Censorship’s Chokehold: No Chains on Our Sagas

Hail, kindred spirits of Helheim's Realm! I’m Raven Raynefall, a Celtic Norse Pagan, weaving tales from Yggdrasil’s misty roots. Today, we dive into a stormy saga shaking the gaming world—a clash of censorship threatening creative freedom. Join me as we uncover why this fight matters for gamers, creators, and free spirits.

At the heart of this saga is Collective Shout, an Australian feminist group led by Melinda Tankard Reist. Since 2009, they’ve campaigned against "sexploitation," but their recent push, backed by corporate giants like Mastercard, Visa, PayPal, and others, has led to hundreds of games being pulled from Steam and Itch.io.

Their influence, like Mjölnir’s strike, targets niche titles but sets a dangerous precedent. Games like The Witcher, God of War, or Grand Theft Auto 5—sagas of love, betrayal, and raw humanity—could be next. Collective Shout’s past success in banning GTA 5 from Australian stores in 2015 shows their reach.

YouTubers Fighting Censorship:

⦁ Madam Savvy
https://www.youtube.com/@MadamSavvy

⦁ Hypnotic
https://www.youtube.com/@Hypnoticc

⦁ SmashJt
https://www.youtube.com/@SmashJT

⦁ Vara Dark
https://www.youtube.com/@DarkTitanEnterprises

⦁ Atraes
https://www.youtube.com/@atraes

⦁ Kaida
https://www.youtube.com/@Khaliltooshort

⦁ Real Life Fake Wizard
https://www.youtube.com/@RealLifeFakeWizard

⦁ Cult Classic Cage
https://www.youtube.com/@CultClassicCage

⦁ Will of the Fans
https://www.youtube.com/@WilloftheFans

⦁ Words Of Paradise
https://www.youtube.com/@BoltTheWords

⦁ Chibi Reviews
https://www.youtube.com/@ChibiReviews

⦁ Kirsche
https://www.youtube.com/@KirscheVerstahl

Sources:
⦁ My Life
⦁ https://www.collectiveshout.org/
⦁ https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mastercard-deflects-blame-for-nsfw-games-being-taken-down-but-valve-says-payment-processors-specifically-cited-a-mastercard-rule-about-damaging-the-brand/
⦁ https://www.ign.com/articles/mastercard-denies-it-pressured-steam-itchio-to-delist-adult-games
⦁ https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44667667
⦁ https://www.wired.com/story/gamers-are-furious-about-the-censorship-of-nsfw-games-and-theyre-fighting-back/
⦁ https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/29/mastercard-visa-backlash-adult-games-removed-online-stores-steam-itchio-ntwnfb
⦁ https://www.eurogamer.net/we-approached-payment-processors-because-steam-did-not-respond-australian-pressure-group-collective-shout-claims-responsibility-for-steam-and-itchio-nsfw-game-removal
⦁ https://www.thegamer.com/collective-shout-adult-game-ban-steam-itch-controversy-response-defence/
⦁ https://www.theguardian.com/games/2025/jul/29/why-did-adult-titles-disappear-from-steam-itch-pc-gaming-payment-processors
⦁ https://www.eurogamer.net/we-approached-payment-processors-because-steam-did-not-respond-australian-pressure-group-collective-shout-claims-responsibility-for-steam-and-itchio-nsfw-game-removal
⦁ https://www.theguardian.com/games/2025/jul/29/why-did-adult-titles-disappear-from-steam-itch-pc-gaming-payment-processors