this post was submitted on 24 Jan 2024
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Valve, Xbox, etc have a soft monopoly. When I say competition, I meant more up and coming game stores that are a threat (some of which just want to be part of the club and don't want to actively strive for true competition but that's an other issue). Sorry, I wasn't being clear.
They do invest in their business. My main take is that what they grab is a lot bigger than what they give. Most treat them as heros when they are more like the shiniest boot on our necks. There is precious little in the scope of things that seperate valve from the rest of wallstreet.
I specifically choose gaben because he curates this type of image while in reality, he is a villain that at a minimum indirectly collides with a handful of competitors in order to rob thousands of developers and their consumers.
I don't really want cheaper games, although that would be nice. I mostly just think of all my favorite ones that didn't have a sequel, had it cancelled or even came out as a buggy mess. I don't know if that would have happened if they had 25% more budget.
In essence, I think valve is just as harmful to the industry as Xbox, Nintendo and Sony and this persona they curate is an illusion. Mostly, my problems are with our current brand of capitalism as a whole though, no doubt about it.