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Vietnam bans Valve's monopolistic game platform Steam
(www.eurogamer.net)
freedom takes). Valve also takes like 1/3 of the price of the game for themselves, which is pretty high, especially for indie game devs who don't yet have many sales, and given that they have a de-facto monopoly. They also tried really hard to break EU and Australian law and not allow for refunds on games beyond very limited circumstances. Their work culture is also notoriously sexist and transphobic.
enjoyer I'm happy they are trying to get gaming on Linux working better, even if it's just for their own selfish interests.
Mixed feelings bc this is going to cut people off from playing a lot of games with folks in other parts of the world, which to me is one of the main draws of online gaming. But fuck steam 100%.
Piracy is always an option
True, and VPNs exist. It's more of an access thing. Lots of people don't have hte technical knowledge and skills to do these things.
A lot of Internet cafes in Vietnam already use pirated games. But cracked multiplayer games usually cannot play with legit players.
Access to multiplayer games is no great loss to society, imo.
Steam users are so fucking insufferable. They hate all capitalist game companies except this one which they will eagerly lick the boot of.
I don't like steam but 
the correct number of steam-like things is 0 or 1 and we already have steam.
It sounds like Steam just needs to subject itself to the same regulatory oversight as domestic developers are bound by. Which seems fair to me.
This story seems to be a bit exaggerated - a Vietnamese game developer I spoke to reported that people still have access to Steam and that the source for this story isn't super well substantiated.
What I've seen says they can still use the library they have bought but can't use the store etc.
I did only hear from one guy when I asked about this, so I'm not sure what the full extent of the situation is, but aforementioned singular Vietnamese developer called the provided explanation a "very wild theory" and that the quote seemed to just be speculation from a random guy, "...and as of today, people can access Steam normally."
expect the Gamer Color Revolution soon
And with the stroke of a pen, SEA became unable to ever win The International
STEAM IS BAD AND THIS IS DUMB
IF STEAM JUST NEEDS TO SUBJECT ITSELF TO REGULATION THEN THIS IS IN FACT BASED.
i fully agree with the banning of steam and the destruction of Valve as an entity, but i think it's worth noting that the limitation placed on domestic devs in this case is imposed by Vietnam. Like, I'm sure the leninists here could very eloquently explain it to me using words like "objectively" and "defense of the revolution" but I don't think it's actually necessary to require government approval for the publication of video games.
Death to Steam, long live GoG!
GoG stays winning don't even need to log in to play my games.
A friend of mine gave me their GOG copy of Baldur’s Gate the other day on a thumb drive and it just works. There was nothing else to it. They are the best store front by far.
Not really the same, but apparently Netflix got busted distributing games.
https://english.thesaigontimes.vn/netflix-told-to-cease-distributing-unauthorized-games-in-vietnam/
"Unauthorized games" 
Steams realeses? Of what counter strike and DOTA?
You can develop games just fine. You can sell your games on Steam. Steam is a storefront more than a competing developer. I don't get what the fear is?
Vietnamese devs cannot compete with Steam's releases given they are subject to government approval and thousands of international games on Steam are not.
So games released on Steam are not subject to government censorship and control. It isn't Steam so much as they fear the offerings through steam aren't in their control. Isn't this what the US is doing to TikTok?
Machine translation of the article.
Steam is releasing games freely into Vietnam, including violent games, adult games... but without having to ask for permission. This is an injustice to domestic publishers. This requires authorities to take management measures with this cross-border platform, otherwise, domestic game publishers will die," a representative of a game publisher shared.
According to PV VietNamNet's research, Steam is Valve's video game distribution service launched in 2003 as a software application, automatically providing games and expanded to distribute game titles. of third parties from the end of 2005 to present.
Steam offers a variety of features such as technical management, game server connection with Valve Anti-Cheat anti-hacking solution, social networks and Streaming services. Besides, Steam's application also automatically updates games, cloud storage, community features...
Steam is released globally, currently has more than 100,000 games distributed (including paid and free) as well as updating 6,000 - 8,000 games each year. This platform supports up to 24 languages and is easily accessible to all users around the world. According to VGC, 2023 has seen a series of games distributed on Steam, with 14,535 new games, an increase of nearly 2,000 games compared to 2022.
To use Steam is very simple, just download and install Steam Client, then register an account and proceed to buy games or play free games provided by this platform. Steam also has a built-in electronic wallet (Steam wallet) so players can recharge and pay for user needs (buy games, buy items on the market, items...).
As noted, a lot of shooting games are being released on Steam, which still leave the effect (red blood) intact. In Vietnam, games of the same genre must be edited, due to their violent nature, which affects the psychology of players. In addition, on this platform there are also games with adult content with revealing images, sexual intercourse...
In 2021, the Steam Global version was officially "banned" in the Chinese market, replaced by a Steam version specifically for China. The game library on this platform has just over 100 titles, most of which are Chinese games. Players can find some famous games like Dota 2, CSGO... but will not be able to find games rated 18+ which are very popular on Steam.
In addition to lacking about 110,000 game titles compared to the Global version, Steam China is also not allowed to have any community features, does not support Workshop, does not allow selling trading cards on the Community Market, and does not have a forum to Gamers communicate and support each other,...
New games that want to appear on this platform will also be strictly censored. Specifically, games released in China are not allowed to have blood, are not allowed to show images of "skulls and bones" and images that can hurt gamers.
According to sources from the management agency, with no contact point in Vietnam, the authorities are looking for solutions to prevent illegal cross-border services from being provided to Vietnamese users in the future. next time.
a lot of shooting games are being released on Steam, which still leave the effect (red blood) intact. In Vietnam, games of the same genre must be edited, due to their violent nature, which affects the psychology of players. In addition, on this platform there are also games with adult content with revealing images, sexual intercourse...
I didn't know Vietnam was so church lady prudish.
this post was submitted on 12 May 2024
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