a way to donate directly to developers or publishers

[Taddy Mason]

video game makers are just content creators. could Steam give us a way to donate money directly to them like every other content creation platform seems to allow fans and creators to do? the only way to give them money currently is buy dlcs and more copies of the games they make. just let us donate $5 or more at a pop. then game devs have a means of getting funding without needing to make stupid soundtracks or cosmetic dlcs that some people on Steam will fly off the handle at the mere existence of.

even though Steam would obviously take a cut of our donations, wouldn't the amount they and the devs/publishers could get be better than the nothing they currently are getting? open up the floodgates and let the money pour in, Steam.

[eram]

buy a game to directly donate to the devs

[Taddy Mason]

Originally posted by eram:

buy a game to directly donate to the devs

I do. I'm talking about beyond your initial purchase of a game. How much of the DLC on Steam is there mostly as a means to provide additional support to developers/publishers/creators your like and want to give extra money to? Steam could just let us directly donate similar to how we can buy Steam gift cards and send them thru the platform to other people in our friends list.

[eram]

buy the same game as a gift for a friend.

[FissionChips]

"like every other content creation platform seems to allow" which ones because I've never ever seen this. I'd love it for TV Shows.. heck I'd love even a Steam style store for TV shows rather than all-or-nothing streaming services.

Also, it's not really up to Steam, it's up to content creators if they even want donations. And content creators don't need Steam to collect donations for them, why don't you contact them directly and ask if you can give them money?

[Nx Machina]

Developers can already do this. For example a Supporter pack. Crate Entertainment did this for Grim Dawn but it is their choice not Valve's what to include on the store page.

[Taddy Mason]

Originally posted by FissionChips:

"like every other content creation platform seems to allow" which ones because I've never ever seen this. I'd love it for TV Shows.. heck I'd love even a Steam style store for TV shows rather than all-or-nothing streaming services.

Also, it's not really up to Steam, it's up to content creators if they even want donations. And content creators don't need Steam to collect donations for them, why don't you contact them directly and ask if you can give them money?

YouTube. Rumble. Patreon, Locals, Odysee, and others that are probably no longer around.

[Taddy Mason]

i feel like you guys are missing the point of what i'm trying to suggest Steam add. supporter packs and buying more copies of the game are already options that exist. i'm suggesting Steam add something else. like other content creation platforms allow. where you can just directly donate an amount of money to offer financial support without directly and immediately getting something tangible in return. that wouldn't be a donation. it would be a sale.

[Nx Machina]

Originally posted by Taddy Mason:

i feel like you guys are missing the point of what i'm trying to suggest Steam add. supporter packs and buying more copies of the game are already options that exist. i'm suggesting Steam add something else. like other content creation platforms allow. where you can just directly donate an amount of money to offer financial support without directly and immediately getting something tangible in return. that wouldn't be a donation. it would be a sale.

We understood and as stated developers can already add an option to donate via a sale on their store page whether that be a Supporter pack, Buy the dev a beer etc as dlc.

You could simply contact the dev and ask how to make a contribution because you are missing a fundamental point, the sale of items by those 3rd party developers, publishers via the Steam store. They cannot simply add PayPal.me for example.

Developers, publishers could add an option on their own website for donations but they are already making money when users confirm at checkout, when they add dlc and users confirm dlc at checkout, create expansions etc.

I personally do not donate to content creators on YouTube, nor Twitch for example after all when they get enough views and followers they get free AAA games, laptops, desktops etc and get a cut for generating sales.

And finally developers, publishers are not content creators because they applied that term to YouTubers, Twitch Streamers who play and promote their games.

[Brian9824]

Originally posted by Taddy Mason:

i feel like you guys are missing the point of what i'm trying to suggest Steam add. supporter packs and buying more copies of the game are already options that exist. i'm suggesting Steam add something else. like other content creation platforms allow. where you can just directly donate an amount of money to offer financial support without directly and immediately getting something tangible in return. that wouldn't be a donation. it would be a sale.

