Steam is on a path to become a monopoly. Is that a good thing for the gamer? Support my work: https://www.patreon.com/thehatedone If it's not on Steam, it might as well not exist. Even console exclusives made for PlayStation and Xbox will find themselves listed on Steam. And that's saying something. It's saying that even giant studios like Microsoft or Sony just can't pass on that cash-grab potential. That is power. Power that belongs to Steam's maker Valve, which also has some of the most popular PC games, and makes Linux-based console SteamDeck that challenges Windows' gaming monopoly. For that, everyone loves Valve. But there is a problem. Valve's power is too great and Valve will use that power to the detriment of the whole gaming community. I am going to prove that to you by showing you Valve's historical record and by looking at its future path. Both of which should convince you that it doesn't matter how much you may love Steam right now, Valve is not your friend. Valve has this image of an infallible good guy, standing up to the big tech. Any criticism of Valve or Steam is met with dismissal and ridicule. Valve's fans will defend any corporate decision they make, even if it's the same they would scorch other gaming companies for making. When you purchase games from Steam, you have to accept the terms that you will never own your games. Your purchase only grants you a temporary limited license. What's the difference and why does it matter? Well, if you own something, like a book, or a DVD with a game, the contents still belong to the copyright holder, but you get to decide what to do with the material. Like for instance, you can lend it, gift it or trade it for something else. A Steam license gives you none of that. It's just a subscription. SOURCES [references available in the transcript] [0] https://web.archive.org/web/20141024081126/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-04/valve-lines-up-console-partners-in-challenge-to-microsoft-sony.html [1] https://usesignhouse.com/blog/valve-stats/ [2] https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/gaming/gaming-giant-valve-hit-with-another-antitrust-lawsuit-alleging-anticompetitive-practices/ar-AA1oF5qi [3] https://www.polygon.com/2017/5/16/15622366/valve-gabe-newell-sales-origin-destructive [4] https://old.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/comments/t3glbx/its_okay_to_acknowledge_that_valve_is_not [5] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21208138[6] https://store.steampowered.com/subscriber_agreement/ [7] https://www.extremetech.com/archive/73674-halflife-2-will-require-internet-activation [8] http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4019095.stm [9] https://www.gamespot.com/articles/valve-restricts-14-day-eu-refund-law/1100-6425990/[10] https://www.bbb.org/us/wa/yarrow-point/profile/online-gaming/valve-corporation-1296-27030704/ [11] https://www.vg247.com/steam-customer-support-not-where-it-needs-to-be-says-valve [12] https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210428005374/en/Game-Developers-Conference%E2%80%99s-2021-State-of-the-Industry-Survey-Shows-Pandemic-Brought-Delays---But-Also-Growth-Reflects-Rising-Interest-in-the-PlayStation-5-and-Strong-Disapproval-of-30-Digital-Storefront-Revenue-Shares [13] https://www.polygon.com/22409511/microsoft-store-pc-revenue-share-steam-epic-games [14] https://support.patreon.com/hc/en-us/articles/11111747095181-Creator-fees-overview [15] https://kotaku.com/valve-isnt-evil-they-just-dont-understand-people-1704090932 [16] https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2021/05/why-lower-platform-fees-dont-lead-to-lower-prices-on-the-epic-games-store/ [17] https://www.pcgamer.com/lawsuit-claims-valve-is-abusing-its-market-dominance-to-keep-prices-high/ [18] https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/popular-gaming-platform-accused-of-abusing-market-power-through-contracts-4124057/ [19] https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2021/04/humble-bundle-creator-brings-antitrust-lawsuit-against-valve-over-steam/ [20] https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2022/05/judge-brings-dismissed-steam-antitrust-lawsuit-back-from-the-dead/ [21] https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/25/23975695/valve-ceo-gabe-newell-has-to-appear-in-person-to-defend-steam-store-fees [22] https://www.gamesindustry.biz/gabe-newell-ordered-to-make-in-person-deposition-for-valve-v-wolfire-games-lawsuit [23] https://www.polygon.com/2017/4/1/15129600/valve-has-cut-dota-2-royalties-and-workshop-creators-are-crying-foul [24] https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2019/08/valve-says-turning-away-researcher-reporting-steam-vulnerability-was-a-mistake/ [25] https://store.steampowered.com/privacy_agreement/ [26] https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/gaming/gaming-giant-valve-hit-with-another-antitrust-lawsuit-alleging-anticompetitive-practices/ar-AA1oF5qi CREDITS Music by CO.AG Music https://www.youtube.com/@co.agmusic Follow me: https://twitter.com/The_HatedOne_ https://www.reddit.com/r/thehatedone/ All of this protected under the Fair Use laws of the United States Copyright act of 1976.