GamersGate CEO: "We're Not Afraid of Steam"

[mjc0961]

"Good" and "reliable" are not terms I would use to describe GOG. Not after that "we are closing down JUST KIDDING LOL" bullshit they pulled last year. I would call them immature, terrible at advertising, and absolutely not trustworthy. They will never see a cent of my money after that stunt.

As for GamersGate, they are going to have to do more than say "We aren't afraid of Steam!" to get business. Right now I have 0 problems with using and buying from Steam, and GamersGate making this silly statement isn't doing much to convince me to go check them out.

 

[theriddlen]

-We aren't afraid of Stea..
-boo
-Aaaaaaa!

Steam rocks.

 

[RvLeshrac]

I tried using GamersGate and it sucks because it far more annoying to use and there are more potential problems you can suffer from in case you get unlucky.

For example, gamersgate requires you to download stuff and then have that stuff download the game into your PC, but my anti-virus keeps mistaking GamersGate as a dangerous entity or some shit and refuses to allow GamersGate to finish transmitting files into my PC. The GamersGate help section doesn't mention any possible solutions to this problem (and I looked for them, believe me). I found out about this the hard way when I bought a game there and was unable to use it, forcing me to buy it again after some time on STEAM.

What a load of crap.

What if you want to use a digital platform other then STEAM I recommend Impulse. Its a nice digital platform and I use that as well as STEAM.

So... GamersGate is at fault because you have a shitty antivirus that generates a false positive?

What are they supposed to do, buy the AV vendor? Sue them? Because they can't fix the issue - they have NOTHING WHATSOEVER TO DO with your antivirus software.

That's like blaming MS because your video drivers are crap.

----------

I can't stand the non-Steam distribution networks, but that's purely a practical issue - the only reason I use Steam in the first place is so I don't have to visit twelve different sites to download my purchased games.

 

[MaVeN1337]

Good luck with that shit buddy muahaha.

People already have all there games on steam. And there's nothing g33ks love like a nice, fat library of games =)

I know I does

EDIT: It has the word gamer in it anyways. I try to use that word less everyday.

 

[Hashbrick]

It sounds to me like they are afraid just stating they aren't afraid. I've never used gamersgate (what a fuckin gay name btw) so I have no idea on their "service qualities" but I can tell you this, upon landing on the site I cringed. The site looks hideous, very unprofessional looking, they are selling games made on RPGMaker for up to $30 which just boggles my mind. They have nothing different that separates them from direct2drive and I sure as hell no longer use D2D. D2D GoG GG all are jokes in this digital download industry, they just sell shit.

Meanwhile steam actually went ahead and created some very nice services. One being cloud gaming, I love the fact I can go on break at work and be able to continue from saved game from home, that's just awesome. Achievements, meh not a big deal but for some it provides re-playability or goals when playing a game. To be able to catalog your whole game collection is awesome, one place to download all your shit through a pretty decent download server. I would label Impulse bigger than D2D GoG GG. I have 263 games on steam in my collection since steam became more than hl2 and counter-strike holders and honestly have had no issues you at all using, playing, or otherwise buying more. It's quick, easy, convenient, and every game they sell has resources screen shots or videos or detailed description. GG prepared to get set in the back seat while the rest of the world moves on.

I'm Hashbrick and I'm a Steam User.

 

[Canid117]

Hail the God Emperor Newell!

 

[XaVierDK]

But what about all the big-name releases which use Steam as a game-platform regardless of where you buy it? Wouldn't people who bought big games from GamersGate still be forced to use Steam if they wanted to actually play their games?

Best Regards

 

[Lord_Gremlin]

Steam=PC gaming
And what IS gamergate?

 

[RobCoxxy]

I still think that the more Digital Distribution grows, the more Steam users there'll be. As opposed to their competitors getting more of the users, I'm certain word of mouth and the internets will lead people to steam.

 

[RvLeshrac]

So... GamersGate is at fault because you have a shitty antivirus that generates a false positive?

What are they supposed to do, buy the AV vendor? Sue them? Because they can't fix the issue - they have NOTHING WHATSOEVER TO DO with your antivirus software.

Wrong.

