TL;DR : Centralized payment processors (Visa, MasterCard, PayPal) can pressure Steam to remove legal games. We want Steam to keep existing payment methods and add optional censorship-resistant options like expanded prepaid cards, local bank transfers, and crypto/stablecoins over modern payment networks. This protects players, developers, and the future of gaming from all genres.. Reply “+1” or “Signed” if you agree.



Steam has always stood for player choice, developer freedom, and innovation.
But today, those values are at risk. Not because of game ratings, not because of laws, but because a handful of centralized payment processors can quietly decide which games are allowed to exist.

When Visa, MasterCard, PayPal, or other intermediaries threaten to cut off payments, it forces platforms like Steam to remove games, even if those games meet all legal requirements. This is financial censorship, and it undermines both our hobby and our rights as consumers.

This Isn’t Just About NSFW Content

Today it’s adult-only visual novels. But history shows the same tactics could hit any controversial or targeted title:

• Hatred — an ultra-violent top-down shooter removed from Greenlight after moral panic.
  
  
• Postal 2 — infamous for its dark humor and banned in multiple countries.
  
  
• Manhunt — targeted by politicians and media despite its cult following.
  
  
• Six Days in Fallujah — delayed and attacked for political reasons before release.
  
  
• Even Grand Theft Auto V and Hotline Miami 2 — beloved bestsellers — were pulled from certain stores after targeted campaigns.

If financial middlemen were allowed to decide what games can be sold and purchased, many fan-favorite titles could disappear overnight. This is the fundamental point.

Why Blockchain Payments Matter

Blockchain and decentralized finance (DeFi) were designed specifically to solve this kind of problem:

• No Single Gatekeeper — Transactions aren’t controlled by one company that can be pressured into banning content.
  
• Borderless Access — Works globally, without relying on local banks or card networks.
  
• Immutable Records — Payments can’t be erased or reversed by third parties.
  
• Stable Value Options — Stablecoins like USDC or DAI keep dollar-based prices without volatility.

Why “Just Add Bitcoin” Misses the Point

Many well-meaning people jump straight to “let users pay with Bitcoin.” While Bitcoin is valuable as a store of value, it’s not ideal for everyday game purchases:

• Slow settlement times and higher transaction fees compared to modern payment networks.
  
• Volatile price makes it impractical for fixed-price products.
  
• Not designed for instant, low-fee retail payments.

Instead, the real solution is stablecoins (USDC, DAI, etc.) operating on fast, low-cost payment networks like:

• Polygon — pennies per transaction, near-instant settlement.
  
• Lightning Network — built on Bitcoin for instant, ultra-low-fee transfers.
  
• Arbitrum / Optimism — Ethereum-based networks with fast, cheap payments.

These work much like Visa or PayPal behind the scenes, except without a single company that can be pressured to block legal sales.

What We’re Asking For

We’re not asking Valve to overhaul its entire platform or force crypto on anyone. We’re asking for choice:

• Keep existing card and PayPal systems.
  
• Expand prepaid/gift card options for more cash access.
  
• Add optional crypto/stablecoin payments on modern payment networks.

Why Now?

Gaming is more than entertainment, it’s culture. And culture shouldn’t be filtered by the policies of financial middlemen. This is Valve’s chance to:

• Stand as the consumer-first platform it’s always claimed to be.
  
• Lead gaming into the next generation of payment freedom.
  
• Protect developers and players from future censorship threats.

If you agree: Reply “+1” or “Signed” below so Valve can see the community wants this.

F the Banks,
T (“Fatality”)

💬 Share this thread with friends, gaming Discords, and on Reddit. The more visible it is, the harder it is to ignore. Thank you! o7

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What this is, and what it is not

• This is NOT about dropping cards or PayPal.
  
• This IS about adding optional, censorship-resistant rails alongside existing methods.
  
• This is NOT about forcing anyone to use crypto.
  
• This IS about future-proofing Steam’s autonomy if a single chokepoint is pressured.

Just to give expansive context on how card payments work and why they aren’t going anywhere:
The pieces are already set, and in order to play by different rules you need a different game. The card networks own the space and they write the rules.

Here’s the landscape:

• Visa & Mastercard: Open-loop networks. They don’t issue cards directly (your bank or other entity does), but they control the rails that authorize, clear, and settle nearly every transaction.
  
• AmEx & Discover: Closed-loop networks. They issue their own cards and run their own rails. They don’t depend on Visa/MC, but they are still centralized gatekeepers, with the same ability to cut off merchants.
  
• Together, these four dominate card payments worldwide. Visa and Mastercard alone process around 85% of all transactions. So whether it’s swipe, tap, or chip, you’re playing by one of their sets of rules.

If it runs on Visa or Mastercard rails, they still approve or deny the transaction. If it runs on AmEx or Discover, it’s the same situation with a smaller network.

