Table of Contents
Highlights
- Valve opposes using ads as the main business model in games, believing it disrupts the player experience.
- Valve encourages developers to prioritize game quality, using alternatives like microtransactions over intrusive ads.
- Valve ensures equal opportunities for all developers, not charging for basic access to Steam features.
We have all had our fair share of playing games on our phones, only to be rudely interrupted by an intrusive ad. These ads which are universally despised, disrupt the flow and derail the gaming experience for the players. While most mobile game developers find themselves relying on advertisements as a dependable source of revenue, it has the negative effect of affecting user satisfaction and engagement. Interestingly, Valve seems to share this same belief and has made a bold stance against it.
Steam’s Official Stance on Advertisements
On the official Steam Works Documentation page dealing with Advertisements on Steam, it is stated that:
“Developers should not utilize paid advertising as a business model in their game, such as requiring players to watch or otherwise engage with advertising to play, or gating gameplay behind advertising. If your game’s business model relies on advertising on other platforms, you will need to remove those elements before shipping on Steam.“
This statement showcases Steam’s aversion to such soul-sucking practices. In doing so Steam seems to encourage developers to create games that are more appealing to the players and not provide half-hearted results that solely rely on the ads to provide revenue.
Encouraging Quality Over Ads
Steam does not wish for the developers not to earn a profit, as it does state that the developers have the option of keeping their games a one-time purchase. The other alternatives they have kept are to sell the game for free while adding Microtransactions and paid DLCs to gain a profit. It is truly commendable to see Steam keeping its foot down and protecting the gaming experience.
Potential Unwanted Changes from In-Game Ads
The presence of in-game ads in PC gaming might not just be an initial disturbance, it could also herald some unwanted changes that sour the entire gaming experience overall.
The pay-to-win system is one system that has been heavily criticized in PC and console gaming. Such practices might also be encouraged wherein players are driven to watch ads with the promise of rewards.
Equal Opportunity for Developers
Steam however does not only have conditions for other developers. In the Steam Document, it is also stated that “Developers should not charge other developers for access to Steam features.”. While the “developers” here could mean anyone, it is most likely a self-note for Steam to ensure that their platform remains a space of equal opportunity for developers of any level to showcase their work to the world. Steam’s commitments are quite commendable, and actions like this prove they are a bastion for gamers.
