In the world of customers satisfaction, the business model of knowing your consumer has been turned on it’s head. Rather than a company knowing what’s best for it’s customers, we’re led to believe that consumers actually know what’s best for themselves. Bonkers, right?
Good thing Valve are giving customers a choice of what they want their Steam Machine to be then.
No, I’m not being sarcastic about Steam being brought to a standstill – a series of DDoS attacks really have kept users out of most of Steam’s utilities over the course of today. Rather, my sarcasm extends to the pair who are mounting these ‘attacks’ and consider themselves hackers, rather than just your average anti-establishmentarian douche with a keyboard and a deathwish.
Anyone could download a DDoS program and assault one of the world’s largest distributor of video games – it’s just that nobody’s stupid enough to do it.
Continue reading “World Class Hackers Bring Steam To A Standstill. Also Sarcasm”
Christmas is a time of giving, of outlandish woolly jumpers and spending time with family. It’s a time to enjoy yourself, and the best way to enjoy yourself is playing amazing games and leaving the relatives to ramble to themselves about how much you’ve grown.
So to kick the festive giveaway off, I’m giving away a Steam key for Just Cause 2!
As people are more active in venturing into the PC gaming market with their laptops or computers, Valve have reaped the rewards. Indie and smaller games, often less taxing on hardware, are a staple part of the industry now, and Steam has always been keen to give them the outlet they need.
Well played by them, because they’ve now got more constant users than some countries have people.
Ladies and gentlemen, can I please have your attention. I’ve just been handed an urgent and horrifying news story. I need all of you, to stop what you’re doing and listen.
STEAM SAAAAALES.
Good news, Steam users (I’m presuming that’s every single one of you) – you can now download your games in the background while you play other games. Huzzah! The minor update also allows you to choose the time of day that Steam charters it’s automatic downloads, so slowing down your online experience is a non-issue.
Rejoice!
What’s the most effort you’ve put into something you love? I love cheeseburgers, and earlier today I travelled from my apartment to the supermarket to pick up some buns. When I came home, I fried some burgers out of the fridge, tossed on a slice of cheese and added some sauce – it took a grand total of half an hour for my wild, unassailable dreams to come to fruition.
Compare that to the developers of FORCED, who spent three years living in tiny office spaces and houses together to create their dream game, and my five minute mastery of the frying pan seems almost irrelevant. Almost.
Well, FORCED is now out on Steam, and it made almost 400,000 euros in it’s first week.
A lot of games – too many perhaps – are bound by their insistence that giving the player the ability to flaunt their power and dominate their enemies is too easy. What fun is there in annihilating marauding goblins with an Armageddon-esque tempest of meteors, to conjure frostbitten earth barriers to deflect your foes’ onslaughts, to enchant your chosen weapon with arcane thunder…
You get where I’m going with this, right?
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