But this doesn’t mean the world is fully captured. At the point of sale, blockchain-based payments can already be executed with apps and wallets, even with tap-to-pay on a phone. Merchants are connecting to these rails by the millions, especially as banking scandals, debanking, and international demand for dollar-equivalents grow.

The key distinction: if you want their convenience, you also get their rules. If you want resilience and autonomy, you need to use systems built to work outside those chokepoints. That’s exactly what DeFi rails were designed to do, drawing on the foundation that Bitcoin pioneered.

And remember: leverage is asymmetric. Their size doesn’t determine your systemic risk. What matters is the structure of your options. The fewer paths you build, the more boxed-in and fragile you are. The more paths you build, the freer and more resilient you become.

Why this matters (systems perspective)
Future-proofing means building options today that keep working tomorrow if a chokepoint fails. It isn’t prediction, it’s preparation.

Examples:

• Restaurants that already had delivery before the pandemic survived when dine-in collapsed.
  
• Tech companies with cloud redundancy survived data center outages.
  
• Platforms with multiple payment rails keep selling when one processor blocks.

Systemic risk theory shows how tightly coupled systems fail when all activity depends on one gatekeeper.

• Banks collapse when one counterparty defaults.
  
• Supply chains break when one port closes.
  
• Payment platforms fail when one or two card networks control access.

That is exactly what this thread addresses. Not “crypto hype,” not “shilling.” It’s applying the same principles regulators, engineers, and risk managers use everywhere else: diversify paths, reduce single points of failure, and design for resilience.

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Why DeFi solves this differently

Centralized mint ≠ centralized rails.

• Yes, USDC is minted by Circle, USDT by Tether. That’s the issuance layer.
  
• Once issued, those tokens move peer-to-peer on public blockchains. That’s the transport layer.
  
• At that layer, no single card network, acquiring bank, or gateway can veto an entire class of transactions.
  
• Minting is centralized, but settlement is decentralized, that’s the key distinction.

Why that matters for Steam:

• Today: Visa or MC can pull the plug on a category and Steam loses 100% of volume instantly.
  
• With DeFi rails: even if USDC’s issuer disappears, other stablecoins (DAI, USDT, LUSD, etc.) can route around it on the same rails.
  
• The resilience comes from the network layer, not the individual coin.

Why stability matters:

• Stablecoins remain stable because they are collateralized and regulated. Audits, reserves, and compliance give them price consistency.
  
• Without that, you don’t have a stablecoin, you just have another speculative token, which defeats the purpose of having a predictable transaction layer.

DeFi’s ethos is inherently anti-censorship and peer-to-peer. Transactions clear because the math and consensus say so, not because a middle manager in a suit approves it. That’s why the same communities that defend piracy, modding, and creative freedom resonate with this discussion: it’s about preserving autonomy against gatekeepers, not chasing speculative hype.

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“Why not just pay in USD with cards?”

• Cards work well in many places but fail or get blocked in others. Some regions have weak banking access, currency controls, or outright bans.
  
• Optional rails give Steam redundancy. If one lane closes, transactions can still clear.
  
• No one needs to switch for this to help. Even a small share off the chokepoint reduces risk.

“Isn’t crypto just ‘Bitcoin’? Didn’t Steam already try this and it didn’t work?”

• “Crypto” is an umbrella term: it covers many categories (Bitcoin, stablecoins, Layer 1 networks, Layer 2 networks, DeFi apps). Treating it all as “just Bitcoin” oversimplifies the landscape.
  
• Bitcoin: valuable as a store of value, but not optimized for day-to-day retail. Steam’s prior trial used BTC directly, which meant slow settlement, high fees at times, and price volatility.
  
• Stablecoins (USDC, USDT, DAI): designed specifically for stable payments, pegged to the dollar, and widely used for global settlement today.
  
• Modern networks: Polygon, Lightning, Arbitrum, Optimism, Solana, etc. allow near-instant, low-fee transactions. They solve the very issues Steam encountered in 2017.

“Refunds and fraud: how would that work?”

• Valve can use regulated processors that handle KYC, fraud screening, and customer support.
  
• Refunds can be issued to the original wallet, a custodial balance, or Steam wallet credit.
  
• Holds, release windows, and dispute flows can mirror current policy terms.

“Stablecoins are centralized, so how is this different?”

• Issuer layer: a company mints and redeems the token.
  
• Transport layer: movement and settlement happen on public blockchains without card network vetoes.
  
• Valve can support multiple stablecoins and networks to avoid single-vendor dependency.

“Isn’t this all volatile or wasteful?”

• Stablecoins target price stability to keep game prices predictable.
  
• Most modern networks are proof-of-stake or L2s, with low fees and low energy use.

“Will enough people use it to matter?”

• This is not about replacing cards. It is about removing an absolute veto.
  
• Even a minority share creates an operational fallback and strengthens Valve’s negotiating position.

“Prepaid cards already exist.”

• Great. Keep them. The ask is both/and: expand prepaid options and add modern payment rails.

