tip: always choose "gift" option when buying steam games

[micrometers]

Because with a gift tied to your account, you can

1. trade it for something else if you change your mind about the game

2. still "gift" the game to yourself for your own enjoyment.

 

[Red Storm]

Pretty sure you can't after playing it for the first time?

 

[micrometers]

Pretty sure you can't after playing it for the first time?

No, but sometimes I buy steam games and don't play them for weeks if not months.

 

[chimaxi83]

I've been doing this lately, just in case I decide I don't want a game or want to give it to my son or a friend via Steam. Can't do jack with the games that I own but won't ever play.

 

[BlueWeasel]

That's a good idea. :thumbsup:

 

[Nvidiaguy07]

id say keep your gift-able steam inventory private then. For the most part, i dont worry too much about my steam account being hacked, but if i had a bunch of games sitting as gifts, id be a much bigger target.

And i wonder how this would apply to buying a pack of games - I hate not getting an extra copy of whatever i already own if i want the other games. Maybe buying as a gift will let me individually gift them to myself.

 

[Aikouka]

And i wonder how this would apply to buying a pack of games - I hate not getting an extra copy of whatever i already own if i want the other games. Maybe buying as a gift will let me individually gift them to myself.

I believe the game ends up being listed as a pack in your Steam Inventory. I'm not sure if I own any packs, but I do own collections, which are combined.

 

[micrometers]

You know what's interesting about Steam is that there is actually a trading feature built in. Like, you can trade whole games. You can also buy items in TF2 with real money, making TF2 sort of like a place to show off stuff.

interesting. Very MMO-like.

 

[clok1966]

You know what's interesting about Steam is that there is actually a trading feature built in. Like, you can trade whole games. You can also buy items in TF2 with real money, making TF2 sort of like a place to show off stuff.

interesting. Very MMO-like.

interesting is right.. how limited is the TRADE thing? any idea? this could be quite handy for checking out games. trade my copy of King Arthur II (how can a game run so poorly on a modern machine?) to a friend and see how it works on his machine.. maybe have him trade it back later.. going to have to look into this.

 

[KaOTiK]

I recommend everyone just gift me their games and I'll hold on to them for them.

 

[micrometers]

interesting is right.. how limited is the TRADE thing? any idea? this could be quite handy for checking out games. trade my copy of King Arthur II (how can a game run so poorly on a modern machine?) to a friend and see how it works on his machine.. maybe have him trade it back later.. going to have to look into this.

nope. Once you activate a gift, it's done.

 

[Druidx]

Good idea, especially when over buying during steams summer sale.

 

[slayernine]

Would you call it piracy if a person bought the game on steam but kept it in his gift inventory while downloading a copy of the game from the interwebs and playing the copy?

 

[thespyder]

No, but sometimes I buy steam games and don't play them for weeks if not months.

That sounds more like an impulse control issue than anything else.

 

[slayernine]

That sounds more like an impulse control issue than anything else.

But buut but.. it was on sale. I had to buy them all

 

[KaOTiK]

That sounds more like an impulse control issue than anything else.

I don't have a problem, I can stop buying them whenever I want!

 

[thespyder]

But buut but.. it was on sale. I had to buy them all

You are a product of the Poke'mon generation. Aren't you? Admit it!!!

 

[Lonyo]

Would you call it piracy if a person bought the game on steam but kept it in his gift inventory while downloading a copy of the game from the interwebs and playing the copy?

Yes, if the game required Steam.
No if the game wasn't tied to any service and could be re-sold if it was purchased somewhere that wasn't Steam.

 

[thespyder]

Would you call it piracy if a person bought the game on steam but kept it in his gift inventory while downloading a copy of the game from the interwebs and playing the copy?

Regardless of if WE think it is piracy, the publishers very definitely do think it is piracy. For the very reason that you are downloading it from a pirate (in their eyes) site. They would ask you why you did that. The only reason would be to play the game in a manner in which it was not intended by the publisher (sans DRM). Plus, they have no control over it, so who is to say what you are doing with the legit copy (yes they are control freaks)?

Again, all from the publisher's point of view.

Personally, I would ask if it was really worth it just to play without DRM. I mean who knows what you can pick up from those sites that might be worse than DRM?

 

[Red Storm]

Would you call it piracy if a person bought the game on steam but kept it in his gift inventory while downloading a copy of the game from the interwebs and playing the copy?

It doesn't matter what else you do, downloading the game is pirating. You could buy 100 copies but if you download it you're still pirating.

 

[micrometers]

The reason I say this is I recently got into steam trading. There are forums like steamtrades.com and there's even a trading section in the steam forums.

I've scored some decent (to me) deals, since the games would have just been sitting around.

Some people get addicted to it. Like, there are guys who have dozens of keys to Left 4 Dead 2, which is just bizarre.

 

[thespyder]

The reason I say this is I recently got into steam trading. There are forums like steamtrades.com and there's even a trading section in the steam forums.

I've scored some decent (to me) deals, since the games would have just been sitting around.

Some people get addicted to it. Like, there are guys who have dozens of keys to Left 4 Dead 2, which is just bizarre.

So if you are making any kind of money off of the deal, that is DEFINITELY pirating. or at minimum something that the publishers would balk about, and would probably violate the TOS of either Steam or the games themselves. And promoting that type of activity 'Could' get you into trouble.

 

[micrometers]

huh?

Since these games haven't been played yet (once you register one to a steam account you can no longer trade) I don't see how publishers dislike it.

I just think that steam trading is kinda cool.

 

[thespyder]

huh?

Since these games haven't been played yet (once you register one to a steam account you can no longer trade) I don't see how publishers dislike it.

I just think that steam trading is kinda cool.

Trading, they may not have a problem with. they may not LIKE it, because they can't control who has their game, nor what market it is being entered in. But it becomes the price for doing business.

But you indicated that you were getting some "Deals" which indicates a monetary component. That, considering that the publishers are not getting a cut, they DEFINITELY will have issue with.

 

[Pray To Jesus]

buy steam keys with stolen credit card

trade for $$$

profit