Steam introduces age verification for mature game store pages in the UK

To comply with the Online Safety Act, Valve has implemented age verification checks on mature game store pages on Steam for users in the UK.

The details:

• Users based in the UK must now verify their age on Steam in order to access store pages featuring games with mature content. According to a new FAQ page, Valve will consider an account to be verified if a valid credit card is present, so no "invasive" identification is required.
• The Online Safety Act, passed earlier this year, is the UK government's attempt to prevent minors from accessing harmful and inappropriate content by imposing greater online restrictions. As a result, platforms of all types are being forced to verify users using a variety of methods, including facial scans, government IDs, and credit/debit cards, while also providing easy ways to report any related issues.
• While the act will not be enforced until next year, some companies, such as Xbox and Discord, have already begun rolling out the ability to verify accounts, urging users to confirm their ages as soon as possible to avoid future issues. Some platforms, including Xbox, will not completely deny access to those who refuse, instead removing features such as chatting with those outside of the friends list.

More gaming news:

• Tomb Raider studio Crystal Dynamics has announced a wave of layoffs following the cancellation of Xbox's Perfect Dark reboot.
• Xbox has announced that cheaper tiers of Game Pass will soon be able to access its cloud gaming service.