There is a political dimension to the control of Sony that is very unfortunate, but impacts this censorship issue. The stone was lifted to a degree and what lies beneath exposed when Sony was hacked. One thing is certain, and that is that Sony is no longer a Japanese company- the price of doing business with the USA, and being allowed to buy significan American assets.
The censorship issue in gaming is being weaponised for commercial advantage in the war between corporate giants. We see this with Steam vs Epic, and here with Sony vs Microsoft. A political *and* corporate mode of warfare, which makes the potential fallout for us exponentially worse.
We are in a New Puritan Age- something far more apparent when looking at Canada, Australia, NZ and the UK. America, with its Constitution, and a long legal history of the Supreme Court protecting the Freedoms so enshrined, is a more complicated situation.
The leaders of the New Puritan Age are all absolute supporters of Saudi Arabia, so facts, logic and decency don't exist on their side- the hypocrisy is by intent. The NPA is a means to an end, not a set of real principles.
The big tech giants, and certainly the big tech gaming giants, are going to bend where political power currently demands society bends. And this is a very very bleak fact. Nations like NZ are a hair's breadth from criminalising all 'violent' video games. Possession of games not approved by the State Censor in NZ and Australia is already a serious criminal offence.
Now bring in the concept that it is 'evil' for males to seek to look at media they find 'sexual arousing'. This insanely dangerous and perverse message has always been a key concept in any puritanical society. Self-flagellation was the common recommendation of the leaders of such societies to males that needed to 'purify' themselves from said acts. We know the terrifying abusive psychology of puritan movements from many previous times in Human History.
The ultimate statement of this doctrine is forcing women to wear black bags that cover their entire bodies- as seen in the Puritan leaders' beloved Saudi Arabia.
Puritans have used the same tricks at every era to trick naive males- a favourite tactic is to say to the male "you'll leer over a young well-built female, but you won't show the same interest in a woman who, for no fault of her own, lacks the same good looks". This triggers a guilt response, and that guilt mechanism converts many naive males. Bad people throughout history have exploited guilt mechanisms ruthlessly, because the tactic works with all too many.
Of course the argument has the same logic as saying you should be ashamed of watching your favourite team play sports because most Humans could never match up to their levels of superb physical development. It is a spurious deceit, but because of the hang-ups too many males have over sex, it is a guilt-trip the truly rotten know they can exploit.
And today we see game devs falling in line. Clevage and non-sexual bare skin (arms, stomach, back, legs) vanish under 'modest' dress (every Saudi wahhabi cleric sees where this is going). The modest dress is sold as the 'new fashion' (like heavy armour) so the New Puritans can say "only a monster would complain about this form of dress. Now the head starts top be covered as well (the ultimate target is the female face, but encroaching Puritan movements start with the hair).
Sony and co have set up a 'principle' by now- and if the 'principle' is accepted, the 'logic' is to take it to its inevitable conclusion. Be honest- if you had never witnessed a nation forcing its women into full body bags, you would say anyone warning about this risk was a "tin foil hat waring paranoid nutter". But the wahhabis exist- and are ruthlessly supported by the West, by Russia and by China. The people that rule you are without morals or principles- they care about just one thing- power.
Today they think the New Puritan Age is the best road to power.
Sony's moves are the classic 'slippery slope'. You cannot be "a little bit pregnant". But the NPA is most associated with certain political leaders and certain parties, so the low level supporters of those leaders and parties think it their duty to support the puritan policies in forums like this one using any possible method. Political partisanship is another trick of social control when people who would normally not be extremist become extremist believing it distiguishes the policies of 'their' 'team' from the policies of the 'team' they do not support.
Thus too many people who consider themselves of the left think they must actively adopt the policies of the puritanical alt-left. Even when these same policies a decade earlier would have been an anathema to them. And a big chunk of the traditional right was already puritanical.
What can gamers do? Not be ashamed of their sexuality or turn-ons. Reject all puritanical doctrines. Make themsleves aware what these doctrines have led to in the past, and the oppression they bring, especially to women, in many nations today. Be proud to declare that what happens in fantasy has nothing to do with reality. Vote with their eyes, vote with their time, vote with their money. Be aware of the hypocrisy and cynicism of their 'leaders'. Be proud of being good moral people with a healthy sexuality. Let no-one 'guilt trip' them.
Sony is wrong, and if we are not careful, going to get a lot wronger.
