Dev sends death threat to Valve CEO, has game removed from STEAM

[Volourn]

  That's a horrible way for people to do business.  Developers are dumb to work with steam.

 

That doesn't mean I agree with the death threat and actually I don't blame Steam not wanting to work with the guy anynmore whether ihe was just 'venting' or menaing it. If I'm a boss of a company I surely would avoid working with someone who made public death threats against me. Heck, I'm not a boss, but if my boss made a death threat towards - even if he didn't mean - I'd have to rethink working for me him. LMAO

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

Did Newell flee his home ?

He is so traumatized he went on Twitter to talk about it and is scheduled to be interviewed by several media outlets.

[Shallow]

Can't blame Valve for not wanting to work with the guy, sure the "deaththreat" was hardly something to be concerned about, and I doubt Newell is concerned, but there's still that saying about biting the hand that feeds you, if I was valve I'd do the same thing.

[PrimeJunta]

We need more trolls to keep this from becoming an echo chamber.

 

I tried, in the other thread. Feeling too mellow for it today.

[Hurlshort]

Accountability is a beautiful thing.

[Malcador]

Accountability is a beautiful thing.

That's why I always threaten to stub people in the pinky toe.

[Gfted1]

The pinky toe?!?! You monster!

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

 

Accountability is a beautiful thing.

That's why I always threaten to stub people in the pinky toe.

You should go for the big toe. Tough on crime and all that.

[Blarghagh]

 

We need more trolls to keep this from becoming an echo chamber.

 

I tried, in the other thread. Feeling too mellow for it today.

 

 

You got me with it too. I am very ashamed.

[Kaftan Barlast]

 

That's not a death threat.

Not really.

What qualifies as a death threat if not:

 

"I am going to kill gabe newell.

 

He is going to die."

 

For it to be a death threat, you have to communicate it to the person you're trying to threaten. Writing that you feel like killing a certain celebrity on your twitter feed doesnt count. It's like being at a bar and shouting "I want to stab that stupid kid in his stupid fat face!" if a Bieber song comes on. People say they're going to kill other people all the time, it really doesnt mean much unless it's written on a note attached to that persons boiled rabbit.

 

 

You're scando, right? Then i understand on why those kinds of expressions work well with your friends on the factory floor, the workshop or during a BF4 deathmatch. No one takes those seriously and everyone understand the social dynamics in

Scandinavian, yes. Does that make me unusually 'lax about these things?

 

Also, only jerks play deathmatch in battlefield. Cool kids play conquest or maybe domination... chainlink is fun too.

[Rosbjerg]

People say they're going to kill other people all the time, it really doesnt mean much unless it's written on a note attached to that persons boiled rabbit.

 

The point was, that in an enviroment were it is expected, like among friends or peers - it will obviously not cause any problems. It is however not advisable (or socially expected) to threaten people's lives over Twitter or 'online public'.

[Gfted1]

For it to be a death threat, you have to communicate it to the person you're trying to threaten.

If the target isn't aware it doesn't count? Im going to have to disagree.

[Fighter]

  That's a horrible way for people to do business.  Developers are dumb to work with steam.

 

What's the alternative?

[Elerond]

 

 

That's not a death threat.

Not really.

What qualifies as a death threat if not:

 

"I am going to kill gabe newell.

 

He is going to die."

 

For it to be a death threat, you have to communicate it to the person you're trying to threaten. Writing that you feel like killing a certain celebrity on your twitter feed doesnt count. It's like being at a bar and shouting "I want to stab that stupid kid in his stupid fat face!" if a Bieber song comes on. People say they're going to kill other people all the time, it really doesnt mean much unless it's written on a note attached to that persons boiled rabbit.

 

 

 

Death threat is any message, phrase, gesture, picture, etc.  where one person threatens to kill another person directly, indirectly or implies such thing. But such threats become crime only when their target has strong reason to fear for their life, personal safety or safety of their property (This is how Finnish law determines such thing, as Finnish criminal code only knows "illegal threat" that includes all possible threats of violence). 

 

Death threats that are directed towards somebody in public forums like twitter are bit more complex (as their directness and severity can be argued not be enough to warrant such thing to be a crime), but usually police will investigate them if person that was threatened does reports threats to them. In this case it seems that Newell (or Valve) decided to use their own justice instead of going to police.  

[Keyrock]

I don't feel the least bit bad for the dev.  You **** up you pay the price for it, the price in this case being losing access to the largest digital marketplace in the world.  Don't want to pay the price?  Don't do stupid **** in the first place.

[Hiro Protagonist]

Death threat is any message, phrase, gesture, picture, etc.  where one person threatens to kill another person directly, indirectly or implies such thing. But such threats become crime only when their target has strong reason to fear for their life, personal safety or safety of their property (This is how Finnish law determines such thing, as Finnish criminal code only knows "illegal threat" that includes all possible threats of violence). 

 

Death threats that are directed towards somebody in public forums like twitter are bit more complex (as their directness and severity can be argued not be enough to warrant such thing to be a crime), but usually police will investigate them if person that was threatened does reports threats to them. In this case it seems that Newell (or Valve) decided to use their own justice instead of going to police.  

 

You did make some posts in the other thread with any death threats should be taken seriously. I expect the police to be involved and a thorough investigation to be carried out. Just to be on the safe side.

