Uploaded April 2017 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
It’s fair to say that Valve has a bit of an image problem. So much so that they actually flew Jim Sterling and TotalBiscuit out to consult on their plans to improve Steam. The results… ain’t so convincing; giving the appearance of contrition to two very specific YouTubers. In this episode of Writing on Games I want to talk about why the real issue is larger than Steam, why this is bad for developers and consumers alike, and why flying "pro-consumer advocates" out to Valve can't really solve it. The wonders of capitalism, everybody!
I also talk about my issues with pro-consumer advocacy in this episode. As my disclaimer at the start states, I’m not trying to attack anyone here. If I name names, I’m not angrily singling people out. Even though I may be flippant at points, I actually have a great deal of respect for the people involved; I just think we could be discussing issues like these more effectively. If you watch this and feel like it applies to you, please don’t take it personally and feel free to disagree. Cool? Cool.
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Patreon - patreon.com/writingongames
Podcast (iTunes) - itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/writing-on-gamescast/id1124674245
Podcast (RSS) - writingongamescast.libsyn.com/rss
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Footage for this episode borrowed from Jim Sterling’s “Best of Steam Greenlight” series as well as The Jimquisition, TotalBiscuit, Gamespot, Crowbcat, Gamehelper, Justinas Sebeckis, Valve, The David Pakman Show, Ubisoft, GOG, SUKEBAN GAMES, Playstation, Game Informer, BladeR, Angry Joe, Games Games Games, Doborog
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SOURCES CITED:
I will now talk about my visit to Valve and the future of Steam for about an hour (TotalBiscuit): youtube.com/watch?v=DeEyCYv_QDI
Talking Steam… Directly (Jimquisition): youtube.com/watch?v=L1OyenZvskc
Median game sales on Steam are down dramatically, SteamSpy says (PC Gamer): pcgamer.com/median-game-sales-on-steam-are-down-dramatically-steamspy-says
Gabe Newell (Forbes): forbes.com/profile/gabe-newell
How Itch.io became an indie PC game haven—and Steam's antithesis (PC World): pcworld.com/article/3184388/gaming/how-itchio-became-an-indie-pc-game-havenand-steams-antithesis.html
Scumbags Harass Woman For Working On Mass Effect: Andromeda's Animations (Kotaku): kotaku.com/scumbags-harass-woman-for-working-on-mass-effect-andro-1793410647
Ubisoft Executives Accused of Insider Trading (Kotaku): kotaku.com/ubisoft-executives-accused-of-insider-trading-1788964824
Ubisoft sanctioned €1.27 million for insider trading, publisher issues statement and plans to appeal (updated) (PC Gamer): pcgamer.com/ubisoft-employees-accused-of-insider-trading-publisher-denies-claims-in-statement
Insider Trading Claims Levied Against Ubisoft Executives (Gamespot): gamespot.com/articles/insider-trading-claims-levied-against-ubisoft-exec/1100-6445419
Nintendo's Virtual Console Is Trash Garbage (The Jimquisition): youtube.com/watch?v=SgpGMfVicu0
Konami Income Falls But Profits Soar By 70% (Gamespot): gamespot.com/articles/konami-income-falls-but-profits-soar-by-70/1100-6447410
---
Thank you all SO much for your continued support. Whether you support the Patreon, subscribed or just watch the video, I just want to say thank you—people like you are changing my life for the better every day.
---
It’s fair to say that Valve has a bit of an image problem. So much so that they actually flew Jim Sterling and TotalBiscuit out to consult on their plans to improve Steam. The results… ain’t so convincing; giving the appearance of contrition to two very specific YouTubers. In this episode of Writing on Games I want to talk about why the real issue is larger than Steam, why this is bad for developers and consumers alike, and why flying "pro-consumer advocates" out to Valve can't really solve it. The wonders of capitalism, everybody!
I also talk about my issues with pro-consumer advocacy in this episode. As my disclaimer at the start states, I’m not trying to attack anyone here. If I name names, I’m not angrily singling people out. Even though I may be flippant at points, I actually have a great deal of respect for the people involved; I just think we could be discussing issues like these more effectively. If you watch this and feel like it applies to you, please don’t take it personally and feel free to disagree. Cool? Cool.
---
Patreon - patreon.com/writingongames
Podcast (iTunes) - itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/writing-on-gamescast/id1124674245
Podcast (RSS) - writingongamescast.libsyn.com/rss
---
Footage for this episode borrowed from Jim Sterling’s “Best of Steam Greenlight” series as well as The Jimquisition, TotalBiscuit, Gamespot, Crowbcat, Gamehelper, Justinas Sebeckis, Valve, The David Pakman Show, Ubisoft, GOG, SUKEBAN GAMES, Playstation, Game Informer, BladeR, Angry Joe, Games Games Games, Doborog
---
SOURCES CITED:
I will now talk about my visit to Valve and the future of Steam for about an hour (TotalBiscuit): youtube.com/watch?v=DeEyCYv_QDI
Talking Steam… Directly (Jimquisition): youtube.com/watch?v=L1OyenZvskc
Median game sales on Steam are down dramatically, SteamSpy says (PC Gamer): pcgamer.com/median-game-sales-on-steam-are-down-dramatically-steamspy-says
Gabe Newell (Forbes): forbes.com/profile/gabe-newell
How Itch.io became an indie PC game haven—and Steam's antithesis (PC World): pcworld.com/article/3184388/gaming/how-itchio-became-an-indie-pc-game-havenand-steams-antithesis.html
Scumbags Harass Woman For Working On Mass Effect: Andromeda's Animations (Kotaku): kotaku.com/scumbags-harass-woman-for-working-on-mass-effect-andro-1793410647
Ubisoft Executives Accused of Insider Trading (Kotaku): kotaku.com/ubisoft-executives-accused-of-insider-trading-1788964824
Ubisoft sanctioned €1.27 million for insider trading, publisher issues statement and plans to appeal (updated) (PC Gamer): pcgamer.com/ubisoft-employees-accused-of-insider-trading-publisher-denies-claims-in-statement
Insider Trading Claims Levied Against Ubisoft Executives (Gamespot): gamespot.com/articles/insider-trading-claims-levied-against-ubisoft-exec/1100-6445419
Nintendo's Virtual Console Is Trash Garbage (The Jimquisition): youtube.com/watch?v=SgpGMfVicu0
Konami Income Falls But Profits Soar By 70% (Gamespot): gamespot.com/articles/konami-income-falls-but-profits-soar-by-70/1100-6447410
---
Thank you all SO much for your continued support. Whether you support the Patreon, subscribed or just watch the video, I just want to say thank you—people like you are changing my life for the better every day.
---
