A Fundraiser Turned Into a Nightmare
Raivo Plavnieks, known online as RastalandTV, has been fighting stage 4 cancer while streaming to raise money for his treatments. During one of those fundraiser streams, he was asked to try a Steam game called Block Blasters. Trusting the platform, he downloaded it live. Within minutes, his crypto wallets were drained of about $30,000, stolen through info-stealing malware hidden inside the game files.
The theft happened in real time, shocking both him and his audience. Receipts and logs confirmed the legitimacy of his fundraiser and the loss. Thankfully, his community rallied. Notable crypto figures like Alex Becker stepped in, and he was eventually gifted enough cryptocurrency to replace what was stolen. This raises a much bigger issue.
How Could This Happen on Steam?
Investigators estimate that between 261 and 907 people fell victim to Block Blasters, losing over $150,000 combined. This wasn’t just one person’s tragedy. It was a coordinated malware attack distributed through the largest PC game retailer in the world.
I used to think Steam checked files for malware before games went live. Turns out, they don’t. Neither does GOG. Neither does Epic. Their review process checks for technical stability, compliance with policy, and content requirements, but not whether your download hides a crypto-draining parasite. They expect us, the players, to scan files ourselves.
That feels backwards. Steam isn’t some underground forum. It’s the mainstream marketplace. Consumers assumed these platforms acted as a safety net. Instead, they’re saying: “You bought a license. It’s your problem if it’s poisoned.”
Why Crypto Makes This Worse
Some people have pointed out that blockchain’s transparency helped prove the theft was real. That’s true. Crypto transactions are traceable, but they’re also irreversible. Once your money leaves, it’s gone unless the thief voluntarily gives it back. That makes victims like RastalandTV uniquely vulnerable.
Imagine being in his shoes: raising money for life-saving treatment, only to have a scammer drain it away while the world watches. It’s cruelty engineered through a gap in Steam’s defenses.
Steam’s Decline in Quality and Trust
Steam has become the default place to buy PC games, hosting everything from AAA blockbusters to indie experiments. That openness is a strength, but it’s also a weakness. Over the years, their approval process has become known as quick and shallow, letting shovelware and, in some cases, malware slip through.
Valve does remove malicious games once discovered. By then, damage is done. Future updates to games don’t always go through review, meaning a once-safe game can turn toxic overnight.
It’s not just Steam. GOG and Epic Games also avoid deep malware checks. Steam’s dominance makes this problem worse. If the biggest name in PC gaming can’t guarantee basic safety, how are players supposed to trust smaller platforms like Itch.io, which is even more open?
Who Should Be Responsible?
Game retailers argue that guaranteeing safety is impossible. Malware detection is a full-time job, requiring advanced behavioral analysis and constant vigilance. That’s true, but with AI-driven tools, they could at least implement baseline protections. The fact that no major storefront is even attempting systematic malware scanning is alarming.
Why should the burden fall on customers, when we don’t even own the games we buy? We’re just licensing them. If platforms won’t take responsibility, then the promise of digital storefronts is broken.
The story of RastalandTV isn’t just one streamer’s tragedy. It’s a warning. A malicious game distributed through Steam targeted hundreds of users, draining over $150,000 and shattering the illusion that digital storefronts are safe by default.
Platforms like Steam have the money and the infrastructure to do better. Instead, they’re treating security as the customer’s job. That’s unacceptable. Until things change, downloading a game, even from the most trusted PC retailer, comes with more risk than most players realize.
Be cautious. Update your antivirus. Don’t assume a game on Steam is safe just because it’s on Steam.
The false sense of security is gone. The responsibility, unfairly, is ours.
