I mean, I get it too (Gaming)

by Kermit , Raleigh, NC, Monday, July 06, 2026, 18:03 (14 hours, 48 minutes ago) @ Cody Miller

And yes, maybe the immediate replacement is worse (as with VHS)

VHS was arguably not worse. It ran twice as long. That's a pretty big advantage in being able to put movies on one tape. The load mechanism was also far simpler, and didn't break as much as BETA.

Yes, it was arguable, but a distraction from the discussion. As with most format wars, they each had their advantages.

Is every product better in every way than what replaced it? Of course not, but do more people have access to greater benefits than they had before? On the whole and over enough time, I think the answer to that question is undeniably yes.

Hard disagree. As Technology has proliferated, we are seeing less and less benefit, and lots of straight up regressions. Platforms enshittify. Our ownership rights are taken away. Prices go up. Generative AI plundered human culture for nobody's benefit. I can count on one hand the number of things that have gotten better in the last 15 years.

I share many of your concerns. The right to ownership is essential for any market, so I'm glad you're on my side. Many factors have led to the rise in prices, and they mainly have to do with a lack of stability. Business thrives on certainty, and we haven't had much of that in the last 15 years. My time horizon for the increase in benefits is much longer than 15 years, though. We live with so much abundance, it's easy to take it for granted and not credit the miracle that is liberal democratic capitalism. Innovations and discoveries are happening all the time. The online algorithms prefer bad news.

Like I said, a real issue that is more likely to happen with large corporations that have some sort of lock on the market. We must be diligent and ensure fair competition. Focusing on large corporations, however, presents a distorted view of our economy—at least in the US. Small business make up 99.9% percent of US companies. They represent a little less than half of our GDP. 


It is not the small businesses that are ruining everything. It's the large ones that have the push.

Small business owners are often hustling 80+ hours a week to out-innovate their competitors.

To failure it seems then. Because we have no meaningful choice anymore with regards to many things we used to, or technologies that control large portions of people's lives. Nobody cares if a brewery started by immigrants thrives.

You're wrong. I care. Successful businesses are a big part of what makes a place a place. I am concerned that entrepreneurship is in decline, but I still say it's pretty much in the water in the US and has big impact on culture. We are still a country of problem solvers.

That's not driving the destruction of our privacy, rights, or culture.

Like I said, I share some but not all of your concerns.

Consumers get a vote, and when they don’t buy, they are being critics.

I've found that instead of 'listening', they simply make it harder for you to not buy it.

I don't anticipate it being hard for me to not buy a PS6.

Here is the bottom line: what I appreciate about free markets as opposed to alternatives to it is the former’s ability to self-heal.

Never in my life have I seen a market heal. Only destroy. Have you looked at ANYTHING?! We'd still be driving without seatbelts and airbags if the market weren't distorted by having them be REQUIRED.

HAVE YOU? I can use the caps key, too. MARKETS ONLY DESTROY????!! Seriously? Car companies use their product's safety ratings to sell cars. I might lean towards libertarianism, but I recognize that regulation can be good and helpful. I'm also aware that large companies often petition for regulation in order to lock out competition.

Not requiring an account of any sort for splitscreen is just not an option for a company that is so intent on data collection. They can't even conceive of NOT logging everything you do. What does that gain you? Not a damn thing.

I share your concern about privacy. Many people do. Want an example of the market healing? Companies give you the ability to create burner email addresses so other companies can't track you. VPNs also help you stay anonymous.

There are so many ironies in this conversation. Bungie.org is a culture sprung from a shared hobby that wouldn't exist if our lives did not have more comforts and leisure than kings had 100 years ago. Bungie had an amazing track record of producing better and better games in a very competitive market. They are at risk of failing now, and I guess it's obvious that that is the market's fault because markets only destroy.