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> Steam is a great low-pressure sales environment. Eh.. It seems very common for Steam users to have libraries of thousands of purchased games, 99% unplayed, p

> Steam is a great low-pressure sales environment. Eh.. It seems very common for Steam users to have libraries of thousands of purchased games, 99% unplayed, purchased at steep discounts during sales. The way Steam operates does a great job of instilling Fear Of Missing Out, and getting people to buy things they never end up using.

jasonjmcghee 2y ago
> very common for Steam users to have libraries of thousands of purchased games, 99% unplayed source?
- SXX 2y ago
  I not sure about these numbers, but here is article on this topic: https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2024/06/is-the-total-value-of-unplayed-steam-games-really-19-billion-probably-not/ https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2024/06/is-the-total-value-of...
- Cpoll 2y ago
  Some quick googling: https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2024/06/is-the-total-value-of-unplayed-steam-games-really-19-billion-probably-not/# https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2024/06/is-the-total-value-of... Anecdotally, myself and most of my friends are in this boat, with very large "piles of shame." Humble Bundles tend to contribute greatly to this.
  - jasonjmcghee 2y ago
    Right but 30%-60% is very different than 99%. Users paying 2x for games, not 100x.
- lupusreal 2y ago
  It's true for nearly all of my gamer friends, and is the subject of memes in gamer social circles generally. https://i.imgflip.com/7uzmif.jpg https://i.imgflip.com/7uzmif.jpg https://memes.ucoz.com/_nw/86/80233222.png https://memes.ucoz.com/_nw/86/80233222.png https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2F5ovhjzquk7t41.jpg&rdt=56367 https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2F5... https://i.imgflip.com/2fcexh.jpg https://i.imgflip.com/2fcexh.jpg Search for "steam library memes" and you'll find lots of these. Very scientific, I know.
SXX 2y ago
It's not like this is Steam fault. You can always return games you played under 2 hours no questions asked. Some people just like to buy stuff they dont need or hoard random things, but it's as old as humanity itself At leastrented digital games on Steam account dont contribute to global warming, waste problems and dont use tons of electicity to mint some tokens. I guess only major issue Steam really have to solve is ability to inherit these digital purchases if owner has died. Their license agreement dont have proper procedure for that.
- vel0city 2y ago
  > You can always return games you played under 2 hours no questions asked. Within 14 days.
  - SXX 2y ago
    14 days is pretty much standard cool off window for lots of services. If you havent played game at all most likely Steam will just accept return in much wider return window especially if there some new sale has started making game much cheaper or something. Also if for some reason game was compatible with your platform (Linux, Mac) there are cases where Valve refunded money years after due to developers breaking compatibility. PS: Yeah in the beginning Valve was certainly forced into implementing return policy by authorities, but today their return policy is one of the best of all software distribution platforms.
    - vel0city 2y ago
      I don't disagree it's generous compared to alternatives and nice it's written into a standard, but it's not the "always" alluded to in the above poster's comment. There are limits other than just play time.
    - debugnik 2y ago
      > If you havent played game at all most likely Steam will just accept return in much wider return window I believe late refund requests are forwarded to the publisher for them to judge.
ZeWaka 2y ago
> thousands of purchased games, 99% unplayed, purchased at steep discounts during sales This is more of a Humble Bundle thing than a Steam issue.
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- blooalien 2y ago
  > This is more of a Humble Bundle thing than a Steam issue. And Fanatical, and (many) other Steam-friendly game bundlers, but Steam themselves also contributed to my massive game library on Steam, due to those seasonal sales bein' just too good to pass up. :)

jasonjmcghee 2y ago

> very common for Steam users to have libraries of thousands of purchased games, 99% unplayed source?

SXX 2y ago
I not sure about these numbers, but here is article on this topic: https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2024/06/is-the-total-value-of-unplayed-steam-games-really-19-billion-probably-not/ https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2024/06/is-the-total-value-of...
Cpoll 2y ago
Some quick googling: https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2024/06/is-the-total-value-of-unplayed-steam-games-really-19-billion-probably-not/# https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2024/06/is-the-total-value-of... Anecdotally, myself and most of my friends are in this boat, with very large "piles of shame." Humble Bundles tend to contribute greatly to this.
- jasonjmcghee 2y ago
  Right but 30%-60% is very different than 99%. Users paying 2x for games, not 100x.
lupusreal 2y ago
It's true for nearly all of my gamer friends, and is the subject of memes in gamer social circles generally. https://i.imgflip.com/7uzmif.jpg https://i.imgflip.com/7uzmif.jpg https://memes.ucoz.com/_nw/86/80233222.png https://memes.ucoz.com/_nw/86/80233222.png https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2F5ovhjzquk7t41.jpg&rdt=56367 https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2F5... https://i.imgflip.com/2fcexh.jpg https://i.imgflip.com/2fcexh.jpg Search for "steam library memes" and you'll find lots of these. Very scientific, I know.

SXX 2y ago

It's not like this is Steam fault. You can always return games you played under 2 hours no questions asked. Some people just like to buy stuff they dont need or hoard random things, but it's as old as humanity itself At leastrented digital games on Steam account dont contribute to global warming, waste problems and dont use tons of electicity to mint some tokens. I guess only major issue Steam really have to solve is ability to inherit these digital purchases if owner has died. Their license agreement dont have proper procedure for that.

vel0city 2y ago
> You can always return games you played under 2 hours no questions asked. Within 14 days.
- SXX 2y ago
  14 days is pretty much standard cool off window for lots of services. If you havent played game at all most likely Steam will just accept return in much wider return window especially if there some new sale has started making game much cheaper or something. Also if for some reason game was compatible with your platform (Linux, Mac) there are cases where Valve refunded money years after due to developers breaking compatibility. PS: Yeah in the beginning Valve was certainly forced into implementing return policy by authorities, but today their return policy is one of the best of all software distribution platforms.
  - vel0city 2y ago
    I don't disagree it's generous compared to alternatives and nice it's written into a standard, but it's not the "always" alluded to in the above poster's comment. There are limits other than just play time.
  - debugnik 2y ago
    > If you havent played game at all most likely Steam will just accept return in much wider return window I believe late refund requests are forwarded to the publisher for them to judge.

ZeWaka 2y ago

> thousands of purchased games, 99% unplayed, purchased at steep discounts during sales This is more of a Humble Bundle thing than a Steam issue.

deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
blooalien 2y ago
> This is more of a Humble Bundle thing than a Steam issue. And Fanatical, and (many) other Steam-friendly game bundlers, but Steam themselves also contributed to my massive game library on Steam, due to those seasonal sales bein' just too good to pass up. :)