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I Deleted My Steam Account After 20 Years
- jekwoooooe 1y agoSteam and valve has revolutionized the gaming industry in software, Linux gaming, hardware, VR, and distribution. This is a crazy opinion to have
- eschatology 1y agoWeird outrage
- red-iron-pine 1y agoplenty of other publicly traded companies pushing platforms to compete, all of whom have an incentive to submarine in anti-valve marketing. like, steam sucks, but man the other platforms are worse. steam, for all it's misery and crashes, mostly stays out of my way.
- politelemon 1y agoFor those who don't know, Kaldaien is a prolific modder of PC games, a well known and frequently controversial figure. He has created QoL patches and fixes for various games that were released but 'ignored' by their publishers afterwards. PCGW reference: https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_games_compatible_with_Special_K https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_games_compatible_w...
- Jotalea 1y agoThanks for the information, I didn’t know it.
- squigz 1y agoIt's a bit strange to me to read these complaints about Steam/Valve, then have the author... switch to Microsoft Store and advocate for Game Pass?
- jekwoooooe 1y agoHe seems a bit unhinged and has a personal vendetta here. Misplaced outrage. Microsoft has done more damage to the industry than good
- suddenlybananas 1y agoModders really seem to get into a lot of personal drama
- westpfelia 1y agoYea.... He goes on about how you dont own the game on steam because valve can... patch it so that it doesnt work. But then says well lets play a game on gamepass. I mean I guess that DOES solve the "patch it so that the game no longer works" problem. Just dont own anything.
- daemin 1y agoThe point is that when using a subscription service to access a game, like Microsoft's gamepass, you explicitly know that what you're paying for is temporary access to a game. Where as when you buy a game on many of these store fronts it doesn't seem like like you are only buying temporary access, but it is in fact what you are getting just with possibly a slightly longer timeframe.
- westpfelia 1y agoI mean... Maybe? He's talking about games that no longer work on windows 98. But how many games are on microsoft's gamepass that are from 25-30 years ago? Does Microsoft support old games like that? Or is this an apples and oranges situation where microsoft doesn't "break trust" because they dont even offer you the ability to play the game. Also I would love a example of a game that no longer works at all.
- lastdong 1y agoI must admit that the Steam client is quite slow and bloated. Having used it for many years, I often avoid launching it. Epic has replicated these same issues. Consequently, I end up using GOG instead.
- blueflow 1y agoSlow, multi-window and focus stealing. Every single window for steam steals the focus, so if startup takes a minute, go grab a coffee or something as anything else will be unusable.
- cmcaleer 1y agoBloated is one word for it. The difference in the battery life of my MacBook when Steam is running (and doing nothing) versus Steam not running is incredible, it’s the difference between my battery sometimes lasting one working day and comfortably lasting two.
- spacemadness 1y agoThe client is awful on MacOS. It’s even more power hungry and slower than XCode.
- 47thpresident 1y agoIf you use an Arm mac, the mainline release is still using Rosetta. You can switch to the beta release which improves battery life and performance.
- teamonkey 1y agoSteam is your typical web-app-in-a-window. Interestingly, the Epic store is not, or rather it is but it uses Unreal to render it (or at least the Slate UI component of it). On my laptop it uses the discrete GPU to render instead of the integrated one, which has an impact on power use and battery life.
- ekianjo 1y agoits running Chromium under the hood, its like Electron on steroids
- c048 1y agoAm I reading this wrong? He complaints that Valve deleted items and posts, despite them promising that it would not happen... only for the quote he provided to state that "they might not delete everything". "Might" is not "will".
- Johbii 1y agoAre you referring to the usage of "some"? > Will all of my information be deleted? Your personal information is removed, but some content you’ve posted in community areas is not. This includes things like discussion posts, or content that you posted in Steam community hubs, as well as comments you made on other Steam account’s profiles. I read that as describing the types of content which would be deleted: "some" content but not all, and that the types of content that would not be deleted include the following: ... I can also see how one might read that as saying that some of the following content may or may not be removed.
