How we research articles
GamerEmpire is written and published by Paul Allen in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. We cover indie games, horror and the decisions publishers make. Recommendations are editorial judgements. A Steam score is supporting evidence, not our verdict.
Research and experience
Research articles use linked primary sources, public data and commentary. They do not imply a fresh playthrough. Personal accounts describe actual experience; we do not invent sessions, completion times or testing results to support an argument.
Where we discuss a developing story, the source date matters. A publisher announcement, a store listing and our interpretation are different things. We link the evidence and distinguish the conclusions we draw from it.
Steam data
Our first research cohort contains 50 games drawn from our existing horror and co-op coverage. It is a fixed editorial selection, not a random sample of Steam or a claim to cover every horror game.
- Prices use the US store in USD. A base-game price excludes DLC, subscriptions and optional purchases. Missing prices remain unavailable. A free download does not establish that every chapter or mode is free.
- Review comparisons use all languages and all purchase types, with Steam's off-topic activity filter enabled. We show the review count alongside the positive share. These figures can differ from the language-specific score shown on a visitor's store page.
- All-time totals describe reviews available when collected. Reviews can be edited or removed. Changes in totals alone do not establish the number of new reviews or what caused a change in sentiment.
- Concurrent-player observations count connected Steam players at one moment. They do not measure sales, monthly players, matchmaking quality or an all-time peak.
- Each observation retains its source and time. Failed requests stay missing; they are never converted into zero. The latest complete collection is shown separately from dated evidence used by an article.
Historical claims start at the beginning of the recorded series. We cannot call a price an all-time low from a single snapshot. Research stories identify the comparison period, sample size and limitations before interpreting a change.
Download the latest dated research snapshot. Individual research articles link the snapshot used for their calculations so later updates do not change their evidence.
Sources: Valve's review API documentation and player-count documentation. Store information is checked against the relevant game listing.
Images and independence
Game screenshots and promotional images are credited to their game or source. Publisher screenshots illustrate the subject; they are not presented as evidence that we captured footage during testing. GamerEmpire has no publisher relationships or review-copy arrangements.
Corrections
If a price, game detail or interpretation is wrong, send the article URL and supporting source. Material factual corrections are noted in the article. Substantive edits update its modification date while preserving the original publication date.