You can buy those games without a credit card for the time being, they've only targeted the porn games AFAIK.
Steam now requiring age verification in the UK
- Thread starter seabiscuit
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Yeah that's a fair point. Just not something I would ever consider doing. I love my account too much xD
Same. I've got a VPN to avoid doing it while I can, but I don't want to give in to the censorship because once it's hre, it's not going away.
Soldato
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Wrong.
UK Steam users confirmed they found it affected all 18+ rated games featured 4 types included adult porns games:
General Mature Content (example products: Red Dead Redemption 2, Schedule I, Assassin's Creed® Syndicate)
Frequent Violence or Gore (example products: Counter-Strike 2, Borderlands 4, Path of Exile 2)
Some Nudity or Sexual Content (example products: Baldur's Gate 3, Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33)
Dont forget about Rockstars Games will activate age verification checks on all 18+ rated games Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced, Grand Theft Auto Online and upcoming Grand Theft Auto VI soon.
I'm a UK steam user, without a CC.
I get no OSA notification for any of those games and have no issue adding them to cart at all. So, where are you getting that "UK Steam users confirmed they found it affected all 18+".
Even your post in the OSA thread where you linked a PC Gamer article
The article says thisUK Steam users now require age verification to view mature games pages with registered credit/debit card in your steam account.
Steam users in the UK who want 'mature game content' must now register a credit card on their accounts to prove they're old enough
Valve is taking a simple approach to the UK's Online Safety Act: You have a credit card, or you don't get in.www.pcgamer.com
Steam Support :: Age Assurance under the UK Online Safety Act
help.steampowered.com
And what Rockstar does or does not do is nothing to do with Steam.
Agreed, Rockstar is a separate entity and is having to co-operate with age verification route because of GTA Online. "Offline" 18 games that aren't sexual in nature don't seem to be an issue ( for me ) on Steam - I haven't required any age verification yet.
Associate
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Fear & Hunger - Wikipedia
This is now blocked by age verification. It's on my wishlist already so I can still purchase it, but I can't view the store page. I've not played it. From what I gather, among other adult themes, it contains sexual acts, but this doesn't appear to be the main focus.
Other games will be affected eventually and given their content I fail to see how games like BG3 or GTA will not be.
Making it difficult to legitimately purchase games will only drive people to piracy, so this will contribute to even fewer adult themed games being developed and censored regional versions in the UK for those big releases.
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Interestingly - I can't access that even via a VPN. Steam guard flags that I'm trying to log in via the US, asks if it's accurate, which I confirm, then it signs in and tells me that I can't access it due to the OSA.Sign In
store.steampowered.com
Fear & Hunger - Wikipedia
en.m.wikipedia.org
This is now blocked by age verification. It's on my wishlist already so I can still purchase it, but I can't view the store page. I've not played it. From what I gather, among other adult themes, it contains sexual acts, but this doesn't appear to be the main focus.
Other games will be affected eventually and given their content I fail to see how games like BG3 or GTA will not be.
Making it difficult to legitimately purchase games will only drive people to piracy, so this will contribute to even fewer adult themed games being developed and censored regional versions in the UK for those big releases.
Edit: It requires a sign in every region I tried, except one euro zone country where it's banned, and searching for it via Tor still excludes it be default even while not logged in. Searching the web I came across the itch.io page for it, here's the description
My money is on the self mutilation and sexual violence bits are the reasons why it's flagged.
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Link works for me, but I'm outside the great firewall of UK
Can't say I'm sad if fewer furry games get made
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One of its tags is Sexual Content and this has been set by the developer not a user generated one, so its normal for this to require age verificationSign In
Fear & Hunger - Wikipedia
This is now blocked by age verification. It's on my wishlist already so I can still purchase it, but I can't view the store page. I've not played it. From what I gather, among other adult themes, it contains sexual acts, but this doesn't appear to be the main focus.
Yea it must be pulling I'm in the UK from somewhere. Probably since my phone isn't on the VPN so it's showing as located in the UK so it's aware of what I'm trying to do. I did find it odd that it was asking me to sign in to see it though, even through Tor, instead of the usual age check I get prompted with if I try to look at GTA.
I can't be the only one who's noticed that "Peter Kyle" sounds awfully like something else... Coincidence? I'll leave that up to you to decide
I can definitely see a black market popping up for services which verify your age with no questions asked for just a small payment...
Cue a massive increase in identity theft as these services need source material
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Nothing I think...yet anyway , I guess if that becomes an issue they could just put the age check on key activations
I would be surprised if they close that "hole". Germany hasn't been able to buy certain games on Steam for years (something to do with age check, saw some Germans complaining that Valve do nothing for them) but can generally activate keys fine, even though they can't get the game on the shop.
Seems a bit over the top to check key activation. If you have a key, then presumably where you bought from has done the age check. To have a check when you buy it and a check when you activate it is just getting silly. I know someone will say "but someone else could have bought the key and so on", but that pretty much goes for all these age checks (someone else could pass it for you).
Seems a bit over the top to check key activation. If you have a key, then presumably where you bought from has done the age check. To have a check when you buy it and a check when you activate it is just getting silly. I know someone will say "but someone else could have bought the key and so on", but that pretty much goes for all these age checks (someone else could pass it for you).
When it comes to the UK and laws, never rule out something silly and thats the thing isnt it? This wouldnt affect Germany anyway , isnt this only a UK thing ( like with the naughty slap and tickle sites )
Germany has their own law or rating thing (not sure on details) that prevents certain games being sold on Steam. Those games can still be activated via key though, Valve never blocked that.
Unless Ofcom forces their hand and we do silly age check on buy, age check on activation, I can't see Steam doing anything about keys.
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We'll have to wait and see how strict they get on it when it comes to the UK laws and how strict the UK laws want to be about it. As I say, I never rule out the UK bringing in silly laws so I'd not be massively surprised if it ended up that key activations in the UK also needed age verification to block that circumnavigation of the age verification law
Associate
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Age check when you launch the application seems like the way forward.
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