I have read and I understand the rules. May I join as a reviewer?
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That's good to know!
Yes, you may join the Group as a reviewer :)
edit: feel free to join us on Discord as well.
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Thank you! I entered for two games I would be happy to play through and review, and I also joined the Discord server. :)
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Hey,
We reverted to the old wave system. I made an announcement on the Steam Group page :)
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Hello everyone!!
Due to an unexpectedly high number of deserters, we have found ourselves forced to make some new changes regarding the giveaways. While our objective was to have everyone be able to join any giveaways, after losing contributions as valuable as Stray and Horizon: Zero Down, we can't keep things the way they are anymore. We also want to apologize to our contributors that found their contributions lost to some scummy hit'n'runner.
You don't have to worry, though, we aren't letting this stop us! But we've noticed that having such sweet candy out there and expecting everyone to comply was a little naive on our part. We still want new people to have an opportunity to try reviewing and prove themselves, so we will still be making GA's that are accesible to everyone. However, we have decided to have two tiers of giveaways: normal ones, which will be smaller and accessible to everyone; and "premium" giveaways, which will feature bigger games and only be accessible to reviewers that we trust via private invite. And how will we know who to trust? Well, we are just human and can't predict the future, but we will mostly be guiding ourselves by the reviews the member in question has submitted in the past. Unfortunately it has been proved to us that we can't trust people that haven't interacted or contributed anything yet, so until a member submits at least one review (one that doesn't seem half-assed or rushed), we can't grant them access to bigger giveaways.
Hopefully with this new system we will make sure everyone strives to write better reviews, and keep deserters away from the good stuff in the future, without negating access to those that simply haven't had the chance to prove themselves yet.
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Damn, I just read this. A great pity. I will remember those names
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It was a confusion, those names were not the hit & runners, but the contributors. I deleted their names so we can avoid such confusions.
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Hi! I'd like to join a s a Reviewer. I'm a movie freak as well, hence I know how to critically review both movies and games. I hope my skills and knowledge come in handy :)
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Hello!
I've added you to the Group as a Reviewer. Welcome and good luck!
Also please consider joining our Discord server. We're active there :)
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By the way, I cannot join any of the giveaways, it says I'm not a member of a Steam group, but I already joined the Unofficial SteamGifts Magazine Steam group. Could you please have a look into that?
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You have to sync your steam profile so SG sees that you have a new group added. Press on arrow near your profile on the upper right side on SG. And there is sync with steam option.
SG simply sees a group on Steam that you are part of and allows you to see giveaways if you are a member. But the site doesn't constantly sync your profile. My profile synced for example 2 days ago, so you have to do it manually if you want your SG profile to see if any new games or groups you have on your steam profile.
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What Chris said. Your steam profile isn't synced with SG, most likely.
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Hi!
Good to have another willing editor! Welcome to the team :)
Also, I suggest you join us on Discord. We have a dedicated channel for editors, where I share the workload.
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Bump!
Issue #4 will be released in a couple of days. This one is even bigger than the last!
The magazine is growing in size with each issue and that is great, but the number of members in the Group slightly improved in the last couple of months. I had probably more than 50 requests from people that wanted to join, but sadly I had to decline most of them since they didn't mention the role they wanted before applying.
So if you truly want to join us, then don't hesitate to leave a message here! Looking forward to meeting new members :)
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Hello!
Would you like to confirm that you've read and understood the rules of the Group and that you are confident in your ability to play and review games, if you win?
We're a bit worried, since we can't see any reviews listed on your steam profile. And to be honest we don't want a potential leecher in the Group (we had those before).
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Hello!
You've currently won Yes, Your Grace, but you are also in an on-going giveaway for GRIS. Do you lock your win on Yes, Your Grace and remove your entry from GRIS, or do you want to wait to see if you win GRIS as well?
If you win both games, you'll have to re-roll one.
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i'd like to add another giveaway so please let me know the details needed
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Hi Atomic, sorry to hear about the hit 'n' runners. Do you have any requirements to be a reviewer? I mean I see the list of what they "should"
be doing, but is there like a screening process to weed out the hit'n'run people? Some of those people I am a bit shocked by, seemed so trustworthy.
