Since the points shop items are not tradeable, your friend is getting them the same way you can which is off the market.

Game devs profit from the market and so game ownership is always required regardless.

You can just buy the emoticon from the Steam market. If it's really expensive for some reason, buying the cards to make the badge might get it to drop. You don't have to own the game to try and craft the badge.

Originally posted by blunus:

Game devs profit from the market and so game ownership is always required regardless.

No, anyone can purchase any item from the Steam market, if they have the funds to do so. You don't need to own the game in question to do that.

It's the Point Shop that usually requires game ownership to purchase certain types of items (usually emoticons and static backgrounds).

Originally posted by JPMcMillen:

Originally posted by blunus:

Game devs profit from the market and so game ownership is always required regardless.

No, anyone can purchase any item from the Steam market, if they have the funds to do so. You don't need to own the game in question to do that.

It's the Point Shop that usually requires game ownership to purchase certain types of items (usually emoticons and static backgrounds).

I'm talking about the points shop, not the market.

Originally posted by blunus:

Originally posted by JPMcMillen:

No, anyone can purchase any item from the Steam market, if they have the funds to do so. You don't need to own the game in question to do that.

It's the Point Shop that usually requires game ownership to purchase certain types of items (usually emoticons and static backgrounds).

I'm talking about the points shop, not the market.

But your comment said 'market', not 'point shop'.

They are two very distinctly different things here.

Originally posted by JPMcMillen:

Originally posted by blunus:

I'm talking about the points shop, not the market.

But your comment said 'market', not 'point shop'.

They are two very distinctly different things here.

Which is why pointing out game devs profit from the market makes plenty of sense. They don't profit from the Point Shop , which is why they've locked identical items behind game ownership there.

1. You buy them from the market or craft badges = profit through market for the devs.

OR

2. You buy the game and then use points to get them from the Point Shop = profit from game sales for the devs.

If they allowed anyone to acquire them without game ownership through the Point Shop = cards and items on the market would be devalued even more. They already took a massive hit when the Point Shop was introduced. Changing it further would make the marketable items nothing but gem fodder.

Originally posted by Yasahi:

If they allowed anyone to acquire them without game ownership through the Point Shop = cards and items on the market would be devalued even more. They already took a massive hit when the Point Shop was introduced. Changing it further would make the marketable items nothing but gem fodder.

It would make expensive marketable items less valuable, but for cheap stuff people might be willing to spend a few pennies so they can save their points for point shop only stuff.