Its a small amount of GAs that have this, not a large amount like your implying.
It can't be enforced so no reason to get upset over it.
It will happen that a key is no good once you actually start doing more then a small amount of GAs. I've deleted 2 GAs out off all I have done. I do expect all mine to work. If I am unsure of a key I give it away in a mesg or a drop, not as a normal GA. No, I don't include any such text as your referencing as I don't think its a good idea. But I don't care if someone does include it.
Yes, I would expect any GA won here to work but I also know things can happen that the giver is not aware of. I myself have copied the the wrong key from my speadsheet. But I had another to fix the error. Another time I bought a new key as it was cheap to fix an issue. I think its only twice I had to ask that a winner allow me to do a delete.
I will always agree to delete a GA if I think the GA was done in good faith. Its only happened a couple times where someone asked me if its ok to delete a GA I won. So far I have always agreed.
This site is mostly fine. Its Indigala you need to watch. Many people on that site try and give GOG keys away when its not allowed and rely on the automark system it has to get exp points for the GAs if the winner does not mark it. They seem to think its ok if they mention GOG in the notes but to do a GA you must link to the Steam page. I have also won a region restricted one once that was not mentioned. In that case I think it was an honest mistake. Most people are ok but I have won a couple like that. I have also seen my winners over their regiving my keys they got from me. I blacklisted them at that site and this one.
The admins here actually try and did a good job the couple times I have engaged them, Over there they don't. I give normal stuff away here. Over there I only give freebies now and I hope it goes to someone who wants it instead of a regifter.
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How can you be 100% sure a key works? You can't. Unless you're the developer or Valve. Some people have keys that are many years old. Some bought keys from sites that no longer exist. Maybe they got the key from somebody else. They're just trying to protect themselves and still give away a game. If you're not ok with the possibility of a game not working don't enter those giveaways. Problem solved.
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Or you can do what most of us do when you provide a key that fails to work, replace it with a working one. Problem solved.
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In most cases I am also happy to delete if a key proves to not be working, however there are already ways to give away keys that you are unsure about so expecting people to agree to that isn't really on. If the slightest doubt is there about the validity of a key just give it away in a thread or in a group that revolves around that sort of thing.
It's not really altruistic if the giver is only willing to do it if they earn their tiny bit of digital glory after all.
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I mean, they do get SG CV, so it ain't just for "digital glory", that still doesn't mean they owe you anything.
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Possibility to enter higher lvl giveaways, steam groups, etc -> which usually means higher chance and better games.
IF it doesn't work yeah, keys not working is not what's discussed here, it's the possibility of them being.
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Look, I've been at level 7 for like 2 years. I can tell you that there are like 10 GAs maybe a month over level 6 (and I mean really) so it's not like there's a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
The CV level exists and it's a fact but it doesn't do much of anything after level 4 in public GAs and I know of no group that asks users to be over level 1. My point was only that nobody is getting paid and nobody is paying anything so if a key doesn't work, it's really not a big deal.
(I love your user pic btw :))
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Yeah, but even at CV 2 rn there are many great GA like A Plague Tale: Innocence by LittleB or Greedfall by Bierbobswelt which people with lower CV can't access, and that makes that you have a higher chance of getting them because the higher the CV of the GA the less people will be in the raffle! It still has a point
My point was only that nobody is getting paid and nobody is paying anything so if a key doesn't work, it's really not a big deal.
that's what I was saying
(Thank you, it's Reinhard from Legend of the Galactic Heroes 💗)
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You can't really be certain any keys will work, even from trusted sites like Humble & Fanatical. I've been provided duds by both, and Humble seems to not be overly keen on replacing keys if they see that you've gifted a bunch of them to different people. So the option here would be for people who can't afford to replace keys to just not do giveaways for spares they get from bundles.
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I agree with this. I have a good number of keys from bundles etc., that I purchased when I had more funds available than I do now. I am not able to purchase new keys should a key I have turn out to be bad. I have also had winners claim that a key did not work when I was 99.9% sure it did - not all winners are honest. And recently, I have had bad luck with keys bought from my preferred vendor - Fanatical - that have turned out to be region restricted. I could spend hours and hours and hours trying to revisit Fanatical one by one trying to determine if keys I bought one of two or three years ago are region restricted without being able to be certain if they are or not. Perhaps they are region restricted now, but were not when I bought them or vice versa. Or perhaps as has happened, the information given by the vendor is simply incorrect.
