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https://steamcommunity.com/discussions/forum/0/4511002848507277219/
https://steamcommunity.com/discussions/forum/12/4511003079826001192/
Though that initiative won't result in anything for a long while as the proces to get it actually voted on is very, very, very long.
By then the game developers/publishers no doubt have found the next loophole. It's an uphill battle.
The irony is Steam has indeed been rthe greatest force for video game preservation, by providing a way for developers to monetize their old games.
We've had many in the past, and many more will follow in the future and eventually... the market will just keep on going like it always has.
Seriously... take "gamer gate", that was kinda big wasn't it? It even got some coverage in international media.
So... where are we now? Well... Sarkeesian sucessfully used her platform(s) to direct attention to herself and utilize it to step up, gamers protested and cried out but did something actually happen? Not really. Games are still being sold, hate campaigns are still a thing, and people trying to oppose their will onto others are also nothing of the past.
I just think it's hilarious that discussions like these seem to focus mostly on Steam. Don't get me wrong: it is one of the biggest gaming platforms in the world, so obviously it's gonna be mentioned here. ALSO... while I may find it hilarious myself... all the more power to those who support it, really.
Thing is...
I lived the 80's / 90's? ;) Eye of the Beholder, Dungeon Keeper, Carmageddon (!), C&C (the orignals, not that remake crap), Tomb Raider I & II (and III for good measure!), Krynn legends series (Champions / Death Knight and Dark Queen of Krynn), Stonekeep, Star Wars Dark Forces... or Jedi Knight Dark Forces II / Mysteries of the Sith, Battle Chess, ....
Just mentioning some games, some of which are easily 30 years old... Oh, right, can't forget the ultimate classic: Another World! Or what about Wolfenstein 3D? Quake & Doom anyone?
All games which you can still purchase to this very day on this fine platform ;)
What's this about killing games again? ;)
This is actually legit true, no matter any other opinions one may have.
Before Steam, centralized hosting for multiplayer, official support and the ability to download patches, etc. etc. usually only lasted for a year or two before it got pulled and you were on your own.
When Steam basically established the modern ecosystem of digital video game distribution, the entire model of doing business had to pivot to incorporate long-tail earnings into the picture. Which means games could remain profitable for much longer and which would warrant infrastructure to be kept available for them much longer.
If you look into the history of things, this whole mess actually started decades ago.
The Crew wasn't the first time Ross Scott was bitten by support for a game being pulled. It happened to him a few times, until he basically got fed up with it and then started his campaign.
And he managed to connect with a lot of lingering sentiment among consumers that they were indeed being shafted, and got an unfair deal out of things.
But more than that, on a very base level he is correct. And this is more than a 'tantrum.' Video games are simply the proverbial 'canary in the coal mine' and what we're getting at here is sort of the last stand to try and keep this practice contained and snub it out.
If the canary here chokes and society doesn't take notice, then the practice will bleed out into other markets unhindered until it finds tenure. We've already seen abuse with subscription-based heating in car seats, for instance. We've seen smart home equipment being binned by the bucket loads because companies no longer found it profitable to continue a particular product line; and there was no way to get that equipment working again separated from the company's server infrastructure.
How would you appreciate if this becomes so commonplace and accepted that it starts bleeding into more critical spaces? Sorry- the company no longer wants to support the server that allows your digitized car key to open your car and start its engine. Tough. Buy a new car. Every 5 years. End to the used cars market.
And what about medical aid equipment and implants.
There are already horror-stories of patients with implants that were put into their bodies as part of experimental medical treatments that greatly restore quality of life to levels of being able to function normally again. Where at some point, those implants are repossessed and those patients are being forcibly wheeled back into surgery to have them cut out of their body, because the company owning the IP decided not to invest further into their development.
What if that starts extending into companies remotely terminating service to the version 1 implant, so everyone is forced to upgrade to the version 2 implant (twice the cost; twice the useless functionality; twice the bugs)? What if they decide to squeeze that for all its worth and rev versions every other year?
That's the type of scenario which is waiting for you if you don't draw a line somewhere and let capitalism run unbridled and unchecked.
Has been on the main page for a while, I'm certain you saw it.
Online games go down, eventually. That's just how it works. For steam, it doesn't really matter -- if the game is available for 20 years, they'll keep it in the store for 20 years. If it dies after 3 years, they remove it after 3 years.
If they get involved and just forbid online games on the store, they'll likely loose a lot of customers that are happily following the games to whereever they are still welcome. It's not a good business case for Steam, at all.
Valve - The company
There's afaik been exactly one case. But that was with that one bigoted dev who got into a tug of war with Steam Support over harassing customers, and which was warned multiple times over they'd kick him off the platform if he'd keep it up.
And kick him off, they did.
lol. I think i remember hearing about this one. This is why you do not fight with the platform you put your game on if your a developer. This is like biting the hand that feeds you.