Adult games geolocked in Germany and China

[Lamiosa]

Being put together on a geolock with a communist country like China, which has censored internet is somehow strange and it is annoying that most adult games are geolocked and when I check them on Steam DB the geolock is only Germany and China.

I know that it has different reasons, because the geolock on Germany is because of missing age verification on shops, but it is still annoying and I miss the freedom I had some years ago to be able to play any game in Germany like other countries.

Will this ever be lifted, or is Germany now geolocked like China forever?

[cSg|mc-Hotsauce]

Originally posted by Lamiosa:

Adult games geolocked in Germany and China

Being put together on a geolock with a communist country like China, which has censored internet is somehow strange and it is annoying that most adult games are geolocked and when I check them on Steam DB the geolock is only Germany and China.

I know that it has different reasons, because the geolock on Germany is because of missing age verification on shops, but it is still annoying and I miss the freedom I had some years ago to be able to play any game in Germany like other countries.

Will this ever be lifted, or is Germany now geolocked like China forever?

Probably not...

https://steamcommunity.com/groups/steamworks/announcements/detail/4183351393029705363

https://steamcommunity.com/discussions/forum/10/4298194337942212487/

[Dan5000]

If the laws don't change and steam doesn't introduce a new system of age verification explicitly for german laws for it to be legal again, it won't change. Right now I don't see either of that happening for a long time.

[ナルゴ]

Vote better.

[Wolfpig]

Be glad that valve does not know that every game they sell would need a proper age Verification, and not just adult ones. (law related it does not matter if it is Rated 18 because of sexual content or violence like in the witcher games)

[Lamiosa]

Originally posted by Dan5000:

If the laws don't change and steam doesn't introduce a new system of age verification explicitly for german laws for it to be legal again, it won't change. Right now I don't see either of that happening for a long time.

Great, so we are basically on the same level of censorship like China now forever, if it comes to adult content. We are allowed to play the games, cannot buy them, but have to get a steam key with the chance to get fraud from a shady merchant.

I thought this would just be a Steam issue, before I saw other shops did this as well like the japanese dlsite. There Germany is now also geolocked because of missing age verification.

Originally posted by cSg|mc-Hotsauce:

Originally posted by Lamiosa:

Adult games geolocked in Germany and China

Being put together on a geolock with a communist country like China, which has censored internet is somehow strange and it is annoying that most adult games are geolocked and when I check them on Steam DB the geolock is only Germany and China.

I know that it has different reasons, because the geolock on Germany is because of missing age verification on shops, but it is still annoying and I miss the freedom I had some years ago to be able to play any game in Germany like other countries.

Will this ever be lifted, or is Germany now geolocked like China forever?

Probably not...

https://steamcommunity.com/groups/steamworks/announcements/detail/4183351393029705363

https://steamcommunity.com/discussions/forum/10/4298194337942212487/

:nkCool:

Then I wonder why the Games are often locked in China and Germany, not Germany and Brasil. One example is Vampire Syndicate: https://steamdb.info/app/1833570/

[Lamiosa]

Originally posted by Wolfpig:

Be glad that valve does not know that every game they sell would need a proper age Verification, and not just adult ones. (law related it does not matter if it is Rated 18 because of sexual content or violence like in the witcher games)

Some games also got it worked out. Succubus for example was also geoblocked in Germany before, then they talked to Steam and the geoblock was lifted. But most devs do not care if Germans aren't their customers, they just shrug and do not talk to Steam.

[cSg|mc-Hotsauce]

China has to approve all titles for their own store.

[Chika Ogiue]

Originally posted by Lamiosa:

but have to get a steam key with the chance to get fraud from a shady merchant.

If the game is region locked for you, a Steam key isn't likely to be much help either. Chances are high that you will not be able to activate it.

[Wolfpig]

Originally posted by Nargo:

Vote better.

Why?
Everything can legaly bought here, it is just that those braindead Americans think it would be enough to give a checkbox to ask the 6 year old if he is 18 or not.

Originally posted by Lamiosa:

Originally posted by Wolfpig:

Be glad that valve does not know that every game they sell would need a proper age Verification, and not just adult ones. (law related it does not matter if it is Rated 18 because of sexual content or violence like in the witcher games)

Some games also got it worked out. Succubus for example was also geoblocked in Germany before, then they talked to Steam and the geoblock was lifted. But most devs do not care if Germans aren't their customers, they just shrug and do not talk to Steam.

The devs can do nothing if valve is unwilling to add proper age checks.

[Lamiosa]

Originally posted by Wolfpig:

quote=Nargo;4423185135321664685]Vote better.

Why?
Everything can legaly bought here, it is just that those braindead Americans think it would be enough to give a checkbox to ask the 6 year old if he is 18 or not.

Originally posted by Lamiosa:

Originally posted by Wolfpig:

Be glad that valve does not know that every game they sell would need a proper age Verification, and not just adult ones. (law related it does not matter if it is Rated 18 because of sexual content or violence like in the witcher games)

Some games also got it worked out. Succubus for example was also geoblocked in Germany before, then they talked to Steam and the geoblock was lifted. But most devs do not care if Germans aren't their customers, they just shrug and do not talk to Steam.

