Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

[Reforced]

Here we will try to provide you answers to questions you might have and give answers to questions we got frequently from members in the past.

1. What is considered playing a game?
   The simple answer is that the game was actually played for at least half of the game duration (story or average playtime). You can login to the group tool[www.playingappreciated.com] to check where you stand. The parameters we like to see are defined below:
   
   • Playtime
     Playing the game at least half of the average or story playtime would be a good minimum target to aim for. For games that are longer than 10 hours, playing it at least 5 hours would be sufficient (if you then still don't like the game, so be it and we won't make you play it any longer). Ideally you should play any game to completion though. When you login to the group tool[www.playingappreciated.com], you can see the playtime we use.
     
   • Achievements
     If you played the game you are very likely to get at least the easier achievements. We like to see the winner getting at least the achievements that 60% of the other players also got and depending on the game also story achievements that match the progress you should have compared to the hours of gameplay. Note that this is *not* the same as getting 60% achievements. When you login to the group tool[www.playingappreciated.com], you can see the achievements ratio we use by hovering over your progress with the mouse cursor or by just viewing them and checking the percentages yourself.
     
   • Leaderboards
     For leaderboards we like to see the winner having entries where others also have them. When you login to the group tool[www.playingappreciated.com], you can see the leaderboard entries you have (or don't have) and also how many entries there are on each leaderboard from other players. This gives an indication on which leaderboards you should have gotten entries. We also look at previous giveaways of the same game for comparison, or to Steam reviewers that have about the same playtime.
     
   • Statistics
     Statistics should have accurate data matching your progress. Sometimes some statistics for some games don't work, but don't worry, we are aware of that and you won't be penalized for it.
     
   • Screenshots
     Posting a few screenshots on Steam from your playthrough (ideally including the end credits) is a good way to show that you've played the game. Although posting screenshots is not a requirement (unless an admin requests it), it is always very welcome.
   
   
2. What is the group's policy towards idling, using tools to unlock achievements or changing game files?
   Idling is allowed; we have tools that will take that into account and subtract your idle time from the playtime to get the real playtime. If a game only has playtime, please upload a few screenshots of your play session to Steam.
   
   Using any kind of other tool like Steam Achievement Manager (SAM) to unlock achievements, or gain fake statistics, leaderboard data etc. is not allowed. You will be banned without warning for doing so. We also highly discourage any kind of tinkering with the game itself that would give you achievements that you otherwise shouldn't have; unless it's within reasonable limits like using guides/using an old build of a game. If you have any issues or know there might be issues with a game please contact the group administrators or comment it in the giveaway for us to see during review.
   
   
3. What happens if I didn't play one or more of my wins within the allocated month?
   We will always check the giveaway page for any comment from the winner as to why this happened. If there is no comment moderators will give the winner a warning, but only when the winner thanked the giveaway creator. If the game is still not (enough) played within a few days after the warning was given, the giveaway will be marked as not played, resulting in the winner to be kicked from the group.
   
   
4. If I get kicked from the group, can I re-join later?
   If you get kicked for the first time for not playing a game within a month, you can ask to join again once you have played this game and any other unplayed games (visit and login to the group tool[www.playingappreciated.com] to see which aren't approved yet). If you are sure that you've played them all, just ask in the application topic on SteamGifts to join again. We'll then check the games again and if they were indeed played, we'll invite you again. Note that if you get kicked a second time or if you get kicked for cheating, you won't be able to join the group again.
   
   
5. If I leave the group voluntarily, can I re-join later?
   Sure, unless you have any not played winnings. If you leave the group while having winnings, they will still be tracked. If you don't play them or make your profile non-public, you are effectively being kicked from the group after the time to play them is up. As such if you reapply you first need to play your rejected winnings before being accepted back and you can only join back one time. If you played all your winnings, just comment in the application topic on SteamGifts and we will invite you again.
   
   
6. What is the group's policy towards members with unactivated wins, multiples wins, VAC bans, trade bans?
   For new members unactivated wins, multiples wins and trade bans are not allowed. VAC bans are allowed if they are old enough. Since this is an rule that changed for old members there is more leniency - each member will be contacted about it and the situation discussed.
   
   
7. My winner didn’t activate his/her win in 7 days. What should I do?
   Regardless of how they marked the giveaway (Received, Not Received, unmarked) it’s best that you contact them to understand what was the issue and whether it can be solved. If things don't work out, or if you think they've re-gifted the game, please create a Support ticket at SteamGifts and let us know the result in the affected giveaway.
   
