The article glosses over what I'd have to believe is the biggest reason - some games, in particular older AAA games, are discounted so aggressively that it seems silly to not purchase. Like 5-15% of the original retail price.
People are buying these games knowing they're adding to their backlog and likely won't get through the whole thing, but the price is so low that the chance they'll want to play the game someday is enough.
I'm one of these (apparently rather typical) consumers and will buy almost any modern-class AAA game if it's $5.
You’re not “buying it and then not using it”.
This will be interesting news to the insurance company I co-founded :) :) :)
> You’re not “buying it and then not using it”.
This boils down to semantics, but most consumers feel like they're "using" their insurance plan only when they file a claim.
Unused games in my Steam library are basically insurance against being bored.
So in that vein, it doesn't matter if there will be another identical sale. The psychological things "in the way" to complete a purchase are virtually non-existent if you had even a minor passing interest in the title the first time you see it at that fire sale price.
By purchasing a bunch of different game cheaply, yoh have the choice of what kind of story/mechanic to play when you do want to play a new game.
You're speculating on your future desires, and you might as well get a selection when it's cheap.
A game pass subscription sort of scratches the same itch, but you don't own the games. So can't replay a few years later if you aren't presently subscribed.
It's not about being stupid with your money, it's actually a cheap way to give yourself choice in the future.
That's not super common on steam though.