Five Years

Yup. 5 years have passed since I was able to snatch an invite to this site.

All I wanted was to give away those extra copies of Valve games I got from the Potato ARG. After all, it was just a giveaway, nothing to write home about.

Then I joined groups. Started with Delicious, continued with Screenshot-Feature and many more. One thing led to another. Started purchasing extra copies of games so that others could enjoy the games I enjoyed. Made giveaways for a group c00lizz created for those who didn't have any wins yet contributed to the community. Joined Greedy Gifters, a group created by Jetta and Wormy, as a major gifter, where if you had entered any giveaway, you were kicked out, whether you won or lost the giveaway. We would make giveaways for higher priced games if no one would enter.

Great times were had on S.Gifts chat, also on Giveaway of the Dead and Jade's Giveaways. Played co-op games everyday with people on Chieftain's Clan. Over the first three years, got to know many incredible users. Spent nights chatting with people, and days gaming with everyone.

These were the times when Greenlight didn't exist, region restrictions didn't exist (or at least wasn't widespread), developer giveaways were very rare (remember this?), and bundles were just emerging. I would race against other users regarding who'd make the most giveaways.

Became a support member, spent days arguing with users, solving tickets and chatting with fellow support members. Laughs were had, reprimands were given and taken. Not sure if it still exists, but there was a page where you could evaluate the performance of support staff. Regardless of how everyone acted, I say we all gave our best in answering tickets, even though our best sometimes wasn't enough to handle all the tickets equally good.

Looking back on it all, it became a part of my life that I wouldn't trade for anything. These days I look at the site and see faces and names I don't recognize, but I still see whatever it was I experienced during all those years. I know that users today are living the same excitement and joy with each other as I had back then.

Anyway, I wanted to write something good, but this pile of garbage came out. Don't blame an old man for trying.

Edit: Managed to miss out the last part. I meant to thank you all for making this site what it is. Giving away games or chatting on some site may not look like the best thing to do, but somewhere, you're making someone happy. Keep fighting the good fight.

A shout-out to Rinarin, Monukai and xarabas. Among the sea of usernames and avatars, to me you've become more than just strangers on the internet. You are the ones that made my years on this site truly enjoyable, and I'm proud to call you as not just Steam buddies, but as real, lifelong friends.

TL,DR; Mandatory giveaway.