PoP stands for Play or Pay. It was created a couple years ago as both a way to help people deal with their massive backlogs and a challenge for those that enjoy playing lots of games.
It’s really quite simple: You sign up for the next three months - aka a Cycle - two other members will pick a total of 7 games for you and then you play. For each beaten/completed game you earn points. If you get enough points you reach the goal of the Cycle - if not you create a group exclusive GA as penalty. In other words, you play or you pay!
About a month before the new cycle starts, a spreadsheet will be posted. Please sign up here if you want to participate for the next three months. If you don’t want to take part, you don’t have to do anything. However, to stay in the group, a member MUST participate in at least 2 out of 4 cycles a calendar year.
Users who join PoP within the first month of a running cycle will be automatically added to this cycle, if they join after the first month, they will be automatically added to the next month, but can also be added to the current one on request.
In order to make picking easier, we use BLAEO where members must provide lists for PoP.
It is okay to add games with idle time and unfinished games, as long as the game is not half way done! Games which contain multiple games, like Mass Effect Legacy Edition, can be picked separately for every contained game, as long as the picked time category reflects the length of the game.
We use HLTB as a guideline for a game's length. Feel free to let other members know if you are mostly only playing the main story or if you are a completionist!
According to HLTB, a short game is 2-8h long. A medium game is >8-15h long, a Long game is >15-25h long and a very long game is >25h.
Games with a main story below 2h are only eligible if you are a completionist, the game has a completionist time above 2h and you complete this game.
A game of a longer category can be added to a list of a shorter category but not the other way around. If the main (+extra) time is of a shorter category than the one of completion and it’s picked for the completion time category you have to complete the game to count.
You don’t have to sort your whole backlog into those lists but they have to at least include 25 games per time category except you just don’t have that many games left. You can add the games to other BLAEO lists to tag wanted or not wanted games for the next cycle as long as the remaining games to pick from per list remains over 25 (if possible).
The lists have to be ready by the time you enter your name to the participation spreadsheet. Games which are still on the list and are not eligible due to length, status etc and are picked have to be marked as abandoned. It’s not the picker's responsibility to verify your games but your own.
Lists are mandatory!
You can define extra rules but rules which could just be enforced by taking care of your lists or restrict the choice to less than 25 games are not allowed.
Members will get points for games played during the month. You can check the leaderboards on the website.
Failure to finish (beat the main story) of at least 2 games - or collect 5 points - will result in 1 GA from that member. The penalty will double with each consecutively failed cycle. Up to a maximum amount of 8 games to pay!
The user has to have his game stats public during the participation of the event.
Being part of a cycle means you also will pick games for other members. You will both be one major and one minor picker. Major pickers will choose a short, medium, long and very long game for the entire cycle. Minor pickers will select just a short, a medium and a long game.
Picking phase will usually start a few days before the start of the first cycle month. Pickers have to add their picks latest on the second day of the first month of a cycle, otherwise they will be replaced by a backup picker. A backup picker has 2 days time to pick games, otherwise they will no longer be considered as a backup picker. Please regularly look into your picks afterwards in case the user asks for a repick.
Don’t forget to include at least one SG win while picking, especially wins from PoP. At least 1 for participant, not 1 for picker (unless the person doesn’t have any wins left or asks for more than one)
A member can define specific rules for picking, like “only games in list ‘priority‘“, “only SG wins“, “no games with > 20GB disk space“ etc. Please take those wishes into consideration.
A member might ask for one specific game to be picked for them! This means one game not one game per picker. The wish has to be stated in the “Extra rules“ area. A specific wish afterwards can only be done by using the one repick request available.
Games which have been picked for the user in the last cycle must not be picked again. Exception: It’s a game like Mass Effect Legendary Edition and the user played e. g. the first game in the last cycle and wants to play the second one in the next one.
A member might request the swap of one the games picked for them. No questions asked.
Technical issues do not count for the one game which can be swapped.
Each member will have until the end of the last day (UTC time) of the cycle to finish their game(s). But as we have to check all games, we are very happy if you mark your games as beaten/completed as soon as you have done it :)
If a game has no achievements, use the Steam group forum, Discord or comment field to provide some kind proof for beating or completing. (A screenshot or a video of the ending credits, for example). A failure to provide a proof will result in the game not counting as beaten/completed.
Game Time
The game being given away as the “payment” for failing the challenge should be at least 10p. Just to have a minimum standard quality. Games with 0 CV are not allowed to be given away. The giveaway has to be exclusive for the PoP group.
All “payment” GAs should be created, at most, a week after the end of the cycle and should run for at least 2 weeks. They have to be posted in the Steam topic
If the game doesn’t get any winner, you have to create a new one within a week.
Failure to create the payment giveaway will result in exclusion of the group.
As being a part of SG we expect our member to also play their wins. That means:
You’ll have to add wins to your lists. At least one win has to be picked by the picker.
We expect our members to uphold at least 10% of their wins to be beaten/completed.
(These obviously only apply if you have unplayed wins left)
PoP wins are group exclusive wins – if there are other groups or friendlist involved, you don’t have to consider them as group win, but you can! Group wins also apply if they are from ToPofPoP or invite exclusive GAs for the member. (GA creator are free to apply PoP rules to their GAs even if other grps/bluehearts are involved)
Points for picked games: Short = 2.5, Medium = 4, Long = 6, Very Long = 8.
Bonus point for completing (100% achievements unlocked): +1 per game completed.
Bonus for playing all 7 games: +1 point
A: NO! The more the merrier, but just finishing two is enough to complete the "challenge"!
A: No. You can take a break whenever you want, you just don't sign up before the next picking phase starts. However, you must participate in at least 2 out of 4 cycles in a calendar year and successfully complete one of them.
A: It makes picking a LOT easier, since you can easily change the progress status of a game.
A: We must see that you're serious about playing your games, not just joining because of GAs.
A: Of course! Those giveaways can also be shared with other groups or your whitelist.
A: Of course, just reach out to one of the mods.
A: No, please just let one of the mods now and refrain from joining any group giveaways. We hope everything will work out for you :)
A: Press Enter after typing in your name - or select a different space on the spreadsheet. That way it can save.
A: That’s sad :( But please let us know. You’re welcome to reapply at any given time <3