This is outside of my normal posting schedule, but this is important and I'm seeing a lot more traffic coming in here than usual, so let's talk about it.
You might have heard that itch.io recently de-indexed all adult games. If you want to read itch's own announcement on the topic, you can find that by clicking here. This is following Steam taking similar action recently against games with specific content, and other websites like Patreon before that.
This has been the result of a consistent and concerted effort by payment processors - primarily Visa, MasterCard, and PayPal - to restrict creative freedom and censor artists. If this continues, it won't just be adult games and pornography that contains potentially questionable material that isn't allowed. Groups like Collective Shout - the group that's claiming victory as this censorship takes place - want all adult content, along with any other form of media they happen to disagree with like manga and anime, removed from society altogether.
Whether you support creative freedom, enjoy content that doesn't cut to black after two characters kiss, believe there is beauty worth celebrating in the human form, or just dislike censorship and don't think you should be told what you can and can't spend your own money on, this affects you.
So, what can you do about it? Believe it or not, there's a lot you can do about it.
First, you can learn more. StopCensoring.Games is a website with a few more paragraphs on how this unjust wave of censorship has been negatively affecting communities and individuals alike.
There are also several videos you can watch by creators like Madam Savvy and Moist Critical on YouTube that discuss Collective Shout and some of the specifics about what's currently happening.
While you have every right to be angry with itch, Steam, and Patreon for conceding to these outrageous demands, it's important to know that they were forced into this and staying angry with only them won't fix the root of the problem.
Next, you can sign petitions. Both Change.org and the ACLU have petitions open calling for payment processors to end their policies against sex work and for censorship advocates like Collective Shout to cease their attempts to control what we as adults are allowed to read, watch, and play.
You can also contact the payment providers yourself and let them know directly that this behavior is not going to be tolerated. You can contact Visa through askvisa@visa.com in the US and Canada.
Points of contact will vary depending on who you want to contact and what part of the world you're in. You can find more contact information like phone numbers and email addresses collected here.
Collective Shout claims that it only took them roughly 1000 phone calls to convince these payment processors to take action.
If you want to take it a step further, write to your local politicians and lawmakers to enact legislation that will protect our freedoms in artistic expression and provide you as an individual fair and open access to banking and payment infrastructure.
In the US, the Free Access to Banking Act is a bill that seeks to do exactly that.
Outside the US, you can still write a letter or email to those that represent you and call them to take action. There's a template on the Stop Censoring Games website that will require some adjusting to fit your part of the world, but will still provide talking points to bring to their attention.
If you've done that and still want to do more, share these links. Talk about it online. Let the extremists calling for this censorship know that they do not speak for you. The more people that are aware of what is happening and how it infringes on their rights, the more support these petitions will have, the more negotiating power organizations like the ACLU gains to fight on your behalf, and the more likely it becomes that we can prevent this from continuing.
If we don't do something now, we may not have the opportunity to do something in the future.
Your actions matter.
Your voice matters.
Your support makes a difference.
Take action.
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