What has happened to steam over the past few years?

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2AHumanRight 9 hours ago

I feel like I've missed something because steam feels like it has been progressively getting really bad. I have been here for a long time have always really appreciated the ability to vet a game I want to buy with steam reviews and discussions. However, I have been noticing that peoples negative reviews and discussions that make the game look bad are often removed.

It feels like many of these areas are ran by Reddit mods now. The most recent offender I've seen is BF6. I have watched many discussions get deleted for stupid stuff. One dude started a discussion posting stats about how little of a percentage of women are in combat roles. I went to respond to it and it was taken down before I could get two sentences out. I saw a few about how one of the devs said some unsavory things about what happened to Charlie Kirk all get taken down.

This isn't an isolated case. I have seen stuff like this on a lot of games. Steam should have policies that make it very difficult to remove discussions (allowed in very few instances) as it is important to see info like this before I decide to buy from a company.

Also reviews from people who refund games should not be removed. I think those are likely the most important reviews. I would like to be able to get both sides of the story.

What happened to Steam? It used to not be like this.

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Originally posted by TheStoryteller01:

People pay for Pre-order, Early Access and week 1 DLCs.

And they spend 1000ds of $ on microtransactions in "free" games.

Gamers are the most uninformed, gullible and spineless consumer group of all and the industry is simply treating them accordingly.

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Showing 1-15 of 42 comments

Eagle_of_Fire 8 hours ago

The internet happened. To be honest Steam has fought back and resisted the "enshitification" (actual coined term) of the internet for far longer that most other sites. But ultimately every source of problem of every example you've provided in your OP are originating from users and people.

Since you've come down so far in your own investigation, I would strongly suggest that you go even deeper and start investigating what's going on in the US and been going on for several years now. Everything spring out from there and since Valve is an US company, they simply get dragged along...

Last edited by Eagle_of_Fire; 8 hours ago

76561198407601200 8 hours ago

Originally posted by 2AHumanRight:
I feel like I've missed something because steam feels like it has been progressively getting really bad. I have been here for a long time have always really appreciated the ability to vet a game I want to buy with steam reviews and discussions. However, I have been noticing that peoples negative reviews and discussions that make the game look bad are often removed.

It feels like many of these areas are ran by Reddit mods now. The most recent offender I've seen is BF6. I have watched many discussions get deleted for stupid stuff. One dude started a discussion posting stats about how little of a percentage of women are in combat roles. I went to respond to it and it was taken down before I could get two sentences out. I saw a few about how one of the devs said some unsavory things about what happened to Charlie Kirk all get taken down.

This isn't an isolated case. I have seen stuff like this on a lot of games. Steam should have policies that make it very difficult to remove discussions (allowed in very few instances) as it is important to see info like this before I decide to buy from a company.

Also reviews from people who refund games should not be removed. I think those are likely the most important reviews. I would like to be able to get both sides of the story.

What happened to Steam? It used to not be like this.

I've simply bought games on steam, update them via steam and play them via steam which is the core of steam and has worked progressively better over the years. The things you mentioned seem to be the social media aspects which, to be honestly is on the lower end of things to be concerned about. Moderators will moderate their forum as they see fit, if it bothers you simply move on to a different platform for discussion.

2AHumanRight 8 hours ago

Originally posted by Eagle_of_Fire:
The internet happened. To be honest Steam has fought back and resisted the "enshitification" (actual coined term) of the internet for far longer that most other sites. But ultimately every source of problem of every example you've provided in your OP are originating from users and people.

Since you've come down so far in your own investigation, I would strongly suggest that you go even deeper and start investigating what's going on in the US and been going on for several years now. Everything spring out from there and since Valve is an US company, they simply get dragged along...

I was told a while back that the devs or publishers are the ones who generally moderate the things I mentioned. People like 76561198407601200 who blindly consume, I believe, are the problem. People like him are easily influenced by marketing campaigns and that is what they feed off of. They don't need to be decent at making games anymore, they just need to be halfway decent at lying and those people will eat it all up.

An easy way to fix this would be to do want I said earlier and make it very difficult to remove things. That way I don't have to look all over the internet for the truth.

