The Bridge

spugsley

8:00 PM

@MechanicalLoon I'M WRITING

FEichinger

Sterno

@ElfSlice That's not the definition of monopoly. In fact, if anything, that disproves the monopoly, in that they imply they do indeed have other sale avenues

Jason Berkan

Or be happy that Steam gives them 100 million eyeballs and a greater chance for a huge profit.

FEichinger

@Sterno Definitely also shows up for games you own.

ElfSlice

@Sterno They do, but they have a woeful audience compared to steam

Sterno

8:01 PM

@ElfSlice Mr. Pibb has a woeful audience compared to Dr. Pepper

ElfSlice

@Sterno Who?

Sterno

@FEichinger Yeah, dunno. Maybe Bioshock just hates me.

@ElfSlice EXACTLY

Jason Berkan

@ElfSlice Not available in Canada, which furthers @Sterno's point.

ElfSlice

@Sterno That sounds like a different end product, not a distribution service

Sterno

You're saying "they have a woeful audience compared to Steam". I assume you mean Desura/GamersGate/whatever. When you're talking about those, the service is the product.

ElfSlice

8:03 PM

I guess.

Sterno

Really I'm just arguing about the misuse of the word monopoly.

If you said that Origin has a monopoly on digital download sales of Mass Effect 3, then you'd probably be right (I haven't checked lately)

Braiam

meh, there isn't monopoly in the industry if what you do you do it well

FEichinger

@Sterno On PC, that is still the case.

ElfSlice

Shit like this

why even bother releasing it on Desura

Sterno

That's not a monopoly, but I understand what you're talking about there.

winterswift

8:06 PM

@ElfSlice How is that Steam's fault though? Why did they bother releasing it on Desura?

ElfSlice

Or all the people who refuse to buy shit that isn't on Steam

Sterno

A lot of that is because developers choose to use Steam as their DRM, or for the cheevo integration

People refusing to use other services does not make the service they use a monopoly!

Jason Berkan

@Sterno This. Steam is DRM done right, and if I was a game developer, it would be my first choice.

Sterno

It generally means the other services are inferior.

ElfSlice

You guys are probably right, but as someone who is extremely interested in the indie game scene, it appears to me that Steam basically has a monopoly on everything.

Sterno

8:07 PM

Steam definitely gets its fingers into everything.

Braiam

@ElfSlice did you hear about real arqade?

Blem

Great time playing the next Mass Effect game in Montreal. Ambitious. Beautiful. Fresh but recognizable. And fun! http://t.co/xHlHFGtVKM

Tweeted by AarynFlynn on December 18, 2013 at 10:14 PM

ElfSlice

@Braiam No, what's that?

Sterno

But that's the developer's choice because they know they'll sell more copies that way.

Braiam

@ElfSlice basically? Steam

ElfSlice

8:08 PM

@Sterno How would you sell more copies by selling on both desura and steam if the desura one only provides a steam code? That's going to alienate everyone who wants it DRM-free

Braiam

but around the 2000 and with lot of arqade games

OrigamiRobot

@Sterno TIL that having a larger userbase makes something a monopoly.

ElfSlice

Right now the only thing the other services have going for them is 'not steam' for the small crowd who wants that

Braiam

if you are a small company trying to get some share with your first 1-2-3-10 games, you will choose steam for obvious reasons

Sterno

@ElfSlice Well, if I can sell 20 DRM free copies and 2000000 DRM copies, I don't so much care about those 20 lost sales

ElfSlice

8:11 PM

@Sterno This makes me angry but I don't have a response for it

Sterno

TIL that Arqade (gaming.stackexchange.com) is causing people to spell "arcade" wrong.

ElfSlice

Official bar graph of market share

Sterno

@ElfSlice Steam's also not forcing them to not release a DRM-free copy elsewhere.

winterswift

@Sterno tbh if I were the one selling the game, I'd probably care more about the lost sales from some guy who helps seed the DRM-free copy as a torrent

Sterno

For whatever reason, the developer is choosing that

ElfSlice

8:12 PM

@Sterno But the fact that 'it's more work than it's worth' is something that's because of steam

because they have all the customers

They have a monopoly

Sterno

@ElfSlice So at this point you're getting angry at Steam for making it easier for developers to get games to people.

