But there's also enough danger it may bring as well.
Namely, it turns video games into yet another front for the culture war, by letting someone's ideological opponents target their video game collections as well. Or against a developer, their entire customerbase.
We all know how companies like Google react to social media outrage (aka often deleting the accounts of everything the witch hunt is targeting). Now with Stadia, they can lose their games too, since without the account access to their games or save files is probably gone as well.
This is even worse against developers/publishers, since they could see their whole library wiped off the service altogether, basically removing it from every single one of their customers at once.
There are also non political issues about Google and how accounts are sometimes tied together when they logically shouldn't be too. 'Associated' accounts can get you banned and account removed:
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19124324
And from what I remember, losing developer accounts, YouTube channels, etc can take down your Gmail account as well. Like this:
http://www.jonasblog.com/my-gmail-account-got-deleted
If Stadia is connected to this, that means you can lose all your games in such a situation too. And likely again, all your progress in said games too.
Services like Stadia basically leave your games and work at risk of going poof due to social controversies and account issues.
Is stadia so good that this risk is worth it?
Pubg informs you if you are on an emulator and then connects you with other players who are on an emulator. The correct way to deal with "Cheaters". Google will ban your game account, gmail and disable your google account and you would be left with absolutely no customer support.
Do NOT let google take roots in any other industry. I am even actively working in our Canadian accelerators to dissuade our startups from using Google Cloud or any Google credits.
AVOID.
Video games are currently the opiate to the underclass of single men. Instead of loitering the streets unemployed and in gangs, men are now isolated and playing at home. The video game is the “digital street” of these hordes of men. Historically, these men were the ones to start revolutions or just cause trouble.
Google will face a huge backlash if they mishandle the community aspect of side of gaming, and as we all know, Google can’t do social.
Automatically, poorly, and with the cold brutal level of support available to the average gmail or YouTube user.
I’d love to see them do better, but past experience proves google cannot be trusted in this area.
Video artifacts, input lag, ultimate DRM, no game mods, no offline, no ownership. Google partnering with biggest proponent of always on DRM (Ubisoft) and company run by lawyers (Zenimax Media).
