Read the full article here: www.polygon.com/2017/5/16/15622366/valve-gabe-newell-sales-origin-destructive
From the article: “Valve is nothing more than one of the new breed of digital rentiers, an unapologetic platform monopolist growing rich on its 30 percent cut of every purchase — and all the while abrogating every shred of corporate or moral responsibility under the Uber-esque pretense of simply being a ‘platform that connects gamers to creators.'”
Good to see Polygon provide a forum for someone to “speak truth to power” for once. Makes a change from their endless brand promotion for Netflix, Blizzard, etc. I have had similar thoughts about Valve for some time now. I would add to this that Valve’s incorporation of gambling mechanics in and around games like Dota 2 and Counter Strike is also profoundly irresponsible and deeply troubling.
Visions From The Dark Side 
It’s sad that they have given up on making games to concentrate on being a shopkeeper. Steam has helped to keep the PC gaming scene alive thanks to their sales, but yeah they suck at customer service. Sadly I don’t see anyone competing with them. Gamers are unlikely to leave a platform were they have bought hundreds of titles.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Indeed, they have cornered so much of the market that it’s hard to see a competition-driven solution (although I hear there is a Chinese company that are even bigger). Really, this is the sort of situation that can only be helped by government regulation. The problem is that most governments are ideologically beholden to Valve’s very business model; and even if they weren’t, many (by no means all) lack the teeth to do much about it given Valve’s readiness to hide behind their supposed transnational status.
LikeLiked by 1 person