Steam not going public has been its saving grace, but it seems like they are being influenced in other ways.

The author of this thread has indicated that this post answers the original topic.

TheStoryteller01 8 hours ago

2AHumanRight 8 hours ago

Originally posted by TheStoryteller01:
People pay for Pre-order, Early Access and week 1 DLCs.

And they spend 1000ds of $ on microtransactions in "free" games.

Gamers are the most uninformed, gullible and spineless consumer group of all and the industry is simply treating them accordingly.

I unfortunately think you're right.

Eagle_of_Fire 8 hours ago

Originally posted by 2AHumanRight:
Originally posted by Eagle_of_Fire:
The internet happened. To be honest Steam has fought back and resisted the "enshitification" (actual coined term) of the internet for far longer that most other sites. But ultimately every source of problem of every example you've provided in your OP are originating from users and people.

Since you've come down so far in your own investigation, I would strongly suggest that you go even deeper and start investigating what's going on in the US and been going on for several years now. Everything spring out from there and since Valve is an US company, they simply get dragged along...
I was told a while back that the devs or publishers are the ones who generally moderate the things I mentioned. People like 76561198407601200 who blindly consume, I believe, are the problem. People like him are easily influenced by marketing campaigns and that is what they feed off of. They don't need to be decent at making games anymore, they just need to be halfway decent at lying and those people will eat it all up.

An easy way to fix this would be to do want I said earlier and make it very difficult to remove things. That way I don't have to look all over the internet for the truth.

Steam not going public has been its saving grace, but it seems like they are being influenced in other ways.

I believe you are looking at what that number user said the wrong way. What he meant was that the gaming or client side of Steam is still strong, at least in his own opinion. Then he mention that all the problems originate from the "social" side of the client, meaning forums, people talking to eachother, etc. That's pretty close to what I've said too but maybe not in so many words.

I don't think that "consoomerism" is actively part of the problem you've raised but I'll be level with you, even if it was the case we'd be circling back to pointing at people as being the source of the problem again...

Moderators are also "people", BTW.

2AHumanRight 7 hours ago

Originally posted by Eagle_of_Fire:
Originally posted by 2AHumanRight:
I was told a while back that the devs or publishers are the ones who generally moderate the things I mentioned. People like 76561198407601200 who blindly consume, I believe, are the problem. People like him are easily influenced by marketing campaigns and that is what they feed off of. They don't need to be decent at making games anymore, they just need to be halfway decent at lying and those people will eat it all up.

An easy way to fix this would be to do want I said earlier and make it very difficult to remove things. That way I don't have to look all over the internet for the truth.

Steam not going public has been its saving grace, but it seems like they are being influenced in other ways.
I believe you are looking at what that number user said the wrong way. What he meant was that the gaming or client side of Steam is still strong, at least in his own opinion. Then he mention that all the problems originate from the "social" side of the client, meaning forums, people talking to eachother, etc. That's pretty close to what I've said too but maybe not in so many words.

I don't think that "consoomerism" is actively part of the problem you've raised but I'll be level with you, even if it was the case we'd be circling back to pointing at people as being the source of the problem again...

Moderators are also "people", BTW.

Steam isnt just a download client. If it was, then there would be no reason to choose it over Epic or GOG. The social aspect is what helped make Steam what it is. I mean ♥♥♥♥, you two wouldn't have seen or responded to my comment otherwise.

Also I know they're human. They always have been. The problem is, like Reddit mods, they are on a power trip.

Last edited by 2AHumanRight; 7 hours ago

Alexander HAMilton 7 hours ago

Devs discovered they can remove intentionally disruptive individuals from their game hub, after dealing with constant brigading from would-be "anti woke" protesters and award farming trolls for exceedingly too long.

Eagle_of_Fire 7 hours ago

Originally posted by 2AHumanRight:
Originally posted by Eagle_of_Fire:
I believe you are looking at what that number user said the wrong way. What he meant was that the gaming or client side of Steam is still strong, at least in his own opinion. Then he mention that all the problems originate from the "social" side of the client, meaning forums, people talking to eachother, etc. That's pretty close to what I've said too but maybe not in so many words.

