4 ms·
> I think Steam has been a net positive for the gaming community This is probably true on balance, but needs to be tempered with the reality that they also pio
by hamdingers 1y ago
> I think Steam has been a net positive for the gaming community
This is probably true on balance, but needs to be tempered with the reality that they also pioneered or popularized many of the worst parts of modern gaming. Always-on DRM, paid DLC, loot boxes and exploitive monetization, esports gambling (indirectly, they were complicit until legal pressure forced them not to be), FOMO monetization, "early access" and launching incomplete games, etc. All exist in their modern forms at least in part due to Valve.
Disclaimer: I'm a valve fanboy who buys all their first party software and hardware. They still put out great products despite the ways they've changed gaming for the worse.
- SXX 1y agoValve did not do anything for Always-on DRM other than allowing it to exist on platform. On Steam itself DRM barely exists.
- account42 1y agoSteam's DRM may be trivial to circumvent technically but the legal situation is clear: you do not own what you buy on Steam, you cannot resell it, cannot gift it to your friends once you are done, you cannot leave it to your heirs. And no, you don't have any guarantees that you yourself still have access to it tomorrow.
- SXX 1y agoTechnically Steam itself dont enforce any DRM on any games. Period. Unfortunately legal situation is not that different on any platform. GOG gives you offline installers and avoid technical DRM measures in all games, but that's about it - all other things you listed are still missing.