There are a lot of stupid systems on Steam that are easy abusable and nothing will more than likely be done with them. Those of us with a higher than lukewarm IQ knows what this award is used for even though there are many that don't believe it, but who cares only trolls and idiots use this award and you get Steam points and +1 to awards so who really won in the end?

The best thing to do is make a universal option to not see any awards on the platform (like they did with profiles).

Personally I wish they just stop with the bloat ware all together but we all know that won't happen.

jester award icon and yes It has already become a very bad trend, even casually appearing in negative reviews where people have seriously pointed out the game's flaws. When criticism is raised, it often gets marked with a clown icon, as if to tell others: "The game only needs praise, not criticism, and those who offer criticism are just clowns."

Hello. I do not care or feel bad if someone give me Jester Award(s). Why should I? But I do understand your point of view. And I kinda agree. Btw. I believe Cheat Programs and Glitches in Multiplayer Games are also a kind of tool for Internet bullying. So that's why Steam should only allow to publish multiplayer games where you can't use a cheat program to spoil the fun for the other fair players! Likewise, any multiplayer map that has glitches that can be exploited should be banned. Then the manufacturers of these games would finally have to make a real effort with what they produce and publish. Please don't give me a Jester Award now. Or do you? Yes, why not. Give it to me, give me this award. Does that damage my reputation? If it seems that I want to make a fool of myself here because of the thread topic... I certainly don't want that! I've never given the Jester Award much thought, but I have received it a few times. But I don't even remember from whom and why, I don't always look it up, and I didn't know how and where to look it up at first anyway. I wish you all a good time.

Simple fix would be to stop Jesters rewarding points to the receiver.

People would have to spend points to give them but the receiver wouldn't get anything for getting them.

This would discourage trolling somewhat from a profit seeking standpoint, which is how most clown farming posts operate.
And lets face it, those are ultimately the biggest source of spam garbage clogging up the discussions pages.

I never thought about that. That's simply because I'm a person who doesn't do (or write) anything just to get praise or awards. And I'm not a fool who wants to make a special effort just to increase the Steam Level. Sometimes I would like to have a higher Steam level (I'm at level 40 after 11 years), but then again I don't know what that would be good for. I don't see any benefit, except that I feel a bit “too low” compared to my Steam Friends who are often already at level 100. But that's Valve's perfidious & actually immoral method... People buy a lot of this digital Steam stuff to increase their Steam level, don't they?!!!! And now people write a lot of extra bul.lshit, and also post even more bul.lshit “artwork” pictures to get as many of these awards as possible.
But yes, after that explanation it makes more sense to me. One of my Steam friends (well, he's on my Steam Friends list) already has about 100 of these Jester Awards. I'm already at 9 Jester Awards myself, and I'm not sure if they gave them to me because someone thinks it's funny what I wrote, or because they want to make fun of what I wrote and me. Maybe it would be good or interesting if you HAD to write an explanation about it yourself as an award distributor, and not just the “explanation” from Steam. Then you would know better why you really got such an award. And you wouldn't have to guess or interpret the motives of strangers.

Steam level as far as I know only affects how many friends you can have and how many showcases you can display I think..

I never really cared much for the level in the sense of it being something that meant anything.
But I did enjoy collecting badges and cards for a little while.. though it's not all that good a use of money tbh.

...and how great some people feel. Valve knows this, and exploits it accordingly. It's a huge business. The money they pocket! Without even selling a single one computer game - which are just digital copies anyway. Probably the best business model ever! And I think it's morally and ethically evil. And unfortunately ... also for children, young people and minors. (Unfortunately, parents no longer have any real influence...)

Evil.. I can think of far worse tbh.

End of the day people make choices, what they do with their money is their own business.

I don't think there are all that many kids on steam either tbh, it's mostly adults here.

Originally posted by Teratus:

Evil.. I can think of far worse tbh.

End of the day people make choices, what they do with their money is their own business.

I don't think there are all that many kids on steam either tbh, it's mostly adults here.

I am not sure about that. Kids or at least many many teens. (And their choices are often not very mature at all, sorry dear teens.) They all spend their parents money! They dont really know or care that adults hard work for real money. (Digital life sucks.) For higher steam level and for all that useless digital crap.

Originally posted by Jaxx:

I am not sure about that. Kids or at least many many teens. (And their choices are often not very mature at all, sorry dear teens.) They all spend their parents money! They dont really know or care that adults hard work for real money. (Digital life sucks.) For higher steam level and for all that useless digital crap.

Agree on the teen parts, frankly I consider even people in their early to mid 20's these days to still be children most of the time..
Maturity is often lacking well into adulthood for many people.

But when it comes to spending.. even with teen's, it's a failing on the parents part if they keep spending on stuff like that.

Sure some kids steal money from their parents, but that's another problem entirely.
If the parents are just buying useless crap for their kids constantly then that's on them, it's a parental failure not a service problem.

I grew up having to hear the word "No" quite often.. so I got used to not having everything I wanted until I was an adult with my own income.
Lots of kids these days need to have a similar experience in my opinion, it's unhealthy for kids to get everything they want all the time.
And that ultimately falls on the parents.

Yes you are right, I totally agree with you.
PS: At least the picture of the Jester looks quite nice. He / she / it looks friendly, not a bad dude. Jester is a nice clown, right?! I like the little animated picture of the Jester.

I don't have a problem with the Jester either, not how it looks etc.
What it represents is a little disappointing but that's not really on the Jester itself, more what the Steam community has ultimately come to view it as due to specific behaviours.

The problem isn't the Jester in the end, it's the behaviours it gets attributed to.
I got one on my profile years back not for trolling like they're often given for now, though I do enjoy a little trolling at times :D.
But simply for making funny posts and jokes, which is probably what Steam originally created it for.

I think my initial post about removing the points going to the receiver would at least lower the incentive for people trying to point farm by making bait posts but it probably wouldn't stop it completely.