OMG! It's almost as though they digitally managed your rights to play the games. The cads!

Who would ever have seen that coming?

XD Of course, that is what Microsoft/Apple want, in their utopian vision where they control everything. After all, we are witnessing an all-out corporate assault on ownership. Buy hey, people keep on using them anyway ...

exactly , not just ownership ,but everything personal/individual

Personal experience with less tech-savvy people.

Especially young kids are often completely clueless about computers, even though there's this common misunderstanding that they know everything because that's the world they have born into. They can use some smartphone apps with eyes closed, but something as obvious as the concept of "C drive" makes them very confused.

Older casual players are another group of people who can play a lot, but don't really understand technology. You can hear comments like "I don't use Internet, but I use Steam" and so on.

And Steam is making things very confused for almost anyone else too. I know a thing or two about computers, but sometimes when I try to find the Steam installation folder, I get momentarily confused because it's (intentionally?) very misleading. GOG games are by default in something like "GOG Games" or whatever, but with Steam the location is the least intuitive it can be.

If the Steam installation folder is visible (and it sometimes isn't, being in the Program Files), then simply finding Steam subfolder doesn't show the games. From there it's further into steamapps, which makes sense, but is already beginning to be somewhat confusing. But from there you need to go to common, which is a completely unnecessary step, and shows that the file structure really was not designed to be browsed by users.

It could be for instance, Steam games/Super Awesome Tetris Clone.
But it is Program Files (x86)/Steam/steamapps/common/ and often the games are not even by their full name, but something like SATC.

For someone who knows about computers it's not a big deal in the end, but for someone who doesn't quite understand the concept of drive letters, it can be very difficult.
At least it will be a learning experience, if you want to put a positive spin on that.

Ah, so no evidence, purely anecdotal. Most people I have been in contact with on Steam knows quite well know how to use a computer and "the internet". Most of them build their own PC's and use more then just steam. Seems we move in very differnt circles

If most people you know build their own PCs, then you really live in some kind of a bubble that really doesn't correspond to what most people in the world are doing. I have been involved with people who really know a lot about technology, programmers and all, and many of them have never built any PCs. Not that they couldn't do it, but they haven't.

But go out and stop random ordinary people on the streets or whatever. Ask questions like "have you ever started a word processor by clicking its executable" and be surprised about the answers you get.

I build my own PCs / have an IT related job / etc.... and I've never 'started a word processor by clicking its executable'. Is there a specific reason to do that?

Not necessarily, but you are proving the original point which didn't have anything to do with word processors.

The original point was that downloading game executables and replacing something in the Steam installation, and starting and using games "manually" is too challenging for a good number of people. If that's something you as an IT person rarely do, even if you knew how to, then imagine someone who is not a tech person trying to do something like that, not knowing what executables exactly are, what file and storage structures exactly are, etc.

That's a nice quote. You forgot one thing, though:

1º Game: Program Files (x86)/Steam/steamapps/common/15164
2º Game: Program Files (x86)/Steam/steamapps/common/48465
3º Game: Program Files (x86)/Steam/steamapps/common/75859

Now tell casual pc users to understand this mess when modding. lol :P

And by forum evidence your words are true too. Many GOG users are experienced at least in one language and use Linux. While in Steam forums many users seems to just Open Steam>Open Game>Close Game.. etc.

-edit

My bad, now common Steam folders have game names actually. Their saves and game data are numbered folders, though.

I regularly deal with file structure, registry, command line, configuration files, etc... I get your point, but maybe your example isn't the best...
Have you ever pressed five keys simultaneously while standing on your hands? All us IT people do it! ;-P

Unless you're raised by wolves...

we are not talking about all people here, this is a fallacy. I could meet someone like my mother on the street, and yes she would not know how to build a PC, but then again - my motther is also not a steam user.

As said, we have very differnt perception of the people we have meet that use steam.

Well many others have over the years.

So either you are relatively new to Steam or just been very lucky.

Many of course don't play games every day, so they could miss a servers unavailable event.

And I am not entirely sure if they have an auto-switch servers option in place, but I seem to recall from long ago, that you could change what Steam server you used. It probably wasn't all Steam servers being unavailable ... maybe just one country or a few.

In any case, if you had set your games to play Offline before it happened, then unless Steam was due for its monthly (or whatever it is) check, you should be good until they become available again. That wouldn't help those connected at that time, but it sure pays to always set to Offline after you have finished with Steam for the day.

Even if it was a planned event, probably too difficult to switch all users (could be millions) to Offline if they weren't already, before going ahead.

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As for the future.
It doesn't make a lot of helpful difference, if someone makes a fake Steam server, as you would only be able to use that with the Steam games you have already downloaded to your PC.

So if Steam were to fully go down and for an extended period or forever even, all their customers are gonna be in a very bad situation. If Steam gave some warning, and DEVs and PUBs came onboard, and someone else took over Steam's libraries, so that customers still had access, then probably not much of issue, just a hiccup maybe.

Of course, Steam going down like that, would be a major event, especially if no support for customers was provided. There would be a huge backlash, and not just against Steam, it would be against that model of game provision in the industry overall. So DEVs and especially PUBs would want to be seen to be doing the right thing.

nah

Found the Windows 8 start screen fan!

but those are others! , not me !! c'mon, you are either a very awful person or someone who likes to gloat!!