Give a gift game to a random person who wants it.

PeteOzzy Apr 12, 2015 @ 11:55am

I'd love to see this implemented, I really would but I seriously doubt it will ever happen. It would just open up a world of headaches for Steam Support when issues arise from accidental purchases, fraudulent activity and buyer's remorse.

I love gifting games to people that want them and all too often I'll have a spare copy of a game that no one on my list wants and so I'm stuck with it to gather dust. Being able to donate it to someone that really wanted it and still supporting the developers is a great feeling. Steamgifts and trading are fine, but I don't always want to have to deal with people if I'm being entirely honest. Plus gifting games seems to leave me with people constantly asking for more freebies which just makes me question why I do it at all.

Lovely idea OP, but with Steam making so many changes to the market and trading with the sole purpose of reducing how many support tickets they get, I doubt they'll be interested in anything that will increase their workload.

If you want though, feel free to add me and I'll send a free game your way if I have any spares on your wishlist as people like you deserve the positive karma!

#1

jakewilby Apr 12, 2015 @ 12:21pm

Give a gift game to a random person who wants it.

I think that it would be a great idea for buying a game and giving it to a random person. Kinda like the giftapult in TF2 but with games. Let me explain the idea.

If someone is in a giving mood, they can go to the buy page of a game, purchase it, and set an option to give to a random person on steam, not just someone on a friends list. The game would then be given to a randomly selected person who has that game marked on their wishlist. This should prevent people getting given DLC to games they don't own, and other things of the sort. I don't know how hard this would be to implement (even as a programmer, I know very little about how Steam works), and I don't know how fraudulent credit card purchases could be prevented with it (perhaps only being able to do this through steam wallet funds, though probably not), but sometimes I'm in a good mood and want to give someone who may be sad or struggling with life at that moment a gift. Perhaps I'm too generous, but is implementing this in a safe, secure, and simple way possible?

#2

MOUTHPIECE OF A DEAD CULT Apr 12, 2015 @ 12:44pm

Pete, you are the kind of person this idea would be useful for. I have honestly bought quite a few games for people on my friends list, and it happens a lot more commonly when they are on sale. When something is just 99 cents, it's begging to be given away, which is probably the reason one of the two major sales of the year happens around christmas. I just hate to see the potential for abuse for this one making it nigh impossible to implement safely. Thanks for the reply.

(EDIT: had to specify because I just realized another comment was posted while I typed this one)

Last edited by MOUTHPIECE OF A DEAD CULT; Apr 12, 2015 @ 4:06pm

#3

Quint the Alligator Snapper Apr 12, 2015 @ 2:43pm

Anyway, as for the topic:

I think that it might cause people to just list more and more stuff on their wishlist, in an effort to increase their chances of getting randomly gifted something. Unless there's some provision that decreases chances for accounts with more games, or something...though that might be abusable by people making smurf accounts.

There might be more restrictions necessary such as people having to accept the game onto their account if gifted by a random means like this. Or maybe only being eligible for this program if they have a level 1+ or 5+ or 8+ account.

Meanwhile, I remember that there's a way to keep a game on your wishlist even if you have it, and it has to do with getting it via a key redemption. I dunno if this still happens.

On the other hand, people have been asking for the wishlist to become a general price-tracking list, so that they can use it as a way to see what's discounted so as to buy stuff for their friends themselves.

#4

PeteOzzy Apr 12, 2015 @ 2:58pm

The key redemption thing was changed quite a few months back, luckily. It was a nightmare to keep track of what you've recently redeemed if you're a bundle buyer so I'm very grateful!

There are definitely too many issues to consider really though the fact that the Giftapult exists suggests Valve might consider some kind of option. I have a bad feeling though that most people wouldn't be interested in using the option unless there was some kind of benefit so maybe some exclusive non-tradeable/sellable in-game items for Valve games would help that.

Still, this is very much just a fantasy!

#5

MOUTHPIECE OF A DEAD CULT Apr 12, 2015 @ 4:05pm

I think the benefit could be a badge or something that gives steam XP. You know, like the game collector badges except it's games gifted. And honestly, with regards to people increasing their odds, maybe only the top 5 games in the wish list (I believe you can order them, if I remember correctly) have a chance of being selected. It would work that way because the top 5 games would be the ones the person REALLY wants, so those would be the ones they would have a chance of getting.

