Valve has always been keen to stay away from controversy. However, the mighty beast has been forced to rouse from it’s slumber due to the recent CS:GO scandal involving YouTubers Trevor ‘TmarTn’ Martin and Tom ‘ProSyndicate’ Cassell. Here’s the update Valve has posted on Steam:
In 2011, we added a feature to Steam that enabled users to trade in-game items as a way to make it easier for people to get the items they wanted in games featuring in-game economies.
Since then a number of gambling sites started leveraging the Steam trading system, and there’s been some false assumptions about our involvement with these sites. We’d like to clarify that we have no business relationships with any of these sites. We have never received any revenue from them. And Steam does not have a system for turning in-game items into real world currency.
These sites have basically pieced together their operations in a two-part fashion. First, they are using the OpenID API as a way for users to prove ownership of their Steam accounts and items. Any other information they obtain about a user’s Steam account is either manually disclosed by the user or obtained from the user’s Steam Community profile (when the user has chosen to make their profile public). Second, they create automated Steam accounts that make the same web calls as individual Steam users.
Using the OpenID API and making the same web calls as Steam users to run a gambling business is not allowed by our API nor our user agreements. We are going to start sending notices to these sites requesting they cease operations through Steam, and further pursue the matter as necessary. Users should probably consider this information as they manage their in-game item inventory and trade activity.
-Erik Johnson
While it’s appreciable that Valve has decided to take action, it is regrettable that it’s coming years after CS:GO gambling has been a commonplace occurrence. And the response also seems like Valve once again not taking responsibility, and washing its hands clean of any blame.
The YouTubers are in question are facing legal charges, and might even be a part of a class action lawsuit. This, along with the recent FTC settlement with Warner Bros., seems to be the start of more regulation to be set in place for both YouTube and Video Games.
Featured Image Credit: Woodsy
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