I don't think that "consoomerism" is actively part of the problem you've raised but I'll be level with you, even if it was the case we'd be circling back to pointing at people as being the source of the problem again...

Moderators are also "people", BTW.
Steam isnt just a download client. If it was, then there would be no reason to choose it over Epic or GOG. The social aspect is what helped make Steam what it is. I mean ♥♥♥♥, you two wouldn't have seen or responded to my comment otherwise.

That's not false but at the same time, and especially since this is a topic which keep coming back every so often, I feel obligated to tell you that Steam is not a social network site. Steam goal is not to connect people up, it is to provide access to games and be a store front to sell us said games. The forums are simply a secondary aspect of this since discussions between users and also between devs and the consumers is crucial for a healthy environment. To be perfectly honest I feel bad for anybody considering Steam as a social network site and this screwed up perception that some people have of it might in fact explain, at least in part, a lot of those problems you're pointing out.

skOsH♥ 7 hours ago

Go look at reviews of cs2

Positive reviews

People saying the game sucks (which it does) or [insert horrible experience here] in their review.

And then they leave a thumbs up.

Idk but I guess they think its funny to keep the review positively scored? Idk.

#10

2AHumanRight 7 hours ago

Originally posted by skOsH♥:
Go look at reviews of cs2

Positive reviews

People saying the game sucks (which it does) or [insert horrible experience here] in their review.

And then they leave a thumbs up.

Idk but I guess they think its funny to keep the review positively scored? Idk.

In that particular case its a meme. It usually appears on widely played and addictive games.

#11

2AHumanRight 7 hours ago

Originally posted by Alexander HAMilton:
Devs discovered they can remove intentionally disruptive individuals from their game hub, after dealing with constant brigading from would-be "anti woke" protesters and award farming trolls for exceedingly too long.

So anyone who has opinions that differ from their own. Just as I mentioned in the original post, they are Reddit mods. Discussion like that is important to have. I would like to see things like that before I buy a game.

#12

2AHumanRight 7 hours ago

Originally posted by Eagle_of_Fire:
Steam is not a social network site. Steam goal is not to connect people up

Literally has a community tab at the top in big letters, a friends list, VOIP, Broadcasts, facilitates chats, helps you get in the same match as your friends, gives you a profile page you can deck out and show off, trading cards, screen shot tool for showing off, etc.

You're very wrong.

Also, If you feel that way (referring to the rest of your comment), why are you on the steam general discussions talking to people?

#13

Crazy Tiger 7 hours ago

Originally posted by 2AHumanRight:
Originally posted by Eagle_of_Fire:
I believe you are looking at what that number user said the wrong way. What he meant was that the gaming or client side of Steam is still strong, at least in his own opinion. Then he mention that all the problems originate from the "social" side of the client, meaning forums, people talking to eachother, etc. That's pretty close to what I've said too but maybe not in so many words.

I don't think that "consoomerism" is actively part of the problem you've raised but I'll be level with you, even if it was the case we'd be circling back to pointing at people as being the source of the problem again...

Moderators are also "people", BTW.
Steam isnt just a download client. If it was, then there would be no reason to choose it over Epic or GOG. The social aspect is what helped make Steam what it is. I mean ♥♥♥♥, you two wouldn't have seen or responded to my comment otherwise.

Also I know they're human. They always have been. The problem is, like Reddit mods, they are on a power trip.

For you it isn't. For me Steam is a game launcher, period. The forums and additional stuff is nice to have, but not what makes "Steam" for me what "Steam" is. That's only the games. Just like Epic, GoG and the like are also merely game launchers/stores.

Devs don't delete negative reviews. Neither does Steam, mind. That developers can decide what goes in their own hub is perfectly fine for me. I mean, some game hubs are outright atrocious, but that's their choice. I don't see an issue with that.

#14

Sm0ke 7 hours ago

socialist imperialist govs from the West meddling in videogames propaganda happened.
edit: also some ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ about dda AI and p2w whales which i find ok and hilarious btw(most of the times....)

Last edited by Sm0ke; 4 hours ago

#15

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Date Posted: 13 Oct @ 6:01pm

Posts: 42

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