This is how a anti-virus program works: It scans your PC and looks for files or programs with certain traits or characteristics that look or behave suspicious, when a file or a program like that is discovered the anti-virus blocks or deletes it. It is for this reason that developers make sure that their programs aren't mistaken for viruses or other harmful things by programing them in the right way. That is why I can use STEAM, GoG and Impulse just fine without my anti-virus going crazy, GamersGate's download client however appears to have been made slopily so my anti-virus just mistakes it as a dangerous file trying to access my PC.

They even mention that this can happen in their help/FAQ but provide no solution to the problem.

http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1346608
http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1588838
http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1261126
http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1727510
http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1698327

http://www.gog.com/en/forum/patrician/virus_infection_false_positive
http://www.gog.com/en/support/the_temple_of_elemental_evil/virus_detected_in_the_game_s_executable_false_positive_warning
http://www.gog.com/en/forum/disciples_gold/troyan_anyone

http://forums.stardock.com/334662
http://forums.politicalmachine.com/370650

What was that? I can't hear you over all the I TOLD YOU SO.

----

Also, it isn't possible for developers to develop software that doesn't "look like a virus," since every AV vendor has different criteria. It would be like someone blaming the first-party vendor for flaws in third-party software trying to not look like a douche. It just can't be done.

 

[Sightless Wisdom]

This company is really... disgusting. It's like they just can't get over the fact that valve knows what they're doing with digital distribution. I went to their website to check out their little spiel and found some interesting stuff like "GamersGate is the leading digital distribution platform for PC and Mac games creating easily accessible gaming experiences for gamers worldwide ? anytime, anywhere". Wait... what?! Leading digital distribution platform, that would mean you have the majority of the market, which would mean Steam has less than 50%... something doesn't seem right here!

Then later on I saw "GamersGate continues to redefine the download industry with the launch of several accompanying services including in-game chat functionality and other comprehensive tools. "

Redefining the industry by supporting things that other platforms have been doing for years? Interesting strategy there guys.

Honestly, stop trying to claim you're better than everyone else by using their features as selling points.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

Wait...some people actually don't like steam? Huh, that's news to me.

 

[Lizmichi]

hahaha sorry but as a Steam user I can't see this happening anything soon. The ability to gift games and don't get me started on the winter Steam sale. As someone else noted Valve games make you have Steam, so do other games like Saint's Row 2.

 

[Baresark]

I don't know if they can be dislodged. I do believe they are currently testing or will be testing a Steam client for a console, not that I pay much attention to that since I mostly play on the PC. If there was ever a doubt that they are tops, that has to squash it. Also, Steam and Games for Windows Live just did some kind of thing where when you get a Games for Windows Live game, you don't have to run the crap ass GFWL client anymore. I don't think Steam is going anywhere.

Someone said in an earlier comment that in order for anyone to compete with Steam, they will have to directly copy them, I think this is true.

My buddy hates getting games on Steam though, but he likes to directly own the media the game is on, I can't blame him there. It is sometimes annoying waiting for a game to download. This is a problem with all digital distribution though.

 

[rembrandtqeinstein]

from their technical faq:

"NOTE: Internet connection is required for performing the installation process. Installation cannot be made manually. It is done automatically and it requires internet connection to be performed properly."

DRM fail. I will never buy any game that requires a phone home to install.

 

[Gaderael]

The Steam client, with its integrated friends list, achievements and the like has obvious appeal to core gamers but may not ring the same bell with the mainstream market.

I take it he has never heard of that little 'hardcore' site called Facebook? Friend's List? Check. Achievements? "Betty Sue grew corn on her farm!" Yeah, check. Most people I know use Facebook to talk with their friends and play games together. Everything in Steam, like the friend's list, achievements and whatnot will just be a familiar comfort when they decide to jump on board.

Then there's Bergquist's swipe at Steam being an integrated place for games versus GamerGate's clientless downloads. There's a reason why Macs are aimed at people who are not tech savvy users: Everything in integrated and easy to use. Just like Steam. Steam does it all for you, from installation to auto updates. Hell, it even updates your graphics card's drivers if you want it to.

I think Bergquist is just shotting of at the mouth a bit too much. He's sounds like all the MMOs that have bitten the dust after calling themselves WoW killers. Right now it seems like Steam is W0W to their APB, regardless of their jump in sales (around the holidays at that. A man selling staplers on a street corner can see a jump in sales during the holidays).