Please throw out your consoles, your phone, your PC, and your clothes as well since those are all made under exploitative conditions or have components that are mined or produced under exploitative conditions.
Your gesture is meaningless and is only for your own ego.
I knew I'd get this tired response. I need a phone to work so I can actually earn money with which I contribute to as many good causes as I am able. Same with a PC. I buy clothes from the local hippie shop where the clothes are handmade or ethically sourced. We all make choices. Ultimately we have to function in the world so unfortunately I contribute to some companies I'd rather not. A fucking games company though? Yeah I think I can live my life fine without them.
I knew I'd get this tired response. I need a phone to work so I can actually earn money with which I contribute to as many good causes as I am able. Same with a PC. I buy clothes from the local hippie shop where the clothes are handmade or ethically sourced. We all make choices. Ultimately we have to function in the world so unfortunately I contribute to some companies I'd rather not. A fucking games company though? Yeah I think I can live my life fine without them.
No, its not meaningless at all and whilst it in isolation may be a drop in a vast bucket it's still an action which can add up over time and cause others to stop and think. Provoking thought should always be commended and I applaud the poster for actually adhering to their moral compass. If anyone was stroking their own ego I'd say it was your post, as you think you know more and have it all figured out... but given your tone and what the thread is actually about I think it's best to leave it like that.Your gesture is meaningless and is only for your own ego.
Then what about throwing all your video games or so ?
Which game companies do you deem worthy of your support then? One that isn't as evil as Valve seems to be in your eyes?
Especially since you seem concerned about working conditions.
I play all kinds of games, from Spelunky to Resident Evil. I don't know what the working conditions at Capcom are. I make decisions based on the information available. Did any of you actually read the article? Valve is a company that did everything legally possible to argue that they shouldn't have to adhere to EU law that refunds are mandatory. I mean c'mon lads there are degrees of bad practice.
The weird thing is competition exist right now in the form of Origins, which in the customer service department is vastly better. But gamers are prone to brand royalty like any other consumer I guess.
The weird thing is competition exist right now in the form of Origins, which in the customer service department is vastly better. But gamers are prone to brand royalty like any other consumer I guess.
The Origin comparison is dumb, because Valve sells their games on other plattforms (uPlay) and Origin as a client itself isnt as convenient and has as many features as Steam.
I play all kinds of games, from Spelunky to Resident Evil. I don't know what the working conditions at Capcom are. I make decisions based on the information available. Did any of you actually read the article? Valve is a company that did everything legally possible to argue that they shouldn't have to adhere to EU law that refunds are mandatory. I mean c'mon lads there are degrees of bad practice.
I
In an age where most tech companies that sell you products directly such as Amazon and Apple go to great lengths to supply good support experiences, why is everyone generally okay with Valve's?
why is everyone generally okay with Valve's? Especially when storefronts like Origin are doing a much better job?
I play all kinds of games, from Spelunky to Resident Evil. I don't know what the working conditions at Capcom are. I make decisions based on the information available. Did any of you actually read the article? Valve is a company that did everything legally possible to argue that they shouldn't have to adhere to EU law that refunds are mandatory. I mean c'mon lads there are degrees of bad practice.
We made memes about Mitt Romney saying corporations are also people, but we gamers fully think of Valve as a person. Not just that, we deify the CEO.
No corporation is your friend.
Can someone please explain what huge Steam features are missing from Origin, other than your existing library not being there? I actually find the client WAY more pleasant to use, with an interface that actually looks like it has been updated within the past decade. It's also responsive, launches quickly, and generally gets out of my way.
Very well researched article, especially the court case with Judge Edelman. Valve acting like any big corporation in other countries trying to skirt past the local laws like in Australia until a judge decides to finally take them to task.
It is interesting to see people turn into corporate shills when Steam sales come around much like on Black Friday where people do free marketing for it. When developers decide to not have as many sales for their game, they're threatened with boycotts.
We made memes about Mitt Romney saying corporations are also people, but we gamers fully think of Valve as a person. Not just that, we deify the CEO.
I do try my best to buy games from developers at places that give them the biggest cut, like Humble or Itch.io. Valve being vigorously against competition is a bad thing enough that they don't want to disclose their finances, and they deserve criticism for it.
Everything community related, streaming, the controller API, Workshop support, being able to refund my whole library as opposed to just EA games, customisation of the storefront/library, streaming, a friendlist that actually works well, family sharing and other stuff i'm forgetting.
An i own 31 games on Origin. It's not like i boycott the platform.
Very well researched article, especially the court case with Judge Edelman. Valve acting like any big corporation in other countries trying to skirt past the local laws like in Australia until a judge decides to finally take them to task.
It is interesting to see people turn into corporate shills when Steam sales come around much like on Black Friday where people do free marketing for it. When developers decide to not have as many sales for their game, they're threatened with boycotts.
With researched - applies Reddit and twitch memes as arguments.
Nope.
I play all kinds of games, from Spelunky to Resident Evil. I don't know what the working conditions at Capcom are. I make decisions based on the information available. Did any of you actually read the article? Valve is a company that did everything legally possible to argue that they shouldn't have to adhere to EU law that refunds are mandatory. I mean c'mon lads there are degrees of bad practice.
Very well researched article, especially the court case with Judge Edelman. Valve acting like any big corporation in other countries trying to skirt past the local laws like in Australia until a judge decides to finally take them to task.
It is interesting to see people turn into corporate shills when Steam sales come around much like on Black Friday where people do free marketing for it. When developers decide to not have as many sales for their game, they're threatened with boycotts.
We made memes about Mitt Romney saying corporations are also people, but we gamers fully think of Valve as a person. Not just that, we deify the CEO.
