What if the game is a multi player game and has no direct connection mode?

I couldn't say, because I don't usually buy those types of game anyway. I've left Starcraft 2 be, for example, because without LAN mode, it's pretty useless to me. The use of Steamworks for matchmaking does not prevent the inclusion of LAN play, as Half-Life, Counter Strike Source et al. show. In fact, I only have one multiplayer game that has no LAN mode - Space Marine - and I only bought that for the single-player campaign.

And I've found that if there is enough interest in a multiplayer game, that life will find a way. Look at StarFriend for StarCraft 2, even if it is a bit hacky.

And tthat's why I love GOG.com, even if I think will all my heart that "digital" "goods" are just a giant scam full of crap created by people with green and rotting shit for brain....

...who become really rich, because they were the geniuses that created that marketplace which is used and liked by millions of customers all over the world. And rightly so. :)

So, you don't like "digital" "goods", eh?

You do know that e.g. the money in your bank isn't your money anymore, but you only have entitlement against the bank to give you some of their money in the amount of what you gave them earlier (+/- costs, interest, etc.). Same goes with earnings, shares, renting your apartment. You only get those benefits due to "entitlements", not because you "own" anything. Same goes for digital goods.

"Digital" or "virtual" goods are as old as our laws. Some consider the "invention" of an"entitled" bases econmoy the dawn of civilization. One of the reasons the Roman Empire was so damn successful is because they had a very good legal system (their legions helped too, of course ;-) ).

Therefore digital distribution certainly isn't some money making sceme but just the normal development of our legal system. Which, technically speaking, is making more sense (legally) than what we had before, with licences being sold on disk. But being afraid of something "new" is as old as the invention of fire ...

You only have to know how you can save your files. For example on Gamersgate you have a downloader-file which downloads encrypted files. You only have to wait until the game is downloaded and the setup ist started. Then you keep the setup open and go to the temp folder where the downloaded files are located. In this example they are located in the same folder where the downloader file is, named "GamersGate temporary files". While the setup is open, all files are decrypted. You only have to copy them in an other folder, so that they won't become encrypted again by the downloader, when you close the setup. This trick works with every downloader I know.

Except that a bank doesn't have an "EULA" that said that they can remove you access to all your accounts just because they feel like it. The owner of your apartment can't suddenly decide to kick you out it anytime he want without having to give you any reason. And there are plenty of laws to "try" to prevent peoples from doing anything they wants with shares either.

The issue with digital media is not really that they are "virtual" it's the retarded EULA that comes with them AND the fact that, thanks to DRMs, this EULA is now enforceable.

But on the other side since the invention of fire there is millions of peoples who died of deadly burns, poisoning, and all sorts of cancer because there weren't afraid enough of something "new"

Well banks also have EULAs/TOS/Standard form contracts or whatever you want to call them. So does the contract with your landlord (technically speaking, the contract is a standard form contract in 95% of the cases). And both could write the wildest things into that. And both actually do sometimes. Just look how many people got burned when the banks collapsed in Iceland, a lot of banking TOS were challenged in the legal aftermath.

There is really no difference apart from the fact that digital distribution is just new. The lawmakers and courts need some time to fully comprehend what is happening right now. But so must the consumer. Steam being a dick is only one part of the problem, the other is people rolling over and offering them lube.

I would hazard a guess and say many, the demographic is different to any other DD service/seller. We've come for the old games and the DRM freeness and come from a time where DRM wasn't a big issue. I suppose a lot of us are used to backing up since we love to preserve the things that we enjoy.

Saying that, there was a lot of idiots who blew their heads off after the stunt last year. Yes, you might have a bandwidth cap, or slow broadband but jeez I can't imagine it must be HARD preserving the games you love. That's part of enjoying games, right? ;)

Onto the story, God, we have never (broken record, I know) owned our games in the legal sense. My big pile of PS2 games have those pesky EULA's which state all that license malarkey and STATES THAT I WILL NEVER EVER OWN THE GAME AND ONLY HAVE THE RIGHT TO THE LICENSE ONE TIME ONLY, NNNNNNNNNNNYYYYYYYYAAAAH!!! I do like the EULAS that start out as calm and then go into RAGE CAPS LOCK mode without any prior warning. Reminds me of Linkin park songs.


Moving on, I never cared for ownership issues on steam, since the game is always so damn cheap, the service has always been excellent for me and being a fan of valve games helps too.

I see the games I buy off steam as disposable, I'll finish them once and likely never play them again. Of course games like F:NV, TF2, Killing floor, STALKER and others are exceptions, but the overwhelming majority of my 180+ games will be played only once, finished then I'll move on. DRM free games I regularly buy, since I know those games will have lifelong value for me and my (future) kids.

I never get why people get so winded up about ownership issues and steam, the likelihood of you replaying a ton of games throughout your life is minimal. Heck, quite a few gogers have a mile high backlog. The chance of playing all of those to completion is minimal,unless they never work or have families.


Just enjoy the cheap games you are interested in and keep the ones you have loved/will love.

I guess with all the things people have said about RPS giving Steam a pass this is probably a good article for them to write.