Re: Just Another Necessary Reminder That Valve Promotes Underage Gambling

On Tue, 31 Dec 2024 09:11:54 -0500, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action,
Xocyll wrote:

Zaghadka <zaghadka@hotmail.com> looked up from reading the entrails of
the porn spammer to utter  "The Augury is good, the signs say:
>

On Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:24:01 -0500, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action,
Xocyll wrote:
>

Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> looked up from reading the
entrails of the porn spammer to utter  "The Augury is good, the signs
say:
>

>
While it's great fun to point fingers at Epic, or Microsoft, at EA or
Activision for their scummy, quasi-legal behaviors, let's not also
forget that the darling of the PC Gaming industry, Valve, is neck-deep
in supporting not only gambling, but underage gambling.
>
A huge chunk of Valve's income derives from selling lootbox items used
as 'tokens' by gambling websites, and the company turns a blind eye to
the practice even as it rakes in billions. Its uses psychologically
manipulative practices to ensnare its victims, and uses the same shady
tactics as other gambling companies to find loopholes that keep it
(just barely) on the right side of the law (and sometimes not even
then).

>
If they sell "lootbox" items used as "tokens" on gambling sites, isn't
it the gambling sites responsibility to not have underaged people on
their sites?
>
If they can't use the tokens, the underaged won't buy them.
>
If some bar does a weird promotion, like bring in a rose, get a free
beer, you gonna blame the florist for an underaged kid buying a rose and
trading it for beer?
>
Not illegal to buy a rose, or sell one, the bar is committing the
illegal act by trading a kid a beer for that rose.
>
Assign the blame where it belongs, with the gambling sites that are not
keeping underaged gamblers off their sites.
>

Did you see the part where the guy bought a Steam Deck without ever
leaving Steam? It may be a loophole that games are not physical purchased
goods (technically you are purchasing a license), but that Deck may be a
real problem for Valve if they continue to let it be bought in that way.
It's real. It can be sold for real money. No need to regulate anyone. A
12 yo can sell a Deck.
>
That kid just cashed out. Virtual currency for real product, giving the
virutal currency value, which means you're spinning an RNG for some kind
of random compensation. Since letting people cash out is what apparently
defines gambling, I think Gabe may have f-ed up with his shell game.

>
I just watched the video, and my god this guy is full of shit.
>
He doesn't believe Valve can't shut down offshore gambling sites that
are not subject to US Laws.
>
The US gov't can't shut down offshore revenge porn sites, etc, because
they have no legal jurisdiction, but Valve magically can, according to
this guy, what utter horse shit.
>
They're a fucking gaming company, they can send a cease and desist
order,but that's going to mean jack and shit to some Chechen hosted
website.   All kinds of grey countries willing to sell service to
dirtbags.
>
Like the spammers of 20 years back, they go after the ISPs selling the
service in the USA, and the spammers just got accounts on CHINESE ISPs,
who were glad to have the business, and the US couldn't do shit about
it.
>
This video is nothing but selective and deceptive misquoting and
inferences with no evidence.
>
IE Valve says playerbase goes up after the game goes on sale or they add
new features making it a stickier experience, and this guy says "what's
stickier than a casino?"   INFERENCE WITH NO EVIDENCE.
>
More Full of shit than Alex Jones.
>
This is why I generally don't watch videos posted here, that's 25
minutes of my life I'll never get back.
>

Yup. There's this thing I call "YouTube voice." He has it. It is a method
of speaking both overly authoritatively and midly to moderately
antagonistically, usually about some SHOCKING CONTROVERSY or SECRET
INFORMATION, that seems to keep people of a certain generation engaged.

Not for me. I can't stand it. It's like watching AI Walter Cronkite
shouting at me, "And that's the way it is!!!" in fevered desperation.

This issue was "shocking," "criminal," aaand a "buried" news story. Sure.

There is an upside: If you hear "YouTube Voice," the voice is so
over-the-top authoritative and edgy that you can rest assured the
YouTuber has done zero research and is talking out of their ass. Nobody
with information to *share* talks like that. People with information they
want you to *believe* on the other hand.

So YouTube Voice=zero credibility. You have to go in and take the nuggets
of accidentally imparted information (usually glossed over because real
information is boring and unengaging) and figure it out for yourself.

So I picked up on the Steam deck purchases. Hmm. Maybe spend 10 minutes
on that instead of 25 on fuck all.

Anytime anyone presents information this way, especially if they look
like a guy at a news desk, you can rest assured that it's all amygdala
stimulating hype. This guy is no exception.

Please take notice, Spalls.

--
Zag

This is csipg.rpg - reality is off topic. ...G. Quinn ('08)