valve looks to take advantage

[cronos]

OP why do you keep talking to yourself and agreeing with everybody else about this matter?

 

[arkcom]

I would assume that the reason cd keys don't count is to prevent people from getting 5+ keys from the humble bundle for a buck and then registering them each to a different spam account.

 

[Ichinisan]

I would assume that the reason cd keys don't count is to prevent people from getting 5+ keys from the humble bundle for a buck and then registering them each to a different spam account.

Or a developer abusing the system by issuing hundreds of codes to a spam / review organization. Or a close-out of a shitty game resulting in hundreds of games being discarded with valid codes that could be abused by whoever buys-out the stock.

 

[CZroe]

I would assume that the reason cd keys don't count is to prevent people from getting 5+ keys from the humble bundle for a buck and then registering them each to a different spam account.

There are tons of free keys too. My Star Trek D-A-C key came from a free-after-rebate Kingston flash drive.

 

[BeeBoop]

That would make sense, Steam early access.

 

[norseamd]

Well thought out comment. So what is the bold talking about here?

The author is a bit condescending, isn't he? Those who would complain, are not complaining about $5, they're complaining about principle. Valve could find other ways to get rid of spam/scam accounts. Steam is the biggest DRM machine going. Doesn't it make you wonder, if they're as successful as they say they are at combating piracy, if they can't handle scam/spam accounts?

The lowest denomination Steam Wallet Card is $20. Visa has debit cards which cost the same $3, and you can put as much, or little on them, as you'd like. My Steam Wallet has never had a standing balance of more than 12 cents (which I'll deplete, on my next purchase).

If a scam account is successful wouldn't it be worth it, to the scammer, to spend a measly $5? The spam accounts I see, are ones mainly aimed at re-directing traffic to pay-per-view sporting events also worth spending $5 on. How many of the 35 million customers, Valve brags about, using Steam, will be left?

Who, other than ten-year-old kids, wants badges? These are what makes Steam a sizable portion of their profit. Badges are literally nothing.

Valve is just looking for more revenue streams. They're going to monetize mods soon, paying modders 25% and keeping 75%. That is how "big-hearted" Valve is. Valve could just as easily implement a donation system and give donors perks, (which wouldn't cost Valve anything), but that's not going to make them rich(er), is it?

http://www.gamespresso.com/2015/04/18/steam-now-5-minimum-order-unlock-features/

 

[CZroe]

Dear God.

 

[XavierMace]

Well thought out comment. So what is the bold talking about here?


http://www.gamespresso.com/2015/04/18/steam-now-5-minimum-order-unlock-features/

STOP THE PRESSES! A BUSINESS WANTS TO MAKE MONEY!

Let me guess, you're one of those people who also complain about Free to Play games having paid content?

Regarding your bolded part... So Valve is paying modders 25% and keeping 75%. That means modders are getting 25% more money than they are now. There's some amazing mods and modders out there who don't make a dime for their efforts (save for the rare few that get hired by a developer).

I know most people are going to immediately jump on the "Monetizing Mods is bad" bandwagon, but there's two sides to every coin. It's similar to the Google Play Store vs Apple AppStore. I've got a few friends who do app development. He was explaining that while Apple has far more hoops to jump through, they (the developers) make somewhere around 10x the income off the Apple store vs the Android app store. Right now mods are free and don't get me wrong, I like free. But you often have to wade through mountains of crappy and/or non-functional mods just to find the good ones. The only way monetizing that will work is if they enforce quality standards similar to Apple does on the app store. There's mods out there I would happily pay money for, especially if there was an expectation they would keep the mod updated and functioning.

 

[KeithTalent]

Fully support this change. Get the deadbeats and spammers outta there!

KT

 

[Homerboy]

Honestly in all my years here, I don't think I have ever seen a post backfire so unanimously and the OP so vigorously attempt (and fail) to defend their position.

I am completely entertained. This makes my 20K+ posts all worthwhile.

 

[balloonshark]

Which is more restrictive? Charging $5 to spam and leave fake reviews or requiring that a person spend X amount of hours gaming before they get full access?

This is a money grab. $5 for a full account now could be $5 a year starting next year. Hell, they could get creative and charge for higher tiered accounts and cut more benefits. Spend X amount of dollars to get to the bronze tier with x benefits, etc.

I'll guarantee this is a slippery slope. Now I feel like I've payed Steam $5 to collect my data and spam me with games everyday instead of me buying games to support Steam.

 

[Phoenix86]

The cards you used to make any Steam Badge and lots of games have that shit.

Sounds like a Steam service/feature. How much did you pay Steam to use that feature?

 

[CZroe]

Wth?! Dp

 

[CZroe]

Which is more restrictive? Charging $5 to spam and leave fake reviews or requiring that a person spend X amount of hours gaming before they get full access?

