Posted October 09, 2015
PookaMustard: To answer your question, its a comparison of price and value of GOG vs Steam, where the answer to the question "Is it DRM-free?" alters the final value drastically. GOG wins in that regard.
markrichardb: Well it’s certainly a big draw for me personally. The site bills itself on being DRM-Free and offers an alternative platform for those of us who are concerned about such things. Not everyone is so interested though, and the value you’re assigning to ownership is somewhat nebulous and varies from individual to individual. I would tend to agree with ET3D’s claim that Steam prices are generally lower, and then refer back to your mention of price and value. When any service offers a cheaper price, the first question we should ask it how. Where is that difference coming from? GoG tests the product, has a 30 day money back guarantee, and in the case of older games usually ends up retrofitting it for modern systems. Steam’s quality control is to put it mildly, a running joke. The store has hosted software breaking more copyright laws than a Pokemon party-thrower (isn’t it great when everything comes full circle?), and while its refund system is fantastic next to its previous policy, it’s still far from ideal. GoG offers safety, Steam offers a revolver with a bullet in the chamber. GoG offers quality assurance, Steam offers Day One: Garry’s incident, the aforementioned bullet.
As you said, with GOG, the product is optimized to just run on modern systems with little to no trouble besides the install. You don't get a broken game on GOG, and even if you do, the customer support is working great. That alone should raise the value tons. However with Steam, oh my, the declining quality of games, their inability to just run, and then the terrible customer support... it all takes a toll here on the value.