When did Valve become a soulless corporation?

[Bishop]

Valve at one point in history was universally beloved by all gamers. They were a corporation that produced excellent games and fostered a real community. Fast forward to current year and Valve is a shell of what once was. Now responsible for pioneering lootboxes, paid mods, DRM, and other various anti-consumer practices Valve is a shining example of how not to treat customers.

The mistreatment of customers is reflected perfectly on the steam forums which are now policed by ideologues who stomp out all wrongthink and criticism of Valve. Hundreds if not thousands of topics are created each year criticizing the thought-policing, nonsensical ban practices, etc. Naturally these topics are always immediately locked and users who expressed dissident beliefs are issued bans. Steam support act as watchdogs defending steam moderation no matter what the issue. Any pretense that you will be given fair and unbiased treatment when challenging a ban during appeal is gone. If you are found guilty all of steam's staff will act together to keep you under their jackboot.

So I ask you fellow gamers, when did the corruption first start in you opinion? Was it when Valve established a monopoly? Was it when Valve began championing dangerous left-wing causes? Was it when games started being censored from the storefront? Or perhaps Valve was doomed from the start? What’s your take? When did Valve lose it’s soul?

[Start_Running]

Valve is not your Girlfriend
Valve is not your friend.
It never was.

Also if you find yourself running afoul of moderation. the problem is likely your behaviour and not the moderator m8. Just learn to behave yourself.

[datCookie]

Valve do not have a monopoly, because that would require them to be actively taking measures to stamp out all competition, which they aren't.

Valve are not "left wing" and you can scream this until the cows come home, it won't make it true.

If you don't like what you [wrongly] believe Valve has become, you can very simply delete your account and find another platform to engage with.

[Lucky]

I would say out of the available options for game storefronts. Steam is the best (mainstream) option. They just recently even made it mandatory that DLC explains its express additions to a game, as well as making it mandatory for devs to document and list all assets and features made using AI. They certain have some issues, but I wouldn't say soulless. I've also had good experiences with steam support, they don't leave you hanging for days and they take account security very seriously.

[Paratech2008]

My only beef is Valve isn't neutral and takes sides regarding politics and other issues.

If a discussion is one sided, it isn't a discussion, it's preaching or promoting ideology.

I'd rather see some subjects taboo if all discussions involving them become flame wars.

[Tito Shivan]

What you're experiencing right now has a name. It's called 'Brand Betrayal'

There's been a saying that's been running around Steam ever since the old days 'when Steam was good':

Steam is not your girlfriend

People grow attached to a brand and infer human qualities on them. Eventually people realise 'Corporations gonna corporate"... And some take that better than others.

Some take it as a personal offense, a betrayal. And such a lot of holy crusaders have been born, fighting because of a perceived wrong from the one they 'loved'. They become the bitter ex, where everything wrong in the world is fault of their now ex-partner.

I've seen it happen with soooo many companies over the years it's not even funny anymore.
IBM, Microsoft, Apple, Google, Mc Donalds, Steam...

There's no corruption, it's all in your head. You just realised a product wasn't up to your self-made expectations... Which is a far too common ocurrence amongst gamers.

Originally posted by Start_Running:

Also if you find yourself running afoul of moderation. the problem is likely your behaviour and not the moderator m8. Just learn to behave yourself.

There's another popular saying defining that situation:
'If you run into an ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ in the morning, you ran into an ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥. If you run into ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ all day, you're the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥.'

When everyone is going 'the wrong way' double-check if you're going the right one.

[Bishop]

Originally posted by Paratech2008:

My only beef is Valve isn't neutral and takes sides regarding politics and other issues.

If a discussion is one sided, it isn't a discussion, it's preaching or promoting ideology.

I'd rather see some subjects taboo if all discussions involving them become flame wars.

Agreed. Valve choosing sides in the culture war is a big issue. It makes having discussion on what's supposed to be a discussion board impossible. If they can't be neutral they should just apply a no politics rule which naturally would apply to them as well. Make the entire site apolitical. That would mean no more pride sales or other left-wing activism on the storefront. No more power-tripping moderators. Just enforcing normalcy. Sad thing is I know Valve isn't capable of such things.

[datCookie]

Originally posted by Paratech2008:

My only beef is Valve isn't neutral and takes sides regarding politics and other issues.

If a discussion is one sided, it isn't a discussion, it's preaching or promoting ideology.

I'd rather see some subjects taboo if all discussions involving them become flame wars.

I have to disagree with Valve choosing sides, politically. Personally, I see it more as a case that one side expresses their beliefs more often in such a way that tends to violate the rules more than what the other side does, leading to more moderation of one side than the other, resulting in people like the OP being misguided into thinking that Valve are left leaning, when they aren't.

