Review Botting is Up. Why Can’t we Report Games Using Them?

[Jandro]

Every day I find more and more 30-40 dollar shameless asset flips with 100% positive reviews from accounts with barely any playtime that are clearly either in broken English or AI-generated. Why is there no option to report a game or review for using tactics like this to try and trick consumers like us?

[Wolfpig]

You can report reviews....but for that you have to click on the review to get to the review itself. You can also report games from the store page of the game.......

In both cases a popup appears in which you can explain what you report.

[Lithurge]

Maybe this will help in the long run and as said they do encourage reports to help refine the system

https://store.steampowered.com/news/collection/steam/?emclan=103582791457287600&emgid=4326355263805583415

[Jandro]

Wolfpig původně napsal:

You can report reviews....but for that you have to click on the review to get to the review itself. You can also report games from the store page of the game.......

In both cases a popup appears in which you can explain what you report.

Well yeah, but there doesn’t seem to be a specific option on the game report pop up regarding suspicious activity or asset flipping or stuff like that.

[cSg|mc-Hotsauce]

GANDRO původně napsal:

Wolfpig původně napsal:

You can report reviews....but for that you have to click on the review to get to the review itself. You can also report games from the store page of the game.......

In both cases a popup appears in which you can explain what you report.

Well yeah, but there doesn’t seem to be a specific option on the game report pop up regarding suspicious activity or asset flipping or stuff like that.

Legal Violation - Contains content that violates the laws in your jurisdiction

[JamesF0790]

Asset flipping itself doesn't violate the law I'll note. However the review thing absolutely would

[cSg|mc-Hotsauce]

JamesF0790 původně napsal:

Asset flipping itself doesn't violate the law I'll note. However the review thing absolutely would

This^.

[Wolfpig]

GANDRO původně napsal:

Wolfpig původně napsal:

You can report reviews....but for that you have to click on the review to get to the review itself. You can also report games from the store page of the game.......

In both cases a popup appears in which you can explain what you report.

Well yeah, but there doesn’t seem to be a specific option on the game report pop up regarding suspicious activity or asset flipping or stuff like that.

Im quite sure you are able to write out why you report something.
Unless you would only do it for fun and not for a real reason.

[Jandro]

Wolfpig původně napsal:

GANDRO původně napsal:

Well yeah, but there doesn’t seem to be a specific option on the game report pop up regarding suspicious activity or asset flipping or stuff like that.

Im quite sure you are able to write out why you report something.
Unless you would only do it for fun and not for a real reason.

True. I guess I’m just not particularly sure what to expound upon or focus on in a report in order to write a proper one in the context of reporting an asset flip or suspicious practices - I’ll admit I’m not particularly familiar with the law as it relates to videogame production and sales and such

[Magic A. I.]

To be fair, if someone is buying anything based on positive reviews, it's their fault at this point. Some use bots, some pay for press coverage, some pay youtubers who'd sell an ad space on their ass. It's all merely marketing. The fact that it breaks the search in "sort by reviews" mode is a technical challenge, not a legal issue.

[cSg|mc-Hotsauce]

Magic A. I. původně napsal:

To be fair, if someone is buying anything based on positive reviews, it's their fault at this point. Some use bots, some pay for press coverage, some pay youtubers who'd sell an ad space on their ass. It's all merely marketing. The fact that it breaks the search in "sort by reviews" mode is a technical challenge, not a legal issue.

Botting reviews is against the Steamworks Partner Agreement.

[Magic A. I.]

cSg|mc-Hotsauce původně napsal:

Magic A. I. původně napsal:

To be fair, if someone is buying anything based on positive reviews, it's their fault at this point. Some use bots, some pay for press coverage, some pay youtubers who'd sell an ad space on their ass. It's all merely marketing. The fact that it breaks the search in "sort by reviews" mode is a technical challenge, not a legal issue.

Botting reviews is against the Steamworks Partner Agreement.

:nkCool:

If it's proven, I assume? Because otherwise people would bot positive reviews of their competitors.

[cSg|mc-Hotsauce]

Magic A. I. původně napsal:

cSg|mc-Hotsauce původně napsal:

Botting reviews is against the Steamworks Partner Agreement.

If it's proven, I assume? Because otherwise people would bot positive reviews of their competitors.

That's what the report is for, to investigate "possible" illegal activity.

[Magic A. I.]

cSg|mc-Hotsauce původně napsal:

Magic A. I. původně napsal:

If it's proven, I assume? Because otherwise people would bot positive reviews of their competitors.

That's what the report is for, to investigate "possible" illegal activity.

:nkCool:

That implies that there will be no follow up action. Unless devs actually admit that they did it.

[cSg|mc-Hotsauce]

Magic A. I. původně napsal:

cSg|mc-Hotsauce původně napsal:

That's what the report is for, to investigate "possible" illegal activity.

That implies that there will be no follow up action. Unless devs actually admit that they did it.

Valve will investigate reports, period. Whether the devs fess up to the report or not isn't relevant.

[Wolfpig]

cSg|mc-Hotsauce původně napsal:

Magic A. I. původně napsal:

If it's proven, I assume? Because otherwise people would bot positive reviews of their competitors.

That's what the report is for, to investigate "possible" illegal activity.

:nkCool:

To be fair not everything written in such things may be a legal binding clause.
And especially with that the only "legal" outcome would be that valve may remove those persons from the store.