   
8. I’m blocked from entering some giveaways because I’m blacklisted by the giveaway creator. Is blacklisting of other group members allowed?
   Blacklisting of other members is allowed (except for group admins), but we encourage you to consider removal of members from your blacklist if they proved they are serious about playing their wins. Keeping admins off your blacklist is required to allow them to add comments (e.g. warnings) in all group giveaways.
   
   
9. Can I create giveaways with level requirements or region restrictions?
   Sure!
   
   
10. Can I create giveaways for the group and share them with other groups and/or with my whitelist?
    Of course, we like to see giveaway creators having maximal freedom and members who like to play games optimal chances. Shared giveaways are therefore welcomed. If the winner is a member of one of the other groups you've included or is a member of your whitelist, we won't enforce the group rules (as it would be pointless for next time, they will still be able to enter via the other groups or your whitelist). We'd ask you to include a clear clarification in the giveaway description if you include many groups, so members that could only enter via Playing Appreciated know they will have to play it. A possible text would be: “This giveaway is shared with the Playing Appreciated group. If you win it via this group you are expected to play this game within a month.”.
    
    
11. Some games don’t have achievements, stats or leaderboards. How can you tell that the winner’s playtime isn’t just for idling cards?
    We can’t. If the game lacks any metrics other than playtime we encourage winners to post a screenshot or two from their playthrough, and to write a few words with their impression of the game (a short Steam review would be great!). If you created a giveaway you may also add a note about this in the giveaway description. Suggested text: “Please post a couple of screenshots from the game and, when you finish, write a few words about it / a short Steam review”. This would not be enforced as a group rule - you are free to blacklist those who did not do so. However if a group admin has any suspicion that a game might not have been played properly they can request some screenshots showing the progress so as a winner be ready to provide that.
    
    
12. If I won a package with multiple games, am I expected to play all of them within a month?
    The minimum playtime rules are the same as with singular games. Only difference is that instead of every single game counting on their own, they all count together as one game and you can freely decide which one (or more) of them you are gonna play to get to the minimum requirements. Example: you won a package with games A (1 hour long), B (1 hour long), C (1 hour long) you can play whichever you want as long between them they have at least 1,5 hours of playtime. If the total main/average playtime is over 10 hours the 5 hour limit is valid here as well just like with normal games.
    
    
13. Can I use Steam Family Sharing?
    As there is no way for us to check if you then actually played the game, this is not accepted. You have to play the game on your own with SteamGifts connected Steam account.
    
    
14. Can I play using offline mode?
    No. Playing in offline mode prevents us to see the real amount of playtime a player has accumulated. Sometimes Steam goes down or the internet disconnects randomly and that is fine, it is not something that can be controlled and won't be held against you. Just don't intentionally play in offline mode.
    
    
15. What is the Yirg Score in the group tool?
    It's an auto-calculated score to help us decide if a game was played or not. The decision is still done manually, but in most cases it would match the score. It should also give the winner a pretty good idea if their game is likely to be approved or not.
    
    With that said, there are cases where we would approve a game with very low score, e.g. if the winner had technical issue that the developers couldn't help resolve. There can also be cases that a game receives 100 yet is not approved, e.g. if we detect cheating (let's not go into details). But in general, if the score is one you wouldn't be ashamed to bring from school, you're in the clear :-)
    
    
16. How do you quantify if members actually played a game?
    Game data is pulled from Steam (Achievements, Stats, Leaderboards) and steamspy.com (playtime), but we regularly override this data based on more accurate sources - e.g. howlongtobeat.com for playtime, exophase.com for achievements, and astats.nl for both. We've also evolved the algorithm so that in most cases the score would provide a good representation whether the winner played the game or not.
    
    Two scores are worthy of additional explanation:
    
    
    • 100 - Played to a similar level as most players who aim to finish the game usually require. Note: This level isn't as high as what achievements hunters aim for. The score is calculated based on the actual playtime of other players and does not take into account the 5-hour acceptance threshold mentioned in Q1. When needed, we take this into account when we approve games.
      
    • 55 - Minimal acceptable attempt. The winner gave the game a decent attempt, but most likely didn't enjoy it and stopped playing early. If your score is around this number, it’s best that you aim for more because the algorithm is not perfectly accurate, and the approval is still done manually. Better safe than sorry.