Hello Banters and Bantresses,
I'll start with a question that I often ask myself - Valve: why?
I have 100 gems, okay? I thought that, hey, I might get a game. But no, I just got slapped in the face. I am not a casual gamer but I don't spend all my time on the computer. It seems that gems are worthless, over a thousand are needed to get the worst games put up for auction - tens of thousands for good ones.
Are you trying to make a uniform Steam currency? If you did, you failed because you need at least two years of owning Steam to come close to getting a game. This DOES NOT make new players welcome. I could have got about 15p for the cards a swapped for gems. They are a null concept and pointless. I want that 15p in my Steam wallet! I was completely f****** off when I realised how poor a decision converting to gems is. What were you thinking?!?!?
There is, of course, the argument that you can convert items rather than trading cards which, in actuality, can be quite an easy way to get gems. In addition you can get a cheap badge (convert one item to gems) which was a nice incentive (but could have been developed by making it harder to achieve/being able to level it up - get 250 gems for example).
Overall, the main problems are the conversion rate between gems and money and cards/items and gems as well as the, already present, problem of actually getting these items and cards without spending money (which would be more than the gem price due to the low conversion rate). If these problems were addressed, and the required security was added, then Steam Gems could become a proper currency with a thriving marketplace (if the Steam Marketplace wasn't already broken, that is - but that's another rant for another day).
You've been reading an Olimg rant (with some help from Harry). Thanks and come again! (If something else annoys me enough).
