Do valve employees pay for games on steam?

All Discussions > Steam Forums > Steam Community > Topic Details

✪ SyTeX Jul 1, 2021 @ 11:00pm

What if a CEO or a GM or any valve employee wanted to play games on steam, will they have to pay like normal people :3

< >

Showing 1-15 of 30 comments

TJ_4874 Jul 1, 2021 @ 11:41pm

we all here asking these stupid questions and here's this guy (or girl) asking the real questions. ✪ SyTeX 31™ you are asking the questions that need to be answered

cSg|mc-Hotsauce Jul 1, 2021 @ 11:54pm

Sometimes, yes.

Most have testing accounts to do well, tests.

Last edited by cSg|mc-Hotsauce; Jul 1, 2021 @ 11:55pm

Sazzouu Jul 2, 2021 @ 12:15am

Originally posted by TJ_4874:
we all here asking these stupid questions and here's this guy (or girl) asking the real questions. ✪ SyTeX 31™ you are asking the questions that need to be answered

You should take a walk, make deep breaths and probably rethink some things

@Topic
Depends on how you look at it. A person that creates an account the normal way will always have to pay for their products as every other user even if they get their "Valve Employee" badge added to their account.

However as Hotsauce already pointed out there are specific accounts - most of them not visible publically - for testing several aspects of Steam. One of them might be for testing the Content Delivery System of Steam (e.g. the download / update system) and therefore they must have access to any product for testing. For example if you report a game as being malfunctioning or containing offensive / malicious content there must be some way to check that, right?

cSg|mc-Hotsauce Jul 2, 2021 @ 12:40am

If you want every game in the Steam store, just break into GabeN's account. The reward for doing so is every game on Steam.

eram Jul 2, 2021 @ 1:31am

Originally posted by Sazzouu:

@Topic
Depends on how you look at it. A person that creates an account the normal way will always have to pay for their products as every other user even if they get their "Valve Employee" badge added to their account.

incorrect. Even volunteer mods from 10 years ago can have adjusted steam accounts, ones they made themselves and had badges added to after.

Last edited by eram; Jul 2, 2021 @ 1:34am

BoneCracker Jul 2, 2021 @ 5:22am

i heard before they have privileges to claim any game on the store but the games would be removed if the privileges were ever lost

☆ƧQυiяяєL♫ Jul 2, 2021 @ 5:53am

Originally posted by RoastDinner:
... had access to his entire library, well worth it

I had access to his car keys

Gabe drives a Yugo.
I drove it during the winter, it fits like a very snug coat. It too, was well worth it 🧥🎅

Last edited by ☆ƧQυiяяєL♫; Jul 2, 2021 @ 5:55am

Psychlapse Jul 2, 2021 @ 10:18am

They don't need to. They make you pay for them, then they roll around naked in big piles of cash.

I've seen it.

Spawn of Totoro Jul 2, 2021 @ 10:31am

Yes, Valve employees pay for their games, unless they are Valve developed games.

Psychlapse Jul 2, 2021 @ 12:35pm

Originally posted by Spawn of Totoro:
Yes, Valve employees pay for their games, unless they are Valve developed games.

I actually think thats a bit mean. I mean once upon a time there used to be "perks" for working at a given place or company. Big discounts on their wares or a factory shop, or in manufacturing if you wanted to take something that was damaged but still usable your manager would turn a blind eye. I've had family members who worked at automotive production plants who are able to buy a car at construction cost price rather than retail. These things used to be big draws to work for certain companies back in the day.

Seems these days you get your wage and a kick out the door till tomorrow.

I mean at the least you think you'd get a discount or a free game a month or something.

#10

Spawn of Totoro Jul 2, 2021 @ 12:44pm

Originally posted by Psychlapse:
Originally posted by Spawn of Totoro:
Yes, Valve employees pay for their games, unless they are Valve developed games.

I actually think thats a bit mean. I mean once upon a time there used to be "perks" for working at a given place or company. Big discounts on their wares or a factory shop, or in manufacturing if you wanted to take something that was damaged but still usable your manager would turn a blind eye. I've had family members who worked at automotive production plants who are able to buy a car at construction cost price rather than retail. These things used to be big draws to work for certain companies back in the day.

Seems these days you get your wage and a kick out the door till tomorrow.

I mean at the least you think you'd get a discount or a free game a month or something.

Free game every month or an increase in pay.

Remember, Valve is a flat company so there isn't a lot of management sucking up all the money. They also don't have any investors. Chances are they make a lot of money working there.

If they provided a free game to employees once a month, then Valve still has to pay the developers for said game. That would cut into the employees pay.

Even as a free game, Valve would have to pay payroll taxes on it and the employees would have to pay taxes on it as well. This over complicates things for Valve and everyone working there.

Best to just pay everyone and let them buy their own games.

#11

Kargor Jul 2, 2021 @ 12:56pm

It's a bit of a grey area I suppose.

Steam doesn't own the games they are selling, so they can't just give away games as they please -- they have to pay for them. Basically, whenever you buy a game, Steam pays 70% of that price to the publisher and pockets the remaining 30% (ignoring taxes and stuff). Technically, they would have to pay the same 70% whenever a Valve employee claims a game "for free".

On the other hand, software has no "per piece" production cost, and Steam could make it so employee accounts can access whatever game they want -- when someone leaves the company they loose those accounts and thus can't take the games with them anyway. That way, no publisher should have a reason to complain (and Valve isn't that huge).

#12