I haven't read any the magazines yet, been to busy really, but has Horizon Zero Dawn been reviewed? Also just a guess judging from the hit'n'run people who won something .. was Praey for the Gods another?
I recently finished HZD so would be willing to try and type up a review it for you if no one else has done so already. Last played 1st April so still fairly fresh, done 76/79 achievements. No screenshots saved but can go back in a get a few.
If Praey for the Gods was another in the same boat I have a copy and is next on my to play list (Currently on LEGO Star Wars Force Awakens).
As you can tell from some of my posts I use ... a fair bit, sort of a force of habit and some other quirky language thanks to a few disabilities, but since you have editors I feel more comfortable knowing someone will clear it up.
Personally myself I would feel better trying to write a review on a game I myself own, seeing how I go a few times before committing to win game, play and finish in X days then review.
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Hello Channel28!
Long comment, so I will try my best to split it up and address all your points.
Do you have any requirements to be a reviewer?
First of all, please ensure that you have fully read and understood the group rules and the game rating system that you need to follow.
Secondly, we do not have high requirements for someone to become a reviewer. A friendly attitude and a willingness to improve and listen to criticism or suggestions are all that I am asking for. We do not expect perfect reviews, but we do expect to be able to have a dialogue with the reviewer. It is highly recommended that you join us on Discord since we are mostly active there, and we have a special channel for reviewers where you can ask questions or discuss review-related topics with other members.
Lastly, it is important to enter giveaways only if you genuinely believe you have the time and enthusiasm to play and review the game in question. Also, we ask you to try and respect the deadline date and inform us if you are unable to meet it and need additional days.
is there like a screening process to weed out the hit'n'run people?
We have staff members who carefully review the profiles and history of each applicant. While it's not 100% foolproof, we do reject members if we encounter too many red flags. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee that every new member who joins will play fair. It is a risk that we have to accept in order for the Group to grow..
Some of those people I am a bit shocked by, seemed so trustworthy.
Not all blacklisted members engaged in "hit and run" behavior. Some were blacklisted for entirely different reasons.
I haven't read any the magazines yet, been to busy really, but has Horizon Zero Dawn been reviewed?
You should! We are working on the 5th issue already :)
And yes, Horizon Zero Dawn has already been contributed by a member. Unfortunately, the winner activated the game and refused to play and review it. As a result, the winner got blacklisted and we have implemented a new system in which we calculate the "score" of the games we give away. If a game scores high enough, it will receive the "premium giveaway" status, which means only premium reviewers will be eligible to enter. You can find more information about the premium system here
Also just a guess judging from the hit'n'run people who won something .. was Praey for the Gods another?
Praey for the Gods was given away in the previous wave. The reviewer is still playing/writing the review at the moment. Deadline for it is 1st of July, so there is still plenty of time left. The winner, Mudk1p, is a trustworthy member and even designed some of the pages for the magazine. So no, probably we won't have a hit'n'run on this one :)
I recently finished HZD so would be willing to try and type up a review it for you if no one else has done so already. Last played 1st April so still fairly fresh, done 76/79 achievements. No screenshots saved but can go back in a get a few.
While I do appreciate and respect your offer to review a "lost game" for us, I am afraid I have to refuse. It is important for us to maintain the integrity and purpose of the group/magazine by focusing on reviews specifically for games won in the group's giveaways. Allowing members to submit reviews for any game in their library, including games previously given away by the group, like HZD, could undermine the appeal and value of the giveaways.
As you can tell from some of my posts I use ... a fair bit, sort of a force of habit and some other quirky language thanks to a few disabilities, but since you have editors I feel more comfortable knowing someone will clear it up.
We have editors who will make sure to improve the quality of your review and address any grammar mistakes. Joining our Discord would be helpful for this process, as our editors could directly message you to seek clarification on uncertain phrases or paragraphs, ensuring that their edits remain faithful to your intended ideas. This direct line of communication will help shape up a final review that accurately represents your thoughts.
Personally myself I would feel better trying to write a review on a game I myself own, seeing how I go a few times before committing to win game, play and finish in X days then review.