ElfSlice

@Sterno No

Sterno

THEY DO NOT HAVE A MONOPOLY

4

ElfSlice

Yes they do

Sterno

Wait, let me bold that.

Jason Berkan

8:12 PM

And put it in flashing text.

winterswift

make it a gif

OrigamiRobot

Are we teaching GnomeSlice about business and how selling things works?

Sterno

@OrigamiRobot Just unignore him already.

Tim Stone

@Sterno If MarkdownMini supported multi-line formatting we could put a word on each line too but alas.

Jason Berkan

Steam provides a great service to publishers and consumers. Both are free to take their products elsewhere (and many do).

ElfSlice

8:13 PM

@OrigamiRobot Nobody is 'teaching' me anything

Jason Berkan

They are not a monopoly just because more people choose to use Steam.

ElfSlice

If the only real way to make money off of your games is to get them onto steam, they have a monopoly

unrelated note:

@ElfSlice Minecraft.

No

8:14 PM

> A monopoly exists when a specific person or enterprise is the only supplier of a particular commodity (this contrasts with a monopsony which relates to a single entity's control of a market to purchase a good or service, and with oligopoly which consists of a few entities dominating an industry).

winterswift

MY LAPTOP IS HERRRRRRREEEEEEEEE

ElfSlice

@JasonBerkan Name another exception

Sterno

@ElfSlice Spiderweb Software

ElfSlice

@Sterno What is that

3ventic

SimCity, Battlefield 3 and 4

SaintWacko

8:15 PM

@winterswift Yay!

OrigamiRobot

@Sterno Nah, I'm just going to fuss at him via context clues and not have to endure his lack of understanding.

3ventic

Anything on consoles

Sterno

Jeff Vogel of Spiderweb Software makes a lot more money now that he sells his games on Steam, but he made a living for 20 years before that selling them through his website. In fact, he still sells his games DRM-free there even though they're on Steam. And he charges twice the price on his own site, because he's crazy or something.

ElfSlice

@3ventic I was mostly talking about the indie games scene, AAA titles will make money if they package them with a bag of dog poop

Sterno

@ElfSlice spiderwebsoftware.com

He's as indie as you get.

3ventic

8:16 PM

I buy most of my indies from humble so idk

Jason Berkan

@ElfSlice Why? You said only. That is patently not true.

ElfSlice

@3ventic Humble Bundles are 'indie games for people who don't like indie games' pretty much

Sterno

@ElfSlice Jeff Vogel on Why Are Games Are Cheaper Now Forever

3ventic

I wasn't talking about the bundles

Tim Stone

@OrigamiRobot This is probably for the best.

3ventic

8:17 PM

their widget-whatevers

that people put up on their websites

Although I usually buy it there because it gets me a cheaper steam key

OrigamiRobot

@TimStone It's great. I get to fuss and keep my sanity.

Sterno

@ElfSlice It's a lot like saying grocery stores have a monopoly on bread sales because you can't get some local baker's bread there.

ElfSlice

@Sterno This is pretty interesting

Wipqozn

@OrigamiRobot Complaining about things is the best.

It's one of my favourite past times.

ElfSlice

@OrigamiRobot shut the fuck up

Sterno

8:18 PM

@ElfSlice His entire blog is pretty good.

@OrigamiRobot Stop trolling @ElfSlice into getting himself banned.

winterswift

@Sterno hue hue hue

ElfSlice

You people drive me nuts and I don't have to block you to deal with it

If you're going to ignore me, then don't talk about me

Tim Stone

Hmm, so many games to play...I should be playing Work, but it needs some DLC or something to keep it fresh.

11

Mechanical Loon

@spugsley YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Are you just picking up where you left off?

spugsley

@MechanicalLoon yes. I need to get through this shitty part as much as I don't want to write it because I need to move on

OrigamiRobot

8:21 PM

@Sterno How is it trolling if the interaction is the same as if I could see him? The only difference is I don't get mad.

