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Know Where to Direct Your Frustrations

A topic by Melliel created 39 days ago Views: 704 Replies: 8
Viewing posts 1 to 5
(+11)

To the people who believe itch.io is at fault and should have resisted these new changes: please try to think realistically here.

This was mitigation, to preserve developers' ability to sell their games at all. Itch has no power in this situation. The removal of NSFW content wasn't for "greed" or "short term gains". Had they resisted or fought back like many of you are suggesting, Visa and Mastercard would have very likely disallowed any payments through Itch. This damage would have extended to every developer on the platform. Then you'd have something far, far worse to complain about. I know that none of you want that.

Do not direct your anger toward your fellow victim. Direct it toward the people who forced this decision to happen in the first place. Collective Shout was able to pressure payment processors into telling platforms like Steam and now Itch to remove adult content. We need to make our voices heard to those payment processors. We need to fight back against this push from Collective Shout with our own larger push.

Payment processors should not have the right to dictate how people spend their own money. We need to fight back against this incentive against adult content. A good start might be with this petition: https://action.aclu.org/petition/mastercard-sex-work-work-end-your-unjust-policy. Although, it would also be a good idea to make more noise on social media. Express your disapproval in any way you can that might aid in getting our voices heard.

Directing it toward Itch, however, neither helps yourself and developers, nor Itch. They know this is a frustrating decision to have to make, and I wholly believe they are on your side in this situation. Please remain rational.

(1 edit) (+4)

I saw this post on it, and maybe they're right. maybe we all should call visa/mastercard and ask about this.

edit: found a post that has corporate office contacts

https://bsky.app/profile/demoargenti.bsky.social/post/3lup3asauus26

(+2)

For an example of how itch.ai could have acted, check out this shitty ai chatbot site: https://janitorai.com/

They got hit by some some impossible-to-implement requirements by UK’s online safety act. What did they do? The said, okay, were not going to comply, and instead choose to loose UK access, (England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland). And they also put a GIANT BANNER at the top of their site, to inform their users.

Here is how janitorai.com informed their users: https://blog.janitorai.com/posts/3/

Here is how itch.io informed their users: https://itch.io/updates/update-on-nsfw-content

Notice the differences in language. One is a radical protest, the other meek compliance.

(1 edit) (+3)

That's an AI chatbot protesting against a law. We're talking about a platform for indie developers to sell their games on potentially losing its payment providers.

Itch can't not comply without destroying itself in the process.

I get that the decision was abrupt and that it's frustrating there was no communication on the change, but I don't think it's worth people's time to mull over the way it happened, especially when you don't know the exact situation they were dealing with.

(+2)

This is probably my biggest issue. I understand the reasoning behind the final conclusion, but to offer NO resistance? Attempting to quickly and quietly remove everything and hope it all blows over? And whatever the fuck that salute emoji was supposed to mean? It's spineless. It's reprehensible. When someone shows you who they are, believe them.

I don't know if there's anything meaningful I can say to this beyond what I've already said.

(+7)

I don't think the only options were "Live or die", they could have been very vocal, inform users in advance, etc. I may be wrong, maybe Visa/MasterCards were in a hurry, but I don't believe it was so much so Itch couldn't buy some time or afford a banner to protest on their website.
They got scared, which I understand, and bent like nothing, which I blame.

Now, yes we should find ways to resist the real issue here, the bank system and their love for the conservatives and far right ideas.
There is this worldwide (I think ?) petition, to start :  https://www.change.org/p/tell-mastercard-visa-activist-groups-stop-controlling-w...

I stated my thoughts on that matter in the reply above.

(+2)

Regardless, things like that make me worried for the future of most indie games, including my own. Damn fundies.