That's not a bad idea. But I honestly recommend you to "just do it" and join some "smaller" giveaways that don't require too many written pages. This way, you can practice and gain some confidence in your abilities. The worst case scenario is that we end up with a mediocre review for a little game, but it's not the end of the world :)
Also, don't forget that you have the option to join as a Reviewer and enter a giveaway only when it suits you and you genuinely believe you can play and review the game if you happen to win it. There's no obligation for you to participate in giveaways unless you truly want to.
I hope this answers all your questions and encourages you to join us!
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Hi,
I'm moderately interested in joining as a reviewer and/or contributor. There's not really any giveaways I'm interested in, or don't already own, in the current wave but I could contribute a game or two to the next wave and enter if anything catches my eye.
EDIT: I did read all the rules and such prior to posting.
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Hello!
I've accepted your request and added you as a Full Member, which means you have both Reviewer and Contributor roles.
Welcome aboard! :)
Edit: Are you on Discord as well?
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Wave 9 looks awesome - bump!
If anyone is considering becoming a reviewer but is unsure, feel free to reach out to me! I'd be happy to share a bit about my experience participating in the magazine =)
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Having seen your reviews on Steam and how much time and effort you put into them, I'm happy you're interested! It will be a great addition :)
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Hi,
I would like to join the community. I like to review games and I thought why not partake in such an event.
Here's what I wrote so far: My Reviews
I do take reviewing rather seriously and tend to prefer to complete games 100%, if the time permits it, before I write a review.
If by any chance I intend to do giveaways, can they be done alongside others, or do they have to be only for this group?
Thanks!
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Hello!
You've been accepted as a Reviewer. Welcome!
Also, please consider joining us on Discord. We're friendly, I promise :)
If by any chance I intend to do giveaways, can they be done alongside others, or do they have to be only for this group?
I am not sure I understand this question. Please correct me if I am wrong, but are you asking if you can do a giveaway for a game and share it with 2 groups? (SGM and others). In that case, I am afraid not. The giveaways are exclusive to our group only, as we have a special "giveaways wave" in which our contributors submit monthly giveaways for our reviewers to participate in. I feel like having a giveaway shared with multiple groups would only complicate things.
I can change your role from Reviewer to Full Member (both Reviewer and Contributor), but you'll have to keep our group's giveaways separate. Let me know if you want that. For now, I have you registered as Reviewer only :)
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Also, please consider joining us on Discord. We're friendly, I promise :)
Sure, I'll join you guys. I'm managing mine, so I'll see what's happening there.
I am not sure I understand this question. Please correct me if I am wrong, but are you asking if you can do a giveaway for a game and share it with 2 groups? (SGM and others). In that case, I am afraid not. The giveaways are exclusive to our group only, as we have a special "giveaways wave" in which our contributors submit monthly giveaways for our reviewers to participate in. I feel like having a giveaway shared with multiple groups would only complicate things.
Noted. Thanks for answering my question.
I can change your role from Reviewer to Full Member (both Reviewer and Contributor), but you'll have to keep our group's giveaways separate. Let me know if you want that. For now, I have you registered as Reviewer only :)
It's fine to stay as Reviewer for the moment, if things change I'll reach out to you here or via Discord. Thanks.
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Hey there, i have my own review channel at www.instagram.com/rqreviews and would be interested in reviewing here as well! It may help your hit and run problem if you reduced the minimum word count of reviews. These reviews are VERY long compared to game informer and most gaming journo sites in general, and aren't better for being wordier. Just a suggestion.
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Hello,
You've been accepted as a Reviewer. Welcome!
It may help your hit and run problem if you reduced the minimum word count of reviews. These reviews are VERY long compared to game informer and most gaming journo sites in general, and aren't better for being wordier. Just a suggestion.
I'm sorry, but I disagree with your point here. A minimum of 400 words per page isn't VERY long. it isn't long at all In my opinion, it is actually quite reasonable. If this requirement is causing people to hit'n'run, perhaps they should have not joined in the first place.
