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Multiple Australian Steam users are claiming that Valve as implemented proof-of-age verification to access games classified as R18+.
Australia’s new online safety codes requiring verification for R-rated games and websites came into effect back in March of this year. These extended measures put in place last year that saw under-16s banned from multiple social media platforms.
Now, according to reports on Reddit and IGN, it seems the verification has arrived to Steam. The problem, as noted by users, is that Valve asks for a valid Australian credit card for the verification, and doesn’t seem to accept other forms of payments, like PayPal, or alternatives like a local ID or passport.
“Credit cards aren’t as common in Australia as they are in the US, and plenty of adults here just use debit cards,” reads the Reddit post. “If Steam requires an actual credit card, that leaves those people locked out of even browsing R18+ game pages. You shouldn’t have to apply for credit just to look at a game on Steam.”
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The example included in the post shows the user seemingly wanting to browse the Doom Eternal store page. But instead, Steam displays the following message: “Valve is required by the Age-Restricted Material App Distribution Services Code to verify that you are 18 or older before accessing mature content. If you wish to do so, please add a valid Australian credit card to your account and afterwards update the Mature Content Preferences.”
Throughout the thread, some users are reporting that some debit cards seem to be bypassing the requirement, while others joke that their Steam accounts are so old that they should bypass the verification on their own.
Game Developer has contacted Valve for clarification on the matter.
About the Author
Contributing Editor, News, GameDeveloper.com
Diego Nicolás Argüello is a freelance journalist and critic from Argentina. Video games helped him to learn English, so now he covers them for places like The New York Times, NPR, Rolling Stone, and more. He also runs Into the Spine, a site dedicated to fostering and supporting new writers, and co-hosted Turnabout Breakdown, a podcast about the Ace Attorney series. He’s most likely playing a rhythm game as you read this.