- andrelaszlo 1y agoYeah, I think the author was referring to community posts. The linked FAQ article says this: "Your personal information is removed, but some content you’ve posted in community areas is not. This includes things like discussion posts, or content that you posted in Steam community hubs, as well as comments you made on other Steam account’s profiles."
- a3w 1y ago> "Stores should only provide DRM, and anything else that they do must be optional." Why would I buy at ${store} then? If a store has features, while piracy does not have them, I have an incentive to buy at the store. If a store only has DRM, while piracy does not, I will be incentivised to use piracy. I need to use a crack anyway to play the official steam distribution of Medieval or skip the Windows 11 installer of CnC Generals anyhow, so piracy is needed anyway. The store seems to never be needed. The nice thing is having a community page tell me to skip installers or the faulty DRM in just one place, but $store pays their community zero worth back for doing their tech support.
- charcircuit 1y agoCan you give an example of a feature like that which would incentivize you to buy at a store if the feature was required as opposed to being optional?
- justaj 1y ago...because running applications from untrusted sources is a _really_ bad idea?
- reedf1 1y ago> I buy games from Epic Games Store, Microsoft Store and GOG precisely because those stores have no bloated features unrelated to DRM crammed down your throat. Absolutely unhinged opinion.
- doix 1y agoYeah, I have a bunch of free games on the Epic store, because they were giving them out. I still buy them on Steam because the Epic launcher is just so awful.
- teamonkey 1y agoBut why? What specifically is awful about it compared to Steam?
- mog_dev 1y agoSteam has Comprehensive library management with categories, tags, and collections, Built-in screenshot/video capture and sharing, Steam Workshop for mods and user-generated content, Robust review system, Steam Cloud saves with reliable sync, Family sharing and parental controls, Active discussion forums for each game, Stable, well-tested interface refined over 20+ years, Offline mode that actually works reliably, Big Picture mode for TV/controller use3 Epic: Basic library management, No user reviews system, Missing social features like forums, No mod support integration, Inconsistent cloud save functionality, Aggressive exclusive deals that remove games from other platforms, Perceived as "buying" market share rather than earning it, Heavy reliance on free games to attract users, Slower, less responsive launcher, More frequent bugs and crashes, Limited offline functionality Fewer accessibility options, No linux support and aggressive stance against free software in general.
- close04 1y agoThe only store that really stands out in that list is GOG so I don't really see it appropriately bundled with the others in the article. It's the one store with no DRM, you own the game. And you'll own it when the current owner/CEO dies and is replaced by a rent seeking MBA who charges you $10/mo to maintain access to the library of games you already "own" (for those who don't already do that). For the rest of the stores some are better than others but at the end of the day they're "better features" rather than fundamentally better, like GOG is. Because ultimately what I'm doing is buying a game, not a forum or a review (as useful as those are), and definitely not renting a game.
- jonathanstrange 1y agoSteam is still the only platform I'm using regularly, and IMHO it does everything right. I'm planning to try to put an app on it and have high hopes for it, but I'm still trying to find a gaming-related angle that makes them accept it. I believe to understand the reasons why Steam avoids ordinary apps, but at the same time have a hard time figuring out how the existing non-game content like tools and general productivity apps made it on the platform. Officially, they're not supported. Do the publishers have some personal connection to Steam employees? Or do they brand them as game-content creation related?
- mrheosuper 1y agoI also mostly use Steam, but i honestly dont know what other stores(epic, xbox, etc) do wrong. I only use Steam to explore new game, buy game and install game, and other stores can do the same thing. I dont understand the hate for other stores.
- jay_kyburz 1y agoYou can publish games on Steam without DRM, and without using any Steam features. The only people to blame are the developers, not Valve.
