Why was this introduced?
Game bans were originally introduced to give third-party developers the ability to implement their own anti-cheat system to be used in concert with the Valve Anti-Cheat (VAC) system. CS:GO also uses game bans in its Overwatch system. Game bans allow developers to utilize Valve’s banning infrastructure rather than implement their own ban tracking system.
More recently, game bans were added to users’ Steam profile pages. This was done for two reasons. The first reason was to help banned users know why they cannot join a protected matchmaking server. Many users were confused when they received an error trying to connect to a matchmaking server and yet did not see any bans on their account. The second reason was to allow other users to see whether accounts they had suspected of cheating were, in fact, banned. It can be frustrating to play a game with a cheater, and it helps to know when such a user is removed from the matchmaking system.
Game bans were originally introduced to give third-party developers the ability to implement their own anti-cheat system to be used in concert with the Valve Anti-Cheat (VAC) system. CS:GO also uses game bans in its Overwatch system. Game bans allow developers to utilize Valve’s banning infrastructure rather than implement their own ban tracking system.
More recently, game bans were added to users’ Steam profile pages. This was done for two reasons. The first reason was to help banned users know why they cannot join a protected matchmaking server. Many users were confused when they received an error trying to connect to a matchmaking server and yet did not see any bans on their account. The second reason was to allow other users to see whether accounts they had suspected of cheating were, in fact, banned. It can be frustrating to play a game with a cheater, and it helps to know when such a user is removed from the matchmaking system.
The extent of the ban is determined by the developer but they must be consistent with a VAC ban.
The effects of the game ban are determined by the developer, and must be consistent with a VAC ban, such as being prevented from playing online with other players and/or trading items for that game. It cannot prevent the user from launching and playing the game offline. It cannot prevent the user from using Steam.
The duration of the game ban is determined by the developer. Only permanent game bans are displayed on the user’s profile. Temporary game bans, or suspensions, are not displayed.
The duration of the game ban is determined by the developer. Only permanent game bans are displayed on the user’s profile. Temporary game bans, or suspensions, are not displayed.
If you've been one of the people in question and are now worried that your game will be taken away from you, don't worry too much. Your game won't be taken away from you. Additional information on this new ban system can be found at the newly created Steam Support page for this "Banned by Game Developer" system.
