this post was submitted on 09 Sep 2023
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They were never competing with cable but with piracy. Of all media sellers it seems Gabe Newell was unique in understanding that
By all accounts Gabe isn't also a gargantuan piece of shit, which also sets him apart from the other media sellers.
Somehow my mind read over the isn't and I had to deeply think on Wtf I missed and couldn't come up with shit
What did Gabe do differently? I can’t recall any specifics
He noted piracy was an issue of service and ease of availability, not price. Case in point, it’s far easier for me to wait for a Steam sale and have a legal game than it is for me to go through all the effort of waiting for a decent crack, torrenting the game, and then waiting for the crack to the patch because of something that doesn’t run well.
I used to pirate games to “sample” them, and now it’s simply easier to just buy through Steam. If I hate it…oh, well. It only cost $10 through a Steam, GOG, or Humble Bundle sale.
Video streaming used to be somewhat like this when everything was through Netflix. One place to get everything you wanted was far easier than trying to acquire things through piracy.
Now, however, you’ve got to have 6 different streaming services to get what used to require only one, and with the price of hard drives going down every year, it’s actually easier to torrent what I want and just have things in my personal collection that’s never going to just get removed suddenly because NBC Universal decides that they want a piece of the pie as well.
You can ask a refund for any Steam game after a few hours of play. Refund is full, no questions asked. I've done it multiple times with games that just didn't click for me.
Also pirating games needs a lot of space. First for setup files and then as much or even more space to install the game.
Installing games from Steam is much more space efficient.
One of the best things about Steam is not having to store install ISOs so I can reinstall games when I upgrade.
From a business standpoint that might make sense. In my opinion though, what we now call "piracy" is really a superior model of universal access to information. As-is we're needlessly holding back humanity in the name of promoting profit for rights holders.
Provides a better service and doesn't just jack up the price. Steam sales are some of the best discounts around. Embraced Linux and worked to build upon its open foundations to deliver a great handheld which is open . Great customer service in general. Obviously there will always be people pissed off but going by sales and the general vibe I think it largely favors a positive position.
I think steam is a private company so there are no shareholders to crack the whip. They seem to be good to their staff too and give back to the Linux community.
He specifically stated that before, and also in general just focused on making steam accessible. Some people have issues with steam and what it has for annoying DRM, but compared to what EA and Ubisoft did with their platforms, Steam doesn't shine itself down your throat, doesn't bloat everything, and has a massive library.
Spotify seems to have done well enough on that front as well.