I have listened to a ton of game developer talks over the years. Some of the old indie devs that have given talks basically all welcomed steam because it meant that they didn’t have to deal with all of the stuff that steam does themselves. Before people started buying games through steam, doing an acceptable level of DRM, distribution, payments, refunds, etc. was all hand-rolled, for each company.
You can still do that yourself. Why do people stick with steam with the supposedly onerous 30% cut? It’s because steam provides a valuable service. Now the people that build games don’t have to deal as much with the things that aren’t building games.
In my opinion, a platform like Steam was bound to emerge at some point. Let’s thank our fucking stars that the company that “won” is not beholden to any shareholder and is run by a gamer that understands what people who love video games needed.
If you think that the 30% cut is too high, there’s nothing stopping you from building all the infrastructure yourself. And there are plenty of companies that have done so, like Epic and, until recently, Sony.
But I would say unless you are a team building AAA games and making millions and millions a year, where the savings you can realize outweigh the cost of rolling your own infrastructure, steam is kind of a good deal.
I remember when it was just Hulu for $5 and Netflix for $8. Saved $50 a month from cable. Now it seems we spend more. I have four. Max, Peacock, Paramount and Hulu. Prime doesn’t count because it sucks balls. (Only paying Netflix when next Stranger Things and Squid Game is released). Curious to see what the average...
My wife and I tried a poly phase (neither of us ended up liking anyone else lol) and while on dating apps I found 27 to be the minimum and upper 40’s to be the max. I realized that there was no real way to connect and relate to someone in a totally different phase of life.
I built a computer and didn’t have high speed Internet about 18 years ago. Couldn’t get Windows activated so a friend gave me a (Debian?) CD so I could get something going. Been keeping old machines alive with it ever since.
do you find it difficult to get into games? I’ve got Epic Games and Steam Games libraries chock-full of classic top-tier games along with many other newer games like Stray or 2077, and a bunch of indie titles. I just can’t be bothered to download and install them, much less try to get into the characters and storylines. Used...
Last year I made a vow to put at least one hour into every game in my steam library (except ones I’ve played before or didn’t work).
I had about 120 games to get through. It took me most of the year. I ended up playing some “hidden” gems I’ll never forget ( Torment: Tides of Numeneria was a notable great).
Did I play Skyrim too? Of course. But I also got addicted to Risk of Rain. Were there some stinkers? Absolutely. But for every Dev-Guy (bad) there’s a DiveKick (good). For every Serious Sam 2, a Warhammer 40k: Space Marine.
Some of my most played games right now are Into The Breach, Slay The Spire, and Vampire Survivors - none of them are complicated. They all respect your time.
I think what it is is the immersion. You know you’ll be interrupted before you’re “done” so you can’t let yourself mentally wander off into the world.
Maybe if there's DLC (startrek.website)
I will rue the day this inevitably happens. (lemmy.world)
How Many Streaming Services Do You Have?
I remember when it was just Hulu for $5 and Netflix for $8. Saved $50 a month from cable. Now it seems we spend more. I have four. Max, Peacock, Paramount and Hulu. Prime doesn’t count because it sucks balls. (Only paying Netflix when next Stranger Things and Squid Game is released). Curious to see what the average...
Age range (lemmy.zip)
Inspiration (startrek.website)
Trig (lemmy.world)
what caused you to get into Linux?
What caused you to get into it, are you an evangel and are you obsessed?
My cousin said the gas savings for a prius and a motorcycle were the same. (lemmy.ml)
Mathematically they’re equivalent, but the feelings could not be further apart.
well guess what else is yellow ? (lemmy.world)
What kind of wearable device do you want? Assuming it will work and feel like you imagine it would
It’s getting cold and so I’m fumbling with my phone and other devices....
Gamers who have gamed for a long time
do you find it difficult to get into games? I’ve got Epic Games and Steam Games libraries chock-full of classic top-tier games along with many other newer games like Stray or 2077, and a bunch of indie titles. I just can’t be bothered to download and install them, much less try to get into the characters and storylines. Used...