is this loss?

No, that's a clue. A coup is a type of footwear with a rigid sole and heel.

Steam does this themselves by incentivizing votes with badges and profile exp, the latter of which is needed to increase your maximum amount of Steam friends. People vote for the rewards, and as such, so many people vote that you end up "rewarding the good games that everyone played rather than the masterpieces played by only a few." like the article said.