For years, the CS economy was simple. You bought a key, opened a case, and had a chance to get something valuable.

Yes, Valve increased key prices over time, but the core concept remained the same: a fixed price, equal odds for everyone, excitement from RNG, and the possibility that anyone could get lucky.

Now we have *Terminals*.  
You get lucky enough to be offered a rare item, and then you're expected to buy it for the full market price anyway.

So where is the excitement? Where is the reward for getting lucky?  
Imagine winning the lottery and then being told you still have to pay for the prize you won.

And now we have the *Cologne 2026 stickers*. The idea that just a handful of stickers can cost over €100 feels completely detached from what made Major stickers exciting in the first place.

I'm not against Valve making money. I'm against every new system feeling like it's designed to squeeze more money out of players while providing less excitement and less value in return.

At what point does Valve's greed end? Honestly, I'm baffled that there hasn't been more outrage over this.  
Or are we just normalizing increasingly aggressive monetization because we're used to it?

What do you think?  
Personally, I'm surprised there hasn't been more coverage from journalists or larger creators. Years ago, people were outraged when games encouraged kids to spend money using their parents' credit cards. At least back then there was still the excitement of getting something valuable through luck.

Now we're moving toward systems where even getting lucky often just gives you the opportunity to spend more money.

Am I the only one who thinks this is becoming absurd?

At what point does Valve's monetization go too far?