Steam introduces shift in user review system, featuring language-specific scores as default setting, potentially clarifying or lessening instances of review bombing.
Valve, the video game company behind Steam, has recently introduced a significant update to its user review system. The update now displays language-specific review scores as the default for games that have at least 2,000 public reviews and 200 reviews in a particular language[1][3].
This change aims to better reflect the unique experiences and sentiments of users from different regions. For instance, it highlights issues specific to certain language groups, such as localization quality, cultural references, or network performance[1][3]. By focusing on language-specific reviews, Steam aims to provide potential customers with review scores that are more relevant and meaningful to their context[1][3].
However, this update also impacts potential customers by limiting the visibility of international reviews, which can reduce the total number of reviews shown to users. For games with a global audience, this could hide many positive or negative reviews from other language groups, potentially altering perception. For example, "Black Myth: Wukong" saw its visible English-language review count drop significantly, even though it had a large number of positive reviews overall[2][4].
The language-specific review scores replace the overall review scores for qualifying games. While Valve does not explicitly mention review bombs in its news post about the update, it is possible that this change could help minimize or explain the effects of review bombing localized to specific language groups[1].
In a separate development, Valve has also decided to drop PayPal support for most currencies, citing pressure from banks and card companies[5]. This decision has sparked controversy, with some suggesting it could lead to censorship of NSFW games[6]. However, the removal of PayPal support is not mentioned in the news post about the language-specific review update.
In summary:
| Aspect | Effect of Valve's Steam Review Update | |-------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------| | Language-specific scores| Show reviews primarily in user's language, reflecting local sentiment and issues[1][3]. | | Potential customers | Gain localized insights but lose visibility of broader global reviews, which may impact purchasing decisions for globally popular games[2][4]. | | Review bombs | Possibly mitigated by isolating language-specific review floods, preventing them from skewing global scores[1]. |
Valve has also built features in user reviews that can be enabled or disabled, allowing access to the raw reviews in many different ways. The company emphasizes maintaining trust in the system and acknowledges that changes to user reviews invite scrutiny[7].
[1] https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/140/view/3448759592882457387 [2] https://www.pcgamer.com/black-myth-wukong-review-bombs-on-steam-after-update-to-language-specific-scores/ [3] https://www.pcgamesn.com/steam/language-specific-reviews [4] https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2023-03-31-steam-language-specific-review-scores-are-here-and-they-might-be-a-problem [5] https://www.pcgamer.com/valve-drops-paypal-support-on-steam-for-most-currencies/ [6] https://www.gamespot.com/articles/valve-drops-paypal-support-on-steam-for-most-currencies/1100-6514662/ [7] https://www.pcgamer.com/valve-admits-that-changes-to-user-reviews-invite-scrutiny/
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