I spent money to buy keys. I spend time I don't have much of to create the giveaways. I spend more time after the giveaway verifying that the winner does not already own the game. Etc. I do all this without ever asking for a thank you from anyone. Out of 400+ giveaways, in addition to funds, I have spent over 100 hours of my time making giveaways and trains etc. Out of 400+ giveaways, I have had issues with maybe 15.
If someone then is going to insist that I am obliged by "law" to buy a new key when someone tells me the key for a given giveaway does not work, insist all you want. I am not obliged to follow up my good act by spending money I do not have. Mark the giveaway as not received if you like. Better yet if I put such a comment in one of my giveaways and you might get upset should the key fail... simply skip my giveaway.
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Absolutely my view as well.
This actually sometimes keeps me from creating GAs because you never know with old keys you once bought in a bundle. Are they still valid? Are they region restricted?
Personally, I gladly agree to delete a GA if the creator - for whichever reason - informs me that there was an honest mistake. I don't think that anyone who potentially receives a gift should feel entitled to demand anything. Someone offered you something for free. Then something happened. There was no transaction of any sort, all you did was to click and wait for Ms. Random to grant you a favour.
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I've proportionally had less issues than you, but still had issues with keys. Even legitimate sites sometimes provide duds, and if it's been sitting in your inventory for a year or two it's hard to get a replacement from them. So yeah, I agree completely with you.
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The possibility of not winning free stuff makes me ANGRY.
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Stanley felt disappointed, and at the same time, proud of himself.
"Look, I was thinking the same now, as I was thinking the same before. I agree with past-Stanley!" he thought, in a proud tone.
...
"I shall name this new feeling... Stanpointed" said Stanley stanpointed in himself, that he made up this new world, and that he did not do it sooner.
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It's not a black and white situation. GA creator might not be sure if key still works, if there are region restrictions, if the game developer revoked the key in a fit and more reasons.
I don't write such a description in my giveaways as it should be clear that circumstances outside my control can occur and the key won't work. In this unfortunate situation I'd count on the decency of the winner to agree to a deletion. As a duplicate key seems to be such a devastating experience for some I'd try my best to arrange a compensation of some kind for the winner (different key for the game or another game of the same value).
I'd also appreciate a screenshot of the activation attempt and the winner's license history as this would enable me to ask for a replacement key from my key provider. That's something not mentioned very often on SG as everybody seems to think all responsibility lies on the shoulders of the GA creator.
I'll leave it up to you to decide if this attitude is an encouragement for GA creators.
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Well, is not about that, people want to share games with others, but sometimes they doesn't know if the key works and maybe they dont want negative feedback in they page, it happened to me that i made the mistake of doing giveaways that was region restricted and i didn't know, so i asked poletly to the winner if i could delete the giveaway. Region restricted games, keys if you doesn't know if they works,etc are the """"problems""""... But if u want to share games with people, i don't see any bad with that, if key doesn't work, is no problem to me.
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Some sources for keys aren't exactly 100% guaranteed to work, more like a 90%, so it's still good enough for someone to go ahead and create a giveaway but they feel compeled to warn those entering of potential issues when it comes to the key. And when it comes to old keys from years ago pretty much no source gives one certainty that the key will work, it's just the sad truth of it.
Now, I do think the wording can be a major issue, specially in the cases where it's implied that the winner SHOULD allow for deletion. There's nothing forcing the winner to agree to deletion, it's a completely optional thing that they can do IF they feel like doing so, but they can just as well refuse and simply mark as not received after a week. I much rather prefer phrasing it somewhere along the lines of "this key might be duped so please be understanding if that happens" or "there's a possibility the key might not work so you've been warned", so the winner doesn't feel like they're pushed to accept the deletion of the giveaway but they're also not too disappointed if they don't get the promised game.
But hey, there's groups created specifically to allow for this type of giveaways, adding that stuff on public GAs should be frown upon in my opinion.
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Good luck with that, but if the keys come from somewhere you trust it'll probably be alright.
I personally never had any issue with Fanatical, and the only issue I ever had with Humble was due to unclear region restrictions, the other places have not been as consistent however. The only site that I remember ever having "issues" that ended up benefiting me was the now defunct Indie Royale, they often dropped more than one key per game, no wonder they went out of business.
