We have all been invited to a “networking” group at least once in our lifetime on steam. It's annoying, random, and almost daily it seams.

These groups do free game giveaways, contest, run servers, etc. You might think these are harmless groups with big ambitions on helping players connect. Things aren't as good as the seem for every networking group that has thousands of members, someone had to spill their own blood at the cost of the group owner. Everyday developers and player alike are scammed, tricked, robbed of their private information. As you read this a developer is handing over 50,000 steam keys to a greedy networking offical waiting to make a quick buck off a independent dev.

The owners of these groups work together in scamming us and they know exactly what they are doing. Im going to break this next part down into sections first I will discuss what groups you should look out for and then what these groups offer to developers then what they do with their user base.

The offenders

DarkNight Network: operated by DarkEvil - DNGaming ♛

http://steamcommunity.com/groups/DNGaming1

https://steamcommunity.com/id/DarkEvilTF

Original Network: operated by SalzStange

http://steamcommunity.com/groups/Original_Giveaway_Group

http://steamcommunity.com/id/54656245

REX Network: operated by Daniël - ReviewExperts ♥

http://steamcommunity.com/groups/therexnetwork

http://steamcommunity.com/id/danielbink

Lit Network: operated by THEBOSSMAN

http://steamcommunity.com/groups/LitNetwork

http://steamcommunity.com/id/EliteBossMan/

UltraShock Gaming: operated by Nutlope | UltraShock Gaming

http://steamcommunity.com/groups/UltraShockGaming

http://steamcommunity.com/id/nutlope

What do these groups do exactly?

Well its not really news about some of these networks is it? We all know about this incident... http://morrisonlee.com/2016/05/23/game-publishers-in-2016-how-to-throw-your-lifes-work-away-in-seconds/

Here's a few things these network owners have said to me personally and other developers I have been in contact with:

"This is nothing new really, I've got a game on Steam that has grabbed the attention of review sellers multiple times now - if you decline they flood the new review section with bad reviews (thankfully Steam is fast with removing them). It's usually keys (~50k or more) or money "if you want to have them seem legit". Example: http://pastebin.com/raw/wYgrXTZf" -Xaymar

“DarkEvil - DNGaming ♛ 27 May @ 5:12pm Hello, Sir
I have a marketing offer for you and your awesome games! We are offering Greenlight Boostings for developers for only 30$. If you are interested, please contact me through Steam or my email darkevilservices@gmail.com”

-DarkEvil - DNGaming ♛
[code]
THEBOSSMAN: currently
THEBOSSMAN: The few big players in the community are
THEBOSSMAN: Daniel, Salz, Me (:D), and DarkEvil
THEBOSSMAN: Dan's nvr been such a big deal
Steamdevguy: he has a pretty big user base
Steamdevguy: 4x yours
Steamdevguy: and double ogc
THEBOSSMAN: that honestly doesnt matter anymore
THEBOSSMAN: Its about your partners
THEBOSSMAN: Through my partners, I reach 2 mil
THEBOSSMAN: Salz's is the biggest in this game
THEBOSSMAN: Salz*
THEBOSSMAN: Salz is not bad at all, you honestly don't know how this whole game works lol
THEBOSSMAN: I had to say it lol
Steamdevguy: Nice ego boss THEBOSSMAN: :^
Steamdevguy: Its a scam made to make big groups and nothing else
THEBOSSMAN: Whats a scam?
Steamdevguy: the part where devs give 50k keys
THEBOSSMAN: mhm
Steamdevguy: it helps groups more than the devs
THEBOSSMAN: to get a job done, we get the job done, and both of us are satisfied
Steamdevguy: but people are exploited
THEBOSSMAN: Then gleam is a scam lol
Steamdevguy: It is lol
THEBOSSMAN: We're trying to abandon this gleam platform
Steamdevguy: Its data mining
THEBOSSMAN: we've got bigger plans :D “
[/code]
-THEBOSSMAN being an ass not even trying to hide what hes doing

If you look a little deeper into these people and their groups immediately you will find out the true horror of what they are doing to steam. USG charges 900 freaking dollars for a greenlight campaign boost that is against steam's ToS!

