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From: Xocyll <Xocyll@gmx.com>
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action
Subject: Re: Just Another Necessary Reminder That Valve Promotes Underage Gambling
Date: Tue, 31 Dec 2024 20:56:16 -0500
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Zaghadka <zaghadka@hotmail.com> looked up from reading the entrails of
the porn spammer to utter  "The Augury is good, the signs say:

>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.

What makes me wonder is how many of the "underaged gamers" were actually
underaged.

We saw head and shoulders only, and no identification.

It's a fact that some people look years younger than they actually are,
as some people look years older.

Recently watched Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase, and the 2 girls
who stay over at the house that's "haunted" are Sophia Lillis (who went
on to do the D&D movie with Chris Pine) and Laura Wiggens.

Both are supposed to be 16 and look it, Sophia IS 16, Laura is 30.

Pretty easy to find some 20+ person and display them as a "kid" online
to make your point.

>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.

Exactly.

This guys credibility is so bad he might as well be saying "yeah, yeah,
that's the ticket" after every statement he makes.

Xocyll