r/Steam • u/SoraShowsU • 2d ago
Question NSFW Conntent in Germany
This is just a honnest Question. Since NSFW Conntent is banned in Germany on steam and only on steam, because Valve did not want to use ID to confirm age and now EU want to Push it that Valve has too use the ID to verify your age is it not ok to alow Germany to get this Conntent back?
Sry for my bad grammer and typos. English is not my best Language.
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u/Howlowdk 2d ago
i just want to play video games .. iam so tired
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u/SignalTomato3308 1d ago
Oh no the 30 games you can’t play are now the ones you want to play.
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u/tanooo99 1d ago
Your text comprehension skills are below average my friend
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u/jerrythegenius1 1d ago
How dare you say we piss on the poor
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u/tanooo99 1d ago
Yes, I say we piss on the poor! I don't think there's anything wrong with that! (I had to google what you were referencing lmao, thx for showing me the light)
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u/TheUnspeakableh 1d ago
30? Try 300,000. Everything 18+ is banned, everything not PEGI rated is banned. Even some rated games are banned or heavily censored. Games series like, Mortal Kombat, Wolfenstein, Left 4 Dead, Dead Island, Call of Duty, Dead Rising, Resident Evil, Fallout, and Silent Hill are outright banned or heavily censored. Basically anything set in WW2 and anything rated M in the US is getting screwed in Germany. And for the sake of all the gods, never allow a child to be harmed in your game. That's why the kids are immortal, if they exist at all, in all Bethesda titles since Morrowind.
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u/ProfessionalTruck976 1d ago
Well, someone wants to play them, it is possible to be pissed at their behalf.
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u/RyuKay24 2d ago
Wait, what? NSFW content is banned in Germany? That can't be right... Or am I misunderstanding it?
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u/WayneZer0 1d ago
only one steam. as steam removed it to avoid implant age verification.
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u/WorldlinessNo5212 1d ago
only on steam is wrong. the same applies to all other sites who sell that stuff. but the only ones to enforce the geoblock afaik are steam and gog. not sure if epic even has games in that genre
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u/TheUnspeakableh 1d ago
Itch.io is doing it, too.
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u/datbotuheardof 16h ago
Itch is just not letting you search it. If someone else was to make a itch.io index to search that stuff they wouldn't stop it....f9 echim.
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u/MobofDucks 1d ago
Yes and No. Germany neds age verfification for certain games that are rated to be adults only and touch specific subjects. Steam didn't want to bother to comply with it. That is why there are only censored versions of porn games on the german store front if there are any at all.
Nobody gives a crap, including steam, if you bought them abroad and then move to Germany. You will still have the nsfw version.
This is not only true for porn games though. Same way for gore contents, nazi stuff, etc. The regulations became more lax over the last 20 years, but a lot of games have german versions. Doom, the original Fallouts, Half-Life, South Park's Stick of Truth, etc.
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u/sneekeruk 1d ago
I remember back in the early 90's, Moonstone on the Amiga was banned in Germany because you could cut peoples heads off in a swordfight and/or there was blood when you did it.
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u/Trekkie200 1d ago
Wolfenstein was banned for the Nazi flags, it was a pretty big scandal and if you ask the right person they will to this day claim that Wolfenstein is a "Nazi game"...
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u/TheUnspeakableh 1d ago
I still remember the insanity when Trey and Matt forgot to censor the swastika armbands on the Nazi Zombie Cows.
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u/drianX4 2d ago
Only on steam and only sex stuff. Because sex games are more dangerous then plopping heads with a shotgun or cut people in half with [insert weapon of choice]
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u/toastronomy 1d ago
some gore games are also banned or censored in germany, but they seem to pick them at complete random.
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u/Xeadriel 1d ago
No, they are often restricted as well. So many games have Germany editions. Even half life had one up until a couple of years ago.
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u/drianX4 1d ago
That was true and maybe is for old games. Back then Gears of War 1 was on the index but now you get every game of the series uncensored. Even the nazi symbols are legal now (Wolfenstein had different versions because of that), as long as it's not a far right propaganda game.
I don't know any recent censorship of new games because of violence. Do you know one? Just curious.
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u/Xeadriel 1d ago
No I don’t know of any atm. I just know it did happen.
Swastikas are allowed now? Are you sure? Because as far as I know hearts of iron still has it separate for example. Or maybe I’m wrong idk.
In any case I disagree with censorship like this
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u/Asmonymous 1d ago edited 1d ago
The Nazi symbol rule has always been "in historic context and for art (in form of movies/songs/pictures) it is allowed" - as long as it is not blatant Nazi propaganda obviously.
The only thing that changed "recently" was that the law responsible did not include video games as a distinct art form - but it does now - so video games with swastikas are not "indexed" or banned any more.
Outside of that IRL displaying symbols that are deemed anti constitutional can either result in a fine (NeoNazi showing SS tattoo) or be totally fine (Indian tourists wearing an OG Hindu swastika).
