How to get every game on Steam for FREE

This is a very interesting article on Gamasutra, regarding Steam key theft from game developers.
Well worth the read so you don't get scammed too.

http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/Lesz...0/How_to_get_every_game_on_STEAM_for_free.php

 

Good to know, thanks.

 

It's crazy how many thieves are out there and how people are so nuts about making money they do anything they can think of.

 

Awesome thanks, just made 4 gmail accounts

 

It's interesting reading that and realising that I've received a bunch of emails just like that. Most of those emails I ignored because I'm an asshole, but still...... something to keep an eye on

 

Wow thanks for sharing..

 

I just lost a little more faith in the world, thanks for the post.

 

Seeing as how I finally gathered enough money to register on Steam, I'm gonna do it today, so this couldn't have come at a better time. I'll make sure to use the youtube message system as confirmation. Thanks man.

 

I think the author there was a bit naiive to say the least!

It's been happening since day 1 of the internet.

Other popular scams include:

"I just updated my operating system and can't install my game can I have a new key?"
"I've just bought a laptop and can't install the game can I have a new key?"
"My dog ate my homework can I have a new key?"
"My key's stopped working can I have a new key?"
"Can I have a new key?"
"I'm a Swedish supermodel can I have a new key?"
"I teach starving children in the ghetto can I have 100 keys for me and my class?"

Usually, unless it's an obvious fake. It's best just to reply and if they reply back just give them a key, even just for their dedication. (It's what train companies do when you try and get a refund; direct you to several different email addresses and if you are persistent enough; you're given an address to write to to get a refund; and if THAT doesn't put you off you might finally get a refund!)

 

It's a shame that people are like this. But it really highlights the differences in attitude for some developers.

Some devs go on those greenlight bundles with their games and then *don't* release Steam keys to the buyers of the bundles. This goes completely against the idea of a greenlight bundle and usually causes quite an uproar.

Other devs give a key to pretty much anyone who asks with a plausible story, showing how generous and/or committed to good customer service they really are. The one that comes to mind first for me was the "No Time To Explain" devs who gave me a Steam key without question. (I bought their game long before it was on Steam.) Winter Wolves also comes to mind for this. But they aren't the only ones to have done this.

When I see a Kickstarter that will let you have a DRM-free version *or* a Steam key, I just sigh and walk away. Clearly they are not committed to good customer service.

 

I don't have anything on Steam yet so I don't get this. How can you not release Steam keys for your game? Isn't it automatic? I mean on Desura when people buy your game they get a key without your interaction.

 

No, actually, they don't. When people get Steam keys for the games they bought on Desura, the game developer has specifically released those keys to Desura for that purpose. It's not automatic at all.

 

Steam should make special keys, with a limited time (3 months for example), and an explicite watermark saying it's for press.
So dev can distribute them without worring about it.

 

That doesn't solve anything.
3 months is more than enough time for them to sell those keys and pass on a faulty 'product' to an innocent consumer.
It's going to cause far more headaches for a dev than it solves.

 

Well most markeplace where you can re-sell key, have a refund policie if the key doesn't work.
If the customer see when he install the game "Press only will be deactivated in 3 months", I'm pretty sure he will ask for a refund

 

This assumes the key seller is legitimate (unlikely given that they are sourcing keys from such shady methods).
Not to mention that some people would still buy a 3 month key, lots of games can be completed within 3 months.

It also doesn't solve the initial problem of the keys being given out to non-press members in the first place.

 

I guess one way to combat all this would be for Steam to offer 'expiring' keys. Where you could generate keys that are only valid for a few weeks.

 

I guess steam could make special 'expiring' keys that are only valid for a month or so...

 

If it sounds too good to be true...

 

Doesn't sound like much loss if it's just 10 a day. If sales are 10 a day, I'd be moving onto the next title.

 

Better if they expire in >1 day. That's enough time for press or youtube reviewer to activate and almost impossible to sell it in such short amount of time.

 

You should know that it can take them months to test your game.

 

It takes several seconds to activate a game. So they can freely review it as long as they'd like to.

 

World doesn't work like that. Especially not press. It's a dumb idea having 1 day expiry time. Instead just have non transferable gifts. The reviewer sends his steam account email and the game is gifted only to that account.

 

Funny enough, this morning I got an email from a gmail address, claiming to be from a youtube channel, asking for a key for my game so they could review it on YouTube.

What was even more suspicious was that Gmail alerted me that the email 'May not have been sent by Gmail'

This message may not have been sent by: **********@gmail.com Learn more Report phishing

 

I've gotten a lot of requests from "reviewers" who say: "I'll write a review of your game if you give me five keys" (it's always more than just one key, with no explanation why they need more than one). Worse, some devs have been hit by a more malicious version of this scam, whereby if the "reviewer" doesn't get what he wants, he retaliates by writing a negative review for the game on Steam. This is outright extortion, of course.