Why cant the payment processors just fucking ignore them oh my god
I think all the higher ups are afraid to admit they consume adult content so they will act as if it's wrong.
The people who would typically be expected to push back against collective shout also typically wouldn't be expected to do anything effective whereas the people involved with collective shout are the type of people who give politicians money.
That slope got real slippery real quick.
Isn't there some hacker group putting Collective Shout in the crosshairs?
Hope so.
I think there are probably some skeletons in the closets of Collective Shout's members. It's always projection with these people.
One thing I'm hearing a lot of is that this is a Christian lobby group. I did not see obvious signs of that on their website, though some of the language felt like an intentional alternative to how I (social worker) would discuss issues of women's empowerment. Like they were holding space to later include "LGBTQ+" in their definition of problematic content. I am more than willing to believe an activist group from that demographic would lie to push their true agenda. Who has a good news source discussing their ideology?
The founder is a well-known Christian "pro-life feminist" from Australia.
She was the founding director of Women's Forum Australia, [...] It also promotes a trans-exclusionary ideology and campaigns against transgender rights.
Right so assuming she's not Lesbian, then her being anti-LGBTQ+ is a safe bet. If she somehow is Lesbian, she's going to be anti-BTQ+ at the very least.
Pro life feminist is an oxymoron
This will be fun 🍿.
(before downvoting: don't worry, this won't go over well)
Wait, that's actually their logo? A butthole?
A stretched out pink butthole full of cum, yes
New punk band name found
And kids, that's how I met your mother
E Pluribus Anus.
So close to the Greendale flag from Community.
First, I don't understand why processors give a fuck. Do they imagine people are going to just stop using credit in protest of how other people spend their money? Tell me another fucking joke.
Second, I'm not a game developer, but I suddenly want to make a horror game that includes graphic, exploitive, gratuitous depictions of everything they complain about. And name the game Collective Shriek.
The worm that keeps getting put into payment processor's brains is that they might somehow be held criminally liable for games people purchase. It's like telling a bus driver that they might be liable because they gave a ride to someone who robbed a store.
That what I just dont get about this.
If payment processors think they are liable because these games cause harm then where does it stop? Supermarkets sell cigarettes and so on...
I've heard this reasoning a few times. I don't buy it. Illegal content is already illegal. You aren't allowed to sell it. Policing particular content beyond that doesn't cover your ass. In fact, it implicates you if you do process payments for illegal content.
I've never seen any argument from them that this is the reasoning. The only rule they need is that you aren't allowed to sell illegal content on your platform. That covers everything. Going beyond that implies there's a different reason. They're being influenced by something else other than the law.
Illegal content is already illegal.
I think it actually is more complicated. There are anti obscenity laws in the United States where these companies (Steam and Itch.io, but also Visa, Mastercard, Stripe and Paypal) are based. The way those laws have been applied have been mostly permissive in the recent past, but I think there's reason to believe that this could change quickly. We may find ourselves in a situation where the highest court decides that this has all been illegal this whole time. Procedural and legal norms are feeling a bit shaky these days. People wonder why payment processors would bend over backwards on behalf of some group of aussie weirdos, but maybe being on their good side isn't the concern. Maybe it's that they're trying to self regulate to get ahead of any government action. Collective Shout may just be highlighting to them the most risky instances, making it so that they have no plausible deniability with regards to the content they are processing payments for.
I hate corpos as much as the next guy, but I don't think that's a good rule to have.
Man, I knew it was only a matter of time but I didn't think it would be this bad, this soon.
Fear & Hunger is a goddamn masterpiece. Yes, it has depictions of nonconsensual sexual acts. It's in keeping with the lore of a world that is truly fucked even beyond our reality. It's an integral part of the worldbuilding, and it is by no means glorified.
Agreed. Fear and Hunger has it's issues and I would not broadly recommend it to anyone. I would also say that the FREQUENCY of sexual assault in the game, and the presence of some weirdly sexual status effects like anal bleeding are a bit overboard. That being said, when one of the earliest enemies can sexually assault you, or maim your character in a way that leaves you able to keep playing, but effectively crippled, it really nails home not just that the world is dark, but that your assumptions about what is in the game don't apply here. Anything could happen. REALLY anything. And exploring a harsh, hostile world with that expectation set is one of the best parts of the game, because it's a unique experience that you just can't get at that quality anywhere else.
Gotta love the Collective Cunts.
So that's how it works. Maybe people should also start harassing payment processors for weapon purchases, buying fossil fuels, oversized SUVs and whatnot until they stop caring.
Under their own reasoning, you shouldn't be able to buy a Bible with payment processing.
The problem is that the people who care about the real problems aren't completely fucking insane like collective shout and their ilk.
I resent this statement, but I guess my insanity is tempered by my utilitarianism. Can't commit hate crimes against Mormons and Seventh Day Adventist right now due to their political influence. But one day I will feed their profligate priests to the Joshua trees.
The Collective Shout logo looks like a butthole.
Thank you! First thing I thought when I saw that logo.
Six seasons and soon a Movie!
Called it. Soon all we’ll only be able to play baby games like Elmo’s big adventure puzzle book land, or something like that.
It'll be some "evolution is the devil" creationism bullshit, because this is a Christian fascist movement.
Nah, most likely Veggie Tales. Elmo is too woke and might cause dissonance with supremacists and Christian Nationalists. Oh, wait. I just repeated myself - sorry.
They hate Elmo, too.
Give them an inch, they'll take a mile.
What I see is a new niche opening up for a website offering game sales through alternative payment processors.
Yay were back to the 2000s again, Jack Thompson rises again !
Involving the MasterCard Mafia in your puritanical crusade is next to criminal. The only solution is to [CONTENT REMOVED FOR VIOLATING RESTRICTIONS AGAINST ADVOCATING VIOLENCE].
Wow.... This count have happened in the 2010's with the anti-gaming feminist and conservative movement at the time.
If only they knew to go after payment processors instead of identity groups.
Maybe we should retaliate.
This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
