• 9point6@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Do we need gaming?

    It’s not a need thing, it’s just more options for people that want it.

    • deweydecibel@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Options are great, but generally speaking companies tend to sunset options that are less profitable, regardless if it provides a better experience.

      Case in point, once movie and TV streaming got popular, selling that content in physical or even digital form died off but it didn’t die completely. Plenty of people still like to own the media they pay for, plenty of people still like physical media collections that can never, ever be taken away when a server gets shut down. Having that option is great, too.

      But it’s a less profitable option. So, to spite what some want, certain content is just streaming only now, while the prices rise. And that’s the new world we allowed ourselves to be shepherded into. While we were blinded by convenience, they discreetly shut the door behind us, and now there’s no going back (without piracy).

      So yes, game streaming itself is a great option to have for many. That’s not the problem.

      The trajectory is the problem.

      It’s also worth pointing out any direction that furthers our dependence on the ISPs not being awful is asking for trouble. For example, remember when Charter was allowed to acquire Time Warner Cable and become Spectrum? They promised regulators they would not impose bandwidth caps for 7 years, and as of today it’s been 7 years and 30, days.