“Which coin or network?”

• Payments: stablecoins on fast, low-fee networks (examples above).
  
• Network: Any L1 or L2 that can handle high TPS.
  
• This is about rails, not a single coin. Valve can start narrow and expand as needed.

“What if Visa or MC threaten to drop Steam entirely?”

• Parallel rails ensure some revenue continues flowing and players can still transact.
  
  
• If a primary payment method is blocked, customers can be redirected to the alternative. The fact that others already use it confirms its legitimacy and reliability, rather than making it feel like a stopgap.
  
  
• That continuity weakens any single intermediary’s power to dictate content policy, since blocking only risks pushing users toward the alternative permanently.

“Can’t I already spend crypto with a card? Isn’t that the same thing?”

• Most “crypto debit” cards through players like Visa/Mastercard are not DeFi. The moment you swipe, the payment runs on their legacy rails, so approval or denial still comes from them, not your wallet.
  
  
• Centralized custodians such as Coinbase work differently. If Steam accepted payments directly from an exchange balance, settlement could bypass card networks, adding resilience. But this still depends on contracts and compliance since the exchange is a central actor.
  
  
• True DeFi rails mean wallet-to-wallet settlement. Funds move peer-to-peer on public blockchains, final and censorship-resistant, like handing over digital cash.
  
  
• Custodial bridges help adoption, but real future-proofing comes when platforms also plug into DeFi rails directly. One approach relies on central agreements, the other provides sovereignty by design.

“Is this compliant?”

• Yes, if implemented with regulated gateways. KYC, AML, tax reporting, geo-controls, and refund terms can all be supported.

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• Systemic risk: The risk of collapse in a tightly coupled system when one chokepoint fails. Classic examples include the 2008 banking crash, supply chain breakdowns when a single port closed, or Steam relying only on card networks.
  
  
• Future-proofing: Designing for resilience by adding optionality now, so the system still works if conditions change tomorrow.
  
  
• Redundancy: Having more than one functioning path. In payments, this means multiple rails so no single chokepoint can stop transactions.
  
  
• Leverage: The ability to negotiate or resist pressure because alternatives exist. Without it, gatekeepers dictate terms.
  
  
• Censorship-resistance: Ensuring no single intermediary (bank, card network, regulator) can block an entire class of legal transactions.
  
  
• Chokepoint: A critical bottleneck in a system where control or failure can halt everything. Payment processors are the chokepoint here.
  
  
• Antifragility: From Nassim Taleb — systems that don’t just survive shocks but strengthen from them. Optional payment rails are antifragile because censorship attempts only highlight their value and increase adoption.
  
  
• Interoperability: The ability of different systems (or blockchains) to connect, exchange, and settle value. This reduces fragmentation and ensures resilience across networks.
  
  
• Layer 1 (L1): Base blockchains like Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, Cardano, or Sui. Some (e.g., Solana, Sui, Cardano) are optimized for high throughput and can serve as payment rails directly. Others (Bitcoin, Ethereum) often need L2s for scalability.
  
  
• Layer 2 (L2): Networks that run “on top” of L1s (e.g., Lightning on Bitcoin, Arbitrum/Optimism on Ethereum). They enable faster, cheaper transactions while inheriting the security of the base chain.
  
  
• Stablecoin: A token pegged to fiat currency (usually USD). Its stability comes from collateralization and regulation; without that, it’s just another speculative token. Examples: USDC, USDT, DAI.
  
  
• Self-custody: You hold your own cryptographic keys in a wallet you control. This maximizes sovereignty but requires personal responsibility.
  
  
• Custodial services: Exchanges or wallets that hold assets for you. Convenient for beginners and tax compliance, but a single point of failure if compromised.
  
  
• Hardware wallet: A dedicated offline device for storing crypto (e.g., Ledger). Acts like a vault: your private keys never touch the internet, and transactions require a physical PIN or confirmation. Best for long-term storage.
  
  
• Software wallet: Apps or browser extensions that let you hold assets directly. Convenient like a daily-use wallet, but more vulnerable to malware and physical access attacks. Best for smaller, active balances.
  
  
• Finality: The moment when a transaction cannot be reversed. On card networks this takes days; on blockchains it’s minutes or seconds.
  
  
• Throughput (TPS): “Transactions per second.” High-throughput chains (like Solana or Sui) can handle retail-scale payments directly, unlike early blockchains.
  
  
• DeFi (Decentralized Finance): A system of financial services (payments, lending, trading) built on public blockchains. Instead of banks or processors approving transactions, smart contracts and math execute them directly, making rails censorship-resistant and globally accessible.
  
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  Bottom line: This is not about betting on coins. It is about protecting Steam from a structural flaw: reliance on a single chokepoint. DeFi works here because it removes the chokepoint by design. Stability comes from collateralization and regulation. Settlement comes from decentralized rails. Together, they create the redundancy and leverage Steam needs to stay autonomous.