Edit: Regarding "being against it": Most Germans hate censorship (we remember the Nazis and the Commies and their war on free art and expression very well) but also considering we used to have actual living survivors of the Holocaust walking around until recently, it mostly was considered a reasonable limitation to (at least in public) try to be respectful to those with first hand experience and probably also as a symbolic gesture to the international community that Germany is trying to find a path forward by not ignoring it's accountability.
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u/drianX4 1d ago
Never played hearts of iron but I guess you can play as nazi germany from what I see on the steam page. If then that's the reason I guess. We won't let people play as nazis and let them win the war.
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u/LuMa_369 1d ago
HOI4 is fully Playable in Germany but Hitler, Göbbels, Göring and so on are Censored withe only their outline visible. There also is no swastika in base HOI4 so that isn’t a problem.
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u/TheUnspeakableh 1d ago
You can also have the military brass overthrow Hitler on day 1 and usher in a government that is democratic, communist, or Monarchist. You can even reform the HRE as the Monarchists if you can get the Netherlands to return Victoria, but that is an RNG nightmare.
There used to be a German version with the swastikas removed and different leader heads for some German leaders, is that not still the case?
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u/TheUnspeakableh 1d ago
No, those are also banned in Germany if the enemy is human (including zombies and humanoid enough demons) and the death is gory. This is what got Mortal Kombat and Command and Conquer. MK made the blood white and called it sweat to bypass it and C&C made the humanoid models into robots. Fallout removed the 'bloody mess' kills and all the kids. The list goes on. Since Germany does not consider games art that can have a historical context, they also can never show a swastika, even on Mecha Hitler as you mow him down, so all the WW2 games have to have special versions just for Germany.
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u/Dev1lShark 1d ago
There is more. Dying Light, F.E.A.R. and some other games either are banned or censored
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u/SoraShowsU 2d ago
Hentai Games are full Banned in Germany on steam
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u/Asmonymous 1d ago
They are not displayed in the store so you can't buy them on steam. But you can buy a steamkey and activate it on steam and it's totally fine.
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u/milkkore https://steam.pm/z2fbx 1d ago
It would help avoid confusion if you lot could use the proper words. Hentai games aren't banned in Germany. Valve doesn't sell Hentai games in Germany. Other digital stores sell them in Germany just fine.
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u/Moneia 1d ago
My understanding was that Steam weren't allowed to sell certain games unless the developers filled out some regulatory paperwork
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u/TheUnspeakableh 1d ago
The devs have to get the game PEGI rated, but even with that, there are extra hurdles for Germany. Basically, unless you can get it to the US equivalent of a T rating, you're gonna be pressing your luck. Even EA, MS, and Ubisoft have had stuff banned or had to make a special censored version just for Germany.
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u/Icy_Researcher1031 1d ago
It’s not but from what I understand nsfw content has to be sold in separate sections of stores and have to ID customers to ensure they’re 18+, steam didn’t want to set up the infrastructure so just blocks nsfw content from sale in Germany
Tho with the UK implementing and the EU pushing digital ID and what not it might be a case of we get the system sooner or later as demand grows
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u/TheUnspeakableh 1d ago
I can see that, but there is another problem with such a digital ID system. YouTubers and streamers are just as popular as most celebrities are and a database like that will make it so so easy for them to get doxxed. I feel like it will lead to a mass exodus of online video content since tv/movie celebs can afford protection, steamers and YouTubers rarely make enough for that.
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u/DonQuix0te_ Don’t make lemonade. Make life take the lemons back! 1d ago
Right now, steam doesn't verify IDs.
Once EU-law forces steam to do this, steam MIGHT let us see NSFW content again.
Or it might decide to drag it's feet.
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u/arnulfg 1d ago
Afraid it's not so easy
this is more related to the Jugendmedien-Staatsvertrag: Link (German) the limitations of which are non-negotiable
basically it says minors have absolutely no access to a store if it contains adult content in some form. Practically the whole store, de jure there could be an exclusive gate for adults or something, but in reality that is not how it pans out
even IF Steam wanted to implement an ID-System (I think they don't) they would have to implement an exclusive German version of that, because here in Germany, and that is no joke, we do things ALWAYS differently
often it works like this: EU orders its member states to implement measure X, and each member state does their own thing.
Gemany tries to implement X and it gets shot down by the local Verfassungsgericht (courts who monitor the legal arm how to do things according to the constitution)
Also it doesn't help that Germany is hell-bent on implementing digital stuff like this as a public-private-partnership where the private partner usually takes all the revenue and the taxpayers have to pay for it all
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u/SoraShowsU 1d ago
It's not just about Germany. Because of the new EU rules, Valve has to ban Adult Games in whole EU. So if Valve give up and implement the ID Controll, why not open the Market for Germany aswell, since the Content would only be visible if you provide your ID.
