Gregory's Server“One thing that we have learned is that piracy is not a pricing issue. It’s a service issue.” - Gabe Newell, Valve, 2011.
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@VileLasagna@mastodon.gamedev.place @gamingonlinux@mastodon.social Wise words from a wise man  @gamingonlinux so Gaben solved it by providing a service, proving that servicing nazi pones, Hitler sex games, US war crimes games, and child exploitation / sex games isn't about pricing. Oh but you can opt out of sex games, lol. Wasn't old Gabe brought before congress recently to talk about exposing kids to hateful, exploitative shit? I've been on steam since 2004, and yeah, Gabe hosts nazi pones. We all know that. @choccymalk @gamingonlinux wow. Your energetic response says you probably know exactly what the fuck I'm talking about. @gamingonlinux to me it also seems to be a reminder that if you buy something you don’t own physically, you buy something you don’t own physically. @gamingonlinux the other thing he learned is being a publisher pays way better than being a creator  @gamingonlinux Even better - no piracy would happen if sharing files of that kind of media was legal.  If your reply is blaming people for not reading the ToS: don’t be an ass. Companies make them difficult to parse for normal average people. When you purchase something, you expect it to be yours. @gamingonlinux they shouldn’t be able to call the button ‘buy’ if you’re just kinda sorta borrowing it. @PictoPirate @PictoPirate @gamingonlinux Oh man, I would absolutely support legislation that required companies to label the button “Buy revocable license” instead.
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@asier@fosstodon.org @gamingonlinux@mastodon.social  @gamingonlinux that's true, but up to a point. The ephemeral nature of these services has been one of the key topics of discussion about DRM, piracy, and user rights for over a decade now. It's not like warnings about it have not been issued wherever this has been possible. Not everybody may have been reached by it, but I wouldn't be surprised if most people have come across such warnings and simply disregarded them for being “extremist” or “paranoid”. Relevant XKCD: https://xkcd.com/743/ @gamingonlinux anybody insisting on the expectation that these services will be “eternal” is simply deluding themselves now.  It's 2023. Saying that people can't be expected to know what they're getting when paying for online content is akin to saying they can't be expected to understand what leasing or financing a car really means for ownership. At least learning this lesson costs a lot less than having your vehicle repossessed.  @gamingonlinux Also, usually when you're expected to read a contract before you sign it, you and/or your lawyers get a say in requesting a change to the contract before you sign and agree to it. You can't do that with a TOS or an EULA, so we're stuck with either never using the service, or "Agreeing" to their terms. Doesn't mean that we actually think it's a good deal if we agree after reading the TOS or EULA.  @AT1ST @gamingonlinux And usually the content is only available from one supplier, so it's not like you can go find another offering better terms... @diffrentcolours @gamingonlinux Right - I'm reminded of Last Week Tonight's episode on Corporate Consolidation regarding Delta Airlines the year they dragged the one passenger off the flight because of overbooking...and how that didn't affect their profit margins that quarter. "That actually does explain their new slogan: 'You want to rollerblade to Houston?'" @diffrentcolours @gamingonlinux It's just that every product has a company that turns their non-monpolistic options on their platform through their monopolistic storefront. PC is sort of the exception, except if you want to play a lot of games...you're going to need to agree to at least one of Microsoft's Windows versions' TOS.  @gamingonlinux While this isn’t uniquely American, is this even legal in jurisdictions with better consumer rights like the EU and Australia? Or are they simply not doing this in those jurisdictions where it’s illegal or a gray area?  @gamingonlinux also, we can't just avoid using anything with any terms we are not 100% happy with Quoting Gabe Newell to denounce access removal using DRM?
The irony would be hilarious if it was not so sad, Steam addicts really live in another world…  @gamingonlinux #GabeN is right, since #Steam is seen as a desireable function and not a shitty #DRM to the point that developers get bullied and hated if they don't offer their game on it... After all, #Valve may delist a game but they don't steal it from peoples' libraries!!!  @gamingonlinux Ironically, this (retroactively removing copies from your paying customers) is closer to theft than copyright infringement is. @scottmichaud @gamingonlinux To be fair, anyone who's looked at "wage violations" statistics knows it's only really theft when poor people do it @gamingonlinux Apropos Valve: When I created my Steam account in 2016 I entered the CD key of my original Half Life copy bought in 1998/99. To my surprise it worked flawlessly and I even got the expansion packs and some other extras. That very same copy I bought a quarter century ago received a major anniversary upgrade a few weeks ago. |
@gamingonlinux and that's why Steam has been so wildly successful.