Is Banana a Scam or a Money Glitch? Devs Say It's the Latter
The year is 2024, and the hottest game on Steam is… a banana. That's right, a simple clicker game called "Banana" where all you do is click on a banana image for a chance to win Steam inventory items. While most of these items are worth a few cents, there's a slim chance of getting one valued at hundreds of dollars.
This sounds like a recipe for disaster, especially considering one of the three developers was recently caught scamming on Steam. The remaining two developers fired the bad apple (pun intended) and are adamant that their game is not a scam but rather a "money glitch" for both themselves and Valve.
The Developers' Logic: A Win-Win?
Here's their logic: every time a Banana item is sold on the Steam marketplace, Valve takes a 5% commission (minimum 1 cent) and the developers receive a small cut as well. Since virtual bananas sell for an average of 3 cents, it's a win-win for both parties. With over two million bananas sold, Valve has allegedly pocketed around $20,000, and the developers a similar amount.
A Glitch in the System?
While the developers argue it's not technically a scam, there's a catch: a majority of the "players" are actually bots. This raises concerns about whether Valve is inadvertently promoting a system ripe for exploitation.
A Slippery Situation
This bizarre situation raises questions about what constitutes a scam in today's gaming landscape. Is Banana a harmless glitch or a dangerous precedent that could pave the way for similar "money-making schemes" on Steam? Only time will tell how Valve chooses to address this slippery situation.