Student Steam survey
Gloucester student Robin North asked if I could link you all to his academic survey on Steam’s user base. To wit:
I am currently in the process of researching and writing my university dissertation on the subject of Valve Software’s Steam digital game content distribution system and the impact it has had on the games industry, and the way in which it may potentially shape the future of the industry. As part of my research, I am trying to find out some information about the current usage of various features of Steam and how they are rated (or not) by Steam’s user base – that means you!
I would greatly appreciate it if you could take 10-15 minutes to fill out this questionnaire to aid me with my research. It’s nice and easy – 95% of it is multiple choice – so all you have to do is read each question carefully and choose the answer or answers that you feel is/are most appropriate.
21 Responses to this post:
Comments
Robin Says:
Thank you very much Tom 🙂
I’ve had over 60 responses in the few hours that the survey has been online, and the data sure is looking interesting already!
Now if only Valve would get back to me with their interview responses…
garry Says:
Hope we’ll be seeing the results
Robin Says:
You certainly will – they are proving to be quite interesting, and will hopefully be a useful benchmark of community opinion about Steam and digital distribution in general.
Daniel Chambers Says:
Yeah, the results of this will be facinating. I hope you and Tom Edwards will keep us up to date with it here. 🙂
poullos Says:
Good luck dude. 🙂
Ortzinator Says:
It’s really annoying that questions are absolutely required, specifically open-ended questions.
PseudoKnight Says:
It’s alright if I link this elswhere, right?
Robin Says:
PseudoKnight – of course it is!
Ortzinator – I have tried to write the questions so that you will be able to give an answer for all of them – I deliberately included very few questions that required you to write something for the answer. Unfortunately, multiple choice questions are not always the most appropriate tool! How I wish they were! If you are really stuck for an answer to something like “How would you like to see Steam develop in the future” you can, of course, always put “I’m not sure”, “I don’t know” or similar.
Robin Says:
As a matter of interest, whereabouts did you post the link for this, PseudoKnight? I’ve suddenly seen a *massive* jump in form submissions – which is awesome!
PseudoKnight Says:
Well, I had just posted it at a single forum and it only has 25 views so far so it’s doubtful that jump was my doing. (myextralife.com) I’m going to go post it elsewhere too.
Tom Edwards Says:
I think you’re seeing the effects of Garry posting it on his blog yesterday, Robin. 🙂
Daniel Chambers Says:
Gotta love the power of the Internet.
Robin Says:
Ahah – I was wondering who my mystery benefactor was… The G-man steps in to lend a hand – except this one’s motives are far more altruistic than he of Half-Life notoriety!
Robin Says:
Thank you everybody for all your responses – I have now reached my target of 1000 submissions, thanks entirely to the power of the Intarwebs! I expect it will take me a while to collate the results and get them written up in a presentable form (as I actually have to write the dissertation at some point as well!), so it may be a while before you see the results. Rest assured though, the results (and the dissertation) will be published for all to see.
J.D. Says:
Dude, you took that survey down WHILE I was filling it out.
Here’s the highlights:
1) Forcing any consumer to sign up for “Steam” places Valve on the same level of class as the Gatorbar spyware from the late 90s. Unfortunately, since I paid money for the “Orange Box”, I feel like a cheap prostitute rather than like I clicked on the wrong shareware site.
2) That Steam is required for single player gaming – or at all.
3) That if Steam is the future of gaming, I would ditch games and start playing “Manhunt” for real, starting in Seattle…and I would still be on higher moral footing than people that smear fine products – like Half-Life – with cheap marketing nets trolling for pocket change from low-functioning rich kids that are open to suggestion from years of ADHD medication and television.
See you on the Doom 2 Servers.
And remember: Some kid in Norway has figured out how to play everything “Steam Free”. So it’s not even justified as an anti-pirating device.
InTerFace
eeek Says:
Wow, you got some issues man. Go get some help.
Tom Edwards Says:
I appear to have some kind of darn infestation!
Robin Says:
[quote comment=”4130″]Dude, you took that survey down WHILE I was filling it out.[/quote]
Sorry dude!
Mike Says:
Put the results up, I want to see if my 150+ games / $1600 + spending on Steam is the highest in the survey 🙂
zeverken Says:
Hey Robin. I’m doing a thesis on Online Content Delivery. Your research intrigues me. I wonder if we could talk about that. Any results so far?
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