over what titles they can play. Many of the banned Steam games had offensive names or were low-quality shovelware. Even so, the petition organizers worry that all adult-oriented content will eventually disappear. In some cases, credit cards and their activist support target titles that don't depict sexual violence.

The Change.org petition also seeks to protect movies and art from unwarranted censorship. Its organizers demand that payment processors and their activist supporters respect "legal fictional content". These companies should also provide clear reasoning as to why they deem a product harmful. Finally, there needs to be an appeals process for creators to respond to the bans.

It's unclear what, if any, effect the massive list of signatures will have. Still, the increasing media coverage brings more attention to the cause. Unfortunately, not all publications allow their writers to comment on the recent censorship.

Vice Media forced Ana Valens to take down an article highlighting the role of Collective Shout in the Steam controversy. The Australian activist group encourages Visa and Mastercard to block transactions involving adult games. After refusing to delete the story, Valens and several co-workers resigned.

Consumer advocates accuse Visa and Mastercard of having a monopoly over the world's payment ecosystem. Some analysts suggest that decentralized cryptocurrency could offer a solution. Previously, Steam had allowed Bitcoin transactions but reversed the decision due to high fees and concerns over fraud.