A developer for the groundbreaking new game Before Your Eyes was pissed when a reviewer got a refund from Steam after quickly beating the game, despite the fact that the game was meant to be short. To highlight Steam’s flawed refund policy, the developer continued to send a fake game to Steam called “Refund This Game”.
Before Your Eyes is known for being the first game of its kind. With the help of a webcam, the game tracks your blink to control the main character.
Released last week, Before Your Eyes has received mostly positive reviews. However, lead designer Bela Messex was harassed by a reviewer who asked for and received a refund on Steam despite him praising the story and concept as “surprising”.
Steam’s refund policy allows for automatic refunds for a game if you play it for less than two hours and the reviewer beat the game in an hour and a half.
“Yes, we created a short game,” Messex tweeted. “I think there should be more short games. I think short games shouldn’t be refunded to deliver an amazing experience. “
The reviewer actually responded on Twitter. “I’m really sorry for the refund. As some have guessed, I have a bit of a budget, but I see that paying back a game after enjoying it is [sic] it’s a poor thing to do so I will buy it back.
But before the reviewer tweeted his apology, Messex decided to point out both Steam and Steam users that they were considering getting refunds after beating short games.
To this end, Messex has submitted a fake game to Steam titled “Refund This Game”. The game is just a timer that counts up to two hours. Players who quit within the last five seconds can get a result and, of course, a refund.
While Messex has lofty goals, many others have featured games intended only for troll players, and Valve has made an effort to crack down on these titles.
But Messex’s point is clear: Steam’s policy of automatically reimbursing players who play for less than two hours disproportionately hurts developers of shorter games. And you really shouldn’t request a refund for a game if you enjoyed it!
In the meantime, this is the perfect time to check out Before Your Eyes and let us know what you think in the comments!
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