Also, maybe make it like recieving an item in TF2, you have to accept the previous one before recieving any more. Slightly lowers the effectiveness of multiple accounts, but the only way to really eliminate that would be with a reverse-turing test (i.e. CAPTCHAs), and I would be the first person to vehemently tell you how horrible CAPTCHAs are, so...

#6

Ineffable Anathema Apr 12, 2015 @ 7:30pm

It's a nice idea, but it won't work because of one thing...
Scammers/hijackers. Steam is teeming wih greedy little juvenile criminals.

These guys will not only 'gift' everything they can from any account they steal to their own stuff, but also make thousands of bots all with every single game in their 'wishlist' on them waiting for some kind soul to gift them.

The sad truth is that anytime someone tries to do something nice for others, someone will try to take advantage of it.

Best example Steam related I can think of offhand would be the Humble Bundle/coal farming fiasco a few years back.

Last edited by Ineffable Anathema; Apr 12, 2015 @ 7:30pm

#7

fnv Dec 24, 2023 @ 7:19pm

just give me the game its way easier :)

#8

fnv Dec 24, 2023 @ 7:19pm

oh my ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ god why did you becro this

Originally posted by draxio:
Originally posted by MOUTHPIECE OF A DEAD CULT:
I think that it would be a great idea for buying a game and giving it to a random person. Kinda like the giftapult in TF2 but with games. Let me explain the idea.

If someone is in a giving mood, they can go to the buy page of a game, purchase it, and set an option to give to a random person on steam, not just someone on a friends list. The game would then be given to a randomly selected person who has that game marked on their wishlist. This should prevent people getting given DLC to games they don't own, and other things of the sort. I don't know how hard this would be to implement (even as a programmer, I know very little about how Steam works), and I don't know how fraudulent credit card purchases could be prevented with it (perhaps only being able to do this through steam wallet funds, though probably not), but sometimes I'm in a good mood and want to give someone who may be sad or struggling with life at that moment a gift. Perhaps I'm too generous, but is implementing this in a safe, secure, and simple way possible?

Any chance this offer is still up? If possible I'd like a game for Christmas

#9

BJWyler Dec 24, 2023 @ 7:24pm

Originally posted by draxio:
Any chance this offer is still up? If possible I'd like a game for Christmas

It doesn't matter how many threads you try to necro. A begging post is a begging post and against the posting rules.

#10

Draxio Dec 24, 2023 @ 7:27pm

Originally posted by BJWyler:
Originally posted by draxio:
Any chance this offer is still up? If possible I'd like a game for Christmas
It doesn't matter how many threads you try to necro. A begging post is a begging post and against the posting rules.

Yeah I shouldn't have done that. Is deleting the comments against the rules?

#11

Draxio Dec 24, 2023 @ 7:27pm

Originally posted by Kat:
oh my ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ god why did you becro this

Originally posted by draxio:

Any chance this offer is still up? If possible I'd like a game for Christmas

Sorry

#12

BJWyler Dec 24, 2023 @ 7:45pm

Originally posted by draxio:
Originally posted by BJWyler:
It doesn't matter how many threads you try to necro. A begging post is a begging post and against the posting rules.

Yeah I shouldn't have done that. Is deleting the comments against the rules?

No, you can delete any comment you want, but it still won't avoid moderation if it was reported.

#13

Draxio Dec 24, 2023 @ 7:48pm

Originally posted by BJWyler:
Originally posted by draxio:

Yeah I shouldn't have done that. Is deleting the comments against the rules?
No, you can delete any comment you want, but it still won't avoid moderation if it was reported.

Damn it I don't want my account to be banned. That too on Christmas

#14

BJWyler Dec 24, 2023 @ 8:01pm

Originally posted by draxio:
Originally posted by BJWyler:
No, you can delete any comment you want, but it still won't avoid moderation if it was reported.

Damn it I don't want my account to be banned. That too on Christmas

Then you should have put more thought into it before posting today. Consider this a valuable life lesson learned.

#15

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