tinyE: You missed my point, not knowing isn't the problem if you haven't been presented with the proper information, and that happens all the time; it's when you have been presented with the information and made at least some kind of effort to make sure the information was in fact presented to you. I didn't know anything about Steam just a few weeks ago and I was very strongly considering joining them but before hand I did all the reading I could about it and pestered people in here about it thus leaving no excuses should I join up and feel I got lied too or ripped off.

As an inn keeper it get's frustrating as hell when people don't read our web page and then blame me when they show up and see we have dogs, or don't allow smoking, or don't have any king size beds. Spend a few few weeks dealing with people (and I'm talking seriously pissed off people) who refuse to read any kind of fine print (or in the case of my web page, big bold print) and then blame you for it. Even then the consumer can take it way too far and exploit not having something spelled out for them to the point of lunacy. I actually got told off once, and god strike me down if I am lying, for not telling someone our log cabin was made of wood! Crap like this is why McDonalds now has to print "Contents Hot" on it's coffee cups for fear of a lawsuit. How far do you want this to go?

gooberking: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/jimquisition/8974-Buyer-Beware

Pheace: This is not true

Arkose: Even if you didn't mind Steam DRM you can't even trust that since many games on Steam include additional DRM that isn't mentioned anywhere on the store page (resulting in some nasty surprises for early buyers). The Big List of 3rd Party DRM on Steam covers many known cases but is perpetually incomplete due to largely relying on player reports of DRM features since the developer/publisher often doesn't bother to provide such information on the store page.

Akhiris: Steam is probably the most unobtrusive DRM you will encounter. Valve always said that if they were going to shut down the servers that they would unlock the games and you would have them forever.

hscott2hughes, you can just put Steam into offline mode. Download your game, then start Steam in offline mode. Voila, no more authentication.

bansama: You may wish to point that out to the developers who have stated over the years that their games need to reauthenticate every 2 weeks.

ReynardFox: There is nothing to backup or prove that what Valve said while they were big is any indication of what will happen down the line and that believing they'll actually follow through with this is little more than wishful thinking. The most Valve will do is unlock their games, not others. Will the other publishers that uses the service be ok with them disabling activation? No. Infact most would sooner see their Steam games die while moving to their own replacement service of choice and Valve has no say over that.

Also, Steam's offline mode is not an acceptable compromise, not only is this mode buggy as hell for a number of people I know who support the platform, but offline mode periodically, and deliberately forces you to resync your game online to keep your leash from getting too long.

pimpmonkey2382: I know when I was without internet for quite a while, my steam once wouldn't start in offline mode telling me I need to login online.

Asturaetus: I wouldn't wait for it. The question is: Even if Valve wanted to provide such service - would they have the legal means to do it? I would expect most of the publishers/developers of said games not to be that happy seeing their games suddenly freed of DRM by essentially a third party. They'll probably sue whoever responsible to hell and back.

shawnlee96: Pro tip: you can install Enhanced Steam on your browser to check if certain Steam games has additional DRM.

hscott2hughes: Thanks, I appeciate that.

But, that said, I have no objection to Steam, per se. It's probably a perfectly fine place to buy games, as long as you enter into it knowingly. I joined into GOG membership having read all the rules and particulars BEFORE I made my first purchase and did so with my eyes fully open. There was no attempt to deceive you. GOG basically says: Here's a list of games that you can buy from us. If you do, there's no disc. It's a download. The game is yours to play as you see fit. What you see is what you get. No BS.

Steam is clearly more complicated than that, however, I would still have no objection to finding their site, reading all the rules and fine print (I read everything) BEFORE I decide to join and make purchases. As long as I know what I'm getting into, that's fine. I'll go along with their rules, even if they're not what I prefer, as long as I'm doing so by conscious choice.

And that could have easily happened. Had I known they existed, I could have surfed onto their site and knowingly purchased the Star Trek game from them as a direct download (no DVD necessary) with the understanding that I was doing so under their guidelines. Fair enough. But instead, I bought a DVD-ROM through Amazon.com (via a 3rd party seller) with the expectation that there was actually a GAME stored on that disc. I read very carefully. There is not one mention anywhere on the store page or the box photo regarding the disc containing nothing but a link/downloader for Steam. There is not one mention of Steam or online account. It is marketed as a PC DVD containing a game titled Star Trek.

It's not until you receive the box DVD that you find a very small bit of fine print on the BACK of the box that a "Steam account is required." This is NOT visible on the store photo and not mentioned in any part of the product description. By all accounts, you are buying a GAME, not a link to a website. Even the fine print on the back of the box (which you can't read until you receive the box in the mail--after you've already paid for it) does not equate to informing you of the disc's content or lack thereof. It doesn't say that there's no game on this disc. It doesn't say that you have to DOWNLOAD the game from a third party vendor that may or may not exist in the future--well, because THERE IS NO GAME ON THIS DISC! "Online activation" and "Steam account required" does not mean, in any form of English that I speak, that there is NO GAME ON THIS EMPTY, USELESS DISC! It means that you have to activate/register the game online. I've been doing that with virtually every piece of software I've ever owned for the last twenty five-plus years. That's nothing new. That's the old form of "DRM" (basically type in your name and the DVD's serial number on the product website and you're good to go.) Never before now has it meant that there's NO FRAKIN' GAME ON THIS EMPTY DISC!

That's what made me angry. I'm going to play the game. But I don't like how it was deceptively sold to me. Tell me up front what I'm getting or not getting and we don't have a problem.

Tallima: Wow. That's got to be illegal. You're right. It says absolutely nothing. I'd be furious enough to ask for a refund.

WingedKagouti: They could potentially release a version of the client that just authorized every game that attempted to start without doing an actual Steam server check.