In response to adult games being removed and hidden on Steam and itch.io en masse, Japan's association for freedom of expression has published a statement.
Take a quick look at DLsite and Pixiv, Japan hardly censors anything other than pixelation of specific body parts. If anything, it feels like the west is heading towards much more intense censorship.
They take what censorship they do have incredibly seriously, though. To the point that many Japanese companies stopped selling uncensored versions of their games in the West because their domestic audience was using VPNs to buy them and that was enough to get the government on their asses.
Even the possibility of Japanese users bypassing censorship was enough to put them in a worse situation than the West is currently in with payment processors.
I think it’s quite different though. Companies self censoring themselves is quite a hot different from a separate entity implementing censorship by terminating payment systems. Indie devs can still make such content. The mastercard/visa situation on the other hand effectively kills it for any team producing such content and I think that is far worse.
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There is a lot at stake for Japan
This could crush their main export.
you know you fucked up when the most conservative government that censors everything tells you that you went too far.
Take a quick look at DLsite and Pixiv, Japan hardly censors anything other than pixelation of specific body parts. If anything, it feels like the west is heading towards much more intense censorship.
They take what censorship they do have incredibly seriously, though. To the point that many Japanese companies stopped selling uncensored versions of their games in the West because their domestic audience was using VPNs to buy them and that was enough to get the government on their asses.
Even the possibility of Japanese users bypassing censorship was enough to put them in a worse situation than the West is currently in with payment processors.
I think it’s quite different though. Companies self censoring themselves is quite a hot different from a separate entity implementing censorship by terminating payment systems. Indie devs can still make such content. The mastercard/visa situation on the other hand effectively kills it for any team producing such content and I think that is far worse.
it’s an association dedicated to freedom of expression, not the government.
true, but the fact that it is even allowed to exist in Japan in the first place says a lot.
Don’t take away the sex games from Japan else you’re in trouble
Japan???
Tentacles are fine but never a penis Japan?
Damn yo
Daimyo!
Japan VS. Australia