All of those discussions, regardless of how they're worded, end up in flames anyway, which is why I do agree that political and religious discussion of any kind shouldn't be allowed, but that's not my decision to make.

[Tito Shivan]

Originally posted by Bishop:

Make the entire site apolitical. That would mean no more pride sales or other left-wing activism on the storefront. No more power-tripping moderators. Just enforcing normalcy.

Bit of a weird definition of 'normalcy' you have there.

[xBCxRangers]

When they fired the volunteer moderators being they didn't know what they were doing, they apparently outsourced moderation to a European subcontractor, whom obviously shares different languages, values and tact.

At least that is what is rumored.

That has moderation not knowing common metaphor, figures of speech and common slang.

In addition, moderation is not "proactive" meaning they are not scanning these forums, and seem to rely soley on "reports". Reports often times spammed, and used as a downvote feature, not for tending to rule breaking behaviors.

All being brought to the very incompetents mentioned, many of them likely new employees that do not effectively read, if they read the reports at all.

Brigades of Valvists on the same friends list, seem to make it their business to brigade report features of non Valve conformists, or those questioning Valve business practice.

In addition, rumors those moderators on game hubs posting here on separate nametags, using their creds with Valve moderation to offset their own rulebreaking behaviors as they troll others.

Altogether this created a Culture of Corruption, and this Moderationgate matter, that as the OP mentioned has opened up the floodgates of hundreds even thousands of posts and threads questioning this business practice.

In about three years of posting here, this rightfully or wrongfully are my findings, and the report i submit.

[Tito Shivan]

Originally posted by xBCxRangers:

-snip-

And here we have a case study of said 'Brand Betrayal'

[Thiesen]

"this is my opinions and it means that everybody else have to have the same opinions as me"-thread...

[DarkCrystalMethod]

{*presses the independent thought alarm button*}

Contrary to common belief corporations are not required to have a soul. Your point is invalid.

We're lucky that Valve just seems to do the right things most of the time and thats ok with me.
One day I do hope they return to greatness, but that day is not today.

[nullable]

Originally posted by Bishop:

Agreed. Valve choosing sides in the culture war is a big issue. It makes having discussion on what's supposed to be a discussion board impossible. If they can't be neutral they should just apply a no politics rule which naturally would apply to them as well. Make the entire site apolitical. That would mean no more pride sales or other left-wing activism on the storefront. No more power-tripping moderators. Just enforcing normalcy. Sad thing is I know Valve isn't capable of such things.

I think some snowflakes are just upset because they don't feel like Valve is on their side. And if Valve isn't on their side, that's not fair, they should be "neutral" and make a bunch of changes that really amount to snowflakes getting their way.

Well good luck with silencing people who don't agree with you. Sorry your ideas are unpopular and toxic and self-destructive and lots of places aren't designed to stroke your ego or amplify your nonsense. Get used to it, it's not likely to change.

[Bishop]

Originally posted by xBCxRangers:

When they fired the volunteer moderators being they didn't know what they were doing, they apparently outsourced moderation to a European subcontractor, whom obviously shares different languages, values and tact.

At least that is what is rumored.

That has moderation not knowing common metaphor, figures of speech and common slang.

In addition, moderation is not "proactive" meaning they are not scanning these forums, and seem to rely soley on "reports". Reports often times spammed, and used as a downvote feature, not for tending to rule breaking behaviors.

All being brought to the very incompetents mentioned, many of them likely new employees that do not effectively read, if they read the reports at all.

Brigades of Valvists on the same friends list, seem to make it their business to brigade report features of non Valve conformists, or those questioning Valve business practice.

In addition, rumors those moderators on game hubs posting here on separate nametags, using their creds with Valve moderation to offset there own rulebreaking behaviors as they troll others.

Altogether this created a Culture of Corruption, and this Moderationgate matter, that as the OP mentioned has opened up the floodgates of hundreds even thousands of posts and threads questioning this business practice.

Very interesting. Mods and perhaps steam support being outsourced is something I could see. My interactions with steam support over the years has left me with the feeling I was either talking to a bot or someone who doesn't even speak English. You get nothing but canned responses from those people and I imagine none of them look into anything since there's no oversight. I agree with your point on moderation getting mass reports and issuing bans off of that since anyone who's had even the slightest bit of interaction with progressives knows that's their MO. They love to file false reports and rally together to get people banned through pressure.

That said I think some mods are proactively browsing threads especially on game hubs. As I understand it devs get to handpick mods on their hubs. I've seen several no lifer types on certain game hubs who police the place like a subreddit. Lastly I think you're spot on with the idea of some moderators using alts to flame people, gaslight, and stir drama up. All in all great post. Thanks for the info.

[GrimAtrament]

You do realize that valve doesn't moderate the sub forums the company that the games belong to do.