No matter the naming it is a weird censorship.
What harm would boobs do to the Germans, turning them straight?
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What harm would boobs do to the Germans, turning them straight?
- Jul 12, 2020
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It's especially odd given how crazy German porn is lol.
- Jun 14, 2020
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Well, talk with Steam. They use PEGI. The german system USK isn't as strict as PEGI. In Germany it's only porn if you see an erect dick and/or open vagina. Summer's Gone is USK 16 even with the removed pictures everybody talks about.
Dude, once again: IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH GERMANY! In fact nobody in Germany cares about boobs. You can see them on television in the afternoon, even in tv shows for children. It's not the USA where the whole country gets a meltdown when Janet Jackson shows a nipple during super bowl show.
- Dec 24, 2018
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So it gets PEGI 16, and can be bought in the US by pretty much anyone, because there is no age verification, but Germany which has a less strict rating, noone can download or buy it when the only sexual content is boobs and innuendo.
Makes complete sense.
- Oct 22, 2017
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Not Germany, or thier USK(former FSK), or PEGI are enforcing that censorship/geoblock.
Steam does.
Germany just want a proper age verification build into their platform to protect minors from 18+ content - and that is justified.
Moronic Steam is lazy as fuck and refuses to implement one, so Steam decided to go the easy way and geoblocks all 18+ content for the German players.
- Dec 24, 2018
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This is what I'm trying to understand - it hasn't received and 18+ rating, but a 16+ one, so why would it be geoblocked to germany?
- Jun 14, 2020
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That's on Valve. In the EU you have to have an age verification system. It's EU law. The problem with Germany is that Germany is the only country in the EU where an old catholic hag sued Valve because of the lack of said verfication system. Instead of implementing an age verification system which fits to EU law, Valve decided to shadow ban german customers from games with sexual content. Same would happen if someone in the Netherlands, Poland, Austria, Denmark, France, Italy, etc. would sue them. Valve don't want to invest money into an age verification system. As long as no one goes to court no government cares about it. But it's EU law.
No, it doesn't. It just shows you don't know the background about Steam, and just a FYI: as a german you can buy said games on Steam. You just have to know how.
1. SG has nudity (the rating is irrelevant)
2. Germany/the EU requires age verification for the purchase of such material.
3. Steam are cheap/lazy f**ks and won't implement an age verification system to comply with German/EU law.
4. Steam simply blocks all content falling under the age verification requirement from users in Germany, so to comply with German law.
- Oct 22, 2017
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The rating is not the problem by itself, at least not alone. It's the content shown. And the nail steam is hanging Ocean out to dry is "frequent nudity"
But you are right the decision making on the side of steam is quite...
... questionable.
- Dec 24, 2018
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Sorry, the internet got in the way, I was sarcastic (at steam, not you) about it making sense, sorry. What you say here makes actual sense, thank you.
This is interesting because I'm not from Europe. Steam has hidden the webpage globally now, so you have to sign in to see it, while if I view the Epic page from the US, (17+ there) I have to verify my age with the date, but from the Netherlands it is PEGI 16, no check, can see the Epic page, japan, IARC 16 no check, can see the Epic page.
So I guess there's a very inconsistent approach. I'll try finding a free german VPN to see that, more because I'm curious.
I guess they have decided the theme of the game is sexual even if there is no sex (which honestly, it is sexualised to be fair).
- Jun 14, 2020
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Ah, okay. I didn't get the sarcasm. Thank you for the clarification.
- Oct 22, 2017
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- Dec 24, 2018
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Now have a look at the SG page on Epic, which still shows publically in Germany and displays the USK 16 rating. Does Epic have an age verification when paying? I can't remember last time I bought a game off them.
So it seems it is simply Steam being once bitten twice shy.
- Oct 22, 2017
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Steam and Epic have the same system for survey a game, and Ocean has checked "frequent nudity" box at rare not often. on both platforms.
