Curator Codes - I feel guilty!

[Roan Woasbi]

I feel really bad when I get a game from a trade that is a curator key. It was given to the group to review and they just end up trading it. I try to play and review the game when I can, but I don't always get to it or it sits in my backlog. I want to stop accepting curated games, but, it does get me titles I normally wouldn't get for awhile.

Anyone else have any thoughts on this?

[jb2097]

I don't know about curator keys, but I have had times when the game was given through joining the curator group. In those cases it seems like they have already purchased the game and are in a position to review it, so the curator copy is extra.

As long as the review gets published then the providers probably don't look into where it came from. Trading that extra copy possibly gets the game another review, but also isn't another sale, so it's swings and roundabouts in that situation.

As to keys: well....they want, and need, the reviews for raising awareness of their game. You may not be a curator with a large audience but every review adds up when viewing the store page. These keys are given out for the purposes of reviews, so as long as that happens then maybe they wouldn't be too fussed how you got the key?

[🍒 Lilly (🌸◠‿◠)]

Originally posted by jb2097:

I don't know about curator keys, but I have had times when the game was given through joining the curator group. In those cases it seems like they have already purchased the game and are in a position to review it, so the curator copy is extra.

It's most likely that the developer sent multiple copies, the curator owner activated one of them and he tries to trade the rest. Some do it to get stuff to resell and get a bit of profit out of these review copies that they basically get for free; others just use them to inflate their libraries by trading them for unowned games.

Originally posted by jb2097:

Trading that extra copy possibly gets the game another review, but also isn't another sale, so it's swings and roundabouts in that situation.

I would say that this happens almost never.

I feel really bad when I get a game from a trade that is a curator key. It was given to the group to review and they just end up trading it. I try to play and review the game when I can, but I don't always get to it or it sits in my backlog. I want to stop accepting curated games, but, it does get me titles I normally wouldn't get for awhile.

Anyone else have any thoughts on this?

Don't feel guilty. Most of the curators out there don't even review the games they receive. At most they write a quick 200 characters info and even in that case it's most often copied from the store page or just shallow. The more reviews like this you have, the more free copies you attract therefore even the biggest curators out there do it just as a facade, to inflate their numbers. And most of them don't even play the game they receive.

So you my friend - as a person who plays the game, maybe even uploads screenshots - promote the game more than a lot of so-called curators. Your friends see the screenshots, comment on them, and as a consequence even wishlist the game. This ultimately increases the visibility of the game. With a review on top of that, you do for the game MUCH more than most of the existing curators that receive this game for free.

As a curator person myself (that actually writes reviews / guides, plays the games received / reports bugs) I feel ashamed by what is currently happening in the curator system. Seeing how so many curator owners abuse this system is extremely disappointing and it makes high-effort reviews to not be worth writing any more. Yet I try to continue writing reviews as time allows, in the hopes that they will be useful to someone eventually, if not for supporting the developers.

[KAOS]

The curator/press keys are marketing keys.
The keys from bundles are for strictly personal use.
Feel guilty about bundles keys, if you really want to ;)

And, as Lilly suggested, you can support the devs by reviewing the game

[HAKIMODO]

@KAOS keep in mind, those curator games are not given for resale/retrade.

Curator gained this copy to test the game and write a review.
The author don't get any cent for his work when a game is traded for someone.

[nateraade]

I've been in the same boat, CrankyCoon!

Does anyone know if there's a way to find out what games in your library came from Curator Connect, either via Steam itself or via Barter.vg? I'd like to go back and check out some of those games and review them, but I don't remember what most of them are now.

[HAKIMODO]

"Victorian Mysteries: Woman in White ( 1101940 ) - complimentary reviewer package"

Search for something with this name ("complimentary reviewer package") on your licenses page.
https://store.steampowered.com/account/licenses/

[nateraade]

Originally posted by HAKIMODO:

"Victorian Mysteries: Woman in White ( 1101940 ) - complimentary reviewer package"

Search for something with this name ("complimentary reviewer package") on your licenses page.
https://store.steampowered.com/account/licenses/

Ah, thank you. If it doesn't have the "remove" button next to it, then I likely got it via Curator Connect.

