Valve"s PC gaming storefront Steam is the latest platform to roll out new rules for those residing in the United Kingdom. Complying with the recently passed Online Safety Act, UK users of Steam can no longer access any content deemed "mature" unless they provide verification of their age by presenting a valid credit card.
Explained in a new support document available on Steam, Valve says that UK Steam users must verify their age first to access any game store page or a community hub that has any mature content.
While the controversial age verification requirement has made major platforms go for a variety of user checking methods, such as uploading national IDs or selfies, Valve says it went for this credit card method to make sure it "preserves the maximum degree of user privacy."
"The data processed in the verification process is identical to that of the millions of other Steam users who make purchases or store their payment details for convenience," says the company. "The verification process therefore provides no information about a user"s content preferences to payment providers or other third parties."
The support page only mentions credit cards, but some user reports say that valid debit cards also pass the test, though we cannot confirm this.
"Ofcom’s guidance on the OSA states that one highly effective age assurance measure is credit card checks," continues Valve, explaining why this sudden change is happening. "This is because, in the UK, an individual must be at least 18 years of age to obtain a credit card, therefore credit card issuers are obliged to verify the age of an applicant before providing them with a credit card."
As for other major gaming platforms, both Microsoft and Sony are rolling out similar age verification systems in the United Kingdom for Xbox and PlayStation, respectively, as well.