Steam, wants to change that from "rare" to "often" - as my screenshot shows. Now Ocean will change that on Epic as well, to have some kind consistency.
I have no fucking clue, I visit Epic only if I get a free game, or to wishlist SG.
- May 22, 2017
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Does Steam specify anywhere how much is "rare" and how much is "often" or are they using SI units?
- Dec 24, 2018
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I've just been browsing steam, not logged in via a VPN.I'm back for this confusing Topic.
It's about the description a Game gets - not alone the USK Rating in Germany.
I tried to get Leap of Faith back in last Year as I started my journey in VNs... and because I liked it that much I tried to buy it on Steam (And also GOG - as Drifty announced it's release in February on these Platforms)
I can't even open the Games Pages on these Platforms and they are not "shown listed" in Germany.
I can search on Google and all I get is and error Page on Steam for LoF (GOG doesn't show anything related to LoF)
Under the search-result on Google I can read:
"This game is intended for adults only and contains visual representations of sexual content in form of images and animations (vaginal, anal and oral sexual acts)..."
So to clear things up a bit... it's not the Game itself that gets "Banned" - it's the kind of content it is been listed as.
In Germany a Page that want's to sell " sexual Adult Content" of any kind need to have a proper Age-Verification System - not just a Check-Box saying "I'm over 18" or "I'm of legal Age". But as Steam (and also Valve) doesn't offer this "official" kind of Verification System (By checking the Passport or any other Legal Document as proof) - they are not allowed to sell these Games - hence no VN's in Germany from Valve/Steam... and most the Time also not from GOG.
So it's not just the USK Rating... it's the "sex" in a Game.
I hope that clears it up a bit more for you Guys here
The weird thing is, there are plenty of games with sexual content that are USK 18 that only require the checkbox to view. And comparitively, they have more actual sexual content in those than SG has right now.
So I'm going to assume that once Ocean does the checkbox, they will rate it and it might actually be available. The fact I can access the game on Epic via a German IP address would mean steam is losing tothe competition there, especially as they rate it the same way.
It seems to me haphazard the way they've implemented things. Some USK 18 games with sexual content didn't even have an age checkbox (I wasn't logged in, so just browsing) and I did searck for some of the popular AVN's here, which doesn't show, so it was definitely a german IP.
- Nov 5, 2023
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Yes, I seen your example about
You must be registered to see the links
and it says:
Mature Content Description
The developers describe the content like this:
Blood and gore
Sexual themes
Use of alcohol
Violence
-----
So it might be a thing on "how" it is described on Steam - here it says just "Sexual themes" - that might be enough to "convince" the German Authorities that it's not "that bad" for us Germans to buy on Steam - LOL
As said - I have tried multiple other VNs to get over on Steam... the don't show up at all
Here the LoF Steam Page for me as German:
It can well be that depending on what Ocean has to set the Game up with, that it'll show for us - but most likely it will not as so many others of this Genre of VNs - I don't have much hope for it on Steam anyways - LOL
- Sep 24, 2023
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Can you tell me what percentage is needed to block? I searched everywhere, but didn't find this rule.
- Jan 17, 2021
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I hope not
At least on Patreon version, that´s where i´m going to buy it.So, i just finished to read around 6 pages in the thread and the resume is basically that SG will be 18+ in the end, what a shame
,not for me, for poor Ocean, so hard work and time waiting and now even all the changes he has done can´t get the game a 16+...Is sad because we would had the game weeks ago and without so much censorship, but well, it is what it is and we are closeee now
This #2 Charlie Simp has his own priorities
For me 8 years old shouldn´t buy even food, i mean, parents should do that
- Jul 25, 2017
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Did I miss understand I thought I read a post back some pages that it was still 16+ expect for certain countries like Germany.I hope not
So, i just finished to read around 6 pages in the thread and the resume is basically that SG will be 18+ in the end, what a shame
Is sad because we would had the game weeks ago and without so much censorship, but well, it is what it is and we are closeee now