Developers can already do this, and not every developer will want this. It can create accounting nightmares to account for.

Stuff like

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1776450/Developer_Donations_DLC/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/653000/Facility__Donation_DLC/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1909690/The_Button_Donation_DLC/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1219990/Vecter__Donation_Pack/

etc

[Taddy Mason]

gaming content creators might get that free gaming related stuff, but none of the others would.

i understand that you guys disagree on wanting this to be added as a feature, but simply listing other unrelated things that you can do and pretend you're donating to the devs or other sites and places you can go to give them money doesn't help anything. i posted this as a suggestion for Steam to add, not cause I was looking for all of these other hoops to jump thru or ways to trick myself into thinking I'm not just making a sales transaction. I want a way on Steam to just directly donate money same as I could do for any of the content creators on other platforms such as YouTube, Rumble, Locals, Patreon, etc.

you're the one missing a point here. i am looking to make a donation that is not a sales transaction i would then have to pay taxes on top of. a simple, flat donation. not a sales transaction of some kind that comes with whatever my state's sales tax is on top of that.

i think Steam could add such a feature, so i suggested it. i don't see why they wouldn't be able to. whether they would be willing is a different story. as is whether you think it's a good idea. but the point isn't to find some convoluted way to make a sale or go to other sites and platforms to donate, but to do it here thru Steam

[Taddy Mason]

Originally posted by brian9824:

etc

that's not what i'm looking for either. those are all sales transactions i would then have to pay taxes on top of. it's not a donation, but just a sales purchase/transaction.

[Brian9824]

Originally posted by Taddy Mason:

Originally posted by brian9824:

etc

that's not what i'm looking for either. those are all sales transactions i would then have to pay taxes on top of. it's not a donation, but just a sales purchase/transaction.

Yeah and its as close as your going to get. Steam isn't going to run a charity or arrange it and take that risk. If you want to donate those are the ways to do it. Steam can get in a ton of trouble as businesses are NOT charities, and trying to set up a charity for a business that can be located anywhere in the world is not easy with the various laws and regulations you have to ensure are followed.

If developers want donations they can set it up outside of steam where steam isn't at risk. Companies still have to pay taxes on those donations and the accounting for it can be a nightmare. A business is not a recognized charity and is not tax exempt.

[Nx Machina]

Originally posted by Taddy Mason:

I want a way on Steam to just directly donate money same as I could do for any of the content creators on other platforms such as YouTube, Rumble, Locals, Patreon, etc.

None of those are stores.

Originally posted by Taddy Mason:

you're the one missing a point here. i am looking to make a donation that is not a sales transaction i would then have to pay taxes on top of. a simple, flat donation. not a sales transaction of some kind that comes with whatever my state's sales tax is on top of that.

Steam is a store selling licences to 3rd party games, hence transaction, hence sales tax etc.

[AmsterdamHeavy]

This is a store, not a "content creation platform".

The analogy fails. Buy stock or invest int he company if you feel so strongly.

[Start_Running]

Originally posted by Taddy Mason:

i feel like you guys are missing the point of what i'm trying to suggest Steam add. supporter packs and buying more copies of the game are already options that exist. i'm suggesting Steam add something else. like other content creation platforms allow. where you can just directly donate an amount of money to offer financial support without directly and immediately getting something tangible in return. that wouldn't be a donation. it would be a sale.

Why add sopmething that is functionally the same. How is a dev created supporter pack any different? Not every supporter pack gives something 'tangible'. That's the dev's choice.
What makes something a donation vs a sale is the motivation of the person giving the money. When I buy at the local church bake sale, I'm not buying because I like potato pudding, I hate the stuff. I'm buying because I want to give money to the cause.

If a dev wants to put a link to a patreon or paypal donate. They are free to do so . Many don't because ironically it doesn't look very professional to be asking for handouts. "No one's buying my cheapass product, please give me money'. Many devs indie and otherwise really don't like putting that impression out there.