-
Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!
The Jimquisition - That Whole CSGO Gambling Thing
- Thread starter Kenzodielocke
- Start date
If that stuff is affected by any of this, its because Valve is possibly participating in unregulated gambling, not because these clowns didnt disclose partnership/ownership during advertising
dukeoflegs
Member
Holy crap I been trying to remember what those toys were called. I use to have the Bonk Boglin, one of my favorite toys as a kid.
Also great episode Jim.
Also great episode Jim.
SmackAttack
Member
Same here. It's unbelievable how far this was able to go with these scumbags. Think I'll pop in that thread now.
I love it.
That ending though. YOLO Army taking their name to heart. GET 'EM, JIM!
Audioboxer
Member
Happy to see all my sax intro bros coming together in here. Make it default Jim. It's classy.
Audioboxer
Member
Giving this a wee bump to light the Sterling lamp to hopefully get a GAF one liner of what he thinks of TmarTns apology video
https://youtu.be/gjyGQV2i9eU
JIM! Your service is needed.
https://youtu.be/gjyGQV2i9eU
JIM! Your service is needed.
Gabriel_Logan
Member
I'm actually interested if Jim can afford to keep being sued by derelict publishers. The Skeptics Guide to the Universe was recently sued and he said that the lawsuit was financially ruinous to the company and he won. Jim is not rich so I hope he's doing allright.
Delusibeta
Banned
The problem is that I don't think there's any real solution to automated trading bots (which I think is the ultimately the fundamental problem with this whole thing). You can block Steam Desktop Authenticator, but that wouldn't stop bots using an Android emulator and the Steam mobile app. You can try manually banning bots, but I suspect all that would do would mean that the new bot accounts wouldn't have obvious names. And without stopping the automated trading bots, there's not a lot Valve can do to prevent these skin gambling sites. Even Valve revoking the API keys can be worked around (since there's nothing there that can't be scraped). Shut down the Steam Marketplace? External marketplaces, where you can sell skins for actual money and not Steam credit, such as OPSkins and G2A, already exist.
Honestly, the only thing I can think of that wouldn't be easily worked around would be shutting down Steam Trading wholesale, which would be a massively unpopular move,
LordRaptor
Member
The unquestionable legitimate use of those bots is that they provide an escrow service for trades and allow for asynchronous trading.
Delusibeta
Banned
I do recognize that there are indeed legitimate uses for trade bots, but isn't your example exactly what the Trade Requests feature does?
The obvious next step is to limit the number of transactions an account can perform in a specified time period. Then they will create even more bots and it will be Steam's turn again.
LordRaptor
Member
The way its setup within Steam - quite reasonably - is that you can only trade items with another player who is currently online, or sell directly for cash on the steam stock market equivalent (minus the fee).
External sites used the Steam APIs to create tradebots so that as an alternative you could 'deposit' an item onto a bot, then put it up for 'sale', and anyone who wanted that particular item could pay you what you wanted for it by making their deposit onto a different bot, with the site letting those trades go through when both bots reported back they had what was being looked for.
So as a real world example, if I had a blue hat and wanted a red hat instead, instead of selling my blue hat and using the money to buy a red hat (a lossy process, as valve would take a cut on each transaction) I could either go to the steam forums and hope someone online is wanting to trade their red hat specifically for a blue hat, or I could go to 'redhatsforbluehats.com' and use a trade bot.
Bots are also used for things like giveaways in exactly the same way that modbot is used on this site too, even beyond the 'stock exchange' style bartering used in the example above.
e:
fundamentally the 'problem' valve created is a fairly good model of a real economy, along with the tools that a real economy has developed to facilitate trading beyond bartering in a market. That people have taken those tools to break laws, gamble, manipulate prices, or create ponzi schemes isn't so much an indictment of valves processes or oversight as it is a reflection that thats what people do in real economies
Death Metalist
Member
Jim Sterling
Member
Audioboxer
Member
Chairmanchuck
Member
I still have an Alf and a Coca Cola Pog, both shiny. Any site where I can bet with those?
Movalpolos
Banned
Good on Jim for calling out Valve on this shit too.
Chobel
Member
LOL!
Audioboxer
Member
The amount of times Jim rails on Valve will probably one day bring about a #FuckValve news... Or not because Konami is Konami and Konami is the worst.
Sorry Valve. You're doing shitty things but you still do good. You aren't Konami. Yet.
newtypepilot
Member
hey I still have a bunch of pogs stashed somewhere. I wanna win some money now!
A FuckValve sounds like some sort of Sterling brand fleshlight.
Audioboxer
Member
SneakyStephan
Banned
Jim must be so sad that he didn't wait another day for his video. He could have recreated that I'm sorry scene with the golden retriever.
BassForever
Member
Magnet_Man
Member
SpacePirate Ridley
Member
Basically this:
And the dog part reminded me of this:
Holy shit Jim, you are killing me here.
Magnet_Man
Member
Thank god for Jim recording it. :^)
He has a lawyer? He sure doesn't look like he does. I'm not a legal expert, but I would be telling him to shut the hell up right about now. He seems only concerned with protecting his businesses and income than staying out of legal trouble. If every time you say something and then delete it later, maybe you shouldn't be fucking saying it in the first place.
Conkerkid11
Member
What absolutely slays me each time is how he feels it makes sense to record these apologies with a background which indicates his wealth. Last time it was basically a tour of his lake-side house with the in-ground pool and everything. This time that nice looking staircase and everything... He's so out of touch with reality.
Here's a mirror by the way.
Duxxy3
Member
The industry is getting more and more shady.
Jim is right. It's only a matter of time before the hammer comes down and the industry becomes a lot more regulated. Loot boxes and other DLC of chance are already borderline gambling. CSGO lotto is blatantly gambling.
Just like those fantasy football betting sites, this will be regulated or flatly eliminated.
Jim is right. It's only a matter of time before the hammer comes down and the industry becomes a lot more regulated. Loot boxes and other DLC of chance are already borderline gambling. CSGO lotto is blatantly gambling.
Just like those fantasy football betting sites, this will be regulated or flatly eliminated.
Using the dog for pity points, this dude is as slimey as they come.
Cute, he is trying to convince us that he has a soul.
Glitchesarecool
Member
Sometimes I wonder if Jim ever wants to get flaps stitched into his suit for these videos so he can just whip out and rub his nips while he does something like the ending of this video.
I prefer the hilary duff remix myself http://youtu.be/pxZxidEDkws
full disclosure i used to work for tvland at the recording of this song. Pls dont roast me jim i already have my apology video uploading as we speak. It has a cat!
valkillmore
Member
Jim is a fucking GOD
Love his shit. Very recent subscriber.
Love his shit. Very recent subscriber.
Lootboxes aren't gambling anymore then a pack of trading cards or a collectable blindbox. Those are legal for anyone of any age to buy.
Doesn't make them less questionable.
Jim Sterling
Member
Said as if I won't just do that on the next episode anyway.
metareferential
Member
Thank God for Jim.
I hope those two little scammers get what they deserve.
I hope those two little scammers get what they deserve.