Why's that? It's not your game; it's their game. They can utilize whatever form of copy protection they want, and they're not going to release multiple versions of a game just to suit a handful of people.
You misunderstood my point. The publisher has every right to use whatever copy protection they desire. But that copy protection, and/or any other requirement such as Steam, should be fully and prominatly disclosed, not included in the fine print on the back of the box and/or omitted from the publisher's website description (requirements) of the game. My point is that it should be up to the consumer as to whether or not they want to buy a game after knowing all the requirements.
Steam is simply used for online activation, and if those companies didn't use Steam, they'd use some other form of online DRM in its stead. It's not at all unreasonable to expect PC gamers to have an internet connection in 2015. This is supposed to be the era of flying cars, upside-down Pepsi bottles, and power laces, after all. It's also an era where retailers have almost no PC game selection, so you have to buy most of your games through online retailers, anyways.
It is reasonable to assume computer users have internet access. But you know what they say happens when you assume. Simply listing ALL the requirements (and copy protection schemes used) for the game in the requirements section would satisfy my concerns. How difficult is it to say "An Internet Connection is Required for"...pick one - Activation, Multi-player, Always-On DRM, etc. Or to say "A Steam Account is Required". If those requirements don't bother you, great. If that's something you do not wish to accept, well that's okay too.
And is online activation the only thing they do? I read about the Steam client being installed and updates being made even when they aren't requested. When you connect to the internet and allow a website to "do it's thing", you really don't know what is happening. This is a good enough reason to want to isolate a machine from the internet, along with all the services and software (such as anti-virus and firewall) you do not need.
Steam's main draw isn't its client (which is full of useful features), but all the thousands of games sold at low, low prices that are delivered directly to your computer in minutes.
If someone downloads a game from Steam, then they know what they are getting. When someone buys the physical copy of the game, it's a different story. You don't know what is needed unless it is listed in the requirements.
1. Games are consumer products, not investments.
Not in the sense of stocks and bonds, but you did pay money for a working product. I am not looking for my games to increase in value, just be useable as long as I have a machine to run them.
2. Digital sales make up over 90% of PC game sales, and Steam sales make up the great majority of those, so boxed copies will be gone long before Steam is.
Okay. But as long as publishers put out box copies to be sold, they have a responsibility to fully represent their product and disclose any requirements.
3. Valve have stated that in the event that Steam is ever shut down, they'll unlock the DRM of all the games you own.
This is just too unbelieveable to even consider as a serious statement. What company, once they have gone out of business or are on the verge of going out of business, is going to put in the time, money and manpower to modify their product? The thought is simply ludicrous.
4. Like I said, if they didn't use Steam, they'd use some other form of online DRM that would also be shut eventually, and additionally might have a limited number of activations.
They can do whatever they want as long as they disclose everything before I decide to purchase. My whole concern is having requirements thrust upon me of which I was unaware.
By the way, I don't see how Steam really fights piracy. If I understand correctly, while it does prevent a single copy of the game from being run on more than one machine at a time (in online mode), it doesn't prevent that same game from being installed and useable on many machines (and at the same time in offline mode if I understand correctly). So a group of people sharing one or more Steam accounts could easily share games amongst themselves.
Let me ask this question...would you buy a game which expires some number of days after you purchase it - not use it, but simply purchase it? When I buy a game, I may not play it for years. When I do, I want to know I can play it, and play it on a machine which meets it's resource requirements (OS, memory, video, etc.). When you start introducing the internet and/or services such as Steam into the mix, you are rolling the dice. You are hoping when you do wish to play that game, your machine is still powerful enough to access the internet and the website to activate the game is still viable.
Example...you have a catalog of physical games which can run on Win XP. You have vintage machines (this is a vintage forum after all) which are running Win XP in the year 2025 - why?...because it works for you and the machine isn't powerful enough for anything else. However, although Steam is somehow still around, it requires you to be running an internet browser which can not run under Win XP. Plus, the Steam website doesn't support Win XP any more. Where does that leave your catalog of games?
Despite all I have written, I am not anti-Steam for those who wish to use the service. I merely want to have all the information at my disposal so I can make the decision as to whether or not to purchase a piece of software.
Thanks..Joe
