Mastercard Taking a Stand Against Adult Content
Collective Shout's Impact on the Removal of Adult Games from Steam and Itch.io
Collective Shout, an Australian activist group established in 2009, has made a significant impact on the removal of adult-themed games from global digital platforms Steam and Itch.io. The group's campaign against games containing themes such as rape, incest, and sexual violence has led to the temporary deindexing of all not-safe-for-work adult games on Itch.io and the removal of hundreds of such titles from Steam.
The organization, which is primarily focused on opposing the objectification and sexualization of women and girls in media and culture, collaborated with payment processors to amplify their impact. However, this collaboration also sparked debates around financial censorship, LGBTQ+ representation in games, and artistic freedom.
The campaign against adult games began in April 2025, with a blog post and an action button encouraging public mobilization to pressure platforms to remove games featuring sexually violent content. This demonstrates that Collective Shout employed organized public advocacy and direct lobbying targeting both content distributors and financial intermediaries to achieve these removals on a worldwide scale.
One game that was at the centre of Collective Shout's campaign was "No Mercy," a game where the player assumes the role of a predatory man who forces women, including his mother, into sex. The developers of "No Mercy" eventually removed the game from the platform due to fear of backlash.
It's important to note that the line between what makes an adult game worthy of being banned is subjective. What one group may find offensive, another may not. For instance, Collective Shout draws the line at incest and violence, but a future NGO could find queer sex or sex work offensive and have more games removed through political pressure.
The ease with which an Australian organization can influence the international entertainment industry is also a cause for concern. If financial service providers can be politically manipulated so easily, it's a question mark for the future of gaming freedom.
Despite the controversy, it's essential to remember that many adult game developers rely on these games to fund their passion projects. The future of these projects remains uncertain as the debate around adult content in gaming continues.
References: 1. Collective Shout's Statement on the Removal of Adult Games 2. Collective Shout's Campaign Timeline
Note: This article is intended to provide factual information and does not express any opinion or judgment about the actions of Collective Shout or the games in question.
In the campaign against adult games, Collective Shout employed technology, such as a blog post and an action button, to mobilize the public and pressure digital platforms like Steam and Itch.io, leading to the removal of hundreds of adult games containing sexually violent content. The controversy surrounding this issue also extended to the realm of entertainment, sparking debates about financial censorship, artistic freedom, LGBTQ+ representation, and the objectification of women in games.
