Not surprising, Steam offers publishers a lot of features and avenues for their DLC and marketing content without charging them for it. Most people accept it without any qualms, so why NOT use it? Just because I don't like Steam doesn't mean I can't see why it's being used so much.

All that aside my usual policy remains intact:

1) Buy game to support dev team, investors and PC gaming.
2) Use DRM method because it's not like they don't work (other than Ubisoft's).
3) Crack game when all DLC and patches are out and make a backup copy.
4) Yay I own my software.

Curiously, when was "back then" for you?

I bought Doom by ordering it directly from iD. I sent them an order form and a check in the mail. They sent me a nice box from Texas. :-)

But I usually just walked into Egghead, Software Etc, Babbages, CompUSA, Best Buy, my local shareware and used PC game vendor, or any of a number of locally owned PC stores, and a few other places I cannot remember and bought games with cash.

How was it hard?

Sure, today with digital distribution it is "easier"... But on the other hand, I did not have a credit card back then. I imagine for many teens and a few young adults, buying games digitally might actually be at least a little bit harder today because retail support for PC games blows, and needing a credit card might be a barrier.

And he's from UK. It's not like they get fucked on steam prices like the rest of us Europeans.

That's just Japan, though. Here in America it's all good. In fact, it's $30 here now.

Maybe Steam needs better support in other countries, but it shouldn't die. In fact, I see its potential expansion to the PS3 as a welcome addition, and hope that we find a way to eventually kick pirates out of the system for good.

I think his point is more that they act dishonorably and thus he would rather support their competitors.

Also what does Steam have to do with stopping piracy?

I heard that it works well in stopping zero-day piracy.

And there in lies part of the problem. That being that people don't see the problems when they don't affect them. I look forward to the highly unlikely event of a major game going Steamworks in the future and then applying it's IP lockout to the North American market while also refusing to supply a Steam version to that region but keeping it listed as pre-purchase, taking peoples money, for months on end while Valve just sit back and let the money roll in without handing over a product.

Then, perhaps, many will finally realise that this is a problem. One that is further compounded by the fact that Valve are so closed-mouthed about it all and obviously couldn't care less about sorting it out.

As for Steamworks stopping pirates? Nope. Doesn't even slow 'em down. The second it gets released on Steam (if not sooner) it'll be up on the 'ol pirate torrent networks with the client dependency removed.

So once again, it's only people who actually want to obtain games in a legal manner that are getting the shaft.

Arghhhh no! I will like to bomb Valve but... Oh, no! if I do that I will never be avalilable to play all my "steamworked" games!!!! DRM is so paradoxical and cruel. You want the to disappear but if that happens you loose all your games.

Shit happens!!!

Did you ever try to use Steam with a dial-up connection?

I only bought one Steam game : Half-Life 2. First time I installed it, it took 6 hours to patch the game and get it running.

Last year I tried re-installing it to see if Steam really had gotten better. 24 hours after installing the bloody game, it was still patching it to the most recent version and I still couldn't play. 24 hours!

I heard there's an option to deactivate auto-updating of games, but I can't use that option when installing the game. And there's no way I should have to deal with that aggravation for a fucking retail single-player game.

And before anyone asks how GOG is better that Steam on a dial-up : I can download GOG games through a browser, which means I can download them at work. Can't do that with Steam.

Pretty sure you heard wrong, and even if that is the case pirates will just wait a day or two, it's not like that matters.

It's one of the reason I don't like online activation DRMs and Steam in particular. I live in a country that might very soon pass a video games ban law that would make Germany and Australia appear like gamers paradise, the last thing I want is to have my games tied to a region locking happy service like Steam, especially as with it they can not only prevent you from buying/activating new games but they also can disable existing already activated games.

Nnnnnnnnnnnnnoooooooooooooooo!!!!!

After 13 years I was really looking forward to this game. Now that its riddled with online only DRM it looks like I will have to console myself with my copy of DN3DAE that I got from GOG the other week.

Hopefully in another 13 years GOG will release a DRM free version and I can buy and play that.

Looks like I wont be enjoying my balls of steel anywhere near the PC now.

Nevermind.

5) Never see the end of DRM because you fail to practice what you preach. The more you funnel money into the pockets of companies the more they will have carte blanche to implement the DRM you hate. Brilliant.

Exactly. Ubisoft's DRM only came to exist because they could step up from online activation to constantly remaining online. I never ever buy any such game at full price - I'll wait till it drops to £5 or so - it sends the right signal if you ask me.