Personally, I prefer reviewers who take the time to provide thoughtful reviews rather than those who aim to enter and win as many games as possible with short soulless reviews. Requiring 400 words per page, with a minimum of 1-2 pages depending on the game, is not a high standard let's be honest. We had some really great VERY long reviews such as Fallout 76 (3400 words), DEATHLOOP (3300), Deep Rock Galactic (2800), We Happy Few (3200), and so on... All those reviews were provided by reviewers that were passionate about the thing. They weren't asked to write such long reviews, they just did it because they had a lot to say about the games.
We are aiming to create good reviews that contribute to a visually pleasing magazine while also providing insightful information.
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Hello, MrPerry!
I would like to accept you as a reviewer for our group, but, to be honest, your SG and Steam profiles do present some red flags. The fact that you're only 3 days old on SG is the main issue. Besides that, your Steam reviews don't exactly inspire quality or thoughtfulness, if I may be frank with you. "Baum", "MEME DO MEME", "da p dale" and "jogo de fila pog". That's it. That's all you had to say about 4 games. Those were basically word-for-word your 4 reviews for 4 games. Moreover, they weren't even written in English, so I can't really say that I understand any of them.
If you genuinely want to be part of the group for the reviewing experience and to see your reviews published in the magazine, then I won't stand in your way. Simply reply here stating that you have read and fully understood the group rules, and I will accept you as a reviewer. However, if you're just looking for a quick hit'n'run, this is not the right place for that.
Let me know if you decide to join!
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Hi!
I'm not applying. But I was interested in some tips for writing great reviews. As I barely reach 400 words, cant imagine reaching 2000+ words to describe a game. I would feel as though I'm writing a term paper!
If its not a bother, I was curious about your thoughts. How does one achieve the balance between being informative, funny/human and also being concise. Do people who write long reviews have a bullet list, they ponder and write against? What do they consider so that it doesn't sound like a long snooze fest? Do people have some sort of a template to jot down notes while playing the game? etc etc...
Im not looking to write long reviews for myself, as I prefer writing brief/quick reads. But I was quite curious about the process an ideal reviewer goes through to achieve that perfect review. Hopefully some of them would help me improve my boring stuff as well.🙃
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Hello!
I honestly don't know what "tips" I can give you. Words usually come to me naturally. I never worry about the word count, and every time I do have a limit, I unknowingly surpass it and have to cut out some content to make it fit.
Your comment already contains 160 words! It's almost half the requirement for one page. What information did you provide in those words? You mentioned that you're not applying to join the group, but you're curious and interested in learning some tips on how to increase the length of your reviews without losing the main point.
Surely, you could have made that post around 100 words shorter and still made your point clear. But instead, you chose to expand on your initial curiosity by asking additional questions. This shows that you are capable of adding more details and being explicit in your writing. You didn't take the "robotic" approach of getting straight to the point without providing any additional information.
If its not a bother, I was curious about your thoughts
I can't speak on behalf of others, but personally, for me, a good review feels like having a conversation with a close childhood friend with whom I used to discuss video games all the time. I aim to provide every detail about the game that I liked and disliked, just as if I were chatting with that friend. It's important for me to convey my thoughts in a friendly and casual manner that can be easily understood, even if my friend has never heard of that game or played that genre before. When I envision my "audience" as childhood friends, it becomes easier and more natural to express myself. I'm not interviewing for a job, so I don't feel the need to be overly serious or formal in sharing my thoughts. Instead, I try my best to be relaxed and enjoy the process.
How does one achieve the balance between being informative, funny/human and also being concise.
There is a fine line between providing informative content and just rambling about unrelated stuff. However, it's important to note that where that line falls depends entirely on the reader. Some may not even perceive what you consider "rambling" as unrelated because they are already invested in your storytelling. As I mentioned earlier, certain readers will listen to you as if you were their closest childhood friend, you'll have that connection with them, and become captivated by your narrative abilities. On the other hand, there are people who have zero tolerance for rambling and easily become offended or frustrated because they feel like you're wasting their time. Unfortunately, there's not much you can do to satisfy these types of readers as they will always find something to complain about in your review. Their focus is not on seeking someone's personal experience of the game, but rather imposing their own experience and thoughts onto it. It's a complex situation to explain, but it's undeniably true.
