Is there a Steam gift-card equivalent?

[Blarg Blargson]

The question is in the title. My birthday is approaching, and there's a few games on steam that interest me. However, I don't want to get CD or DVD versions of these games, and I feel it would be crass to just ask my friends and relatives for cash. On the other hand, if Steam gift-cards existed, I would have something that I could ask for that wouldn't be completely without emotional value.

[lavacano201014]

Closest I can think of is asking your benefactors (parents, etc) to gift the games to you.

[ester25]

Steam Purchase Gifts

so can a person buy you a gift off the the website based store, and not have to download the steam app just to gift a game?

So there is no way to gift steam money? For example if I did not know what someone wanted or wanted to let them choose which games they wanted to buy? There would be no way to gift $20 dollars or something?

[theking3000]

You can gift games.

You just pick the right option

[caveman26]

https://support.steampowered.com/kb_...7480-WUSF-3601
or if one of the games you want here you can get them to buy the retail and you enter your cd key in steam

Being able to gift some kind of Steam money or credit would be great. As a group admin, I would much rather reward members with credit than worrying about which games people would like to play (that they don't already have).

I wrote a longer post about it here:
http://forums.steampowered.com/forum...80&postcount=4

[Washell]

Closest you get is a Visa giftcard.

[Dreadjaws]

I hate to break this to you, but there's no more emotional value in a gift card than there is in plain, regular money.

I suggest you put all the games you want in your wishlist, then tell whomever you want to give you the present to look at your wishlist, choose a game from there and purchase it as a gift, choosing to send the gift to your e-mail. That way they'll be able to purchase the game without having to download the Steam client. They'll still have to make a username and password, though.

[Brainstew]

Originally Posted by Dreadjaws

I hate to break this to you, but there's no more emotional value in a gift card than there is in plain, regular money.

I suggest you put all the games you want in your wishlist, then tell whomever you want to give you the present to look at your wishlist, choose a game from there and purchase it as a gift, choosing to send the gift to your e-mail. That way they'll be able to purchase the game without having to download the Steam client. They'll still have to make a username and password, though.

Gift cards do have more emotional value, if you give someone cash they are less likely to spend it on themselves. If you give cash it will just end up being used as gas money, groceries, or some other necessity. The idea behind a gift card is that it forces the person to actually buy themselves something they want (as in a gift), rather than just spending it on things they need.

The only problem I have with gift cards is that you might see a better deal for the same item at another place, but you're confined to one store.

[Berserker1982]

The gift card does make sense, you could start with the US, just start supplying them at one single store (Best Buy, Gamestop, whoever)...in a select area, like NY. Retail typically starts with an endeavor like that anyways, and that way those could eventually end up on Amazon or eBay (the gift cards) as people sell them.

The credit would be even simpler, no physical involvement. It would just require some programming, and you'd have to confine it to the US to start. They don't have to kickstart it worldwide, how many times do you see something say "Available in the United States only" or the likes? They can slowly implement it to Canada or Europe, etc... This thing doesn't have to start out as some massive undertaking, of course it's not viable that way...

I understand the currencies and whatnot, but iTunes has giftcards IN STORES, and they run international stores online with other currencies...They did it and they're a bunch of idiots (today's iTunes update is ready!)

Valve could do one or both of them, it's a matter of priority or their opinion on how beneficial it is.

edit: in regards to that whole "people are used to logging in and using wishlists"...yeah, online people. Some people still insist on going to a store (usually older relatives, etc...) or giving something physical inside a card, not a damn email that delivers the gift. It's kinda cold, don't you think? Many people put iTunes gift cards (not me, FYI) on their Christmas lists and it allows a grandma or aunt or anyone of the likes the option to grab one at a Walmart or grocery store, even, and then have the purchase done. You're trying to confine it to "us gamers" by inferring that the whole online thing is everyday stuff. Some people are either unfamiliar with that (they'd have to have someone walk them through it, trust me, I've had to help people set up an email) or they'll just refuse because of the lack of physical product. They want something to be hand picked, put in an envelope, and held in the recipient's hands on Christmas Day or on their Bday, etc... I know all of this because it's happened to me for the last decade.

[Kalabalana]

Steam gift money is otw, I don't see why it wouldn't be, unfortunately though, I don't think it will be here in time for XMAS.

[antdude]

Originally Posted by Kalabalana

Steam gift money is otw, I don't see why it wouldn't be, unfortunately though, I don't think it will be here in time for XMAS.

What is OTW?

[doohnairb]

Originally Posted by antdude

What is OTW?

i think on the way