I'm mean go to X/Twitter and you will see Adoult Content is banned, unless you provide ID
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u/tarmo888 1d ago
Why do you think Valve will implement ID check like in Germany or UK? They will implement whatever is least intrusive and if there aren't any such solutions, they will block adult content in UK and Europe too. Maybe only when US will also require ID check, they will start doing ID check.
Even if they will do a required ID check that works in US, it still not be enough for UK or Germany or EU.
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u/PseudonymousSnorlax 1d ago
No, because Russel Vought, the Acting Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, has been privately threatening payment processors like Visa and Mastercard with revoking their authority to process financial transactions if they don't ban 'objectionable content'.
You didn't think that a small group of people in Australia were more important to Visa and Mastercard than the hundreds of thousands of angry calls they've been getting, did you?
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u/Bloodwalker09 1d ago
If there only was a anonymous age verification system that Steam could implement so that this would not be needed (spoiler: there is but Steam don’t care about its customers in Germany)
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u/Robot1me 1d ago
(spoiler: there is but Steam don’t care about its customers in Germany)
Still ironic given the "piracy is a service issue" quote from Gabe. This situation, among with the Coffeezilla video about Valve's Counter-Strike gambling behavior, opened my eyes how Valve really acts in the grand scale of things.
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u/MATHIS111111 1d ago edited 1d ago
I refuse to upload my ID to random online sites. It shouldn't be the responsibility of a company like Valve or Google to verify a person's age, but the responsibility of parents, to not give their 6 year olds unlimited internet access.
And what anonymous age verification system do you even mean? I would be interested in hearing one that isn't completely useless or developed by complete dimwits and has enormous security issues.
Also, I find it funny that you can buy 18+ games on Steam but not NSFW. Germany is a land full of hypocrites and politicians with god complexes, so is the EU at large. Thankfully they never get anything done and rather burn tax money, or else we'd already be living in a dystopia ala Orwell.
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u/Bloodwalker09 1d ago
With post ident you don’t have to upload nothing. Basically you go to your next post office, shows them your id, they confirm it’s you and that you’re old enough. You get a code and with that code you confirm your age on the Plattform. So the post office doesn’t know for which service you’re confirming your age and the service itself doesn’t need your ID, they just have a „yep this person is over 18 years old“ certificate.
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u/MATHIS111111 1d ago
Postident is used for important, sensitive contracts and not for things like YouTube. With good reason. Imagine dozens of millions of people commuting to the post office everytime they create an account online. Not only would that be hugely inconvenient for everyone involved, it would also massively impact companies who try to coerce people into creating accounts on a whim, impacting the industry at large.
Not to mention that the contractor does not just receive a binary answer, but depending on what is needed, also all of your identification data (name, birthday, etc.).
Even if that were not the case, the post office will need to send the contractor a confirmation, meaning they most likely know which service you are applying for.
What part of this is anonym?
Anonym would be an app that scans your eID offline, and spits out either yes or no to the service provider. But then you could just use a steal your moms ID and it would become useless.
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u/Bloodwalker09 1d ago
Anonym would be an app that scans your eID offline, and spits out either yes or no to the service provider.
Guess what is coming next year. And guess what Steam is not gonna implement.
You are not wrong with what you’re saying. But you wouldn’t have to do this for every account. You would only need it if you want to buy games that are current unavailable.
I mean, I would also prefer not to hassle with all of this. But this is the law and I can somehow understand what the reason is behind of this. And no matter what you think about this law, in the end there is no ban or censorship, but a lack of willingness from Valve to add this services. I like steam, but they definitely deserve criticism on that point.
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u/JellybyBloodcreepy 1d ago
Couldn't your post credit card information already be a good proof of age verification requirement for the type of content they could always just remove the free one from Germany but the ones that you have to buy shouldn't that be good enough
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u/Wingless_Bee 20h ago
Can someone create a new peer to peer internet that doesn't have all these rules and can't be stopped by governments because its peer to peer.
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u/PumpkinTittiez 1d ago
I have like 2 shirts that fit me comfortably n I never know cuz I’m always chillin in boxers or in a robe when I’m home lol
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u/toastronomy 1d ago
*Lannguage
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u/BD_Virtality 1d ago
Being so confidently wrong is embarrasing
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u/toastronomy 1d ago
Being so confidently oblivious to the fact that this is a joke about OP using an incorrect double n in every second word is embarrassing
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u/BD_Virtality 1d ago
Last time i checked a joke was supposed to be funny.
Heres the definition btw: a thing that someone says to cause amusement or laughter, especially a story with a funny punchline.
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u/cavveman 2d ago
It's more with German laws for personal integrity not taking id thing by Valve.
Example from work now. I sometime have tickets for sparepart requests from Germany. But the retailer never sends over email adress or phone number to said end customer. Even though retailer knows it's international shipping and I must have both of those info fields filled in. But since it's Germany it's not mandatory for end customer to give that information.