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Another point in allowing giveaways to be deleted with keys that turn out to be invalid, the winner (and all entrants) get their points spent to enter the giveaway back! Also the creator doesn't receive any CV since it's effectively like the giveaway never happened. I consider the situation nothing more than oops, better luck next time.
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When you say "haven't done one in years" it sounds like we're talking 3 or 4 years here 😅 OP hasn't done a giveaway for OVER 7 YEARS while at the same time winning more than 4x what they contributed to this community.
On an emotional level I completely agree with you but then again are we saying parasites users who demonstrate a deeply parasitic attitude don't get to have an oppinion?
I'd say we let them have an opinion but just like the one of a small child it just ain't worth shit 😄😈
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What's up with that?
People just arent sure if the key is working. It might be old, it might be region restricted, the dev might have a history of deleting purchased keys, it might come from sites like lootboy or indiegala gameplay... the possibility is endless.
If you don't have a key or are unsure whether it works, don't create the giveaway.
I personally dont mind. Im pretty sure they are sure 90% it will work when they create these giveaways (at least thats how it is with me). Likewise, if you don't agree with the practice, don't enter the giveaway (or blacklist the creator so you don't see their giveaway anymore if you are that bothered with it).
If someone enters a giveaway and wins it, they will rightfully expect a working key/gift for said game. Right?
I, again, personally dont mind. These types of giveaways are usually for bundled or older games, so it's normal that the key won't work. Why punish the ga creator for that, especially if they do it out of kindness? I'm not obligated to demand something that isn't mine to begin with, especially if it comes from a giveaway that i spend nothing for (points are a thing but you get what i mean). At least that's what i'm thinking.
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1) No one force you to agree foe deletion of the giveaway
2) People just want to indicate that they are not sure if the key is working and that they will he happy if a winner in case of issues will agree for the deletion (some people are doing it in a rude way and that is not good)
3) I don't agree that "Nearly all giveaways" have "let me delete" annotation. Maybe I don't see most of such giveaways since my filter list went beyond 10k.
I do alike annotations as well when I'm not aure if key will work. But I prefer doing such giveaways in a "agree to delete giveaway if key don't work" group or in WL giveaways. And only one giveaway were deleted so far.
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(Six months ago.)
[PSA] About deleting giveaways
https://www.steamgifts.com/discussion/5fkrA/psa-about-deleting-giveaways
🙄The support's response seems to be this.
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I absolutely agree. A couple of rules and the overall tone, of part of the community on this site, is totally anti giveaway creator. How can people be so entitled to something given to them for free? I'm just glad if someone is willing to give me something for free. And if it doesn't work out, I'm not salty about it and demand compensation.
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I'm not asking for compensation either. I just don't support the idea of hiding it. There is already a function to solve this issue for both side "Not Received" sadly the weeks time is bit long punishment for the winner. So there really should be ticket option to be used to set it faster.
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Lol mate, amazing that you complain about it yet didnt even found a spare key to share with community in 7 years. What an entitlement. Probably you are a factor why many people avoid to create public GAs after some time on the site. And you can always either not enter GAs with that description or mark as not received. Right?
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Lulz, all the people defending this practice. It's just a way for people to circumvent the system to earn their CV.
If there's any reasonable doubt a key will work, I simply don't make a giveaway for it. There's an orphan key thread for this purpose. A giveaway is a giveaway, right? So - just give it away without the CV. Find someone who wants it, give it to them.
This prevents extra work for mods (who people love to complain about), a disappointed winner (many of whom make giveaways themselves, despite people saying you're an "entitled winner"), and also prevents eroding the credibility of the giveaway system on this site.
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Orphan key thread is just bot heaven at this point. If you like to feed bots that way, you do you, doesnt make it good solution for everyone. Credibility of the giveaway system already tanked by people that cant extend basic courtesy, autojoiners and fake giveaway gifters, i doubt even a million of GAs with unsure keys can do as much damage. Also CV farm does absolutely nothing, many of those keys can be zero CV because they are pretty damn old, you much better off buying non-bundled keys from keystores to level up quickly if you believe that better level gets you something anyway. As for extra work to mods - steamgifts just using outdated ticketing system, its not problem of gifters, deletion of giveaways can be much simpler and without mod work.
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All of this boils down to people not honoring a commitment.
