Members of the official Steam subreddit are taking a new, hilarious approach to protesting Reddit's recent controversy of announcing API pricing that has hurt several third-party apps. Outrage and criticism from many Reddit users have caused thousands of high profile communities to protest the company's decision.
In response to Reddit charging for its API instead of letting it remain free, a site-wide protest took place last week that saw over 8,000 different subreddits implement a blackout. After comments from Reddit's CEO and administrators threatening to remove protesting communities, the majority of the subreddits are now back up and functioning. Although the blackout protests are over, there are still members of the Reddit finding different ways to voice their disdain for the company's choice to charge for its API. This decision to charge has caused several third-party apps to shut down, and many members of the site quickly became angry with the impact the pricing had on these apps. When it comes to the subreddit for Steam, the popular online game store, users have found a hilarious way to make their voices heard.
Instead of continuing a blackout, the Steam subreddit has come together to take their community's name literally. Users are no longer posting about the great features Steam offers, but are posting content that literally deals with steam, steampunk, or just anything that mentions or features the vaporization of water.
From various posts showcasing different steam ships to a user sharing an ad for STEAM education, many users of the subreddit have used this opportunity to protest while being as ridiculous as possible. There have been Reddit protests in the past, but this specific one from the Steam community is one of the most entertaining ones yet. For those coming to the Steam subreddit for the first time, it would appear as though the community is just super passionate about steam, but it's actually a hilariously peaceful form of protest.
There are nearly countless subreddits, and Reddit's gaming communities are some of the most active on the site. It will be interesting to see how long these protests lasts or if Reddit users come up with another away to voice their displeasure with the changes.