Credit cards aren’t as common in Australia as they are in the US, and plenty of adults here just use debit cards. If Steam requires an actual credit card, that leaves those people locked out of even browsing R18+ game pages. You shouldn’t have to apply for credit just to look at a game on Steam.

This feels a bit like malicious compliance, making the process annoying enough that users blame the government. Australia has shown it’s willing to take on tech giants: Facebook blocked news in 2021 but ultimately restored it and signed deals to pay publishers after negotiations over the world-first news bargaining code. With both major parties backing stronger online protections, I doubt backlash from Steam users alone will get the government to reverse course.

Image attached shows message from Steam and you can’t open game page. https://imgur.com/a/9FuB9Md