30,000 Steam Accounts Banned

[Sn00p_B0B]

LoL waiiiit, they dont even ban real warez account, they only ban the accounts that used a cd key LOL, they just try to scare ppl off, wut they do doesnt change shit on warez copy, so in the end, they "scare" every1 cept ppl that dled it illegally, every1 that are like "OMG GJ VALVE NO MORE CRACKER" are clueless, i have yet to see some1 that dled it and had to remake another account, while hundred of ppl on the steam forum that bought it are getting msg that they got banned

[Stagger Lee]

It is rather amusing to see the amount of people who claim to not like the game and yet are pissed that they have been banned. So pissed, in fact, that they log onto forums regularly and bitch and flame Valve and their supporters constantly.

Myself, if I didn't like HL2 and/or CS, I wouldn't even log onto this site. I'd go about my life unencumbered with what goes on in the Valve community. If one were a impartial jurer listening to both sides of the argument, Valve would win.

And no, those who stole and then purchased shouldn't be "forgiven".

There aren't a lot of instances in the world where that occurs.

You think you should only pay if you like a product or it has re-playability in your mind?

Welcome to the entertainment world where most movies, music and games released these days suck.

What's really going on is virtually everything in music, games and movies are available on the net if you bother to learn how. And after these people learn how and successfully get what they want and never get caught, they start to feel immortal and smarter than everyone else.

Surprise! Some of these same people ended up getting jobs at these corporations and creating ways to combat it. Yes, you'll get better but so will they. It's like virus and anti-virus.

Fact is....if you hate Valve so much, you have no reason to be playing their product...or posting.

[kerosine99]

Nighthawk,



I agree that forgiveness and a compassion are virtues that we should all value when it comes to life in general.



I can see why you would think Valve taking away all the games from someone who pirated 1 game is stealing. But I think there's a difference here.



Theft, in general, is something that can happen to someone just because they happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. But these people who are getting their games stolen from Valve, while they probably didn't realize Valve would shut down all their games, did make a concious decision to use a fake key that lead Valve to ban their account. You think that this is unfair for those who made 1 mistake, but I don't think Valve should show them compassion. In the end, this is costing the consumer 60 dollars. Because they can rebuy the silver package, and get everything they had (back catalogs). So -- it's only a 60 dollar mistake. Not too big a consequence, but there should be a consequence nonetheless.



It's not hard to be a legitimate consumer when it comes to videogames. And if you're not and you get caught, it's easy to wipe that slate clean by rebuying and creating a new account. Joe Average is not gonna get carted off to state penn in a paddy wagon. The consequences of their actions, in my opinion, is fair.

[redkulat]

The comment i had posted was going to all the people who had an illegal copy or who got banned for stupid reasons.

[int3rnil]

You know how stupid I feel at the moment? I found out it was just "xFire" that is why I couldn't connect to steam or anything. Haha...



*slaps self*

[Def1ance]

kerosine99 wrote..

Why am I glad they got banned? Here are a couple of reasons.



1. Valve, which is a company where real people work for a living, has spent untold hours designing, creating, and distributing a game. I'd like to think that they will get paid for all their hard work. This is what they do for a living, after all.

2. Every pirated copy means that Valve gets less money. In the end, all this does is hurt their next product. If no one pays for games, newer and better games simply can't be made. I paid for HL2 because I want to support Valve not only for the job they've done so far with HL2, but for the products they will release in the future.



entRo, I think your rationale is off. If you're going to play it, regardless of whether or not you like it in the end or think it was worth your money, you should have to pay. If price is making you unsure of whether or not you want to buy the game, then don't pay for it and don't play it. I've bought my share of crap games, but it's never driven me to warez.



You can't warez a game and then justify it by saying you didn't like it. Like I said, something doesn't come from nothing, and if everyone thinks the way you do, the videogame industry would be dead.

This is exactly why the music industry is now dying, because people (myself included) download music instead of buying them from the store. Let's be honest, who here hasn't had an illegal copy of Photoshop or any other licenced software on their computer? I plan on buying the creative suite, because I enjoyed the Photoshop trial. Yes I did try to crack it, but it didn't work.



I'm still waiting for my copy of HL2, probably wont' get it till late Janurary, but hey it's cool. I've downloaded the demo, and have yet to complete Ravenholm (scared the crap outta me).

[Zips]

-:Nighthawk:- wrote..

Zips, I like you, but your attitude on this matter has and still does disgust me. It's self-righteous and condemning, and nobody likes that kind of attitude. Life, contrary to what you seem to believe, is not black and white.

No, it's not. But to flat out say they or someone they know who used that account did nothing wrong, is foolhardy at best.

DchozN wrote..

There were and still are reports of wrongful bans set on customers who have legally obtained Half-Life 2 (aka coughed up the $50-$90 to Valve).

Going by the "consumer's" own word of mouth on that little 'factoid' correct? So far, in the Steam forums, those who claimed innocence have been shown to be liars thanks to the logs that Valve has.



Be they banned for the illegal key, a failure to provide a legit mailing address, or whatever other reason. At some point they, or someone screwed up. It's not that hard of a thing to check for, and I doubt any company could screw an automated check up, even Valve.

[-:Nighthawk:-]

MrBo wrote..

If I were to walk into a movie theatre without paying, watch a movie, and then walk up to the manager and give him 8 bucks afterwards while saying, "That was a great movie, sorry for not paying before," I'd be kicked out of the theatre and never let back in. It's common practice.