The devs can do nothing if valve is unwilling to add proper age checks. [/quote]


I also wonder why Steam is that braindead. Second Life added age verification already more than a decade ago and do not restrict Germans. I wonder how Succubus got their geoblock lifted than, as this game is very mature and first got a geoblock, which got lifted then.

[Dan5000]

Originally posted by Lamiosa:

Originally posted by Wolfpig:

Be glad that valve does not know that every game they sell would need a proper age Verification, and not just adult ones. (law related it does not matter if it is Rated 18 because of sexual content or violence like in the witcher games)

Some games also got it worked out. Succubus for example was also geoblocked in Germany before, then they talked to Steam and the geoblock was lifted. But most devs do not care if Germans aren't their customers, they just shrug and do not talk to Steam.

If the developers change their game enough to get rid of all the things that aren't allowed and put those into a dlc instead, they only block the dlc and keep the basegame alive... they can also use inofficial patches, so they sell a game without the content in question, you load their patch and get the full game. The only thing they can't do is sell it alltogether or it'll get blocked. Also works if you get an official agerating for the game. I've seen some games get it and got unblocked afterwards, but its expensive and if the developers think the possible sales aren't worth the cost, they won't do it...

I do believe its not as bad as in china, but I'm also not happy about being censored.
All the big AAA games and stuff will have ratings and won't be banned. The most you don't see are usually just the porngames and even with that, there still are enough of those available if you really want to play those.

They way I see it... it could be worse. So I'm not too mad about it anymore. I'd totally support any decision to get rid of the censoring though.

[Lamiosa]

Originally posted by Dan5000:

Originally posted by Lamiosa:

Some games also got it worked out. Succubus for example was also geoblocked in Germany before, then they talked to Steam and the geoblock was lifted. But most devs do not care if Germans aren't their customers, they just shrug and do not talk to Steam.

If the developers change their game enough to get rid of all the things that aren't allowed and put those into a dlc instead, they only block the dlc and keep the basegame alive... they can also use inofficial patches, so they sell a game without the content in question, you load their patch and get the full game. The only thing they can't do is sell it alltogether or it'll get blocked. Also works if you get an official agerating for the game. I've seen some games get it and got unblocked afterwards, but its expensive and if the developers think the possible sales aren't worth the cost, they won't do it...

I do believe its not as bad as in china, but I'm also not happy about being censored.
All the big AAA games and stuff will have ratings and won't be banned. The most you don't see are usually just the porngames and even with that, there still are enough of those available if you really want to play those.

They way I see it... it could be worse. So I'm not too mad about it anymore. I'd totally support any decision to get rid of the censoring though.

Thats a really good solution for smaller games made in like RPG maker to make a censored version for Steam and upload an uncensor patch on their side, especially if you have content which is not allowed in most western countries, I saw that for japanese games. However on bigger games it might be difficult.

[Brian9824]

Originally posted by Dan5000:

If the laws don't change and steam doesn't introduce a new system of age verification explicitly for german laws for it to be legal again, it won't change. Right now I don't see either of that happening for a long time.

False, they don't need age verification, the developer apparently just needs to get their game rated and it can be on the store.

Originally posted by Wolfpig:

The devs can do nothing if valve is unwilling to add proper age checks.

False.

https://preview.redd.it/i-ask-steam-support-about-the-ban-of-erotic-games-and-v0-9flaqqojlz4d1.jpeg?width=1080&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=79f81d1e79224c3566319123ef4172854a005e59

Looks to be an issue with developers not wanting to pay for a rating

[Lamiosa]

Originally posted by Brian9824:

Originally posted by Dan5000:

If the laws don't change and steam doesn't introduce a new system of age verification explicitly for german laws for it to be legal again, it won't change. Right now I don't see either of that happening for a long time.

False, they don't need age verification, the developer apparently just needs to get their game rated and it can be on the store.

Originally posted by Wolfpig:

The devs can do nothing if valve is unwilling to add proper age checks.

False.

https://preview.redd.it/i-ask-steam-support-about-the-ban-of-erotic-games-and-v0-9flaqqojlz4d1.jpeg?width=1080&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=79f81d1e79224c3566319123ef4172854a005e59

Looks to be an issue with developers not wanting to pay for a rating

I was also sure Devs have to make a move. Succubus did not get censored is very much an adult game and was geolocked at beginning. Then they talked to Steam and the lock got lifted.

I am just confused the Devs do not care about a whole country of customers not being able to buy their games, especially as Germans spend much money on games in general.

[Lithurge]

Originally posted by Lamiosa:

I was also sure Devs have to make a move. Succubus did not get censored is very much an adult game and was geolocked at beginning. Then they talked to Steam and the lock got lifted.

I am just confused the Devs do not care about a whole country of customers not being able to buy their games, especially as Germans spend much money on games in general.

Steam's ban of games in Germany works of whether they're marked as Adult Content, Succubus is not, which is why it's allowed in Germany. It has free adult content DLC, which is marked adult and triggers the warning about seeing it because you've allowed adult content in your profile.

So they've worked around the ban.