Should I sell any unused Steam Gift Cards I have if I'm opposed to Steam relenting to Payment Processors?

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alexn55 1 Aug @ 11:34am

Hey All. Wanted to put this out there amidst my many grievances with Steam's decision to cater to the whims of Payment Processors such as MasterCard, Visa, Stripe, and PayPal, all directed on what games to remove by advocacy groups such as Collective Shout. I have vocalized my personal disdain for the implementation of Rule 15, which gives these companies the ability to reject any future games or even force Steam to delist any game and remove it from the libraries of customers for any reason they deem appropriate.

To this end, I'm personally thinking of withholding on any future purchases from Steam until this Rule is rescinded or addressed in any pro-consumer way. I realize this will probably go unnoticed, but I don't know if I can continue to make purchases while this rule is in place- I worry it sets the precedent that I'm okay with what they're doing.

To the point, though, I have a few unused Steam gift cards that I acquired in an exchange, and I was initially thinking of using those to circumvent payment processors altogether in order to support the indie developers that I care about. Yet I realize that it will make no difference and I'll still be making a purchase with Rule 15 in place, giving the impression I'm okay with it. So I'm wondering if I should try to exchange them for money or for store credits with another digital curator. Does anyone here have any impressions on the matter on what would be most appropriate given the circumstance, or what I should consider as an alternative? I would greatly appreciate the input.

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Showing 1-15 of 25 comments

Dendrobates Tinctorius 1 Aug @ 11:49am

good idea, pay them money for store credit and then don't make them pay any game publishers, that'll show 'em

Chronocide 1 Aug @ 11:58am

Originally posted by alexn55:
Should I sell any unused Steam Gift Cards I have if I'm opposed to Steam relenting to Payment Processors?

It's your call.

It doesn't really sound like a protest, but sounds like a way to earn a quick buck.

cSg|mc-Hotsauce 1 Aug @ 11:58am

Originally posted by alexn55:
...and remove it from the libraries of customers for any reason they deem appropriate.

The purchased games when delisted from Steam aren't removed from accounts.

Truth 1 Aug @ 12:01pm

It really is amazing how people are protesting and don't even know what they are protesting. Especially when Steam is the victim and they are attacking the victim in this case.......

nullable 1 Aug @ 12:01pm

Well all digital game stores will be impacted the same, so are you done buying games? Or are you just bandwagoning and arbitrarily deciding Valve has special responsibility that you reactionaries invented?

Kinda seems from the misinformation in your post you're reacting without really understanding. You've made assimptions and let your imagination run amok.

Last edited by nullable; 1 Aug @ 12:03pm

Truth 1 Aug @ 12:26pm

Originally posted by Chronocide:
[...] you win

Funny how you didn't read. Next time please read my response before you post something unrelated to what i said

If you have a problem with legal content I suggest you talk to your local representative, for a better way to handle the issue. If you'd have read you'd have noted I've said in previous threads the removed titles were cringeworthy, but its a slippery slope because you might approve what they removed today, but tomorrow they could come for titles that you like just because they contain a message they don't want or have a theme they don't like.

Last edited by Truth; 1 Aug @ 12:29pm

Chronocide 1 Aug @ 12:43pm

Originally posted by Truth:
Originally posted by Chronocide:
[...] you win
Funny how you didn't read. Next time please read my response before you post something unrelated to what i said

If you have a problem with legal content I suggest you talk to your local representative, for a better way to handle the issue. If you'd have read you'd have noted I've said in previous threads the removed titles were cringeworthy, but its a slippery slope because you might approve what they removed today, but tomorrow they could come for titles that you like just because they contain a message they don't want or have a theme they don't like.

I don't feel like I'm responsible for knowing your post history and keeping that in context to how I respond to your posts. I respond to the quote I post, and that's it.

Steam is not a victim in any sense on this subject, so I feel that suggesting they are equates to support of the child pornography, incest, rape, and bestiality that has been present on steam. I suppose that you calling them a victim might not have meant that was your stance, sorry if my assumption was inaccurate.

I do agree that the removed titles were cringe worthy.

Kargor 1 Aug @ 12:59pm

Originally posted by alexn55:
To the point, though, I have a few unused Steam gift cards that I acquired in an exchange, and I was initially thinking of using those to circumvent payment processors altogether in order to support the indie developers that I care about. Yet I realize that it will make no difference and I'll still be making a purchase with Rule 15 in place, giving the impression I'm okay with it. So I'm wondering if I should try to exchange them for money or for store credits with another digital curator. Does anyone here have any impressions on the matter on what would be most appropriate given the circumstance, or what I should consider as an alternative? I would greatly appreciate the input.

