Exploit?

Yes, if people here tell him that is not how it works, I also would not let anyone in. But what was the intend of those giveaways? I mean, I never created a giveaway of stuff I don't even have 'just to see what happens'.

I don't think that that tag is totally fair! While it's true that I sometimes tend to be on the verbose side when pontificating on a topic that has attracted my interest, the entire concept of writing "too much" is inherently subjective; what one person thinks is "too much", another person might say is "just enough."

Additionally, sometimes a lot of text is needed to convey complicated concepts or in-depth analysis of a situation, especially when I want to feel that I've avoided oversimplifying it -- yes, I could condense my posts into straightforward soundbites, but something would inevitably be lost in the transition, and I don't think that that would be good for me or for the people who (for whatever reason) manage to read this far. Additionally, by writing very long walls of text, I can conceal anything I like deeper within my essay, and I'll know that most people won't actually bother to read enough to encounter it.

For instance, let's talk about Steamgifts and the problem of subjective valuation. This is what fundamentally makes CV so complicated; in an era of Steam sales, bundles, and free giveaways, there isn't really a clear way to subjectively assess the value of a game -- sure, you can look at a game's recommended manufacturer retail price or its baseline Steam price, but come on, obviously DotA 2 is not really valued at the $30 it currently costs for early access on Steam, on account of how easy it is to get a free copy. Similarly, the Crazy Machines games are almost always in one bundle or another, so it's hard to say that they're really valued at their retail price.

In a way, this challenges the entire concept of "value" in a capitalist society, since capitalism theoretically depends on goods and services having a clear worth -- do online or virtual goods really have a set worth? Or are they just worth whatever we're willing to pay? I mean, that's true for anything, of course, but online virtual goods can be copied instantly at essentially no price, meaning that ideally a merchant wants to sell them to everyone who is willing to pay them even a single cent. "Exploits" like these often come down to disagreements over the subjective valuation of virtual goods.

At the same time, I think that it's good for us to try and use some type of valuation (even if it's subjective and unreliable) in order to oh god I have spent way too much time writing for one silly joke. Anyway, my main point is that it's worth trying to prevent exploits despite the unreliable and fundamentally meaningless nature of the system, and also Steamgifts, Steam, and indie bundles all point at a new economic system that fundamentally undermines the nature of exchanges necessary for a capitalist society.