Unfortunately, I'm seeing one without a name. This is all it says:
Feb 27, 2020 Complimentary reviewer package Complimentary

I wonder if that means it was removed from my library without notifying me...

[nateraade]

Ah, I tracked down the offer based on when it occurred, and the game is still in my library. If it wasn't in my library, that would have confused me, because my understanding is that games acquired via Curator Connect are supposed to be "safe", as in never to be revoked from an account.

[HAKIMODO]

It's not nice being yourself a part of a thieving chain (a paser/scammer).

@nateraade: "I wonder if that means it was removed from my library without notifying me..."
If any game will be removed from your library you will get an infobox and you must confirm that you're read it before it will disappear.

"Complimentary reviewer package Complimentary".
In short: probably you been cheated - but you will not be sure until you will directly ask the DEV.

The package named in that way usually it's a reviewer (press) copy - not for resale / retrade (usually also giveaways - but if you directly ask DEV - he can allow to do this). Those keys are not sold in any game shop.

You can also ask directly Steam Support what this game title is (and get an used steam key too).
After that - you can do this like me - contact the DEV and ask about the history of this key.

Recently I also got a game that was activated with the same title.
https://steamcommunity.com/app/682610/discussions/0/1629663905416098292/

I got this game through barter trade from a trader named "Scorpy":
https://barter.vg/u/166c/o/2986065/

We had a discussion here, on barter but it is currently removed because it was somewhat uncomfortable for the group. I have a copy of all pages.

DEV is recently replied to this - but after a few months. As DEV said - the key was been stoled from him (by "Scorpy friend" - or by himself - I cannot verify this). So in short - I been offered a stolen key in that trade. I have been blamed on the forum by Scorpy etc. that key is ok - and I'm a person who trying to scam him - but as you see from DEV response truth is a little different that this shown in barter (or barter steam thread) trade discussion. "A lie has no legs."

[nateraade]

Originally posted by HAKIMODO:

@nateraade: "Complimentary reviewer package Complimentary".
In short: probably you been cheated - but you will not be sure until you will directly ask the DEV.

The package named in that way usually it's a reviewer (press) copy - not for resale / retrade (usually also giveaways - but if you directly ask DEV - he can allow to do this). Those keys are not sold in any game shop.

You can also ask directly Steam Support what this game title is (and get an used steam key too).
After that - you can do this like me - contact the DEV and ask about the history of this key.
It's not nice being yourself a part of a thieving chain (a paser/scammer).

Recently I also got a game that was activated with the same title.
https://steamcommunity.com/app/682610/discussions/0/1629663905416098292/

I got this game through barter trade from a trader named "Scorpy":
https://barter.vg/u/166c/o/2986065/

We had a discussion here, on barter but it is currently removed because it was somewhat uncomfortable for the group. I have a copy of all pages.

DEV is recently replied to this - but after a few months. As DEV said - the key was been stoled from him (by "Scorpy friend" - or by himself - I cannot verify this). So in short - I been offered a stolen key in that trade. I have been blamed on the forum by Scorpy etc. that key is ok - and I'm a person who trying to scam him - but as you see from DEV response truth is a little different that this shown in barter (or barter steam thread) trade discussion. "A lie has no legs."

Hmm, your mentioned dispute doesn't seem to be about a Curator Connect game, which is directly added to your account with the Curator Group's games page. Can't say I can really speak on that dispute since it's off-topic (no offense intended, of course!).

But, as I stated in my previous comment, I managed to track down the generic "Complimentary reviewer package" and found out that it's still in my library. It could have been a miscategorization by the devs. The trade date lines up perfectly, and the game's name doesn't appear anywhere else in my list on the account page you linked me to. A trader can't scam me with a curator game...it is added directly to my account via Steam, and the trader (curator group owner) has no control over that. If I can verify that the account was added to my account after accepting the game, then it's over.