Your analogy doesn't exactly fit, because after watching a movie you haven't paid for, there isn't anything that you're supposed to get to keep and enjoy in the future that the theatre can take away.



Let me make this analogy. On my route from work to college to home, I used to stop at the local Borders book store that was right on the way back home. After browsing the books, I found one I liked, and over the course of the next few weeks, I proceeded to read the vast majority of it.



As I was approaching the last chapters, I ended up buying the book, but I always read the copy at the store until I finished it. If Borders was VALVe software, they would have allowed me to walk out the door with my bought copy, followed me home, and proceeded to reposess every book I ever bought from them for reading a book of theirs before I had bought it.



Simply put, it's ethically wrong. Unfortunately, the 'bad business' aspect of things doesn't apply. Why? If Borders acted like that, we'd all go to Barnes & Noble, and they would fail as a company. However, there isn't another company offering the same service (CS, HL2, etc) that VALVe offers, so in that sense they have a monopoly over the service in question. Because of that, they can charge any price and act in any manner, and there really aren't reprecussions.

You say the attitude of "Serves them right for stealing in the first place." is immature and spiteful. I say the attitude of "They payed for it in the end, they should be allowed to keep their accounts," is illogical, and in practice, simply stupid.

Every company I have ever worked with or for has always had the attitude of serving the customer. I have friends who will grab a drink off the shelf of the grocery store and start drinking it right there in the store as they get their other items. Technically they're stealing that drink, because they're consuming without having paid for it.



However, when we're checking out, that drink (half empty) is still with the rest of the groceries, and it gets paid for just like everything else. Your argument is that the offense (drinking before purchasing) would justify the store in grabbing you at your car, taking all your groceries you just bought away, saying "don't ever consume any product of ours before paying ever again" and walking away with your money and food.



Seriously, it's that stupid of a concept.

Stagger Lee wrote..

It is rather amusing to see the amount of people who claim to not like the game and yet are pissed that they have been banned.

I think some are likely pissed that they lost a game they do like (CS) for playing a game they didn't like (HL2) without paying.

kerosine99 wrote..

It's not hard to be a legitimate consumer when it comes to videogames. And if you're not and you get caught, it's easy to wipe that slate clean by rebuying and creating a new account. Joe Average is not gonna get carted off to state penn in a paddy wagon. The consequences of their actions, in my opinion, is fair.

I may disagree with your position, but it's well-supported and I can respect it. Much better stated than any of your compatriots. :)

Def1ance wrote..

This is exactly why the music industry is now dying, because people (myself included) download music instead of buying them from the store.

I'd love to see the facts that prove the music industry is dying. I've heard lots of claims along those lines, but never backed up with any sort of real proof. Do people download MP3s? Yes, in droves. Do they still buy CDs? As far as I can tell CD sales are still huge, so I'd like to see some actual numbers.

[redkulat]

Edited by [user="280147"] @ [time="1103919254"]

VALVe made a smart decision creating steam and needing an account. You do anything illegal, you get banned. But I think that isn't enough. I've seen on the internet where you can download a program, and you are able to create your own account without using steam, with the Clientregistry.blob. Of course the people modify it, so it doesn't lead them to their original account. The community is always ahead.

[REDSKIN]

sorry butt i paid for all my games fair and square.



i have tried to offer them credit card reciptes and what not but they say i tried to obtain hl2 illegilly after i downloaded that hl2 demo there demo in you playgames list how is that stealing hl2 so FUCK OFF

[entRo]

Def1ance wrote..

This is exactly why the music industry is now dying, because people (myself included) download music instead of buying them from the store.

Actually if you do some research into the subject, you'll see the music industry is hardly disadvantaged, much less dying.

[HankPym]

Nighthawk, I see your argument, and half-agree with you.



Obviously Valve is taking the position that they are not providing just a product - they're providing a service as well. By integrating the two, they are saying that if you violate the agreement you made when purchasing the game, they have the right to suspend all services to you.



I'm struggling to find a good analogy for it, because nothing really comes to mind. It would be like a golf course selling you some clubs, you breaking the rules, and being banned from the course. You get to keep the clubs, you just can't use them. You know, assuming there are no other golf courses in your area. See, I told you it was hard. Shut up.



Anyways I hope you see what I mean by this. I'm sort of divided on the ethics of the matter myself, but that's Valve's position as I see it.

[kerosine99]

Nighthawk, I like both your metaphors, but the big difference is that everyone who downloads and uses Steam accepts the Terms of Service. That doesn't happen when you walk into a bookstore or a grocery store. Like you said before, you're angry that the the ToS is just a "legal" way of stealing from people. But it is an agreement that people have to accept before they can play games or enjoy the service that Valve provides. It reminds me of when you go to boarding school: they make you read the school rules and sign an agreement where if you break any of the rules (oftentimes resulting in suspension or expulsion), you can't plead ignorance. Even though most people don't read the ToS in its entirety, they're still bound by it. I don't see Valve as overreacting.

[Linux]

mmm, Happy X-mass eve! Happy X-Mass! Happy New Years! Lets see how many bans more will happen in the New Year by Valve :-D. Have a great times guys!



This is Linux signing out for a couple days!

[Vlux]

Do you get your Steam account disabled for hacking? I thought they only kick you off steam for a year.