Steam Review Scores no Longer Include People who Didn't Pay

Valve is yet again changing the rules for game reviews in an attempt to make the overall score more accurate, while fairly representing the overall consensus made by the community. When I say they're making an attempt to improve it, that's exactly what it is, an attempt, and not a very good one at that. Valve has decided that people who reviewed a game that they did not directly pay for (via gift, free weekend, access code etc), will no longer contribute to the overall score of said game.

Valve tried to explain their reasoning as best as they could. At least I think they did, it's pretty unclear since their rationale is pretty hard to grasp. This is basically the most specific bit from their statement:

With the changes we are making now, the review score (shown at the top of store pages and in various places throughout the store such as search results) will no longer include reviews by users that received the game for free, such as via a gift, or during a free weekend. Reviews can still be written by customers that obtained the game in any of these ways, but the review will not count toward the overall review score.

So essentially, Valve is trying to say that they feel paying customers, due to more investment, have a more fair, honest and accurate opinion of said game. As if paying for a product directly entitles you to a more honest opinion, then receiving the game as a gift. While non-paying players won't have their reviews included in the overall score of a game, they can still make reviews. So Valve basically does appreciate the opinions of people who didn't pay for the game, but not enough for it to actually matter to the point of affecting its score. Giving privilege based on monetary advantages is never a good thing, and the Steam community as a whole is thoroughly pissed off.

So it all boils down to the idea that somebody who invested in a game, will have a more honest opinion that somebody who received it for free. While it's not a concept that's even close to being black and white, Valve seems that their decision is totally justified. What do you think?