Lower the rent.

Here is the problem as I see it: I as the consumer decide I am "not okay" with it. But the gaming "market" (I don't think it can be called that with complete accuracy but I digress) becomes flooded with a different type of consumer and now someone like me is a niche with essentially no power. However, I can provide objective reasons why my "niche" approach is objectively superior to what became popular. Doesn't matter! It will constantly fall on deaf ears and I will become more and more niche, because developers know they can get away with providing no control and lacking content as long as other people keep buying it up.

Through all of this, I am not saying the developer has no right to make and sell their game how they want. They can be as lazy and moneygrubbing as they please, they have the right just like I have the right to not buy. In fact, I blame other consumers for permitting terrible behavior by the developers, moreso than I blame the developers. But instead of me playing the blame-game, I would rather continue calling attention to gaming history being lost right before our eyes. And when I, or other folks like supp, do exactly that, it seems that the response is either to ignore, to suggest that this is just an extreme conclusion and that centrism is ALWAYS superior, or to "advise" to just be happy...a la "you'll take what you're given, and you'll like it". All unsatisfying answers, in my book.

I do to. The excitement of going to the shop to get them, then running home with them. Opening the wrapping, then opening the box and getting the new game smell, Popping the CD into your PC and watching it install, then getting bored and reading the book whilst it did, the excitment all the time building....

Where as now its just a few clicks and a bar usually. Not the same at all.

I remember them, too.
The excitement of seeing all those boxes on the shelves in game shops. I miss that. ) ;
I also remember proper, printed manuals, not just online PDFs.

Your entire site exists because the game industry are thieves. The reason steam came into existence is because gabe newell was 200 miles + away from the gaming community in 2004, don't try and pretend he didn't just steal our software when he knew damn well we couldn't reach him when he gave us the patch of doom in 2004. I had to watch in righteous fury as that fuck transformed videogame history. Capitalism as you understand is over, the internet has finally broke any ability to hold software companies accountable. That's why are human rights are going away thanks to the internet and mass stupidity. Our freedom is literally being rescinded by an out of control oligarchy, anyone with any inkling of an IQ would be mad that our entire species is enabling corporate lawlessness.

You even named our own campaign the FCK DRM campaign, so try to at least be aware that capitalism is failing worldwide in terms of having any rule of law whatsoever in all capitalist states.

My first one was from a little unknown company called Valve, I bought the Silver pack of Half Life 2 when it released in 2004.

In all my years of buying physical versions of games, in which I have been buying games since the 1980s, there have only been 2 games that came with physical stuff that I actually kept beyond the manual and disks. Those 2 games were Jedi Knight 2: Outcast, it came with a T-Shirt and a letter opener that looks like a light saber, and the other game was one of Egosoft's X games, it came with a T-Shirt. Otherwise I threw everything else away. I wouldn't care if physical versions came back, I am perfectly happy with buying digital and saving natural resources and having less garbage.

As for the whole DRM thing. I am not a DRM = No buy person, I am a DRM = pay 25% or less of the release price, cause DRM = rental, and IMO 25% or less is a fair price for a rental: (other factors come in for the less than 25% because I use those same factors to determine what price I am willing to pay for a game even if it is DRM free.)

GoG.com is my go to place for buying games. If GoG does not have the game I wan to buy, then I'll head over to Steam and buy it from there, provided it is 25% or less than the release price.

Absolutely. C&C was a great example of this. I had the old DOS version maual that I kept in my backpack at school. :D
Yeah.

I like your profile pic BTW. NOLF was one of the most pleasant, funny, and fun games I played. I got the demo on a PCGamer disc first and loved it, later got the full GOTY edition.

Heh, you just need to kill Steam off. That's all.

I love GOG:)

I've been kicked THREE TIMES for incessant cursing.

If I may be so bold as to say it, Linko isn't fucking around.

I completely understand that frustration, I went through the same process. But in the end you have to realize, that as an individual, you do have little to no power. Believe me, I am in the same boat. I just don't let that fact ruin my view on gaming completely. I'm not saying you should be happy with it, but just play around it. Don't buy or, if you don't like what you're given, there definitely are ways around it (especially in the PC world).

I will happily admit that I torrented Carmageddon: Reincarnation long before it was available on GOG, where I then bought it pretty much instantly after it appeared. Also for example, I would love to get a DRM free version of the upcoming Rune game from ANY place other than Steam. As much as it pains me to say it, I will most likely torrent the game some time after release because of it, even if I am 100% willing to support the developers. They were speculating about releasing on GOG. If that ever happens, I will be the first to buy it. I will stand behind my philosophy of never buying a game through Steam directly.

The thing with buying boxed games that then still require Steam to activate is that I can basically download the torrent if needed with no hard feelings in case Steam ever goes out of commission and if someone walked up to me and said that I pirated it, I can just flaunt the box in their face and tell them to piss off.

The new initiative is at least an attempt to do something with the current situation and I greatly appreciate it. Especially when it comes from GOG directly as after a certain recent fiasco on a certain social network, they have shown that they are still willing to fight for what's good in gaming. To show that it is not just a niche. Up until now, all we could do is vote with out wallets and not support what we don't like.

And the masses will always prefer the way that is the most convenient/requires the least effort on their side even if it is not the most beneficial way for them. Hence the popularity of Steam. They can just click click and they are done. When discussing this with someone, I ask them "Try to unplug your internet and then play your games. Guess what happens?". But it usually falls on deaf ears.