Steam has launched age verification for UK customers, with mature pages on the storefront now requiring legitimate bank card particulars displaying that you just’re 18 or over to entry.
As revealed in a brand new FAQ, Steam’s new UK age verification course of has been launched in an effort to adjust to the nation’s new On-line Security Act, which has additionally affected different gaming-related web sites like Nexus Mods, in addition to varied key sellers.
As a way to entry mature content material on Steam, you will now want to offer legitimate bank card data, and your account shall be “thought of age verified” for so long as that data is saved. If you happen to delete it, you will want so as to add one other one in an effort to entry mature pages once more.
If you have not added a card to your Steam account but, you are able to do so through the Account Particulars web page’s “add a cost technique to this account” possibility. The method is pretty simple; as soon as you have been by means of it, you’ll be able to change your retailer preferences to permit mature content material.
Valve says it is utilizing this specific technique of verification as a result of it “preserves the utmost diploma of person privateness”; the info processed by means of verification is “equivalent to that of the tens of millions of different Steam customers who make purchases”, in accordance with Valve.
If you happen to’re involved about not proudly owning a bank card, I used to be ready so as to add a legitimate debit card in an effort to confirm my age, nevertheless it’s attainable that this is not an supposed verification technique; in its personal FAQ, Valve says people have to be 18 to acquire a bank card, however within the UK, debit playing cards can be utilized by these as younger as 16.
If Steam does certainly require customers to particularly add a bank card to confirm their age, that looks like an unlucky oversight for the roughly 36% of UK adults who do not have bank cards (myself included).
It seems like pages for video games with mature content material, like latest launch Steel Gear Stable Delta: Snake Eater, aren’t affected; this age verification system seems solely to use particularly to grownup content material on Steam. Which will change sooner or later, nevertheless.
It is also value noting that this new system solely applies to UK customers; when you’re within the US, or wherever else that does not have an identical legislation to the On-line Security Act, then you’ll be able to proceed utilizing Steam simply as you’ve been.
The On-line Security Act is prone to imply that an increasing number of gaming-related websites and platforms incorporate age verification for UK customers, so when you’re primarily based within the UK, you’ll be able to count on this sort of factor to turn into extra widespread as time goes by. Keep tuned for extra.