[Hurlshort]

If Newell felt like alerting the police, then yes, I would expect them to investigate the matter.  They would likely find little to suggest the threat was serious and file it away.  But that doesn't mean this guy shouldn't be held accountable for his incredibly dumb choices

[Bartimaeus]

My only regret about the situation is that it was a two-man team - though based on the other guy's tweets, he doesn't seem exactly like a paragon of wisdom, either, but still. How many more careers are people going to self-destruct because they can't stop acting like spoiled brats on Twitter? That guy was completely and utterly ridiculous - if he hates Steam so much, then don't release on Steam. Simple as that - if you don't like to play by other people's rules, thankfully, you are not forced to. Just be prepared to not have them help you, either. This is all in addition to the reported criticism banning they were doing shortly before this all blew up. So yeah, all in all, I don't really mind how the situation ended, though, again, I do feel a little bad for the other guy.

Edited October 22, 2014 by Bartimaeus

[Orogun01]

My only regret about the situation is that it was a two-man team - though based on the other guy's tweets, he doesn't seem exactly like a paragon of wisdom, either, but still. How many more careers are people going to self-destruct because they can't stop acting like spoiled brats on Twitter? That guy was completely and utterly ridiculous - if he hates Steam so much, then don't release on Steam. Simple as that - if you don't like to play by other people's rules, thankfully, you are not forced to. Just be prepared to not have them help you, either. This is all in addition to the reported criticism banning they were doing shortly before this all blew up. So yeah, all in all, I don't really mind how the situation ended, though, again, I do feel a little bad for the other guy.

He was frustrated with steam's process and managed to turn what could had been a critique of steam's publishing policies into a career ending tweet. 

 

How long before companies outright ban their employees from using twitter?

[Bryy]

Other indie devs have piped up to say that this guy is a **** in general and that they agree with this. Frankly, I do, too. You can be mad all you want (over a delayed image change, no less, wtf), but badmouthing the company whose umbrella you now are under, and then sending a death threat to the owner.... yeah, I can sort of see why his game and status were revoked.

 

And as for "ruining his life"... he did that to himself.

[Elerond]

 

Death threat is any message, phrase, gesture, picture, etc.  where one person threatens to kill another person directly, indirectly or implies such thing. But such threats become crime only when their target has strong reason to fear for their life, personal safety or safety of their property (This is how Finnish law determines such thing, as Finnish criminal code only knows "illegal threat" that includes all possible threats of violence). 

 

Death threats that are directed towards somebody in public forums like twitter are bit more complex (as their directness and severity can be argued not be enough to warrant such thing to be a crime), but usually police will investigate them if person that was threatened does reports threats to them. In this case it seems that Newell (or Valve) decided to use their own justice instead of going to police.  

 

You did make some posts in the other thread with any death threats should be taken seriously. I expect the police to be involved and a thorough investigation to be carried out. Just to be on the safe side.

 

 

Valve took these threats seriously, as they removed game that he had made from their service, which is somewhat serious act I would say and it also sends message that such behavior is not acceptable and there is consequences when you act such way. So I would say that Valve showed excellent example how to take such threats and I am pretty sure that devs will in future think twice before they go write such things in public forum. 

[Valsuelm]

 So   I guess there is no Steam -developer contracts? Steam can just pull games willy nilly or is there a 'do not make mean post/stupid real or not real death threats at Steam boss'  stipulation in any signed contract? <>

 

Just wondering.

 

Read the Terms of Service. Some of the many complaints people have about Steam, including some that encompass that, are laid out there.

 

But who reads the Terms of Service you say? Believe it or not, some do, but a whole legion of people who think Valve is benign don't.

[Humanoid]

 

Did Newell flee his home ?

 

I think you only have to do that when it's a four month old bomb threat at a far away convention centre.

 

 

Gabe trying to run would probably finish him off faster than any assassin could.

[Kaftan Barlast]

My opinion is that no individual should be punished(because that's what 'held accountable' is a euphemism of) for anything he writes or says as a private person on social media and the internet in general. In my mind it's no different from someone listening in on a private conversation held in a public place like a restaurant. It is something that is inherently private, but available publicly. But if your company has something like an official facebook page and you write dumb **** there in their name, they do have the right to punish you for it.

 

I dont want to live in a society where I have to live in constant fear that anything I casually write on the internet might be used against me at a later date. It might be some really stupid crap, but we ALL say stupid crap from time to time.

 

To me it's a question of freedom of speech and the right to privacy even in situations where what we say and write is technicly available for everyone to read. I know it might feel like a very un-intuitive argument to make, but please give it some thought.

 

 

How long before companies outright ban their employees from using twitter?

It's already happening, which in my opinion is a violation of both privacy and the right to free speech. What a person writes on social media in his spare time is no bussiness of his employer or that employers bussiness partners.

 

 

and then sending a death threat to the owner....

He never sent anything to Gabe Newell. All of his comments were made in his own twitter feed. Valve only found out about it when someone who subscribed to that feed took screencaps and emailed it to them.

[Volourn]

"What's the alternative?"

 

An actual contract that perfectly lays out what boths dies' rights and responsibiltiies are including what is worthy of ternmination of said contract by both aprties.

 

 

"Read the Terms of Service. Some of the many complaints people have about Steam, including some that encompass that, are laid out there."

 

'Terms of service' are not actual contracts and are often laughed out of court. People who take them seriously - outside the obvious - need to rethin it. Now if your 'term of service' is code for 'signed contract' between Steam and a developer who puts their game on the site that's different,

 

Of course, I'm sure almost any contract  and the alw allows one to end a contract with someone who threatens to kill them so, in this situation, it doesn't really matter in the long run because Steam would likely win in court  if it was pursued down that route.