A GOG appreciation thread is an excellent idea. First off, thank you for providing this service. The way you run your business is a model for anyone else who wants to distribute products and services. Here are a few reasons:
1. Excellent customer service- On the day my all-time favorite game, Ultima VII was released on GOG, I could not get the game due to a technical problem. Despite being across the world from GOG, their technical service department fixed everything and I had the game within hours.
2. GOG listens to customers. This is excellent both for the customers and for the business. The aforementioned Ultima VII is a prime example. For a long time, people were calling out for the game. GOG listened and the game appeared. This was also good for a business standpoint because the game is a bestseller on the site.
3. GOG communicates with and cares about their customers. This is not a cold corporation just pumping out goods and grabbing money. Of course they make money (as that what a business is for) but they always communicate with us. They definitely care about their fellow classic game fans, and they are the right people for the job. Just look at people like Enigmatic who is always coming here and telling us what's going on at GOG, cracking jokes, and making all of us feel like we are not just numbers but individuals who are worth something.
I am speaking from experience because I up until recently worked at a company that treated its customers like numbers, and sometimes like dirt. To make a long story short, the company ended up laying off most of its employees and ultimately failing to generate a profit. People at that company should come here and take some notes. This is how things are supposed to be.
People talk about piracy. GOG is the solution to piracy. Yes, there are people who pirate games because they can't afford to buy them. But those people are actually only a tiny minority of the pirates. Bit Torrenters will probably not stop. But people who really want certain older titles pirate them only because they think they have been "abandoned". Once they find out they are available at a low cost and with full support and documentation, they will come here and buy them. Players win. The games' owners win. GOG wins. We all win.
Happy holidays and happy new year and may GOG be here for many, many, many years.
BTW, I am really enjoying Empire Earth. We're not really celebrating the holidays this year due to financial hardship, so I really appreciate the present.
Thank you, and all the best.