𝐁𝐒𝐏𝟑

The more complex the system, the simpler the underlying truth.

[𝐁𝐒𝐏𝟑 @RealBSP3]

Sooner or later you were going to have to pay the toll.

The Boatman awaits.

[𝐁𝐒𝐏𝟑 @RealBSP3]

@StaticKittyKat 🤣

[𝐁𝐒𝐏𝟑 @RealBSP3]

@dioscuri That's one I never installed, but it was popular.

[𝐁𝐒𝐏𝟑 @RealBSP3]

@ZsaffrynTerra @TheScribblerCMB @HKCC040616 🤣

[𝐁𝐒𝐏𝟑 @RealBSP3]

@japan_nobunaga The more I learn about Japan, the more I think I'll really enjoy my time there, when I visit.

You're on the list for a BSP3 appearance.

[𝐁𝐒𝐏𝟑 @RealBSP3]

@wakenminds We call that a Darwin Trap.

It exists for people with cameras who don't stop to think about a few of those really old bricks falling in when they step on them.

[𝐁𝐒𝐏𝟑 @RealBSP3]

@airandspace It looks like they were ahead of their time, in that respect.

I've never seen one, before, but that looks nearly modern.

[𝐁𝐒𝐏𝟑 @RealBSP3]

@TheCinesthetic He walked out the door that day with a conviction to make his own way and be himself, in the process.

He never stopped being Nicholas Cage.

[𝐁𝐒𝐏𝟑 @RealBSP3]

@SandyofCthulhu @owenbroadcast The second I saw that thing I thought of your story. 🤣

[𝐁𝐒𝐏𝟑 @RealBSP3]

@RetnaburnX That's called running a business.

Valve operates a business called Steam.

[𝐁𝐒𝐏𝟑 @RealBSP3]

Twisting things a little hard there, aren't we?

That's a bad faith post.

Nobody has to abandon anything, and options do exist. More options than those can easily exist. They can exist because Steam made it possible.

It's no exaggeration to say that Steam effectively saved PC gaming while fighting for it the entire time.

Steam is also a launchpad for developers. Of course it's going to be stocked well. They opened the door to everyone. Nothing stopping others from doing that.

Publishers creating walled gardens is on them. They keep people out, they want data, they want to run 24/7, and their launchers are clunky and half-baked.

They're not trying.

Big vendors using undesirable account models is on them, as well. Microsoft's service is a mess and invasive, but does offer enough to give people a place to go. The same goes for others, in their position.

They're not trying, either.

Those guys want to collect you and keep you to themselves. They didn't have to fight the fight Steam did to build this industry from scratch. Steam built the world in which they operate, nail by nail.

To this day, Steam just lets you buy games, play games, and launch games, and it gets out of your way. They're not taking over your machine, and they're not trying to control your experience.

There's also an alternative we all know, and it's a big one:

Gog grew in Steam's shadow by doing things right. Now you've got a great choice if you don't like Steam, but most of us are happy to use both, because both are great.

That's the point:

In good faith competition, options aren't trying to steal you away from others and lock you in their ecosystem.

Neither company does that.

Steam was already absolutely massive when Gog showed up with a few retro titles. It was cute; a neat idea that was small potatoes but scrappy and ready to hustle.

It had something Steam didn't have, and it took root and grew. Steam stayed in it's own lane.

That Gog hustle is what it takes. It's what separates a good, sustainable, and growth-oriented business from the opposite; just as Steam had the entire time.

Steam didn't step on them. Steam never tried to downplay them, and they didn't suddenly lock up the ecosystem to prevent migration. As always, they stood by and let the industry and new ideas grow.

They exist in harmony, and Gog is getting big titles, now, with advantages Steam can't offer using their business model. These days, buying from Gog or Steam is making a choice that both freely allow.

There is always room for another Gog. People just aren't trying. They'd rather score a user and keep him in their ecosystem, or just not put forth the effort.