Developers beware

These groups will email you and add you on steam to abuse you. They will ask you for massive amounts of keys saying it will help your sales. THIS IS A LIE! This will make your game look cheap and like a cash in. If you are doing a greenlight campaign and they add you IGNORE THEM they use grey market tactics and abuse the system and their methods are actually against greenlight TOS this can get your game REMOVED from greenlight. All of their marketing data is false and they have nothing to bake it up all they do is add up their collective number of users in their networks. Just think a little if a network has 4 groups of 50k members they do not have 200,000 users collectively they most likely only have 50k people in 4 groups. If you really want to get your game noticed post to reddit, facebook, forums you visit. If your game is good it will catch on. These networks leach on unconfident devs. It's time to stop.

How this effect users

The users only see the group and free game end of this spectrum. I don't blame them joining a group to get free games I know I would when I was younger. But what they don't know is that they are pawns in the battle between developers and these group network owners. When a network admin pushes a announcement about a free giveaway the crowd goes wild flooding the stands unknowingly giving away their personal information to these group owners. Gleam.io is a data collection haven for these networks they can send 100,000 members to any group, twitter, or youtube with a push of a button. They also collect your email, name, steam account, and other social medias the can and WILL sell your information to 3rd party just to make a quick buck.

8 years ago

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The SimpsonsOriginal Network already did it. Get a few thousand, ten thousand key, make gleam giveaway, ask users to enter the network, then go around saying how many individual and trustworthy, active members the network has.
Most of these look shady as hell :\

8 years ago
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Too bad that it's still ok to promote these groups in GAs descriptions. When they're basically scam groups, which uses SG to be able to make group-only GAs, so people join in groups, they grow in user number, so they have more "arguments" to force devs to give them keys and so on.

Maybe now it's a bit lower, as gleam took place of making these shitty join-group GAs, but it was pretty intense with SG at the beginning of these groups.

8 years ago
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You can say many bad things, but since they deliver keys to people, you cannot call them a scam. They tell devs that they take the keys and distribute them for free, so it is an upfront exchange. The ethical side is… well, the lack of the ethical side can be a better topic.
(Then again, nothing they do is new in video games. Most any publishers are way worse, although not as bad as in the 90s, where even a gigantic AAA publisher could freely fuck a new dev over.)

8 years ago
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I expected a calling out flood, but I guess it only applies to a user according to the guidelines.

8 years ago
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This comment was deleted 2 years ago.

8 years ago
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In an effort to counter ripping off developers for advertisement, I've made a group that does not host giveaways. It exists solely for recommendations by users and reviews to bring better light to indie games worth playing. It's still very new, but I'm hoping it will help provide a good way of advertising without costing those developers a penny.

8 years ago
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lol, these groups are a plague. they do nothing to help devs, except getting free stuff for themselves.

8 years ago
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I feel like someone needs to really get the word out there about these shady groups. Not small people like us. Perhaps someone like Jim Sterling would do it.

8 years ago
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How was the Greenlight campaign boost against the Steam ToS?

Not trying to start an argument, genuine question

8 years ago
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Giving out keys for votes is against TOS...they don´t do that directly but its the same business model I´d say

8 years ago
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This comment was deleted 10 months ago.

8 years ago
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Praise the Trinity of Gleam!
-Woodle Tree Adventures
-The Deer
-DeadBreed

8 years ago
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Paradise (Heaven) Island, Journey tTCoTE, Endorlight have bigger number ?
Well, I don't think Trinity is enough..

They more than enough list for next Humble Bundle
Happy Gleam bundle :

T1: $1 for

  • JTTCOTE
  • Endorlight
  • Woodle Tree Adventure
  • The Deer
  • Heaven Island
  • Overcast

T2: BTA

  • Particula
  • Unknown Battle
  • Big Space Mess
  • Ace of Word

T3: $10

  • DeadBreed 2 DLC
  • Forbidden planet
  • Grave Prosperity: Redux
  • Iesabel
  • Why So Evil complete edition
8 years ago
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Gleam is what really pisses me off. Damned thing wants permanent write access to my Twitter account? Screw that. And all that so they can harvest 20000 new group members and then cancel their DS3/OW/FCP/whatever giveaway, which they never intended to complete in the first place. The thing is designed for scammers.

8 years ago
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honestly, only a very naive person would even think this whole thing could ever not have a scammy scheme behind it. Too bad most of the population is a bunch of sheeps and a too significant part of those who are not just live off of playing around with said sheeps.

8 years ago
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8 years ago
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Guess that means he was bought by the two. Man oh man...

8 years ago
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Nice he got paid to shut up

8 years ago
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Is this the same guy who posted this announcement? Unbelievable.

8 years ago
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Steam groups do need more regulation. But steam supports seems to be too busy to help

8 years ago
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Bump for spreading the truth.

7 years ago
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