You know that Steam already has the money, right? They can't completely use it for anything other than accumulating some basic interest, because people could be using the money to buy games which means they have to pay 70% to publishers -- but, i don't know how much businesses actually do hold back for that purpose, and besides that, Steam turns a profit anyway so it's not such a critical thing.

Last edited by Kargor; 1 Aug @ 1:00pm

Truth 1 Aug @ 1:20pm

Originally posted by Chronocide:
Originally posted by Truth:
Funny how you didn't read. Next time please read my response before you post something unrelated to what i said

If you have a problem with legal content I suggest you talk to your local representative, for a better way to handle the issue. If you'd have read you'd have noted I've said in previous threads the removed titles were cringeworthy, but its a slippery slope because you might approve what they removed today, but tomorrow they could come for titles that you like just because they contain a message they don't want or have a theme they don't like.
I don't feel like I'm responsible for knowing your post history and keeping that in context to how I respond to your posts. I respond to the quote I post, and that's it.

Steam is not a victim in any sense on this subject, so I feel that suggesting they are equates to support of the child pornography, incest, rape, and bestiality that has been present on steam. I suppose that you calling them a victim might not have meant that was your stance, sorry if my assumption was inaccurate.

I do agree that the removed titles were cringe worthy.

Steam is a victim because the credit card companies are using their dominance in the market to force them to make business decisions or face massive financial repercussions.

When someone outside your business interferes with how you operate by blackmailing you with financial ruin that makes the effected business a victim. Steam had 2 choices, remove the games, or take massive financial losses and possibly be forced to shut down

Chronocide 1 Aug @ 1:39pm

Originally posted by Truth:
Steam is a victim because the credit card companies are using their dominance in the market to force them to make business decisions or face massive financial repercussions.

False. Just false.

Go look up the visa terms of use for businesses. Steam as a business that is accepting visa would have to agreed to those terms.

This was not a surprise set of rules that visa recently added. This is steam doing things that aren't allowed and hoping that visa doesn't notice, and visa finally noticed, so steam now has to follow the rules they agreed to follow with more scrutiny than they had before.

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Rule34_Sniper 1 Aug @ 1:42pm

Originally posted by Truth:
It really is amazing how people are protesting and don't even know what they are protesting. Especially when Steam is the victim and they are attacking the victim in this case.......

But Mastercard and Visa wouldn't lie?! Would they...?

Last edited by Rule34_Sniper; 1 Aug @ 1:43pm

#11

Truth 1 Aug @ 1:49pm

Originally posted by Chronocide:
snip

False, Visa has obscure rules that are extremely subjective in terms of subject quality. They've also claimed they don't interfere with legal content.

The FACTS are none of the games were illegal, yes they were incredibly distasteful, but legal, and broke no laws.

Today it was those games, tomorrow it could be Baldurs Gate 3 because of the whole bit with a druid who can turn into a bear that they find objectionable or other mainstream games people want.

Hence why Visa and MC are in the wrong and why they are getting hammered right now with public opinion.

#12

alexn55 1 Aug @ 2:57pm

Originally posted by Chronocide:
Originally posted by alexn55:
Should I sell any unused Steam Gift Cards I have if I'm opposed to Steam relenting to Payment Processors?
It's your call.

It doesn't really sound like a protest, but sounds like a way to earn a quick buck.

Well, I mean, if I don't use them on Steam, they're basically useless.
I don't hold anything against Steam itself, but feel disenfranchised as someone whose used their platform for years and felt secure in its future. Now I don't know what to think- if any purchases I make now will give the impression of approval towards the oversight and control of payment processors that's been put in place.

#13

Sciencemile 1 Aug @ 3:00pm

Use them if you got them. Whoever you sell them to will use them. Might as well use them yourself, you can be sure some of that money goes to the devs you like.

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alexn55 1 Aug @ 3:01pm

Originally posted by Dendrobates Tinctorius:
good idea, pay them money for store credit and then don't make them pay any game publishers, that'll show 'em

I do want to support the developers, but have considered doing so on platforms outside of Steam, such as GOG or on consoles if they're not available at the former. I just don't want to give the impression that I'm going to roll over and accept the dictation and regulation of payment processors by continuing to shop on Steam while they're overseeing everything.

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Date Posted: 1 Aug @ 11:34am

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