this post was submitted on 25 Jun 2024
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[–] [email protected] 99 points 5 months ago

Ok so they checked my account, but what about all the other users?

[–] [email protected] 49 points 5 months ago (2 children)

It's those damn Humble Bundles. I don't know what half the games in my library are, but I probably didn't actually want them.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Fuck do I ever relate to this. I probably have over 200 titles in my Steam library that I redeemed from Humble Bundles and have never installed. Insane.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago

I went from a bout 50 to about 500 before I figured out I won't ever play most of them.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 5 months ago (3 children)

This statistic is misleading. They have no way of knowing what people paid for those games. The "value" isn't just the Steam price.

As many people have mentioned here, most games in big Steam libraries come from bundles. It's pretty typical to get games for, like, $1-2 each in those. I regularly get 8 games for $10, of which I only really want 1. I play the one I cared about and get my $10 worth. There's no "lost value" so long as I got my money's worth from the title I played.

I take an even bigger view: if I buy 10 bundles for $10 each, and get 1 absolute banger (for my preferences) and a few others that are fun for a bit, then I'm happy. I often add 20 new games to my library in a month, and only immediately play 1. That doesn't mean I have "$400 value of games I've never played."

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago

I have also bought a bundle from the spiffing brit, which was 85 games valued at €1500 for like €40. I bought it mostly for the charity and a couple of games, so it's very misrepresented to say I haven't played €1500 worth of games

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago

That doesn't mean I have "$400 value of games I've never played."

I'd argue that what you pay for a game and the market value are two different things. The statistic is definitely misleading. The headline should read:

Steam users purchased games they haven't played valued at $19b.

I'd say it's pretty rare for people to pay full value for loads of games, i.e. I agree most unplayed games came in bundles, or were gifted/purchased at massive discount.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

Thanks for doing the critical thinking for me

[–] [email protected] 14 points 5 months ago (1 children)

And I'll fucking do it again

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago

I'm in this comment and I'm indifferent about it.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 5 months ago (1 children)

The number is based on the 10% of Steam accounts visible publicly. And then they calculated based on current full retail price of the unplayed games. It's a nonsense figure.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago

For sure. Easily half (likely more) of my unplayed games are Bundle games from a bundle I got primarily for something else. There's a few gems I'm sure.

There are a few games I bought on sale to play later as well (I'll get to you!) but the other glaring flaw I see is a selection bias. The people who use this service or similar services are going to be the heavier Steam users with collections in the hundreds.

So heavier users, with lots of bundle games and sales. I'd divide that total by 10 at least

[–] [email protected] 11 points 5 months ago
[–] [email protected] 9 points 5 months ago
[–] [email protected] 9 points 5 months ago

I'm in this statistic and I don't like it.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 5 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I have over 500 titles in my backlog of shame (loads of freebies, but still shameful). If I play a new game every week, it'll take me 10 years to get through it.

What if some are absolute bangers and I sink 300+ hours in? I'll never be finished!

But what if none of them are? For 10 years I'd have slogged through a quagmire of mediocrity for nothing other than to tick a series of boxes.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

I just want to point out how incredible it is that in today's age we have this incredible amount of entertainment available. Even if we apply Sturgeons law that's still a fill years worth of solid games. He'll, do it twice. That still means there's at least 5 bangers in that mess, and I find it incredible that most all of that content is recent!

[–] [email protected] 8 points 5 months ago

I've saved tons of money by only not playing games I get for free. Much more affordable that way.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Which why nowadays, even during the mighty deals periods, I don't buy games anymore. Right now, I'm focusing on finishing games I already own.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 5 months ago (3 children)

It also helps that Steam sales are nowhere near as good as they used to be. I don't even remember the last time I saw a 90+% discount, but there was a time when they'd pop up regularly during the winter sale.

But yeah, these days my standard for even considering a purchase is "will I play it right now?"

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

Their are a few, but very infrequently now adays

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Inquisition is pretty good, if you haven't tried it yet.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I played it to completion when it came out. That game and Valhalla some reason isn't in my library anymore. And not sure if it's due to Ubisoft and ea was pulling shit and back on steam with their launchers? Or maybe I lost my mind and bought it in orgin? Who knows

It was decent- just always wanted an origins style remake, and feel like they get farther and farther from the mark each time.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago (1 children)

You might've lost your mind, I don't think there are any known cases of games from your library disappearing

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Welp must have bought them somewhere else because I definitely played them

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

Epic Games maybe?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Yup. Cyberpunk is often on sale, but I always ask myself if I can really play it when I'm in the middle of other games.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 5 months ago

I would advise against getting Cyberpunk. CDPR held a cosplay contest, and one of the finalists they featured on their Xitter was a cis woman who stuck a glowstick down her pants to cosplay as the controversial "Mix it up" trans character from an advertisement ingame. CDPR says their intent with that ad was to highlight the way evil corporations fetishise trans bodies to sell product. But when CDPR's own Xitter is fetishising trans bodies to sell product... well that, as we've already discussed, is an evil corporation.

[–] purplemonkeymad 1 points 5 months ago

I have to be honest, i much prefer only having to look once during the sale. Having to check every 6 hours kind required you to plan your day to check for deals.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago

I have a bunch of games I bought a while after playing the pirated versions, and I usually don't play them at all.
I guess there isn't really a way to see how many people do this.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago

I've also not spent anything on games I've played, and then if I liked them I'd go on to purchase the game on steam. What's the point here?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago

On Epic. I have spent $0 on games i never played

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago

A few of us, yeah.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

I once forgot my humble bundle sub for a year and a half. That was nuts collecting all those.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

Most of my unplayed games were part of bundles, or giveaways. But I am guilty of buying games and only playing them a small time before moving on to the next new different thing.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

So, what you are saying is that all the people using steam combined might make it to the top 100 list of billionaires if their unplayed games were personified?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

I’m one of those users :)

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

And I've spent $0 on 19 billion free games that I'm never going to play....

[–] [email protected] -3 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

/---------------------------------\
| Yes, but see you . . . |
| don't understand: I . |
| WILL play them. . . . |
\----------------\ .. /--------/
. x x . . . x . \ / . . . x
.. \/ . . . / . . ⚰️ . v/

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago

If you're trying to format a picture, you need to leave 2 spaces at the end of a line for a line break.