I probably won't be using them as they are currently owned by Chinese company Tencent (40% stake).

Anyone here who reads the news should know that China has become increasingly belligerent against the West over the last few years. Who knows if they're making inroads into the Western video game industry for nefarious purposes?

China is exceptionally notorious for including hidden malware and backdoors into products destined for the West (and particularly the USA). Most recently, the U.S. government recommended blocking Chinese brands Huawei and ZTE on national security grounds, and a new bill implementing such a block is pending (source: https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/14/17011246/huawei-phones-safe-us-intelligence-chief-fears).

In 2015, there was a scandal regarding Superfish adware-malware bundled with computers from Chinese "premium" brand Lenovo
https://slate.com/technology/2015/02/lenovo-superfish-scandal-why-its-one-of-the-worst-consumer-computing-screw-ups-ever.html

Recently, there was also this news warning that China could have covertly slipped spy chips onto numerous computer motherboards distributed globally:
https://www.pcmag.com/news/364262/does-your-motherboard-have-a-secret-chinese-spy-chip

If the U.S.-China trade war turns into an actual war, fully expect that Beijing will leverage game distribution in the West (and their willing corporate proxies) to launch malware infections and snooping operations. Every game that comes from a China-linked company or distributor is a potential backdoor.

Hmm, well fuck. I knew about the ZTE thing and the spy chips in the motherboards, but not about the other things. Not to mention the amount of censorship that China has with video games (take example with what had happened with Rainbow Six: Siege a month ago).

Here to hoping that the trade war will not come to actual war.

Please don't encourage him. :P He'll start back in on how our drinking water is being deliberately poisoned by our own government and whatever else his little army of Alex Jones wannabes tells him. XD

They own our movie industry, too. It's enough of a problem to draw the attention of Congress (see http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/oct/17/congress-probes-chinas-inroads-in-the-us-film-indu/).

China wants to own as much as possible of our other industries. Sometimes, it's pushing their official agenda (https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/06/china-bullies-foreign-companies-into-espousing-its-worldview/). Until recently, Beijing had a crooked policy where foreign companies would be required to turn over technology in exchange for access to the lucrative Chinese market (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-11-10/china-says-foreign-firms-won-t-be-forced-to-turn-over-technology).

U.S. regulators are increasingly blocking Chinese merger/acquisition of U.S. tech companies on national security grounds (https://www.forbes.com/sites/allbusiness/2018/08/13/mergers-acquisitions-and-investments-involving-u-s-companies-with-chinese-other-foreign-parties/).

Sorry to disappoint you, but all the signs point to China spoiling for a war with the U.S.

Don't suppose these hypersonic missiles are for show, are they?
https://freebeacon.com/national-security/china-successfully-tests-hypersonic-missile/

Do you use satellite internet or GPS? As the old saying in Destiny 2 goes: "Eyes up, Guardian"
https://freebeacon.com/national-security/china-tests-anti-satellite-missile/

China planning J-20 stealth fighter specifically designed against U.S. F-22 and F-35
https://www.businessinsider.com/china-stealth-j20-us-f22-f35-comparison-2016-11

Even Beijing knows jet fighters are better with a carrier
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/26/china-launches-second-aircraft-carrier-that-is-first-built-at-home

I wonder if all the guys that believe this stuff realize that they are spouting nonsense that is a carbon copy of the satirical dialogue of General Ripper in Dr. Strangelove?

"Fluoridation is the most monstrously conceived and dangerous communist plot we have ever had to face."

China isn't the only country that censors video games.

Also, your argument is that China is trying to start a war because they have an army? By that logic you better watch out for Canada and Norway.

Or is your argument that they are going to start a war because they are spending money on their army? By that logic the US is precipitating it's own demise by insisting that NATO members spend more on their military.

Your argument is seriously lacking any logical backing whatsoever.

*edit* I should also add that China starting a war makes zero sense if you knew anything about the economy you weren't being fed by Fox news. The US has the best trade deal in the world with China. They get cheap goods and China gets paper that's essentially an IOU in the form of T-Bills. China is sitting on billions and billions of dollars in T-Bills. If they go to war with the US that billions and billions is worth a lot less. So it is not economically expedient for them to go to war with the US. But you'd know that if you actually learned anything about economics from legitimate sources.

*edit again* I'll also add. Take your nonsense elsewhere. It's not on topic and I'd rather keep the thread from getting locked cause you can't keep your conspiracy theories to yourself.

Saw what you meant by this.

Funny how quickly dismissed is the one that brings to your attention the chinese problem... Better keep your eyes shut under your pillow, right?

But you're right on one point: China doesn't want to go at war... globally. They don't even need to. Just, as someone mentioned, China holds billions and billions of dollars in shares and obligations on the US market. If one day, China really wants the demise of the USA, they just have to withdraw that money all at once. And boom! no more US economy. Which would actually start a war, military speaking, but for the US.

As for Epic storefront, I fail to see how different it will be from Humble store, so I'm not interested (and I'm wary of Tencent)

That may change in the future though. Doesn't Microsoft intend to use Windows 10 forever (at least they said so)? That way, updating said media is finite. Luckily, we also always have emulators which don't require one to update said media. And as for Windows games, an alternative to updating is also a virtual machine with the relevant OSes. So in that sense, we are pretty much already good to go (or stay, rather).

Absolutely. For the VHS, the market is helping out. There are shops that will digitize your tapes. Who knows how exactly the future for gaming will look like? One thing is sure though, it will be worse for those of us who value ownership and privacy. For a more dystopian outlook, one can always look towards South Korea and nowadays also China (games can affect your social credit since you are required to use your ID/SSN for some of them).

As well as “inharmonious chatroom” or “game visuals [that] promote incorrect values”.

So, does it mean the Witcher series is not available in China?

I suddenly feel so harmonious especially when correct values are promoted to me.