The Steam ATM

[JT-4]

"Hello, if you are reading this thank you. I am honored to be even considered by the staff of such a successful and game changing company. I have been a gamer every since I was handed a GameBoy back in 2007 with Pokemon Fire Red inside. Hours and hours of my life were spent laying on the couch or in bed or even on the toilet playing this game. Years and years later im now 17 and sitting again, but this time at my desk with a high end gaming laptop playing games on your engine, with graphics that I would have never imagined back when I was just 7 years old with a Gameboy. Just today though something different came to mind. I was cleaning out my car getting it ready for the new paint job and under my seat there were scattered coins. My idea did not hit then. Several hours later this change slipped out of my pocket when I sat down at my desk and just happen to have the Steam store up on my laptop. I looked up at my wallet balance and disappointedly saw a whopping $0.22. I thought, “Man, if only I had a way that I could just drop this change into my Steam wallet, then I could afford that new skin”. This is when the idea struck. What if, at GameStop or a local game store, there were an ATM powered by steam? What if I could take my loose change, walk up to this ATM, sign in with my username and password, drop in my change, and fill up my wallet without having to use my credit card or go all the way to the store just to buy a card then drive all the way home and scratch out my code. This process is long and is overdue for a change. The Steam ATM, or as I like to call it, would change the way, not only you but every gaming company, would fill up on online currency; but you would be the first. I have, just being 17 working a job at a grocery store, accumulated a large amount of loose change, and it just sits in a jar beside my lamp and I have no intention of doing anything with it. Think about how many kids are out there getting a weekly or monthly allowance. Now imagine the amount of money you could bring in from that community. If there were a way to take a short drive to GameStop and cash in all my change into my Steam wallet, I most certainly would and I am sure there are many would as well. In a world where every task is getting simpler and more automated, the process of going out to buy a scratch off card for my Steam money needs a big change. I know as well as you do I am sure, that a large amount of your gamers are under the age of say 15. I am also sure not every parent loves to put their credit card online or go out to buy a prepaid one just to fill up their child's want for a new online game. I know that these parent could and already do take their child all the way to GameStop or wherever they sell Steam cards, but this would be a step towards to a simpler and more young adult friendly way to top off on some online cash and buy that new game you have been wanting all this time. This ATM would revolutionize the gaming community and the way they fill their online wallets. I could go all day ranting about how this would change the way the world pays for online games but the fact is, in the end, it's all up to you. Personally I think this idea would generate a ton more money for your company and help out, not only a younger generation of gamers who do not have access to a credit card to fill their wallets online, but the rest of us everyday people who get change and want to find a use for it."

If you actually read through this, I thank you. This is a message I wrote for the Steam Company about an idea that struck me a little while ago. I am trying to get it noticed by them and in a perfect world, have my idea be put into action for all of us gamers. I am not too informed on how the forums work but if you support my idea, it would be a huge step if you could help spread this message around, and hopefully have it get noticed by the Steam staff.

Thank you again.

- JT

[Drab]

Go to the bank and change your coins into cash.

Steam has to pay fees on every transaction. They're not going to let you deposit 50 cents into yourr wallet.

[JT-4]

Not everyone has this option, most banks require that you have an account with them to do this process. Also, why not? A majority of items on steam do not cost over 5 dollars which is the least amount you can put onto your steam account through the engine itself. This is just a simpler way to deposit your extra cash into your Steam wallet.

[Manic Jorge]

Originally posted by Drab:

Go to the bank and change your coins into cash.

Steam has to pay fees on every transaction. They're not going to let you deposit 50 cents into yourr wallet.

[76561198001062896]

Steam isnt your bank nor it ever will be

[999999999]

Take your change, put it in a jar everyday, wait 6 months, take it to a CoinStar machine in a grocery store, get cash for it and buy a wallet card in that store.

[JPMcMillen]

Originally posted by 999999999:

Take your change, put it in a jar everyday, wait 6 months, take it to a CoinStar machine in a grocery store, get cash for it and buy a wallet card in that store.

Or maybe someone needs to get CoinStar machines to dispense Steam Wallet codes. Those machines not only dispense wallet codes for other online stores (like Amazon), they also give you the full value of the money you put in and don't charge you 9% for cash. The only restriction is the total must be at least $5.

Believe me, I counted my change before putting it in the machine once and the only reason my Amazon credit was 25¢ short was because I hadn't noticed that one of the quarters was Canadian.

[999999999]

Originally posted by JPMcMillen:

Originally posted by 999999999:

Take your change, put it in a jar everyday, wait 6 months, take it to a CoinStar machine in a grocery store, get cash for it and buy a wallet card in that store.

Or maybe someone needs to get CoinStar machines to dispense Steam Wallet codes. Those machines not only dispense wallet codes for other online stores (like Amazon), they also give you the full value of the money you put in and don't charge you 9% for cash. The only restriction is the total must be at least $5.

Believe me, I counted my change before putting it in the machine once and the only reason my Amazon credit was 25¢ short was because I hadn't noticed that one of the quarters was Canadian.

True! They could ask Valve if that would be a thing they may want to partner up in doing.

I like this idea better than the wall of text.