I just saw GoG announce https://freedomtobuy.games/ too

If they make it free but adapt some content lock for further progress, which you can get by donating to dev? It would not be too bad, be better for the dev as no cut is taken by itch

Itch.io is currently saying the problem is Stripe, and maybe Visa.

Historically (ex: https://otakuusamagazine.com/visa-and-mastercard-refuse-to-work-with-another-doujinshi-retailer/), I'd say Mastercard and Visa are both to blame. But the jury is still out on wtf is going on here.

I'm not sure who pressured Steam. But Itch.io (https://aftermath.site/steam-itch-porn-censorship-collective-shout-visa-mastercard-paypal) is claiming Stripe and Visa are pressuring them.

(Speaking with Aftermath, Itch's founder, Leaf Corcoran, specifically cited a notice from Visa as an incident that led to the sudden deindexing of so many games).

A payment processor tells that they either remove the porn games, or they will remove the ability to pay for all games for them. The only company that can stand up to them in any way is one large enough to call the bluff and the payment processor wouldn't be willing to actually lose.

And that list is basically Amazon, Apple, Google and stuff like that, and definitely not a tiny thing like itch.io.

Valve stands a better chance of making a stand, but it's still a single sandbag vs a tsunami

Valve was the first to fold. And apparently it wasn't to Visa or Mastercard but to some intermediaries. Not sure how much pull those have, but probably still pretty big given what happened.

Yeah, Valve folded first, but with itch pushing back a little it gives me hope that Valve will do the same, but with a little more teeth.

So if the problem is payment, what stops a company from selling "tokens" and those tokens can be redeemed for "anything"?

That way the visa / mastercard assholes can suck a cock, no?

I'll just copy and paste what I wrote elsewhere

I have to say since this whole anti porn in games thing has happened, I've ironically exposed myself to more porn games.

Before I wouldn't imagine playing porn games. Ever since the itch unban, I've tried a few games on itch.io to see what the fuss was about and got absolutely hooked on Queens Brothel - to the point where I've paid for the full version on Patreon.

If the Christian brothers and sisters at Collective Shout wanted less people exposed to porn games, lol. lmao even.

Add some massive unregulated grifting and hideous environmental consequences to your idea, and you've just invented Bitcoin.

The whole crypto scene seems like a scheme at the moment... But then you see the bullshit visa / mastercard are pulling and you see the need for a digital currency.

Any corporation with near monopoly power will ALWAYS fuck up the consumer.

Streisand effect

It would likely be the same in the eyes of the payment processor. It technically is the same thing, except you must "top up" your account with money first before buying a game, instead of buying it directly.

Crypto, in my view is more conceded with libertarianism than actually helping anyone. I read the grievances as capitalism not providing enough opportunity to be the boot.

Even still crypo is centralized as that is how most people interact with it. The speculative nature also makes it a bad currency.

So... Who processes the donation?

Any ethical website that is already a donation handler for content creators?

I had no clue these games even existed until this whole thing. Now I've seen far more porn games than I ever expected to be a thing.

The problem is the payment processor. There's only so many of them that customers actually choose to use.

That's exactly what DLsite has done when MasterCard and Visa banned them. Granted, they're Japanese so most fo their sales use Japanese methods like JCB, PayPay, etc. I'm not sure if this would kill services that didn't have such a large domestic audience.

Crypto, in my view is more conceded with libertarianism

WTF are you actually trying to say here?

Conceded is the past tense of concede, which is to surrender.

How the fuck do you more surrendered with anything?????