When it comes to gaming, I don’t hate Microsoft. I don’t exactly love them either, but I don’t hate them.
They’ve done some good things. Because of Xbox Live Arcade, indie gaming found an audience on console platforms. Xbox Game Pass is an excellent way to try AAA titles before you buy them. And because of XInput, using a gamepad on a PC is so much easier nowadays.
Right now, they’re acquiring big AAA studios. However, consolidation has been happening in the video game industry for decades now and the net effect is that new studios spring up. Sure, you can buy IPs, but talent is a different matter entirely.
Nevertheless, if we want truly independent gaming, it behooves us to support platforms like itch.io as well as TIC-80. It’s in those spaces where imagination and creativity really thrive.
Cynics will always say, “I’m not going to support indie studios and platforms because, once they get big, they’ll enshittify”.
Sure, that’s often true to an extent – Epic was once an indie shareware developer – but while you’re waiting for the worst in gaming to happen, you’re also preventing yourself from experiencing the best of gaming that’s happening right now.
DRM, micro-transactions, and seasonal passes are generally a bad thing. So what’s the solution? Don’t play crippled, enshittified games. There’s plenty of developers that don’t engage in that behaviour, including Baldur’s Gate III which is the current Game of the Year.
And what’s often not said is that things can improve in the gaming landscape. At one time, if you wanted to game, you needed a Windows PC. But now because of Proton, Windows is becoming less important. Right now, the majority of my PC gaming library is playable on Linux, and I bought these games before Linux gaming was even an option.
Chris Trottier /
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2024-01-03 20:50:40
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2024-01-03 20:50:40Event JSON
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"content": "When it comes to gaming, I don’t hate Microsoft. I don’t exactly love them either, but I don’t hate them. \n\nThey’ve done some good things. Because of Xbox Live Arcade, indie gaming found an audience on console platforms. Xbox Game Pass is an excellent way to try AAA titles before you buy them. And because of XInput, using a gamepad on a PC is so much easier nowadays. \n\nRight now, they’re acquiring big AAA studios. However, consolidation has been happening in the video game industry for decades now and the net effect is that new studios spring up. Sure, you can buy IPs, but talent is a different matter entirely. \n\nNevertheless, if we want truly independent gaming, it behooves us to support platforms like itch.io as well as TIC-80. It’s in those spaces where imagination and creativity really thrive. \n\nCynics will always say, “I’m not going to support indie studios and platforms because, once they get big, they’ll enshittify”. \n\nSure, that’s often true to an extent – Epic was once an indie shareware developer – but while you’re waiting for the worst in gaming to happen, you’re also preventing yourself from experiencing the best of gaming that’s happening right now. \n\nDRM, micro-transactions, and seasonal passes are generally a bad thing. So what’s the solution? Don’t play crippled, enshittified games. There’s plenty of developers that don’t engage in that behaviour, including Baldur’s Gate III which is the current Game of the Year. \n\nAnd what’s often not said is that things can improve in the gaming landscape. At one time, if you wanted to game, you needed a Windows PC. But now because of Proton, Windows is becoming less important. Right now, the majority of my PC gaming library is playable on Linux, and I bought these games before Linux gaming was even an option.",
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