I've given away a few thousand games on this site. 75% of them (or roughly 2700) have been public, and I've had exactly 7 deletions where a moderator needed to be involved (the others were mistakes I made when creating the giveaway). There were perhaps 2-3 giveaways where I purchased another key for the winner. I've never had to add a disclaimer to my giveaways and I have 0 Not Received marks, Even if those 7 winners didn't allow the deletions, I'd have 7 NR marks for 3600 giveaways.
My way apparently works very well.
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There was mentality swift in past 10 years. From "I want to make sure winner gets game I promised" to "I will give keys I'm not sure about and just delete in case of problem".
There are many things that contributed to it. Steam region locks on gifts. Steam locks on keys that are not always disclosed. Shady giveaway websites that pump out shovelware. Grey market where people can never be sure if key works, but hey - cheap. HB going on war with "resellers" after they moved from "make bundles and support charity" to "part of IGN conglomerate to make money".
When I joined SG I always thought of deletions as last resort if it's not possible to deliver game to winner. Now people nag people into deletions to keep their "perfect profile". Or delete GAs with less than 5 entries to not lose their precious CV. But I know I will be now in less than 1% of people here with my thinking. I would prefer to have fewer giveaways (especially for all this shovelware) and winners that feel confident they have a real chance to win the game, than more giveaways and people wondering each time "oh will this key not work as well". I had tickets where creator asks 2 or 3 times for deletion permission and winner in the end is like "ugh fine, but not cool, previous GA I won was also deleted. Which is a bit saddening.
Thought as support (and doing pretty much only "supporting" for past 2 years...) I just get constant stream of this behavior through tickets. So it must be skew as well. Seeing current junior mods trying to make due to winners in case key did not work felt like a miracle :joy:
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The only ones to whom CV is "precious" are those who boost their level with garbage games and infiltrate each and every giveaway group they can persuade to accept them.
...winners that feel confident they have a real chance to win the game, ...
If you'd get rid of autojoiners and CV exploiters for good chances for everyone else would increase considerably. But this will never happen as the site would lose "precious" traffic.
Your narrative about giveaway creators giving away bad keys being the problem is more convenient though.
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The only ones to whom CV is "precious" are those who boost their level with garbage games
All people who decide to give away keys they have doubts with, instead of skipping and not getting a chance for CV in case key works are problem.
If you'd get rid of autojoiners and CV exploiters for good chances for everyone else would increase considerably.
And how would getting rid of autojoiners made keys stop to be duplicate and prevent deletions? It would lead to faulty keys that were "normally" won by people who break the rules end won by honest users. Which would only mean that the average user would rise in chance to both win a working and a duplicate key.
Also I did not write about "general user chance to win". I wrote about winner being confident to get key that works, after they are picked as a winner. So you didn't address the point that I made at all. Just made another one to take a shot at moderation.
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first, I don't want to sound rude, sorry
second, and more important, my English is basic. so, I better ask.
did you just justify the existence of auto joiner by saying, as an example:
we have 10k GAs asking for deletions of GAs, where 9k winner are auto joiners (that most probably activate the game on main account and share "the key is dup and "allow deletions,"; and 1k are real users (where is real that exist the probability of a dup key, like for real),
and your logic Is: if, we eradicate auto joiner we will have 10k GAs asking for deletions, like 1 user x10 gas, <<<< because that not gonna happens,
even if it's happens like that: so, the work for mods is the same, better keep it as it is...?
I personally think: if you work against auto joiner I can say for sure, you will have "less work" and less "please delete this ga" because real people, will activate the games they won on their accounts (linked here)
btw,
again, sorry for my basic English, hope you understand the idea, not easy for me to explain what I have in my head.
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I think I had 2 or 3 wins that the key was duplicate or region restricted, and I accepted deleting the giveaway without hesitation (even if they didnt asked that in description, showing even more that they weren't aware of the issue). No big deal, no big fuss about it.
It annoys me a bit when I see : you MUST/ HAVE TO accept and YOU AGREED TO DELETE on public giveaways, when rules don't state that at all, you want your CV, you provide the key/gift you stated, or accept that mark as not received. I have seen some make big titles giveaways to promote their channels and other things just to delete them before ending (good thing that this trend it is on a really really small percentage of giveaways), well with this I fully disagree...
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What's up with that? Nearly all giveaways have this in their description. If you don't have a key or are unsure whether it works, don't create the giveaway. If someone enters a giveaway and wins it, they will rightfully expect a working key/gift for said game. Right?
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