Think about those reviewers who write copy/paste reviews where they have a set of questions and answers like "Graphics - a) best graphics ever b) good graphics c) decent graphics d) poor graphics e) Nintendo graphics," and so on. They simply tick the box that best aligns with their opinion of the game. Does that qualify as a review? Well, it does, since many users on Steam review games in that manner. Alongside those reviews, you'll find the "hilariously" meme reviews or two-word reviews. While they do count as reviews, they are primarily targeted towards individuals who are solely interested in the most basic qualities a game can offer. But, of course, such reviews don't provide much insight into the game itself, the experience of playing it, or the thoughts it might evoke. Personally, I wouldn't find value in reading those reviews since I can already gather that information from the screenshots, trailer, and game descriptions already in the game's store page.
Do people who write long reviews have a bullet list, they ponder and write against?
I personally keep a dynamic "bullet list" depending on the game. The order of the list can change, and some points may even disappear entirely.
It usually looks something like this:
Sprinkle in some personal stories and jokes into that, and I think you have the recipe for an old-fashioned gaming magazine review.
Speaking of which, when I was around 10 years old and discovered my first gaming magazine, I developed a deep admiration for a few reviewers who regularly contributed to it. I didn't care much about the specific game they were reviewing; I simply loved the fact that they were reviewing it. If their score was high enough, I was almost certain I would enjoy the game since I trusted their judgment. Essentially, what I'm trying to say is that the magazine shouldn't solely revolve around the games being reviewed, but about the reviewers themselves. A good reviewer will make a mediocre game appear appealing, while a bad reviewer can make even the best games seem bland and boring.
The reason behind the creation of SGM was to combine my passion for games and nostalgia for old gaming magazines with the SG community and its giveaways. I am pretty sure our readers don't seek us out for the reviews of old games that already have numerous reviews available online, but rather for the nostalgic magazine experience and the sense of community around it.
Im not looking to write long reviews for myself, as I prefer writing brief/quick reads. But I was quite curious about the process an ideal reviewer goes through to achieve that perfect review. Hopefully some of them would help me improve my boring stuff as well.🙃
You should give it a try! It's genuinely a enjoyable process that provides an extra incentive to play and complete a game. Having an active community to share your creations with makes it even more enjoyable. But either way, I hope my post answered most of your questions and fed your curiosity.
I just wrote 1400~ words replaying to your post. It's that easy, and it only took me around half an hour (plus maybe an additional 10 minutes to check for grammar mistakes). Doing this for a game you've played for hours should be even easier!
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When you mentioned how words come naturally to you. The main introspective thought that i had, was that I need to read more!
I have always found it hard to elaborate on things more than what I deem necessary, which is quite less. Definitely need to work on that.
After reading what you shared, I don't think I'll see the reviews the same way. That reviews are more than simple articles imparting details about a game, a good review might be a well rounded story in itself to capture the readers. I have never read a magazine game review as a kid, I only used to skip to the images of the cool gadgets they shared. But I suppose its never too late, thanks to SGM.
The general pointers/guidelines you follow are quite holistic in its coverage. I think my reviews until now already touch on some of these points to a very smaller extent. So I guess I'm not that worse off haha.
Thanks a lot for sharing your thoughts and more than just answering my queries. I'll definitely give making detailed & rich reviews a try.😁
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Hello, in fact my old reviews are shallow and I intend to dedicate myself more to express my opinion better, I deleted the reviews to redo them in the future.
Yes, I can publish reviews in English without any problems.
Even after just a few days I'm already looking for engagement, I really liked the platform and I even held a raffle.
I really liked your approach and would like to join the group.
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Fair enough. I trust your words!
Send a group request and I'll accept you as a Reviewer :)
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Hello and Welcome to the central hub of SteamGifts Magazine!
The SG Community's own digital monthly gaming magazine in which ANYONE can join for a chance to win a game and review it, putting down their thoughts on "digital paper" for the whole community to read! Each submitted review will be published.
Steam Group Rules and Member Roles
Please make sure you have read and understood the rules for each role before requesting to join the Group:
Reviewer - As a reviewer you can enter the Group's giveaways for a chance to win games and review them.