- shmerl 1y agoGOG is DRM-free indeed. Others like MS Store and Epic? Lol, they aren't better than Steam in regards to DRM. I prefer GOG, but it's cool that Valve are advancing Linux gaming.
- Johbii 1y agoStill hoping for an official GOG Linux client
- rpdillon 1y agoI use Heroic on my Steam Deck and System76 machine with GOG, works beautifully. https://heroicgameslauncher.com/ https://heroicgameslauncher.com/
- littlestymaar 1y agoInterestingly enough TFA doesn't complain about DRM at all, it's quite the opposite actually, they complain that Steam does more than DRM when according to them game marketplaces should not be doing anything apart from DRM.
- orwin 1y agoI think i disagree? you do own games on steam: just download them, and you can then launch them without the steam client. At least Paradox/Sid Meiers games work without steam, i did not test others, but i remember playing Dragon Age (the first one) and Mass effect without launching steam (basically we used steam to install those game on my PC, then disconected from my friend account account, and could play a "pirated" game like this)
- throwuxiytayq 1y agoThey’re also usually trivial to crack (if they don’t come with their own DRM). If Steam goes under or Musk buys it or whatever, you just swap the Steam API DLL with a shim that implements a couple of Steam callbacks. Gaben saved gaming.
- pickledoyster 1y agoI find the author's outrage well placed. This is part of the broader discussion on commercial platforms limiting accessibility (including software compatibility) for short-term interests. Much like social media platforms shape media on their platforms, the platforms themselves are shaped by the owner's commercial interests.
- badlucklottery 1y agotl;dr seems to be: "Steam makes my work as a modder much harder so I'm done spending my time making broken games on their platform work well" plus a lot of salt. Bummer for the community but it seems like a reasonable position.
- weberer 1y ago>Games you purchased on a Windows 98 machine later had their system requirements bumped up to Windows XP, then to Windows 7, then to Windows 10... >Because the Steam client patches itself and because Valve was lying about contingency plans, their DRM prevents running Windows 98-era games on original hardware. What about Linux? Steam has supported Linux since 2013, and is notably the only big store that does. Personally, I don't even see the other stores as competition since they don't even let you install them from my OS.
- ndsipa_pomu 1y agoI've collected so many free games on the Epic store, but almost never play any of them due to issues with them running on the SteamDeck. With some persuasion they can be made to work, but I don't want to be tinkering when I just want to play a game for 5-10 minutes.
- teamonkey 1y agoApart from multiplayer games with anti-cheat I’ve had no real problems running Epic or GoG games on Steam Deck via Heroic Launcher. In fact, SD is helping me work through my free Epic games backlog. The most problematic was Deathloop, which flashed up some messages about it being an unsupported APU but ultimately worked fine. Occasionally some games crash after waking from a suspend.
- glimshe 1y agoHow's the experience of playing mouse centric games (like Civilization, Factorio and other strategy games, for instance) on the Steam Deck?
- teamonkey 1y agoThe pads work ok, they work more like a thumb ball than a track pad, but it’s no substitute for a mouse. You can just use a Bluetooth mouse, of course. A bigger issue is the size and resolution of the screen. Many games of this type assume at least 1080p.
- nerdjon 1y agoIt is always interesting seeing the mostly blind loyalty that Valve seems to get for no real clear reason. Don't get me wrong, I love their games (when they bother to make one) and my Steam Deck. But lets not pretend that Valve is our friend either and their main goal is anything but to make money. While I think that going so far as to delete my Steam library is a fairly extreme situation, I do think supporting a diverse marketplace and actually using other stores is a good idea. I have games on Xbox App (on PC), GOG, Epic, EA, etc. It really isn't that big of a deal to have alternatives installed, and if you are worried about the software there are alternatives like Heroic Launcher. The controller situation is an interesting one though that I will need to do my own reading on, I knew that Steam tried to manage controller settings itself (which just further encourages you to only use Steam...) and has caused me to have issues with buttons registering twice. I was not aware that sometimes games had different controller functionality on different stores. Is there some requirement of this on Steam?
