There has been a lot of talk and inexplicable excitement over the prospect of Google entering the home console race (whether as a traditional console or a streaming device) recently. That excitement is severely misplaced. No one should be rooting for Google to enter and succeed in the console market. As a company they are too large and suffer from countless ethical issues that far outstrip the Big Four (Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, Steam) in both quantity and severity. Lets take a look.
1. Google, through YouTube, continually fails to get a handle on extremist content and child exploitation.
2. Google refuses to remove app in Saudi Arabia that lets husbands and fathers tract the movement of their wives and daughters.
3. Google actively worked/works on a censored search engine for the Chinese government.
4. Google treats their contractor employees like shit.
5. Google continually faces anti-trust action in the European Union.
6. Google quickly kills off products and services that don't meet its expectations. Imagine how many devs this could hurt if Google does the same to its gaming branch?
7. Google is extremely pernicious and voracious with the collection of data and tracking of users across the internet.
8. Google's work in China is benefiting the Chinese military.
9. Google is working on military drone and AI programs.
So I ask, do we really want a company like Google to enter the gaming sphere and be successful? Every company in the gaming sphere has had their share of issues, but none have come close to the near-corporatocratic despotic bullshit Google regularly pulls. Even the other tech giant, Microsoft, doesn't do shit like this (even if they had to learn to fear the rod with their anti-trust loss in 2001).
Its clear that Google will only hurt the gaming industry in the long run, either by being successful and infecting the industry with their unethical practices, or by dragging out their exit long enough to hurt developers and rip off consumers.
1. Google, through YouTube, continually fails to get a handle on extremist content and child exploitation.
2. Google refuses to remove app in Saudi Arabia that lets husbands and fathers tract the movement of their wives and daughters.
3. Google actively worked/works on a censored search engine for the Chinese government.
4. Google treats their contractor employees like shit.
5. Google continually faces anti-trust action in the European Union.
6. Google quickly kills off products and services that don't meet its expectations. Imagine how many devs this could hurt if Google does the same to its gaming branch?
7. Google is extremely pernicious and voracious with the collection of data and tracking of users across the internet.
8. Google's work in China is benefiting the Chinese military.
9. Google is working on military drone and AI programs.
So I ask, do we really want a company like Google to enter the gaming sphere and be successful? Every company in the gaming sphere has had their share of issues, but none have come close to the near-corporatocratic despotic bullshit Google regularly pulls. Even the other tech giant, Microsoft, doesn't do shit like this (even if they had to learn to fear the rod with their anti-trust loss in 2001).
Its clear that Google will only hurt the gaming industry in the long run, either by being successful and infecting the industry with their unethical practices, or by dragging out their exit long enough to hurt developers and rip off consumers.
