Age verification coming to major video game mod site in EU, UK

Want to make sweet love to that frost giant who lives in the fjord? You may have to prove your age first. Nexus Mods, one of the largest sites on the web for hosting gaming mods (or modifications), plans to introduce age verification for adult content in the EU and UK, in response to incoming online safety legislation.

“Due to the Online Safety Act and Digital Services Act, we are required as a UK-based company to ensure we continue to remove illegal content and add additional restrictions to children’s access to certain adult content,” says a post from Nexus Mods.

“Adult content is a core part of what makes Nexus Mods what it is; we don’t consider removing it a viable option. We are aware that some users may find the changes irritating; however, we are obligated to do this to ensure we can continue to host adult content legally.”

Platform to implement automated CSAM scanning

Some of the changes have to do with categories and tags, definitions of illegal content and user controls. The platform is adding automated detection for Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM). The age verification measure is a work in progress; the company says “the specifics of this are being carefully considered as we want to get this right so that the option to view adult content remains available to adults, whilst fulfilling our legal obligation to ensure children are safe on our website.”

For now, not everyone will be affected by the age verification requirement; for users outside the EU or UK, “the current approach to verifying you are above 18 years of age will remain the same unless we are legally required to change this to operate in your country.”

Although they have flown relatively under the radar in the wider debate over age assurance, video games are beginning to respond to legislation that also applies to many of their products. The World Economic Forum recently identified Microsoft’s Xbox Gaming Safety Toolkit and the compliance-based k-ID platform, which “enables any game to implement age-appropriate experiences,” as exemplary models for video game age assurance.

Article Topics

age verification  |  biometrics  |  Digital Services Act  |  gaming  |  Online Safety Act