Steam is on a path to become a monopoly. Is that a good thing for the gamer?
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If it's not on Steam, it might as well not exist. Even console exclusives made for PlayStation and Xbox will find themselves listed on Steam. And that's saying somethin...
The problem is that every time someone comes out and tries to make a Steam alternative, it's always a company that's slimier and more annoying than Valve: Microsoft, EA, Ubisoft, Epic, etc. You can't blame people for not wanting to jump on board with any of those bozos
The one exception is GOG, but their main selling point, being DRM-free, also means they'll forever be relegated to indie titles and select older games outside of CD Projekt Red's own productions
Consumers have no problem trusting slimy companies. The problem is that they fail at making an attractive alternative. It’s like Facebook and Youtube copying TikTok. They make it half assed and people stick to the original. Like with Epic, literally the only reason I have an account is to get free games lol. I have 0 intentions of spending a cent on there because it’s worthless outside of it.
I still don’t understand how they’re a monopoly. It’s weird that so much attention is given to Steam and Valve while Microsoft and Sony don’t get any for owning the platform, store, multiplayer infrastructure, and development studios like Valve.
Maybe I just have a superficial understanding of “monopoly,” but Valve isn’t acquiring competing storefronts and studios nor is it prohibiting others with frivolous legal challenges. Valve hasn’t done anything for decades besides sell games; it’s not their fault Sony and Microsoft fail at making their consoled attractive enough for devs to make exclusives. Many good games are on GOG and have zero DRM.
And FWIW, I hate games and Valve. I just think it’s difficult to make a winning case compared to Amazon with its hostile pricing policies, and it allowing counterfeits to push sellers into joining its retail programs.
You can be a monopoly without being an illegal monopoly. Monopoly is when one company has an outsized market share, an illegal monopoly is when they use that market share to stifle competition.
u/Extreme_Succotash333 has the most actions by far at 1300 this week. Followed by Grizzly, followed by me but my numbers are trifling compared. My big numbers occur when a really problem thread happens and I go PURGE mode for like a full week. Modqueue is getting cleared fully each day so it's generally healthy as it is.
the one tankie mod
The entire team is communist. There isn't a person on the team that would disagree with anyone on hexbear.