I fully agree with you that the processors carry the brunt of the blame, but I cannot support this business any further.
Whether Itch survives or not is no longer my concern
Viewing post in BOYCOTT ITCH
It's fair if that's what is your decision but I don't see how that is supposed to help long term. If any next site you will visit will do the same, you will approach it the same way? Eventually you won't be able to buy anywhere because everywhere you went, people had to comply and it sucks to stop supporting something because of the decision that wasn't even theirs to make.
It does feel rather punishing that if you are given a choice between existing and going bankrupt, choosing existing is frowned upon and you suggest they should rather just go broke or worse, maybe facing legal repercussions. There is no good choice because it's a loss regardless what you choose, especially considering they are way smaller player compared to Behemots like steam. "You don't want to die? You should have, otherwise you don't stand with us" doesn't feel like a fair judgement, because anyone can be manipulated if their life is on the line and we shouldn't judge it the same as people that have nothing to lose. I do agree legislation is the way of solving the problem though.
Then let them be frowned upon if that's what they wish. I know there are many that will likely continue to give them money, but there are some who won't. It is a lose-lose situation. But it must be accepted that there are others who, like me, now just feel the ick. We know where this kind of censorship leads.
Will they capitulate when they come for the trans-inclusive games? Will they shadowban and remove the LGBTQ+ when commanded to? If they bent the knee once, they will do it again, and some of us can't be a part of that
Yea, that kind of approach is never good. What we can do is to make sure less people will have to face itch.io fate. I am pretty sure they didn't want to end up like that. What we should do our best to punish companies that can enforce their policies on businesses with such tools, so we will have spaces when we don't need to fear of livelyhood being taken away due to a whim of some rich business head.
It's not about the approach, I wholeheartedly agree that all efforts should be put towards combating the payment processors and their extremist handlers. But it is unreasonable to expect continued support from those of us who will be targeted.
Unfortunate? Yes. But they allowed that extremist boot in the door and I will have no part of it.
I have no ill-feelings to those who stay, but it cannot be expected that everyone simply rolls over and accepts it
I mean, everyone will end up like that (it won't stop on itch, believe me), it's not that you cannot allow them to do so, is that you are forced to or you die as a business and hosting games ain't a charity, that's a constantly rising cost. Still understandable if that is what makes you leave the platform, just be aware there is no way to resist in that manner when your savings are on the line, so don't judge people that do so too harshly.
We all make decisions in life. Some much harder than others. I do not blame Itch for attempting to continue their business.
However, they DID bend to censorship, spearheaded by a group of religious fundamentalists. They had a choice, certainly not a favorable or easy one, but a choice nonetheless. They chose to offer no resistance. They chose to put their business first which as I stated I do not blame them for.
But they have shown how easily they will simply step aside and allow such actions. I now have no faith that they will not do so again when faced with the choice between money and ethics