Just go join a hobby club filled with guys, like electronics, radio, astronomy, FPV drones, RC cars, etc.. Or if you're more of a physical person: paintball, camping, fishing, shooting... Don't do audio though, a lot of audiophiles are fucking dumb.
And yet again, not one of those other vendors are anywhere near as permissive for developers or as good to consumers as Valve is. You lumping them in with the others is deeply unfair.
If devs want to get a better cut, Itch.io and GOG are there and they don't steal people's information and fuck consumers the way EGS does. I will not support storefronts owned by psychopaths: I avoid Amazon almost completely, I do not buy from Apple or Google stores, and I'm not going to buy anything from EGS either. Put your game on Itch or GOG. Simple as.
Would criticizing this specific cut be easier, if we talked about Apple’s iron grip on the App Store? Because it’s the same damn policy.
Except that it isn't? Apple doesn't let you circumvent their store, while Steam not only allows games to have their own monetization system, it allows off-site sales of the game on Steam. That is significantly more permissive, by a degree of magnitude that makes me wonder about your sincerity.
What Epic means by “for developers” is, developers keep more of the money. Walk me through how that’s bad for you.
Why should we accept an objectively worse storefront run by psychopaths because developers make more money under some circumstances? EGS is not supporting open-source software, Linux, VR. Their online backend is awful, with their chat and multiplayer still sucking years later. No remote play or remote play together. They don't allow user tags or reviews. They are missing incredibly basic library sorting controls. No easily accessible news/update notes from developers. They have adopted virtually none of the pro-consumer moves such as identifying dead games, DRM, or third-party launchers before you buy. No custom profile pictures.
Also worth noting the featured/recommended list in the Steam store does a good job, even sending me the odd game with like 5 reviews that might actually suit my interests. I have on more than one occasion bought games I'd probably never see without this, and I'm in some communities with indie devs. I've demoed and tested games no one has ever heard of. If Steam can find me gems in the rough while I'm that low to the ground, they're doing a good job.
If that feature alone isn't worth Steam's cut to you, frankly you deeply misunderstand the marketplace in general and just how damned hard it is to sell a game as a nobody. EGS and Prime will never support indie devs or niche titles this way, because it doesn't make them money. Steam will, because it does. Think about that.
Steam was the first to offer 2 hour/14 day refunds, as well as refunds over broken games. They brought reviews to the storefront. Communities and discussion boards to communicate with devs and find like-minded players. Demos, 4 packs, easy access to servers and SDKs, easy update delivery and tracking for consumers...
It's a store-front with a strong focus on consumer happiness. People are not going to give that up for EGS or Prime, which are run by psychopaths and not even remotely consumer-friendly. Tim Sweeny even said EGS is made for developers, with the implication it is not for consumers.
GOG is probably the closest competitor that stands any hope of success but they have steered clear of actually entering Steam's territory, preferring to grab a market Steam neglects (retro PC gamers). Considering they have not developed the other systems Steam has I don't think they want to compete and are content to coexist.
This is a product of a few things. Example: Conrad Black and Rupert Murdoch absolutely fucking up media across the anglosphere. Another example: the Protestant Work Ethic and excessive individualism, causing people to scoff at the idea of improving working conditions, and blaming the poor for their fate. Australia and the UK are having similar experiences.
Notably Québec, despite being in Canada, is not experiencing this problem to anywhere near the same degree. This is the hint that something is deeply wrong with English-speaking media.
If this is your form of protest at least target someone who has materially contributed to this state of affairs, and by that I don't mean random Republican voters.
I’ve caught bans for being insufficiently pro-Kamala
I talked some shit during the election and didn't cop a ban lol. I guess you either had more visibility or were in even more extreme places than I was?
Honestly I think your approach is closer to the ideal: it's pretty poisonous to the mind if most of the content you take in is political in nature. You need to explore other stuff too, broaden horizons and all that.
I've been learning how to design parts with CAD software and 3D print it. Also got a home server going to host games and media, among other things. These hobbies keep me sane, and that's what I'm ultimately getting at: people need to get a hobby that isn't about being mad on the internet.
Also instead of just whining on the internet, its far more effective to engage in local politics and build up a base of people there than hoping that "someone" will do "something" about the whole country. That "someone" has to come from somewhere: create the grassroots that can be the base from which change springs.
But holy moly, it’s a political purity test! Like, I think of myself as pretty socialist, way far off center, but I feel totally alone veering off certain topics or even acknowledging certain things! I’m (mostly) not getting banned, and I am not leaving, but still.
I saw people advocating for damaging people's Teslas and it was fucking stupid. Beyond the fact that many people are not in a position where they can just get rid of a car over political reasons, it is likely many or even the majority of Tesla owners do not vote Republican (conservatives have been much slower to adopt EVs): you're very likely going to damage vehicles owned by totally innocent people.
I own a non-Tesla EV but either way it would be excessively expensive to switch to another car on a whim, and I sure as hell am not going to deprive my family just because seeing my car's brand hurts people's feelings.
I will say I have encountered a few highly voted positions that are beyond extreme to the point of stupidity, and I'm a Québecois union executive so that's wild. Most of that was from Hexbear or .ml tankies though.
I've been seeing people advocating ruining random Teslas and it's pissing me off. Do people think rightoids make up the majority of EV early adopters? Fucking think about it before you go off spray painting swastikas onto innocent people's cars holy shit.
Just go join a hobby club filled with guys, like electronics, radio, astronomy, FPV drones, RC cars, etc.. Or if you're more of a physical person: paintball, camping, fishing, shooting... Don't do audio though, a lot of audiophiles are fucking dumb.