Here's what people who don't know business can't wrap their brains around:

Long-term risk and effort.

It took Steam literal decades to get where they are, against all odds. Everything stood against them, but they fought fairly through many of their users' entire lives and survived with grit and dedication to service.

Odds are, if you're reading this, they were fighting to keep your industry alive before you were born, and nobody trusted them. All odds were against them, and yet they pushed forward.

If Steam hadn't pushed through nearly impossible obstacles, your only option today would be to sit in front of a TV with a Nintendo.

When they first showed up, I wouldn't let them anywhere near my computer, and I wasn't the only one. They had to work for years just to reach a point of even mild acceptance; not even trust.

Just acceptance.

Now, they're big. So what? They're not standing in anyone's way, and they don't offer anything ten years ahead of anyone. It's a simple, fair market.

That's all.

Their is no killer feature others can't implement. There is no secret technology they claim that makes them impenetrable. They don't carry a shield.

The functions themselves are not advanced or world-changing. It was the effort that was world-changing.

They fought the big fight, leaving room for everyone else. If anything, simply by going through all those years of toil, risk, and sacrifice, they opened the door for competition that never would have been possible without them.

Everyone doing business in this industry owes steam for doing what they would not. They could have, but they didn't. They still can, but they don't.

Steam started off as suspected malware. Never forget that. They didn't get an ounce of help up the ladder.

They just ran a solid, fair business for decades.

[Steam Inventory Helper @SteamInvHelper]

It's funny to hear about "plenty of options" when you locked in a niche years ago and will always be a decade ahead of whatever competitors do.

Think about it, can you actually picture a scenario in 2026 that would make you fully walk away from Steam? 🧐

The simple fact that most people aren't willing to abandon accounts they've spent real money on already creates a loop in this whole "pseudo-choice" system.

[𝐁𝐒𝐏𝟑 @RealBSP3]

@ZsaffrynTerra @TheScribblerCMB @HKCC040616 You're worried about scaring them, and I'm worried about them scaring me. 🤣

In one month, I've tripped all over myself and fallen on my butt twice because a wasp ended up in my face. 🤣

[𝐁𝐒𝐏𝟑 @RealBSP3]

@BillyM2k Every time I see that, I think about the fact that I can scribble meaningless stuff on charts, too.

I just make the correct decision, in life, and don't do it.

[𝐁𝐒𝐏𝟑 @RealBSP3]

@lekan897 Those wheels are making the car work, for me.

That's a perfect choice.

[𝐁𝐒𝐏𝟑 @RealBSP3]

@exQUIZitely I've heard great things for years, about that one, but I've never played it. I've been planning to get to it, though.

[𝐁𝐒𝐏𝟑 @RealBSP3]

Okay. If this sinus allergy ear thing or whatever isn't gone, tomorrow, I'm going to the clinic.

It makes no sense. I'll give it one more day, though.

[𝐁𝐒𝐏𝟑 @RealBSP3]

@__el__toro__ Try Zero Halliburton.

They invented them.

If I recall correctly, an oil man didn't like luggage in the early 20th century, and hatched the idea of aluminum.

They've got such a reputation that a whole joke was made about trying to break into one in the show Lost.

[𝐁𝐒𝐏𝟑 @RealBSP3]

@ZsaffrynTerra @TheScribblerCMB @HKCC040616 That's good news.

I thought I was going to have to take the trash out.

I can wait until tomorrow. 🤣

[𝐁𝐒𝐏𝟑 @RealBSP3]

@gatorgar That one might be a little too heavy.

I haven't checked, but it looks very heavy, to me.

[𝐁𝐒𝐏𝟑 @RealBSP3]

@learning_yohei Chant the word "free".

We will all assume it's something we like, and when we arrive and don't find it, we'll just end up buying something we do and calling it a win, anyway. 🤣

[𝐁𝐒𝐏𝟑 @RealBSP3]

@__el__toro__ Thanks! I tried.

My fingers were sore, afterword. 🤣