Steam launches real money-based 'Community Market'
Valve has kicked off the beta for it's Steam Community Market, which lets users exchange Steam Wallet funds for items. Currently the beta only supports Team Fortress 2 consumables.
Valve has taken the next logical step for Team Fortress 2's bustling hat-based economy, by introducing actual money into the equation. The Steam "Community Market" entered beta today, a test bed that allows users to exchange Steam Wallet funds for items instead of simply trading.
The beta only works with TF2, and even then only with consumable items, but Valve promises it will be available with other titles next year. You can show off your items on the Community and sell or trade them to other Steam users. According to a FAQ, all sales are final. Steam keeps a 15% transaction fee during the beta period, which may increase in the future. During the beta, sales are restricted to 200 per calendar year, starting with January 1. Presumably you won't reach 200 before then.
"With over a half million trades made every week, the trading system has been very successful," said Valve's Tony Paloma. "Extending game economies beyond trades and giving players a way to turn gameplay into funds for new items and games is a key component for moving that success forward."
So to summarize: Team Fortress 2 started with clothing items, which led to barter and trade, and finally the advent of currency. Use this handy metaphor to teach your kids about the development of economics in western civilization, because it happened exactly the same way. That progression is almost definitely because of this guy.
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replySteve Watts posted a new article, Steam launches real money-based 'Community Market'.
Valve has kicked off the beta for it's Steam Community Market, which lets users exchange Steam Wallet funds for items. Currently the beta only supports Team Fortress 2 consumables.-
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found it http://steamcommunity.com/market/
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there is a link - to the article. which contains links.
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The article has no links to the thing that the article is talking about, which is indeed silly
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This has been a pet peeve of mine for the longest time on the Shack. Reporting news without ever linking to the actual source of the news. I'd finding myself using google to find the original article or post or video too many times.. I guess now it's one of the reasons why I simply stopped reading first page articles. I just hate when people pretend the internet doesn't exist.
At least this article does have a few links to external related content, but not one to the market itself is kind of weird. -
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blogspam at it's finest!
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Yup, pretty shitty. They should link their source and the actual topic website (if applicable) at the bottom of the page.
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And...for what purpose? What?
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From the FAQ:
The Steam Transaction Fee is collected by Steam and is used to protect against nominal fraud incidents and cover the cost of development of this and future Steam economy features. The fee will be 5% during the beta period (with a minimum fee of $0.01). This fee may be increased in the future.
The other 10% is a game specfic fee that is an amount set by the publisher of the game and goes to the publisher of the game.
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The transaction fee is so that Valve can get a cut of the action. The Team Fortress fee is probably to help keep the game running.
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For facilitating the transaction, just like every single transaction service provider ever
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It's kind of cool that Valve is experimenting with more stuff - especially considering this will potentially mean less profit for them (people can buy stuff off each other more easily, rather than the in game store); it's just a cool thing to do to see what happens.
Right now it's a bit useless though - only a limited subset of TF2 items are available. When most of the TF2 items and Dota 2 items are on it'll be cooler, and if we end up seeing unopened/ungifted games on there... that'd be sweet!-
It'd be interesting buying something through a humble bundle and then auctioning keys off later or something.
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Agreed, but you know it's going to happen if this expands to games.
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It beats getting gouged by someone in a trade server.
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I couldn't care less about TF2 items but am wholeheartedly looking forward to the ensuing torrent of hat baron tears.
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This is kinda neat... maybe I'll sell my stupid medal now. Now being whenever they open it up to that sort of thing.
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I've already sold a crate for a whole penny. I CAN RETIRE!
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Well, cashed out my three unusuals (traded them for keys, then sold the keys). Now I have $200 in Gaben Bucks to spend on Steam.
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I have 68 TF2 items, but it says I have none in my inventory when I go to sell anything. :\
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Right now, it's limited only to consumable items. I expect a lot more activity to happen when Strange weapons get thrown into the mix.
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The hypocrisy of some peoples' reactions to this when juxtaposed to their purported indignation at similar efforts by Blizzard is funny but I guess I should expect the complete lack of principle or consistency from the enthusiast community at this point (for prior examples see LFD2 and MW boycotts).
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