The Rules:
1) Before entering giveaways, make sure you check the deadline assigned to them. Enter only if you truly believe that you can play and review the game in that timeframe. The deadline varies depending on game size and length, from 3 weeks up to a maximum of 8 weeks!
In case you cannot reach the expected deadline, you can request additional days in order to finish. A maximum of 5 additional days can be requested!
Not all games will require completion in order to be reviewed. Sport games, racing games, simulators or other type of "sandbox" games can be reviewed if a minimum required number of hours is met (that number will be decided separately).
Story based games on the hand, need to be finished before submitting the review!
2) Each Reviewer can enter any group giveaway until they win a game. After that point, the Reviewer is forbidden to enter additional giveaways unless they have played, reviewed, and submitted the review from the previously won giveaway.
3) There will be two giveaway 'waves' per month. Each wave will feature up to 15 giveaways.
4) In case you win multiple giveaways, you'll have to pick the game that you want to play and review the most, and then accept to re-roll the other game/s that you've won. This way everyone has a higher winning chance and you will be able to better focus on the review.
5) You’re not a professional game reviewer. We get that. Nobody is asking you to be one, but if you took upon yourself this task, you should at least try your best. We don’t want to stress you about creating the perfect review. But on the other hand, please respect the Magazine and the Group. Each review should be at least 1-2 pages long for smaller games, and 2-6 pages for bigger titles.
One page is measured in 400 words – font Calibri – size 11
Don’t worry if English isn’t your first language. It isn’t for most of us. I will correct mistakes the best I can before publishing it. Editors will help as well.
We also encourage a lighthearted approach in writing the review. Don’t take yourself too serious! Add some personal stories to make the reader feel more empathic towards you, rant about certain aspects of the game if you feel like it, make jokes, damn.. even add memes if you want to. The point is… be original. This is YOUR review. Pretend you’re explaining the game to your childhood's best friend. The reader is that friend :)
6) Do not try to copy/paste reviews from other sources. Stealing from others isn’t cool. And if caught you’ll be blacklisted. We want the authentic YOU!
7) The only “mandatory” review format is the game scoring. At the end of the review, you’ll have to score it accordingly to the magazine’s format.
8) As you play the game, you’ll be required to take and submit at least 5 in game screenshots, with small descriptions on what you were doing or trying to capture. These screenshots will be added in the magazine.
9) Some games might be too difficult to beat. Maybe you're stuck on a level? Or maybe the game is a mess filled with bugs that stops you from finishing it. If that's the case and you REALLY tried your best, but just couldn't move past a certain point, let us know in the Group. We can find a solution together.
10) The usage of any type of AI software or tool to write reviews or paragraphs from the review is strictly forbidden. We have an AI detection tool that we use on each submitted review, and it is highly effective, accurately identifying AI-generated content 9 out of 10 times.
If you are caught with 2 or less AI-generated paragraphs, you will receive a warning and lose your Premium membership (if you have one). If you are caught with more than 2 AI-generated paragraphs, you will be banned.
11) If you win a game, you have 7 days to redeem the key/gift and mark the game as received. Falling to do so will get you blacklisted.
12) Have a positive and friendly attitude.
Contributor – As a contributor you can support the Group with game giveaways (maximum of 4 per month). A game which will be reviewed by the winner and published in the magazine.
The Rules:
1) You’ll have to ask for permission before creating a Group giveaway. Via direct messaging me or requesting it in the dedicated post "Contributor's Dropxbox" in the Group Forum. The reason behind that is mostly because we’ll need to coordinate with the other giveaways. Also, no repeats of previous games.
2) There is going to be a limit of 4 giveaways per month (for the first few issues) and then, at a later date, the limit is going to be restricted to only 2 giveaway per month. The reason for that is because I want multiple members to participate on both sides. As a reviewer and a contributor. And since we can’t have too many giveaways going on at the same time, we need to limit the amount you can contribute.
3) Contributors will have a special "Thank You" section reserved in the magazine..
4) As a contributor you need to accept the fact that there is a small chance that some of your giveaways won't get to 5 entries. That means you will not receive any contributor points on SteamGifts.
5) Have a positive and friendly attitude.
