Adult games are forcing the game industry into a spiritual crisis

Here is a summary of the news article in 174 words: The indie game platform itch.io has recently de-indexed and removed adult and "NSFW" content from its website due to pressure from payment processors like Visa and Mastercard. This follows a similar crackdown on sex games by major PC gaming platform Steam. The decisions by itch.io and Steam have been met with backlash from game developers and fans, who fear this sets a dangerous precedent of censorship. The conservative Australian group Collective Shout has been identified as a driving force behind these changes, having lobbied payment processors to stop "profiting from rape, incest + child abuse" games. However, the scope of Collective Shout's targets extends beyond just adult-oriented games, raising concerns that this could lead to broader censorship of LGBTQ+ themes and other content. The platforms' abrupt actions and lack of clarity on compliance requirements have added to the controversy. As the game industry grapples with this "spiritual crisis," some are mobilizing to challenge the payment processors' influence and protect the creative freedom of game developers.