This is a money grab. $5 for a full account now could be $5 a year starting next year. Hell, they could get creative and charge for higher tiered accounts and cut more benefits. Spend X amount of dollars to get to the bronze tier with x benefits, etc.

I'll guarantee this is a slippery slope. Now I feel like I've payed Steam $5 to collect my data and spam me with games everyday instead of me buying games to support Steam.

"Money grab?" They are selling games in exchange for money and that is a "money grab?" Wow. Even if they don't offer you a free service until you've spent money, you are spending money on the games and not the free service. Don't distort it. It's really not much different than when Apple required a credit card for an Apple ID unless you created one while registering a gift card. The main difference is that Steam still gives you what you paid for.

 

[videogames101]

STOP THE PRESSES! A BUSINESS WANTS TO MAKE MONEY!

Let me guess, you're one of those people who also complain about Free to Play games having paid content?

Regarding your bolded part... So Valve is paying modders 25% and keeping 75%. That means modders are getting 25% more money than they are now. There's some amazing mods and modders out there who don't make a dime for their efforts (save for the rare few that get hired by a developer).

I know most people are going to immediately jump on the "Monetizing Mods is bad" bandwagon, but there's two sides to every coin. It's similar to the Google Play Store vs Apple AppStore. I've got a few friends who do app development. He was explaining that while Apple has far more hoops to jump through, they (the developers) make somewhere around 10x the income off the Apple store vs the Android app store. Right now mods are free and don't get me wrong, I like free. But you often have to wade through mountains of crappy and/or non-functional mods just to find the good ones. The only way monetizing that will work is if they enforce quality standards similar to Apple does on the app store. There's mods out there I would happily pay money for, especially if there was an expectation they would keep the mod updated and functioning.

The fact is all Valve does is sell community developed skins (and now mods) for profit. At best it's exploitative.

 

[CZroe]

The fact is all Valve does is sell community developed skins (and now mods) for profit. At best it's exploitative.

It's exploitative to make a distribution platform to share their creation and give them money for it?

Last I checked, they made the games and tools the modders use to create too.

 

[KeithTalent]

It's exploitative to make a distribution platform to share their creation and give them money for it?

Last I checked, they made the games and tools the modders use to create too.

Yep, exactly.

KT

 

[videogames101]

It's exploitative to make a distribution platform to share their creation and give them money for it?

Last I checked, they made the games and tools the modders use to create too.

I suppose it does seem a little counter-intuitive from that perspective. However, I do think it's exploitative to use your distribution platform to share community creations and make money off of them. I understand otherwise modders would make $0, but I find the business model backwards. How about you hire artists and actually generate content, rather than sitting on your ass and picking and choosing the very best content from modders and raking in cash from these essentially unpaid employees. That really is how Valve is operating.

 

[Cerb]

Well thought out comment. So what is the bold talking about here?

http://www.gamespresso.com/2015/04/18/steam-now-5-minimum-order-unlock-features/

Mods as paid DLC. If it means quality support for overhauls, and prices are reasonable, cool. Otherwise, it can be another microtransaction-like annoyance, or just fly like a brick.

 

[Cerb]

Which is more restrictive? Charging $5 to spam and leave fake reviews or requiring that a person spend X amount of hours gaming before they get full access?

Which could be done every bit as well by bots, over proxies (which spammers are already used to using). Steam's anti-cheating tech is anything but foolproof, and game time has been worked around on numerous free MMOs. I'm sure easy games would get targeted, if they made that the requirement. I'm not defending Valve on this move specifically, at this stage. But, there is not a no-lose move, for the outcome they claim to want. For spammers with bots, $5/acct is fairly expensive, whereas virtual CPU time isn't.

 

[rudder]

Valve is now restricting use for every account that has not spent any money yet.

The first paragraph of the article you linked says spammers were invading steam. They could create an account and start sending messages and friend requests, etc.

 

[LevelSea]

OP should spend less time playing F2P games and get a goddamn job so he can afford the $5.

 

[waffleironhead]

Well thought out comment. So what is the bold talking about here?


http://www.gamespresso.com/2015/04/18/steam-now-5-minimum-order-unlock-features/

Wait! Valve is going to let modders sell their mods? :thumbsup:

 

[poofyhairguy]

I don't get the backlash against Valve. DRM was around before Steam, and provided NO benefit to paying customers. Steam comes around and rolls the DRM into a package full of benefits, and we are supposed to dislike their style or something?

PC Gaming without Steam is a WASTELAND of consumer experience and has been for 20+ years. Steam (plus Big Picture) is the closest thing to a console-like streamlined experience PC gaming has gotten.

 

[norseamd]

Sounds like a Steam service/feature. How much did you pay Steam to use that feature?

None because I do not give a fuck about that shit. However some do like that feature and Valve has gamified everything to take advantage of them to gain some cold hard cash.