Something I’ve noticed in this community is that whenever I criticize Steam, or point out something I don’t like about the platform, I tend to get a ton of downvotes.

And honestly, I’m just curious why.

This is a piracy-oriented community, so I find it kinda interesting that Steam seems to have such a strong positive reputation here. I’m not saying people shouldn’t like Steam, obviously everyone has their own reasons for using it. Steam is convenient, has huge sales, supports Linux, has a massive library of games, etc. I completely get why people use it.

I’m just wondering where the line is for people.

For example, do you like Steam despite the DRM because the convenience outweighs the negatives? Do you see Steam as fundamentally different from other forms of DRM? Do you consider Valve one of the “good guys” in the industry? Or do you simply see Steam as a convenient storefront and don’t really think much about the DRM side of it?

Or maybe you actually agree with some of the criticism of Steam, but just think it’s being exaggerated.

For me personally, I don’t use Steam because I don’t really like having my games tied to an account and a platform. I’d rather have the actual files, be able to back them up, move them around, mod them and know that I still have them years later. That’s basically what I was getting at in that video I made about Steam as well.

But I’m not trying to start another “Steam bad!” argument here. I’m genuinely curious because sometimes the reaction seems surprisingly pro-Steam considering the nature of this community.

So what is it about Steam that you guys actually appreciate?

  • D06M4@lemmy.zipEnglish
    23·
    12 hours ago

    You already answered yourself. Valve provides a very good service and are very pro-consumer when compared to most of their competition. Even though at first Steam had way more cons than pros (without a good internet connection at the time it was mostly an obstacle to play Half Life) it grew to be a mostly positive thing soon and was a lifesaver when Microsoft was pushing for online subscriptions on GFWL.

    You might find some pushback if what you’re actually doing is promoting a shitty company like Epic Games with their typical nonsense. If you really want DRM free games buy them from GOG/Itchio/dev’s site or patch the game yourself and simply share your happiness with others.

    BTW, among other things, Steam Broadcasting is shamelessly broken since they updated the chat side of their client and they’re apparently not doing anything about it. Praise and criticism where it’s due, they can and should do better.

    • MiRRoRMaN@ani.socialOPEnglish
      42·
      12 hours ago

      Thats what I don’t understand this very board is piracy, and no I’m not trying to shill anything. I don’t use any service, let alone DRM service. I’m a pirate, i leech shit and the cracks have steam emulators. I have never ever even ran steam, or any other such service.

      • D06M4@lemmy.zipEnglish
        8·
        12 hours ago

        I don’t think it’s incompatible. Piracy, or preservation and generosity as I’d prefer to call it, promotes game sales most of the time. If developers, publishers and storefronts make games accessible, safe to use and easily recoverable as is the case with GOG there’s little reason not to buy them as long as you’ve got the means. If they don’t and you got the know-how, you might feel it’s your duty to fix those games and help others enjoy them as much as you did, and I find that to be much more an act of love than an act of rebellion.