Valve defends PC gaming

ZEUS_GB · Joined: Jan 14, 2003 Posts: 5058 Location: UK

Quote:

"You've got these new models that are coming out of Southeast Asia," Newell said. "Let's look at microtransactions and character customization and free-to-play, because that seems to find a certain kind of customer. [Nexon's] Kart Rider and Maple Story are completely invisible to the vast number of business press and to stock analysts who are looking at this market. What you end up getting is coverage of the gaming industry that is very much driven out of English-language retail packaged goods sales... If you have your United States and UK blinders on you're going to see one thing, but as soon as you start looking into the bigger picture you're going to see something very different."

Tired of all the bad press the PC platform was getting, Valve wanted to tell its side of the story. Before getting into specifics, it should be pointed out that its cause isn't entirely selfless. The stories written as a result of the meeting serve as a great advertising opportunity for Steam, but Valve identified this point. It wanted to hold this PC platform briefing of sorts not only to give press some concrete numbers and a detailed outlook, but also with the hopes it would serve as a catalyst, spurring other major PC players to be more vocal. "This meeting that we're having hereâ€¦really should be done by a company like Intel or Microsoft, somebody who's a lot more centralâ€¦rather than just hearing about our perspective," Newell said. He added that there so far hasn't been an effective champion of the platform. "Intel and Apple both have sort of anti-gaming positions that they've traditionally held, though they're rethinking those now. Microsoft has clearly decided to create a closed proprietary platform where they don't have to compete with the YouTubes and Googles of the world as their focus for entertainment and they're not going to stand up and talk about the success that the PC is really having."

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With all the naysaying articles of the last few months i'm glad someone has stood up for PC gaming.
We aren't dead yet!