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72% of devs believe Steam has a monopoly on PC games, according to study (www.gamesindustry.biz)
submitted 1 year ago by to c/steam@programming.dev
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[–] 4 points 1 year ago* (11 children)

Steam forced publishers to ensure that the cheapest price for their game would be on steam. No other marketplace was allowed to have a cheaper price. If that isn't anticompetitive, I dont know what is.

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  • [–] 4 points 1 year ago

    They are not saying you cannot list elsewhere. They are just saying they have to get your best price.

    If Walmart says you can only sell pickles on their shelves if you sell them pickles at your best price, is that anti-competitive?

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago (3 children)

    This is not true anymore. How do you think humble bundle works?

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago (2 children)

    The case was actually won against Valve. What is your argument? "They did one shitty thing, they probably won't do / aren't doing another" ?

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  • [–] -2 points 1 year ago (5 children)

    As a consumer that is a good thing for me.

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  • [–] 0 points 1 year ago (4 children)

    That is a very shortsighted and egoistic view. Market dominance brought us Google (ubersurveillance), Apple (e-waste production galore), Microsoft, Oracle, Shell, a bunch of "AAA" studios that set the standards for treatment of developers and other staff, and much more.

    As a consumer, I want more than just a cheap product. Looking at the price alone is literally a one dimensional view of a complex problem. For example, back in the olden days you could also say "I got cheap cotton" and completely ignore that it was picked by slaves.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago*

    Market dominance is a bad thing. No question.

    That said, there is a very big difference between a company illegally creating or protecting a monopoly and a company naturally dominating an industry through consumer preference.

    I do not use Chrome because I agrees with your thoughts on market dominance. And, despite recent legal opinions, Google does abuse their position somewhat with search deals and the like. But, at its heart, the issue is that the vast majority of people prefer Chrome and choose it for that reason.

    If consumers create (and maintain) a monopoly through preference, it is not up to the government to fix it. There are many viable browser choices that are all able to effectively get to market. People choose Chrome. I do not like it but I do not blame Google for making a browser people like.

    Steam is in much the same boat. As a consumer, I have many choices. Most consumers choose Valve. Again, I cannot really be mad at them for being better.

    Sometimes, it is up to us.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago* (2 children)

    I don't care about the developer experience, clearly the things Valve wants are acceptable because developers keep accepting it.

    Valve is a private company dedicated to the customer. If that changes one day, my opinion will change.

    If other companies want a slice of the pie they can offer a competitive service. But they don't

    I like cheap games, i prefer a situation where I can pay less.

    I like all my games being on one account.

    Honestly, the people who whine about Steam should go be mad about a real problem.

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