I do try my best to buy games from developers at places that give them the biggest cut, like Humble or Itch.io. Valve being vigorously against competition is a bad thing enough that they don't want to disclose their finances, and they deserve criticism for it.
Can someone please explain what huge Steam features are missing from Origin, other than your existing library not being there? I actually find the client WAY more pleasant to use, with an interface that actually looks like it has been updated within the past decade. It's also responsive, launches quickly, and generally gets out of my way.
I do try my best to buy games from developers at places that give them the biggest cut, like Humble or Itch.io. Valve being vigorously against competition is a bad thing enough that they don't want to disclose their finances, and they deserve criticism for it.
If Valve were a true monopoly, we'd be screwed. The problem with analyzing them through that lens is that they aren't a monopoly. The video game industry, and even the PC part of it has lots of competition.
Games that would not be viable to release before, are now able to thanks to the Greenlight system. This isn't because Valve is a goodguy, but because Valve was able to see that consumers demanded those games.
While I do think that the "good guy valve" image is wrong, I don't think that it being wrong makes Steam a bad platform for gaming. It's nowhere near the monopolisitic force that the article makes it out to be.
Working scaling for high resolution displays. Every other client I use respects my scaling setting, including Steam, GOG Galaxy, and uPlay. The menus in Origin are way too small for me to see without getting right next to my TV. They've known about the issue for at least 5 years and still haven't fixed it.Can someone please explain what huge Steam features are missing from Origin, other than your existing library not being there? I actually find the client WAY more pleasant to use, with an interface that actually looks like it has been updated within the past decade. It's also responsive, launches quickly, and generally gets out of my way.
Valve made PC gaming viable again. Piracy is much less rempant among avid gamers thanks to their sale concept.
I remember the time before Steam came along, PC was pronounced dead by most publishers and it was a lot less vibrant than today.
- Universal refunds, as opposed to only being able to get refunds on EA games. Origin refunds also are much more strict: You have to get a refund with 24 hours of launching the game, or within seven days of purchasing it.
- Better prices
- Download servers that aren't located in the furthest corners of Siberia
- Much more expansive library
- Built-in mod support
- Steam Controller support (you have to add Origin games to Steam to use the controller, which is an incredibly convoluted process because EA doesn't want you running games on Steam)
- Linux and Mac support
- Early Access
- Updates download in the background
- Vastly superior community features
- Big Picture Mode
Those are just the things I use on a regular basis.
The only people who use Origin are people who want to play EA games, and people who've deluded themselves into believing that propping up an inferior service is good for the industry..
I play all kinds of games, from Spelunky to Resident Evil. I don't know what the working conditions at Capcom are. I make decisions based on the information available. Did any of you actually read the article? Valve is a company that did everything legally possible to argue that they shouldn't have to adhere to EU law that refunds are mandatory. I mean c'mon lads there are degrees of bad practice.
I do try my best to buy games from developers at places that give them the biggest cut, like Humble or Itch.io. Valve being vigorously against competition is a bad thing enough that they don't want to disclose their finances, and they deserve criticism for it.
Gabe Newell sends Sheever flowers so all their in court battles in the EU fighting Steam refunds are forgotten.
The more of these responses I read the more it feels like this article screwed the pooch with the title.
It's not about if they are 100% evil or good, and this is where the article gets it wrong, but rather if Valve sincerely deserves all the love it receives. The answer is almost always going to be no but people respond to the question as if a family member has been attacked.
The refund thing is really funny. Valve gets tons of shit for refunds when they are pretty much the only ones even offering them.
GOG does too and GOG is awesome and EA does for their own games.
That's it.
But Valve is the company evading responsibility concerning refunds?
Also everyone praising MS for just starting to bring out refunds that is an exact mirror of Steam Refunds.
minus being able to refund DLC.
And we'll see how it's implemented when it's actually out.
The problem has always been being so naive to think about "Good Guy Valve". There is no sympathetic capitalism, there is no "good guy Valve", there is no "good guy GOG" and there is no "good guy anything that involves a company, public or private".
A company looks for himself, their objectives and interests. As a user, I look for myself and as Steam is convenient enough, I'll keep using it, monopoly or not.
Polygon should be more concerned about the monopoly of Windows on PC gaming. It's easier to avoid Steam than Windows if you want to play games on your computer.
The refund thing is really funny. Valve gets tons of shit for refunds when they are pretty much the only ones even offering them.
GOG does too and GOG is awesome and EA does for their own games.
That's it.
But Valve is the company evading responsibility concerning refunds?
I was considering making a thread on this as I just read this but I'm glad I didn't have to.
The part that upsets me most is how workshop content creators get completely screwed.
Highly recommend reading the whole piece.
Valve being vigorously against competition is a bad thing enough that they don't want to disclose their finances, and they deserve criticism for it.
I knew I'd get this tired response. I need a phone to work so I can actually earn money with which I contribute to as many good causes as I am able. Same with a PC. I buy clothes from the local hippie shop where the clothes are handmade or ethically sourced. We all make choices. Ultimately we have to function in the world so unfortunately I contribute to some companies I'd rather not. A fucking games company though? Yeah I think I can live my life fine without them.
Please throw out your consoles, your phone, your PC, and your clothes as well since those are all made under exploitative conditions or have components that are mined or produced under exploitative conditions.
Your gesture is meaningless and is only for your own ego.
Many problems are too big to feel your own impact on them, but that does not diminish your responsibility to measure the morality of your decisions. And just because many are not willing to forgo the benefits of exploitation with regards to clothing and technology does not invalidate efforts to curtail exploitation in other areas. Its like saying, the earth is over populated, but if your not willing to kill yourself to fix it, then any other efforts you make are meaningless. In reality, killing yourself is probably not be the most effective option to address the problem.
Which platform do you suggest i pick up instead?