- atmavatar 1y agoI wouldn't call it blind loyalty. I've used Steam almost since its inception, and by and large, it stays out of my way while playing, lets me install any game I've purchased historically without any trouble, and provides download speeds that approach my fiber's max limit when I do install a game. For me, it just works™. I've yet to have a bad experience with it. Sure, I also use GoG semi-regularly, particularly because it's also been relatively painless to use but also because the often overlapping sales on both frequently result in games I'm interested showing up cheaper on one store than the other (but not always the same one). However, it started off pretty niche, and CD Projekt Red publishes their really big games to other stores (much to their credit), so I won't fault someone for not having used GoG yet. I've also dipped my toes a little in the EA store, but only because there have been a few games I've wanted which required it. It struck me as an inferior experience to Steam and GoG, and I admit a particular distaste in the handful of cases where games bought on Steam/GoG still ultimately require launching the EA store before the games themselves load. If this is someone's first experience outside Steam, I totally understand retreating back to familiar territory. I won't dispute if someone else claims having a bad experience with Steam - I just haven't shared it. However, I do find hate because "they want to make money" puzzling. Every store does.
- protocolture 1y ago>The biggest obstacle to game ownership on PC is the store you licensed it from, not developers. There is no "Game Ownership" on pc or elsewhere. you purchase a license. That license is always obscenely limited, whether or not they enforce it with DRM. The only real control of a game worth mentioning is piracy, then open source.
- Meekro 1y agoI totally disagree with the author. His main complaint seems to be this: "Games you purchased on a Windows 98 machine later had their system requirements bumped up to Windows XP, then to Windows 7, then to Windows 10." Essentially, you can't run your Steam games without also being able to run the Steam client, and the Steam client will drop support for old versions of Windows after they are end-of-life'd. The author describes this as a violation of freedom, but to me it's totally understandable: when Windows 98 gets end-of-life'd, users have to upgrade anyway because security patches won't keep coming. Most people have, by that point, upgraded years earlier. Their Steam keeps working, and so do most of their games. I'm not sure what kind of changes would satisfy the author. Should Steam still devote a small team to maintaining Windows 98 compatibility to satisfy him personally (as I doubt anyone else cares)? Should they do away with DRM entirely and just ship unlocked exe's (and have every major publisher bail on them)? And, more broadly on the subject of game compatibility: the pre-internet method of shipping CD-ROM's also did not ensure that your games would run forever. You'll eventually replace your computer, and your Win98 CD-ROM games will generally not work if you try to install them on your new Win11 box.
- poulpy123 1y agoIt's true that Steam is a DRMed app store, and that means you are as owner of your game as in any other DRMed app store, but they prove regularly they are for the moment the most consumer friendly DRMed app store. They support linux, they support macos, they open their steam deck, they open their steamos beyond what is required legally, and many I don't remember. GOG is great because of they are DRM-free app store but there are also challenges: no linux client, no support for the steam deck, etc.. There are some insane takes also: nobody care that windows 98 is not supported anymore, steam is no more responsible for the fragmentation than any others distributors, Ubisoft+, EA Access (and maybe Game Pass) are much worse than Steam
- alpine_accentor 1y agoIt’s really weird for the author to put all blame on Steam while they don’t actually require devs to use any of their proprietary features, including DRM. Lots of indie games on Steam are just like the GOG games, you can copy and run anywhere. It’s all dev choice
- nithssh 1y agoThe author wants a DRM that won't stop working in older platforms. He wants DRM. The problem is that the DRM is on a rolling release, and non-latest versions are not supported. His concerns would be solved if the games are able to pin to a specific DRM version/policy
- westpfelia 1y agoOK but what does that look like. Does valve monitor every single game? Do they force developer to provide snapshots of every single version? Or is it up to the developers to support it and valve just gives them the tools to do so? In which case basically no one would do it. Because its a lot of work. Also what does it look like if you use multiple DRM's? Does Apple Fairplay have a carve out in their contract that doesnt let me also have Denuvo? This is honestly a minefield and as smart as the poster might be, I dont think he has answers even he would like for all these questions.
