I understand what you are saying, and am not trying to cause arguments between people or force any particular views onto them. I made that point clear in my original post, but if anybody out there did take offence to my question, then i sincerely apologise.

I was just in search of answers. There was never any hidden agenda on my part, and i appreciate the posts and views of those forum members who have posted here.

Oh don't worry I get it.
I myself stopped buying games on Steam years ago, because I have a better service here and have plenty enough to play with what is available.

Woah common sense and facts.

90% of games released nowadays are half finished vehicles for dlc and other robbing techniques. They are generic bland and merely a method of not taking risks. Not to mention the DRM is normally so broken the product doesn't work. Zero interest in playing ass creed 206, or call of dooty - the big dick holding yeewsa multiplayer extravaganzer part two.
The other alleged games are mmo type things for sado's whose only ambition in life is RSI.

And yes, things were a lot better before steam!

Steam 196, with a lot being dual bought with gog/humble, vs 379 with gog, I prefer gog as you do not need the Internet to install the game! I lost my Internet for over five years, and was locked out of several games due to corrupted files/installs.

Gog doesn't have such limitations, but barring the reliance of the Internet, steam is pretty cool as that is one of the few reasons why I don't like having to use it!

My thought exactly. I'm surprised so many people *do* use steam, or other steam-like services, in an era where consoles have developed to the point that they can provide similar gaming experiences (I'm not a graphics techie or guy who is obsessed with framerates, so don't murder me for that comment pls :) ), AND so many games are now available DRM-free.

PC gaming historically has always been a "DIY" type thing. You sort of took the responsibility yourself to get the games to run on your system. And people have been modding games since before my gaming years, with the idea of "making the game into what you want it to be". And from that standpoint, any service like Steam that adds bloatware to your system and limits or controls your gaming experience goes directly against this whole "DIY" idea.

So I always figure anyone who wants to avoid that "DIY" aspect tends to go the console direction and mostly avoids PC gaming in the 1st place.

And due to that, and the gazillion other reasons other people in this thread mentioned as to why they don't like or use Steam, I actually think DRM-heavy services like this will die out eventually. Call me crazy, but I think GOG is showing us the PC gaming future here, with their biz model, as counterintuitive as that may seem. It seems to me the popularity of GOG has continued to grow in my several years I've been using it, and having some killer AAA titles ilke TW3 and Dying Light (btw which I'm playing from GOG currently and is awesome) released on a DRM-free platform are proving that devs don't *have* to work with Steam or the like. And I think that going forward, there will be fewer and fewer AAA titles that don't have a console version.

And for myself, I'd much rather pick up a relatively cheap console than add a headache-waiting-to-happen like Steam to my PCs. In fact, I just did this, grabbed up a cheap PS3 so I can play Assassins Creed:Black Flag, Borderlands, etc. Having that, the only Steam games that "tempt" me anymore are the several TES-Fallout type games out there that, in my eyes, require some level of modding to become a complete experience.

For the future, I picture gamers diverging, into console players who want games to work easily but accept inflexibility (unable to mod, etc), and PC gamers who want more control of their experiences and are wililng to put the time in to have that. And plenty like me who will do both. In that scenario, sites like GOG and DRM-free games will dominate the PC market, and the console market will continue to grow as well. And Steam and its ilk will be relegated to some niche market of people who want someone to "manage" their games for them on a PC, for whatever reason. (Or better yet, they'll simply die a slow death... Steam that is, not the gamers ;P ).

I get that there are some good AAA games that come out. But it's a big stretch from that to say that "most of the interesting games" are AAA.

Which ones are you thinking of? Are they as innovative as something like Papers Please or is the another reason they're more interesting? Because the vast majority of stuff I see coming out of the AAA scene are DLC heavy rehashes of old glories.

I'm talking about the whole spectrum of games that aren't indie. Could be Dark Souls 3 or Doom. Could be Danganronpa or Deathsmiles. Could be Dragon's Dogma. Could be the Final Fantasy IX re-release.

GOG/DRM-free is absurdly limiting, given what else is out there.

I take your point. Admittedly, I'm not especially interested in most of the games you mention. But I'm not going to pretend that my own subjective taste is some kind of mark of quality.

But from my perspective, there's already far more excellent games out there then I'm ever going to get round to playing. Hell, there's even old Spectrum games I still haven't found time to play yet. So while it's limiting, the large number of options out there means it doesn't actually hold me back in any meaningful way.

The obvious example is how many heavy Steam users have long lists of unplayed games in their libraries.

I don't use Steam. I don't put my wants ahead of my principles (anymore that is).

One thing I find troubling is the lack of knowledge displayed by some that use Steam. A lot of them have been brainwashed. I've run across people that buy a game thru Steam (and not GoG) because they prefer the Steam launcher (I guess they think it replaces the game's exe), or Steam lets you backup your games, or............ drum roll please....... I like all my games in one place.

I like my games in one place too! My computer. And what is easier than clicking the shortcut to launch a game? Any else have a 'Games' folder on his desktop that has all the game shortcuts?

When Steam starts paying for the resources and data it mines from my PC, I might consider it. I doubt it though.

Patience, self-restraint, and the discipline to adhere to a specific stance on DRM in gaming.

In other words, being a responsible consumer.

You just made a big mistake bro. Well, I guess you noticed that when your post got low rated. X)

So people who use DRM are irresponsible? Nice accusation you have there.
Definitely not for everyone, but numbers speak louder than minority. And I mean minority for real.

Go compare Steam's Stardew Valley with GOG's. And that's just one example for something that has both versions (on Steam + GOG).

For Steam exclusive? Do I have to name Football Manager series? Or the continued sales of CS:GO?

You can choose to keep shutting your ears and eyes, but it won't hide the fact that Steam has bunch to offer for both developers and customers.
Data mining? LOL. It's the least of your concern.

an inanimate animal enema... sorry it sounded like a tongue twister.

I'm kinda surprised these threads continue to pop up, however I can't contain myself to chime in with the same cut and paste response... At least our chats in the game specific forum are productive.