Why is this an issue? I don't understand. Is it based on practical reasons or moral reasons?
For example people in this thread are talking about the potential for rape-fetish materials being in a video game while ignoring that most major bookstores or even Walmart sells tens of books about the same subject with no age restrictions at all.
I mean Game of Thrones (several rapes, sexual fetish scenes, under-age) and 50 Shades of Grey are literally sold at the checkout line.
PS - Not arguing for books to be age restricted/banned, just pointing out the hypocrisy.
However I don't know for a fact because I haven't seen a decent opinion piece or anything about this, just tweets
Movies and books present a story. I haven't seen any movies or series portraying rape as desirable rape lately, but even if they do, you don't have to identify with the protagonist. In VR, you are the protagonist, always, and actions are presented as if they're actually yours, trying their best to trick your mind into thinking they are.
So yeah, many differences, nothing good about them.
It used to be illegal to make movies with a man and a woman in the same bed together because it was thought to create uncontrollable carnal desires in people. Music and television and books used to be heavily censored due to all their corrupting ideas. Dungeons and Dragons was considered satan worship and evil as well. See the Comstock Law. See prohibition of alcohol...
The problem with all of these arguments is that they have ALL BEEN PROVEN WRONG every single time. Porn, beer, cursing in music, violence in movies, playing an immersive tabletop game where you make the decisions... have never once ever throughout all of human history caused your average person to lose their minds. Normal people are capable of receiving new ideas and using them to build a richer world perspective instead of turning into slathering immoral animals at the first chance.
Another infinitely better argument is that this type of entertainment is cathartic and beneficial. People fulfill desires through a fantasy instead of reality, thereby decreasing the behavior and actually making the world a better place. But that would requiring viewing people as responsible, self-aware, reflective, adults who are capable of thinking for themselves.
I disagree. I'm worried that Steam's porn won't be properly separated from the rest of their library. I've frequently had borderline-naked prepubescent children from erotic visual novels show up on the front page of the Steam store, and would like it to stop happening before somebody calls the cops on me.