An algorithm against bad games
Ever found yourself digging through the Steam catalog for hours, just praying to spot a hidden gem (or honestly, at that point, just anything vaguely interesting)
only to end up losing an hour of sleep and still having nothing to play? Well, you're definitely not alone!
The amount of games released every single day has turned Steam into a goldmine, but also into a massive digital landfill where brilliant indie titles get buried under cheap asset flips and generic clones.
I'm a programmer with a passion for video games - yes, I'm that nerd who spends more time in front of a screen than outside touching grass - and a strong believer in the power of community-driven recommendations.
After countless late-night sessions scrolling through Steam's endless library, I reached a breaking point. I realized I didn't need another generic Store page flooded with targeted ads; I needed a smart filter.
A dedicated place where I could find titles that actually deserve my time, money, and attention, rather than just whatever new "meh" release happens to be trending.
So, I built one. 🤷
How does it work?
The system is simple, objective, and unapologetically strict.
- The Sample Size Check: The algorithm constantly monitors the Steam store in real time, but a game doesn't even get evaluated unless it hits a specific threshold of user reviews. A handful of glowing reviews from the developer's friends won't cut it. We need a reliable, statistically significant sample size.
- Weighted Scoring (0 to 10): Once reviews are gathered, the algorithm compares positive and negative feedback while accounting for the total vote count—preventing games with just a few reviews from inflating their rating. It then processes this into a clean score from 0 to 10.
- The Cutoff: Only games scoring a solid 6.0 or higher earn a spot on the site. Everything else? Filtered out and sent straight into digital oblivion.
What makes this system truly fair is that every single sync cycle puts every game back on the line. There are no reserved spots for high-budget blockbusters, and no hopeless cases for rough indie launches. If a game starts strong but gets ruined by a bad update, its score drops and it gets boot. If a rough release gets fixed by dedicated devs and wins back the community, it climbs its way into the catalog.
My goal with all of this was simply to create the catalog I always wanted for myself: a clean, honest list that cuts straight through the noise.
Life is way too short (and gaming time is far too precious) to waste it on bad games, right?
So go ahead, check out the catalog and hopefully you'll find something actually worth playing.
If you want to give feedback on the site, report a bug, or just get in touch, feel free to reach out at hello@wasdland.com.