Mechanical Loon

I'm in this part of my story where I don't know what happens right now but I know what happens later.

So I'm kind of just writing stuff that probably leads in that direction and hopefully I can fix it in the second draft.

Sterno

@ElfSlice That appears to be false. You should either ignore him (mentally) or ignore him (via the site ignore function).

spugsley

@MechanicalLoon I hate myself when I reread it after stepping away for x number of months. I'm like...this is so good. Some parts are really good. And then I work on it and I hate it again :3

ElfSlice

@Sterno Don't tell me what to do

Sterno

:)

spugsley

8:22 PM

@TimStone this is the most adorable and hilarious thing you've ever said :3

Wipqozn

@Sterno This is such great advice.

Sterno

Don't Tell Me <X> really needs to be added to the Memes of Arqade

Mechanical Loon

@spugsley Yeah it's nuts how your perception of something you're actively working on is so skewed.

Wipqozn

More people need to make use of the ignore feature.

Mechanical Loon

DON'T TELL ME WHAT I CAN'T DO

spugsley

8:23 PM

@MechanicalLoon yeah, it's crazy

FEichinger

@Sterno Then add it.

ElfSlice

More people should learn to deal with other people rather than deferring that skill to a button on a website.

Sterno

@FEichinger I'm lazy.

Tim Stone

@spugsley I just wish it wasn't a real dilemma and that I hadn't been staring at the screen blankly for the last hour or so. :P

But thanks ;)

badp

hi

Tim Stone

8:24 PM

It's @badp!

winterswift

yo dawg

Lazers

0

Q: Minecraft LAN Broken

Help! Whenever I open to LAN or my Hamachi server, it doesn't appear in my friends' multiplayer lists. I've tried everything; I even deleted .minecraft (I kept my saves and some other things, but deleted my mods). This has been going on for MONTHS and I don't play anymore because of it. DON'T BOT...

minecraft

ElfSlice

fuck, you guys piss me off sometimes

Kevin van der Velden

@Lazers I soooo want to mark this as a duplicate out of spite

spugsley

@badp HAI

badp

8:26 PM

@spugsley YOOOOOOOOOOO

Trent Hawkins

@Sterno Actually, steam does have a Monopoly. ;)

5

spugsley

@TrentHawkins :O

Mechanical Loon

@Sterno Are any of these games actually any good?

Sterno

@TrentHawkins I've been waiting about 10 minutes for @ElfSlice to use that argument!

Wipqozn

@TrentHawkins Wrong. It has Monopoly, not a Monopoly.

Mechanical Loon

8:28 PM

@Wipqozn Steam has a kind of Monopoly.

Kevin van der Velden

@Wipqozn it is one of many projects released under the name Monopoly. It is a monopoly

Sterno

@MechanicalLoon I like them but it's definitely not for everyone. They're definitely old school. Even the one that came out this year. :P

Mechanical Loon

If you make it more wishy-washy then it works!

Wipqozn

@MechanicalLoon That's better.

Mechanical Loon

@Sterno Turn-based?

Sterno

8:29 PM

@MechanicalLoon Yes.

Mechanical Loon

I would like something I can play for a long time on my Android tablet.

An RPG sounds perfect.

Jetpack Joyride is good but might not last until the end of the week.

Wipqozn

@KevinvanderVelden It just sounds weird.

Also, I'm going to go get Thai Food, I'll see you wonderful people later.

Sterno

@MechanicalLoon If you were to pick one, my recommendation would be Avernum: Escape From the Pit

Kevin van der Velden

@Wipqozn not to my dutch ~~ears~~ eyes. But it isn't wrong

Mechanical Loon

@Sterno I'll look into it.

Trent Hawkins

8:31 PM

@Wipqozn Considering a quick search only turned up one version of Monopoly when I know there have been several over the years; I will stick with a Monopoly.

Tim Stone

@Wipqozn Oh you will, you will...because I have no plans on going anywhere today.

@TrentHawkins There are many themed versions of Monopoly, I consider that sufficient.

They have that new one where you buy brands or somesuch nonsense now too.

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