StartupTim

Hey there, been a follower of yours in Twitter for a bit! I'm working (on GamingVPN.com) while writing you. Thanks for the AMA!

Question: What are your thoughts on how people are so divided on the whole Steam vs Epic store bit?

I also think competition is good and healthy so... I'm obviously very pro-Epic right now.

I think this is one of the best takeaways from your response. Competition spurs innovation and benefits the consumer.

Thanks for the response!

No one is interested in having 5 versions of 'Steam' running.

I definitely see your point of view and I agree with what you're saying. The power behind competition is that consumers will ultimately decide what they like by choosing where to spend your money.

Maybe 1 large player will emerge at the top, however, when smaller offerings come along, they tend to nip at the larger entities market size, forcing the larger entity (Steam) to adapt to better suit consumers. If they fail to adapt then a smaller company, one that consumers appreciate more, will unseat them.

In the end, I think people forget to appreciate what competition does: Forces those on top to continually innovate and respect consumer purchasing power and thus the consumer themselves.

You are 100% in your thoughts.

Think about it like this: Imagine Epic is doing an experiment. They are trying to figure out what business partners want (eg, Publishers) and ultimately what consumers want.

Step back a moment and consider this truth: Competition drives innovation

Now go back to my statement about Epic and their experiment.

Will it succeed? It can only do so if consumers embrace it. It absolutely cannot succeed unless consumers vote YES by supporting them financially.

Will it fail? Possibly, but it can only do so if consumers refuse to acknowledge their product is worth the purchase.

In this scenario, Epic's "experiment", we see competition and consumerism operating in it's fullest. In this experiment, consumers will ultimately decide the victor. Keep in mind that no solution is perfect and no solution is absolute. Some consumers will go in one direction while the other consumers go in another. This is perfectly natural and acceptable as rarely does 1 size fit all.

With regards to streaming platforms, I agree 100%. There needs to be more competition. More innovation and more risk taking needs to occur. Without it, those giant streaming platforms gain the upper hand against consumers. This is a prime market for competition to exist as I believe consumers want more choice here.

I built something that does exactly this when I was a kid with a soldering iron. I demo'd it when I would play guitar and it worked pretty well.

I never thought it might have some sort of real life use though!