Full Member – As a FM you’ll be able to contribute games for others to participate in, and you will also have access to other members giveaways for the purpose of playing & reviewing them.
Editor - As an editor, your task is to help us "tidy up" the reviews before we publish them in the Magazine. That means correcting any grammar mistakes you can find, making sure that the reviewer's ideas are well translated and interpreted into text. This is a vital role, as it will dictate the overall quality of the reviews and Magazine.
Moderator - Forum moderators will help with certain activities on the Steam Group Page. Making sure everyone is on their best behavior :)
Okay, now onto the Magazine..
Magazine Format
So far, this is very much up for debate. Everything you’ll see listed here are my own suggestions. By the time the magazine will be completed, many things will be changed or entirely new sections will be added.
• TEAM OF THE MONTH section, in which the editors and all reviewers will be listed, alongside their games (and the page # in which the reader can find that specific review).
• GAME GIVEAWAY section for the readers. Each issue will have a page dedicated to a game that is being given away through link invitation. The game will have a small review on it’s own. The giveaway will end on the last day of the month, right before the next issue is published. There might be multiple copies of the game in the same giveaway so more readers get a chance at it.
• SPECIAL section for different kind of articles related to gaming.
• NEWS section for gaming news.
• HANDS-ON REVIEW for games contributed by developers. If any indie game developers want to advertise their game and are looking for a honest review. (This might not be available in the first issue).
• REVIEWS section.
• COVER GAME REVIEW section, is going to be the “big” or “main” review. Which shall be the longest and most detailed (also the bigger game of them all).
• SCREENSHOT OF THE MONTH section, in which ALL SteamGifts members can submit their favourite screenshot from any game. Only 3 will be selected for publication. 3rd place, 2nd place and the winner. (don't know yet where they should submit the photos)
• FREE2PLAY GAME OF THE MONTH section, in which we’ll feature a Steam game that is free to play.
• HYPE section, in which we list a few upcoming releases that we’re hyped for.
• CONTRIBUTOR “Thank You” section in which all members that contributed with games will be mentioned. Each of them having a quote underneath the game they’ve gifted.
• And more… (if you have any suggestion, please share!)
The Rating System
I decided against using a conventional 10 digits or percentage scoring method.
Instead, the rating system for each game will be the following:
Story – Based on overall storyline, sidequests, environment, characters and dialogue.
Graphics – Based on overall graphics capabilities, visual effects and how well they hold up (for older games).
Sound – Based on sound effects, music and voice acting.
Gameplay – Based on gameplay mechanics, fluidity of the game, learning curve and engine stability.
Fun Meter – Based on originality and how much you’ve enjoyed playing it.
For EACH of these categories you need to assign a number of stars.
⭐ - horrible
⭐ ⭐ - poor
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ - good
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ - very good
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ - perfect
Besides the star system, we’ll also use a “VERDICT” section in which you can list up to 5 positives and 5 negatives of the game.
In the end, the reviewer will have to choose between “Approved” or “Rejected” on the “Seal of Recommendation”.
List of Reviews in Progress here
List of available Games (Wave 12 - Limited "Lost & Found" Wave):
Finished reviews can be submitted directly to staff member via Discord or Steam. Just message any of us and we'll take it from there.
How to Join the Group?
If you've read the rules and want to be part of the team, please leave a comment here with your desired role, then request to join here
Join our Discord..
if you want to say hi or submit your game screenshot for the "Screenshot of the Month" contest.
Screenshot of the Month
You have a cool, artistic or funny game screenshot that you want to share with us? Then submit it to us on Discord in the submission channel!
At the end of each month we're going to set up a vote poll for the best submission. The winner will be added in the Magazine's "Screenshot of the Month" section!
Submit your favourite screenshot on our Discord channel or on the Steam Group Page here.
Additional Info
After the first issue is released, we’ll have a monthly vote on “best review”, which will grant the winner the option to chose from 3 games. The won game can be reviewed for the next month's issue, but it is not mandatory.
Magazine Index
edit: Please comment here, or on Discord, your desired Group role before submitting a request to join. We have received many requests with no info attached. WE CANNOT ACCEPT THEM unless you specify your desired role first!
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