Hello everyone. It’s Wednesday again, and that means it’s time for a little outrage. Today, however, I would prefer to discuss a thought process that I stumbled upon at kotaku. And as the title suggests: Yes, it’s once again about Steam, specifically about the remarkably customer-friendly refund policy.
Steam Refunds – A great thing!
Basically, the idea of a refund policy for games that are not liked is wonderful for the customer. You have a maximum of two hours to test the product and then return it if you don’t want it or if your PC doesn’t meet the requirements.
Incidentally, it also has the pleasant side effect that developers can no longer easily lure customers with lies, as after two hours you often already know whether a game truly delivers what it promises. One can therefore assume that granting customers this much power positively influences quality development. A wonderful thing for blockbuster titles like Witcher 3 or Evolve!
… or maybe not?
However, this also has a downside that I had not considered before: What about all those brilliant games that only have a few hours of playtime? “Analogue: A Hate Story” or “Without Within” can be relatively easily completed within the refund period and then returned. I know, the sincere gamers who love a game would not do something like that – but not everyone is like that. Since money, at least in this world, does not grow on trees, it is quite tempting to simply demand a refund.
A clear signal is sent to the developers of these games: You are not welcome here. Produce games with a long playtime. I consider this to be a rather unfortunate development, as it is precisely through Steam’s “Greenlight” program that many wonderful games have become accessible to the public or have found their way to the European and American markets.
“Steam Refunds” is, in my (current) opinion, a double-edged sword that still needs a lot of maturation time. Certain games with short playtimes should be excluded from this regulation, without opening a backdoor for the black sheep of the gaming industry.
What do you think about this? Have you already made use of the new feature? What is your stance on games that have a short playtime, and what would be your suggestion? Or do you seize the opportunity and play every game you can get your hands on?
