Klei - How Can Kids Younger than 13 Play DST?

[ni1]

It's awesome that DST is now out. I was hoping for a dedicated server option that would be disconnected from a Steam ID completely. You can't imagine how popular DS is with kids younger than 13.

 

So, here's my question.

 

Steam ToS says you must be 13 to be an account holder. Klei likely doesn't want multiple individuals using a single account. Both of these are fair.

 

But, how then, can someone younger than 13 play DST? I can't provide them with a Steam account. But it's pointless to let them use my account, as the dedicated, LAN-only server just sees the same "user" multiple times.

 

Anyways, for DST LAN-only dedicated servers, it would be great if we could 'decouple' user accounts from Steam IDs and, for example, register a CD key with Klei. I'm happy to purchase multiple copies, but just need a non-Steam provider at this point.

 

Can Klei provide any suggestions forward that meet the needs of Klei while respecting Steam's ToS for kids under 13 years of age?

[RalphKastro]

have you never been under 13? Just lie about your age.

[sirmentlegen]

When i read the title i thought it would be complaining about all the swearing and racism on the game.

[jbeetle]

They could play the standalone version of the original DS. No Steam involved.

[JoeW]

You have to be 13 or over to have an account. You don't have to be 13 to play on an account. So, if a parent signs up, and lets the child play on the account, that is within steams terms as far as I am aware. As a matter of fact, as I believe, steam's TOS doesn't stipulate an age that one must be to have an account, only that you must be 13 or over to accept the terms of service.

As far as I am aware at least.

[Pyromailmann]

It's better than kids playing any M rated game. Some adults are very uneducated on ESRB.

[jbeetle]

It's better than kids playing any M rated game. Some adults are very uneducated on ESRB.

On the other hand, the multiplayer aspect of any game allows a game to be much worse than it would be otherwise due to people being terrible when being made anonymous.

[ni1]

You have to be 13 or over to have an account. You don't have to be 13 to play on an account. So, if a parent signs up, and lets the child play on the account, that is within steams terms as far as I am aware. As a matter of fact, as I believe, steam's TOS doesn't stipulate an age that one must be to have an account, only that you must be 13 or over to accept the terms of service.

As far as I am aware at least.

 

This is counter to Steam's ToS -

 

You may not reveal, share or otherwise allow others to use your password or Account except as otherwise specifically authorized by Valve.

 

As far as I'm aware, Valve doesn't allow sharing between anyone (outside of 'family sharing'), as the software is licensed 'to you' and the agreement is 'with you'.

 

So it would be great if Klei provided a way for families to play together on a LAN without having to go around Steam's ToS.

[JoeW]

This is counter to Steam's ToS -

 

You may not reveal, share or otherwise allow others to use your password or Account except as otherwise specifically authorized by Valve.

 

As far as I'm aware, Valve doesn't allow sharing between anyone (outside of 'family sharing'), as the software is licensed 'to you' and the agreement is 'with you'.

 

So it would be great if Klei provided a way for families to play together on a LAN without having to go around Steam's ToS.

 

Yeah, I understand, which is why these kinds of questions are hard to answer. So this is my interpretation, while what ultimately matters is their interpretation, and how they ultimately enforce it. 

 

https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=5149-EOPC-9918

 

We encourage you to create a Steam account with your child. If you and your kids find Steam to be a bit too overwhelming when parents aren’t around to help, you can now manage access to content and features using Family View. You may also choose to enable Family View on your own Steam account if you would rather they share your own Steam Account for the time being.

 

None the less, I do agree. We have talked about things we can do internally to help along with this, but it's going to take a lot of work. There are a lot of very scary regulations around children under 13 playing a game that we are very unfamiliar with and it would take a lot of work to get right. 

 

Ultimately, I am not even sure it can happen. We can't just let kids under play 13 without making drastic changes to the game. It would have to be an entirely different version of the game, if we were to specifically allow it. (Hence, valve's rules being what they are)

[CaptainFun]

This is counter to Steam's ToS -

 

You may not reveal, share or otherwise allow others to use your password or Account except as otherwise specifically authorized by Valve.

 

As far as I'm aware, Valve doesn't allow sharing between anyone (outside of 'family sharing'), as the software is licensed 'to you' and the agreement is 'with you'.

 

So it would be great if Klei provided a way for families to play together on a LAN without having to go around Steam's ToS.

It also says:

 

As the Account holder, you are responsible for all charges incurred, including applicable taxes, and all purchases made by you or anyone that uses your Account, including your family or friends. 

 

You are allowed to share your account locally. Valve doesn't care if you create an account and allow a younger kid play on it. It's just that you are responsible for it legally. 

 

Also if you've played any online game on Steam, it's pretty clear Valve doesn't care if someone who is playing the game is younger than 13.