Age Gate is wholly inadequate

[Phantom Spaceman]

The age gate drives me nuts - it's not even remotely effective,and its an nuisance to people who are of age.

1) It is required for products that I already own (why?)

2) It can be overcome by any child with basic math skills

3) It seems completely arbitrary how a title becomes age gated.

This is an issue that needs to be addressed, especially now that Steam seems to be expanding it's library to include decidedly adult content, and yet also has content like titles for small kids (Putt Putt saves the Zoo, for example). Steam's policy is to not have users under the age of 13, and yet, here are games for infants. So, if you're a steam subscriber with kids, how do you restrict the content?

Why not make this thing work they way it's supposed to work? The age gate should:

1) Properly restrict access to content by age or admin status

2) Content should be graded properly - The ESRB rating system is a good model. And based on the grades, inappropriate titles should not show up in queues

3) It should be able to be disabled by someone who is of age.

4) Family sharing should allow the admin of the account to set the age of users.

Further, I think adult content should be searchable, so if you are of age, and you want such content, it should be easy for you to find. I read somewhere that the median age of Steam users is 30 - but there are plenty of teens and pre-teens here. And people with children often let their kids play games. The audience is diverse. The age gate should address that - it should serve all the users.

[Snapjak]

Ohlookitsthisthreadagain


It is not going away. It is here to stay. If anything it will get stricter.

Use the search function if you want to see aaaallll the arguments.

[cinedine]

Seriously, there is one on the first page. The FIRST page!

[Phantom Spaceman]

Nguyên văn bởi Snapjak:

Ohlookitsthisthreadagain
.

You know it's worth talking about.

[Snapjak]

Nguyên văn bởi Phantom Spaceman:

Nguyên văn bởi Snapjak:

Ohlookitsthisthreadagain
.

You know it's worth talking about.

No, it really is not at this point.


Two things to remember:
1) This is Valve's land. Thus, their rules
2) Valve does not want to get sued. Thus, age gate.

[Phantom Spaceman]

Nguyên văn bởi Snapjak:

Nguyên văn bởi Phantom Spaceman:

You know it's worth talking about.

No, it really is not at this point.


Two things to remember:
1) This is Valve's land. Thus, their rules
2) Valve does not want to get sued. Thus, age gate.

1) Something else to note: This is Valve's discussion about what you like/dislike.

2) The age gate is flimsy at best - I could see a lawsuit stating Valve didn't do enough.

What's you're issue with what I suggested? Are you satisfied with the Age gate as it stands, or are you just here to troll the discussion?

[cinedine]

Nguyên văn bởi Phantom Spaceman:

2) The age gate is flimsy at best - I could see a lawsuit stating Valve didn't do enough.

What's you're issue with what I suggested? Are you satisfied with the Age gate as it stands, or are you just here to troll the discussion?

Valve did exactly what they were supposed to do. Nothing more, nothing less.
You would know what and why if you had read basically any thread made in the last half year that pop up at least weekly.

[Snapjak]

Nguyên văn bởi Phantom Spaceman:

Nguyên văn bởi Snapjak:

No, it really is not at this point.


Two things to remember:
1) This is Valve's land. Thus, their rules
2) Valve does not want to get sued. Thus, age gate.

1) Something else to note: This is Valve's discussion about what you like/dislike.

2) The age gate is flimsy at best - I could see a lawsuit stating Valve didn't do enough.

What's you're issue with what I suggested? Are you satisfied with the Age gate as it stands, or are you just here to troll the discussion?

The age gate is a non-issue for me. It's there, I deal with it.
I respect the discussions, but really people should realize Valve don't care at all how we feel on it, and they shouldn't either.

[Phantom Spaceman]

Nguyên văn bởi cinedine:

Nguyên văn bởi Phantom Spaceman:

2) The age gate is flimsy at best - I could see a lawsuit stating Valve didn't do enough.

What's you're issue with what I suggested? Are you satisfied with the Age gate as it stands, or are you just here to troll the discussion?

Valve did exactly what they were supposed to do. Nothing more, nothing less.
You would know what and why if you had read basically any thread made in the last half year that pop up at least weekly.

I have read the threads. I find them lacking, so, I posted my argument. Do you have something to contribute to the conversation?

[Phantom Spaceman]

Nguyên văn bởi Snapjak:

The age gate is a non-issue for me. It's there, I deal with it.

There it is. Thanks for reading.

[Gwarsbane]

As has been mentioned in many other threads on this dead horse of a topic that people keep beating because they don't bother to search and respond to those already created threads and think adding their own thread about it will actually make a difference but it won't.....

Every suggestion you can come up with there is a counter argument for it. So here we go yet again....

1) It is required for products that I already own (why?)

Yes it is because your little johnny or someones little johnny could get access to your account while you are not looking or even while you are looking and see something that can make them cry which makes you mad which you then try to sue Valve for. The age gate is there to stop ethical lawyers from even taking the case.