- nithssh 1y agoLots of the key people working on things like SDL that Value very heavily relies on are also very vocal critics of the Steam Input API. Steam Input is a bastardization of SDL technically. I have personally benefitted from the steam input feature in niche cases, but the way it hijacks everything by default even when not enabled does seem to be poor engineer-ship. I have run into some issues when doing controller management within games, only to realize it has to be solved at the steam level.
- CMay 1y agoSo, I've interacted with Kaldaien a good bit over the years and while he can have strongly stated opinions that are at times a little at odds with the intensity of an issue, it's not generally that he's fundamentally wrong. It's partially that intensity that seems to keep him so invested in the things he does. Gabe Newell left a platform company that knew how important becoming a platform was. Microsoft has a great track record with software compatibility, if imperfect. Gabe didn't exactly want to create a platform, but there were very real difficulties in game distribution at the time and internet broadband had expanded. That Valve created Steam was not unwise. That said, whether it's browsers, simple music playing, open source projects, software like Adobe Photoshop, etc there has been a rise in business and software complexity. Cross-platform compromises, unknown tool chains, unbuildable dependencies, dynamic ecosystems where a static program that just works no longer feels like a guarantee, megaprojects that increasingly solve a thousand problems you don't have. Managing Steam is an unenviable task, depending on Chromium and Windows, expanding into an operating system project, hardware projects, even a bit of a social network... the mission has clearly expanded. The organizing principles of Steam have adjusted to a new environment and that has consequences. In the Steam UI you can go to View -> Small Mode to at least visualize how simple Steam could be, but all the other concerns still remain in the background. When you have so many customers you can develop features for and deliver at scale, it's hard to reject the draw of shaping that clay. Hey, they've done a lot of great things with that power, but when you're so hooked in with momentum it's more difficult to undo the things you've done. The problem is similar to browsers, though. When you become the leader, in a way you become the standard. You can still deliver DRM free games on Steam, but as far as I know you can't simply download them from the website the way you can with GoG. All the integrations Steam supports become a sort of standard that many customers expect rather than the true supportable platform baseline. Many games won't even release outside of Steam, so the only version that will exist is a Steam version. Steam could address some of these concerns by developing a thinner optional client that aims for maximum platform compatibility and simplicity for use with a subset of games. That could then become another Steam feature that players demand or can filter the store by. Customers could opt to encourage developers to support that simpler client even if it means some features will be disabled. Obviously, those games could get updated to need the fatter client, integrating more features, but that can be managed with good communication and options for developers or consumers. There can even be a different release channel or separate product ID. The simple client doesn't need an integrated Web UI either, since it could just open a URL in your browser that logs you in where you can buy games, check chat messages and so on. I'm not sure if SteamOS could run on a Windows 98 era machine and run those games, but that would at least allow for a side argument that they maintain some compatibility. I kind of doubt that's high priority for them, though.
- ChoGGi 1y agoThis is the guy that complains about DRM then implements his own DRM for his mods to keep pirates from using them on pirated games?
- bigyabai 1y ago> business models like Ubisoft+, EA Access and Game Pass represent far greater value to consumers. Absolutely insane take. Guess we'll have to see which side customers take.
- rkomorn 1y agoMy anecdotal take: I paid for GamePass for years and it saved me money every year. Since I stopped paying for it, I've spent an equivalent amount of money on Steam but spend fewer hours playing on a smaller count of games (and I've requested refunds on multiple games). I'm probably not an average gamer in the sense that I don't particularly care about playing games when they come out, and I've played many "big title" games months or years after their release because they became available on GamePass, but in general, I feel like my GamePass experience was better value than Steam and I'm considering resubscribing.