But, back to CrankyCoon's comments, I do think that if we receive a curator game, the least we can do is "carry the torch" so to speak and play it enough to review it, and leave a fair review.

[HAKIMODO]

No. it is not from a curator. It's an example what that name (Complimentary .....) can also mean.
This name can be activated from key too - as in my example.

The difference is in the purpose of this copy. The creator of the game passes it on to the Steam group (curator) to check and review. The curator doesn't really need to activate and check it in order to make a review. This is not required.

Using and trading the copies of the game obtained in this way for profit is ethically inappropriate and in fact deprives the authors of any profits for their work. In particular, it is reprehensible when someone has made it a source of income exploiting the entire idea.

[nateraade]

Originally posted by HAKIMODO:

No. it is not from a curator. It's an example what that name (Complimentary .....) can also mean.
This name can be activated from key too - as in my example.

The difference is in the purpose of this copy. The creator of the game passes it on to the Steam group (curator) to check and review. The curator doesn't really need to activate and check it in order to make a review. This is not required.

Using and trading the copies of the game obtained in this way for profit is ethically inappropriate and in fact deprives the authors of any profits for their work. In particular, it is reprehensible when someone has made it a source of income exploiting the entire idea.

Curators make an income from being a curator? I don't think so... They get free games. An income infers that they make money...they do not. Unless, of course, you mean to say that curators are charging people to access their curator group and redeem a game that was given by devs. That *is* reprehensible, if it was happening, but that's not really what this topic is about. (However, I would be curious to know if there's evidence of Curators using their Curator Group to make money...that takes the issue to another level.)

[nateraade]

The way I see it is that if you feel that it is wrong to acquire games via Curator Connect, then save yourself the guilt and don't do it. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a way to block Curator trades, and few are tagged as such by the traders, unfortunately.

If it makes you feel better if you can play and review all games obtained via Curator Connect (and mark said game as having been "free" in the review), then I suppose that mitigates some of the damage.

However, it seems that oftentimes, these games are sent to Curators well before the game is released in hopes that these Curators will make a recommendation and therefore boost the wishlist count and therefore sales and success of their game. There's nothing you can do about that unless you have a Curator Group yourself...so that's something to take into account.

[HAKIMODO]

No, the subject still runs around the Steam Curator.

Please notice what's being traded for games received from devs.

Usually they exchange the games received for review for many copies of the same games that are currently of interest to the community - to sell them and turn the trade into real money.

Do you think this is the way it should happen? Everything is in the best possible order, in a spirit of trust, reliability and honesty?

[nateraade]

Originally posted by HAKIMODO:

No, the subject still runs around the Steam Curator.

Please notice what's being traded for games received from devs.

Usually they exchange the games received for review for many of the same copies of the games that are currently of interest to the community - to sell them and turn the trade into real money.

Do you think this is the way it should happen? Everything is in the best possible order, in a spirit of trust, reliability and honesty?

Ah, I see! Selling the games they receive in trade. I was just realizing you could have also meant that some Curators use their group to drive traffic to their personal websites or video channels (such as YouTube), thereby making money. Personally, I find the latter to be a lesser issue. Reselling keys traded via games they receive from their Curator Group is a dick move, to be honest. It didn't occur to me, either. No wonder some of these traders seem to want more premium games for their Curator ones (that are "unbundled", and therefore just "worth more").

No, I don't suppose it's a very honest practice. Even if we do our best to play and review the game, if we don't do it via a Curator Group (with a good following), then the review likely won't make much of a difference and give the game more attention and sales. I must admit, however, that it's still quite tempting to get some games this way because it's typically quite easy. And, personally, I'm more concerned about Steam keys that aren't from bundles. I have no idea where these traders are getting these keys (for big games such as Final Fantasy XV or Pillars of Eternity II) and how they're willing to sometimes trade them for seemingly so little.