2) It can be overcome by any child with basic math skills

Yes we know this, the point is that it stops an ethical lawyer from suing Valve because they know for a fact the child LIED to overcome the age gate and you will not win a lawsuit based on a lie.

3) It seems completely arbitrary how a title becomes age gated.

As far as I know if it has gore and/or nudity and/or strong language (the f word for instance) and/or sexual situations, it gets an age gate.

1) Properly restrict access to content by age or admin status

And how would you check this? People can't send in their IDs (things go missing easily in the mail), they can't take pictures of their IDs (photoshop), calling is no way to verify someone. Getting ID at a game store is not possible as there are too any people that live no where near a game store or even a story that sells games in general. Can't send someone to the home as thats way too expensive.

Then you also have the issue with little johnny climbing onto your account and seeing something they shouldn't and you suing, and just because you wouldn't do that doesn't mean there are not people out there who would not try and even though everyone of them would lose, in the end it would cost Valve a LOT of money just dealing with court cases because they would have to send a lawyer to answer every single one, and it would be happening in every state and every country because people are sue happy.

2) Content should be graded properly - The ESRB rating system is a good model. And based on the grades, inappropriate titles should not show up in queues

ESRB ratings are 100% voluntary. Not every game bothers to get rated, if I remember right it actually costs the game company lots of money to get rated.

3) It should be able to be disabled by someone who is of age.

Again no actual way to verify someone is of age and that no one who is not of age will not get access to that account.

4) Family sharing should allow the admin of the account to set the age of users.

Pointless but ok. All they have to do is log out to be able to see games that are age gated.

Further, I think adult content should be searchable, so if you are of age, and you want such content, it should be easy for you to find. I read somewhere that the median age of Steam users is 30 - but there are plenty of teens and pre-teens here. And people with children often let their kids play games. The audience is diverse. The age gate should address that - it should serve all the users.

Age gate does server all uses, everyone no matter what age they are has to go through it. Searching is pointless, if its an adult looking for games for their kid, if they see an age gate they can keep looking. If its a kid looking for a game they could easily just log out get the age gate and keep going that way.





In the end, as annoying as the age gate is, its the most effective tool they have.

If you don't like it, then start using a browser and use enhanced steam to bypass the age gate.

[Midas Rahl]

AGE VERIFICATION when going to games Store Page.

This Window is popping up way too much and is becoming increasingly annoying. Sometime about 6 months ago, give or take, it was not as frequent as it is now. And on top of providing my B-date so much, it is in my Steam Profile Bio already. It kinda feels like being asked over and over again what 3+5 is, as if it might change at some point. My B-date is like that, it can't change. And before I hear the response about it being for verification only and isn't stored or, blah, blah whatever, that's not my point. I could honestly care less what anyone does with my B-date. Just stop asking me for it if I've already provided it, 30+ times!

[Count_Dandyman]

Can we just get a filter that blocks anyone posting threads about this soon.

[Komrade]

Well, what if a kid went on your account and saw things they weren’t supposed to?

[indio68]

Nguyên văn bởi kennyS:

Well, what if a kid went on your account and saw things they weren’t supposed to?

that kid punt 1 sec effort to punt a fake birthdate and nothing change..it's a joke this verification..it's only annoying like ♥♥♥♥..

[Phantom Spaceman]

Nguyên văn bởi Gwarsbane:

As has been mentioned in many other threads on this dead horse of a topic that people keep beating because they don't bother to search and respond to those already created threads and think adding their own thread about it will actually make a difference but it won't.....

Every suggestion you can come up with there is a counter argument for it. So here we go yet again....

2) It can be overcome by any child with basic math skills

Yes we know this, the point is that it stops an ethical lawyer from suing Valve because they know for a fact the child LIED to overcome the age gate and you will not win a lawsuit based on a lie.

So, you're argument goes off the rails right here. We know it doesn't work.

Now, settle down a minute - any id verification system can be gamed, and someone will.More than just one someone. But the interest of the majority is the question, not the interest of those who find clever exploits to bypass legal barriers. So take that off the table.

How about a little functional value to the age gate? Wouldn't that improve things? The account owner, who swears they are an adult when they sign up in the terms of agreement, and produce a credit card bearing their name, should have some manner in which to manage the age gate settings. I ought to, at my discretion, have an option to disable it. If I lied in terms of the agreement about my age, I'm in breach o f contract. And when I'm caught, STEAM terminates the account, the end. The dob verification system is just the easiest possible way to provide any user with whatever access they want. As the owner of my account, I'd like the OPTION to manage security on my computer as I see fit. I mean, Netflix can manage it, why not Steam?

In short: it would be a functional improvement if can disable age gate as the root owner, and it ought to actually prevent access without login. See, that's why people have passwords and accounts.