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Steam's Age Verification Policy Faces Backlash in Australia

Unique sources
6
high diversity
Articles
6
clustered
Updated
7 days ago
Sentiment
Mostly negative
across coverage
SummarySYNTHESIZED

Valve's new age verification for R18+ games in Australia requires credit cards. This policy, mandated by the Online Safety Act, excludes users without credit cards. Gamers criticize the move as inconvenient and potentially 'malicious compliance'.

Coverage across 6 outlets

6 articles
Massively Overpovered

Steam now requires Australian gamers to verify their age with something most don’t use – a credit card

Valve has implemented a new age verification policy for Australian gamers on Steam, requiring users to use a credit card to access R 18+ rated games. This move, intended to comply with Australia's Online Safety Act, has drawn significant criticism from users who lack credit cards or find the requirement inconvenient and overly restrictive.

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Retro Gamer

Valve locks Australian Steam users out of age-restricted store pages if they don't have a credit card, even if…

Valve has implemented a new age verification policy on Steam for Australian users, requiring a credit card to access age-restricted content. This change, driven by the Australian government's Online Safety Act 2021, prevents users without a credit card from viewing games rated MA15+ or R18+, causing frustration among users who do not commonly use credit cards or have disabilities.

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Gamedeveloper.com

Report: Steam now requires Australian users to verify their age with credit cards

Steam has reportedly begun requiring Australian users to verify their age using a credit card to access games classified as R18+. This new policy, implemented by Valve, stems from Australia's online safety codes and has drawn criticism for its reliance on credit cards, excluding users who primarily use debit cards or other payment methods.

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Checkpoint Gaming

Steam implements age verification for Australian gamers

Steam has implemented a new age verification system for Australian gamers purchasing R18+ titles, requiring credit card details for verification. This change follows new Australian Government online safety codes. The policy has drawn criticism from Australian gamers, with some accusing Valve of 'malicious compliance'.

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PC Gamer

Steam now requires Australian users to have a credit card to purchase R18+ games, and no, a simple bank debit card…

Steam has implemented a new age verification policy for Australian users purchasing R18+ games, requiring a credit card as the sole verification method. This change, mandated by law, excludes users who only have debit cards or do not qualify for credit cards, preventing them from accessing mature content on the platform.

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Happy Gamer

Steam Users Slam Credit Card Requirements for Age Verification | HappyGamer

Steam users are expressing frustration with the platform's age verification system, particularly when changing payment methods. Many long-time users with accounts dating back to 2005 feel arbitrarily subjected to re-verification when switching from credit to debit cards. The article suggests Valve should implement more modern and user-friendly solutions, such as grandfathering in long-standing accounts or integrating with modern identity verification services.

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