Do YOU use Steam? **Poll**

well do you? i use it alot. ( not for buying games but for talking)

I use it on occasion.

Yes, I use it quite often. Playing Pandora Radio in-game using Steam Overlay Web-Browser is a win for me. :)

Yep, using it right now. Was about to play STALKER.

Only for playing Left 4 Dead.

I use XFire to chat.

inb4 "you're not a PC gamer if you don't have Steam and buy everything from there"

Yeah I use it.

Every Steam game I've bought so far has been at a weekend deal discount I think, and they've all been games that were somewhat cheap in the first place because they weren't new.

If I'm going to pay the full retail price of $50 or $60 for a game, I'm getting all of the stuff that comes with the retail product. I might never even touch any of it besides the game again after the first day I get it, but it's the principle of the matter. Publishers aren't passing the shipping and production savings onto the customer, just because they don't want to piss off their retail partners. I suppose that's understandable, but if that's how they're going to do things, I will get the physical product every time I can go to a local store and get it.

I don't really want Steam to be in "control" of all of my games anyway. In fact, I won't buy any of these retail games that require Steam (except maybe Valve's own games, if I cared about any of Valve's games, which, being relatively uninterested in FPSs, I don't), until maybe they are like $5 or $10 or something. I'm tired of this garbage where they tie down legitimate customers with stupid anti-piracy measures while the pirates just easily find workarounds anyway. I'm not trying to turn this thread into a DRM discussion. I'm just saying that I think making third party (non-Valve) games not purchased via Steam rely on Steam anyway is just dumb, and I'll say right now that if it becomes accepted standard practice sooner or later it will come back and bite everyone who plays PC games in the ass. There's already a Microsoft monopoly of sorts with PC games generally requiring Windows. I really don't want another monopoly layer added to it with Steam dependency, regardless of what Valve's business practices are.

So, anyway, I like Steam pretty much exclusively for the purpose of buying old, cheap games. For buying new ones, it seems like one is trading a full product for convenience, a trade-off I have thus far found myself unwilling to make. The Steam-reliant DRM stuff is bullcrap, but I don't fault Valve for providing the service so much as I fault publishers for using it.

Every Steam game I've bought so far has been at a weekend deal discount I think, and they've all been games that were somewhat cheap in the first place because they weren't new.

If I'm going to pay the full retail price of $50 or $60 for a game, I'm getting all of the stuff that comes with the retail product. I might never even touch any of it besides the game again after the first day I get it, but it's the principle of the matter. Publishers aren't passing the shipping and production savings onto the customer, just because they don't want to piss off their retail partners. I suppose that's understandable, but if that's how they're going to do things, I will get the physical product every time I can go to a local store and get it.

I don't really want Steam to be in "control" of all of my games anyway. In fact, I won't buy any of these retail games that require Steam (except maybe Valve's own games, if I cared about any of Valve's games, which, being relatively uninterested in FPSs, I don't), until maybe they are like $5 or $10 or something. I'm tired of this garbage where they tie down legitimate customers with stupid anti-piracy measures while the pirates just easily find workarounds anyway. I'm not trying to turn this thread into a DRM discussion. I'm just saying that I think making third party (non-Valve) games not purchased via Steam rely on Steam anyway is just dumb, and I'll say right now that if it becomes accepted standard practice sooner or later it will come back and bite everyone who plays PC games in the ass. There's already a Microsoft monopoly of sorts with PC games generally requiring Windows. I really don't want another monopoly layer added to it with Steam dependency, regardless of what Valve's business practices are.

So, anyway, I like Steam pretty much exclusively for the purpose of buying old, cheap games. For buying new ones, it seems like one is trading a full product for convenience, a trade-off I have thus far found myself unwilling to make. The Steam-reliant DRM stuff is bullcrap, but I don't fault Valve for providing the service so much as I fault publishers for using it.

SpaceMoose

I use only for weekend deals (Penumbra series for $5 FTW) and for games that are hard to find (or nonexistent) in the stores.

i think Steam is sort of digital revolution pioneer
same as computers took over books and libraries will probbly die with the previous genoration (people who are 40+ today)
i think that online stores will follow Steam success, and with time it wont be just games.
I beliave one day we will have 1 program for all
to buy games, to check for best deals for everything from electronics to houses and cars and even food.

I think the feature is when street shops will die away
and we will get all we need from spacial deliveryes from the local warehouses.
so yeah, i am using Steam, and i will use it untill something batter comes.

Oh and dont forget that by buying physical stuff like games, you also ruin the nature
(wood for the box, oil for the plastic, and so on...)

I prefer physical copies of games, but I don't mind it when they have to be on steam. And their deals are amazing, $.99 Half-life FTW!

Sure do. Valve games are awesome, and they have really good deals from time to time.

I do, for all my Valve games and some independent ones like Braid and Trine. For full-priced new games, I use Game.co.uk. Much rather have a boxed copy than a digital one.

I use, Steam has some amazing deals on there sometimes. The Id superpack was the first thing I bought when I got steam. I have not bought many games on it since then though.

Yes, I play all my PC games through it.

As the friends I game online with are on my steam friends list.

Otherwise I also have X-Fire open while playing to track which games I play, upload screenshots, and keep in touch with other friends not on my steam list (or Live Messenger)

edit*

As for buying games, retail is my ideal choice, however I have bought a few games - mainly downloadable only titles - World of Goo, Trials 2, Zeno Clash, Killing Floor through steam.

i play PC almost since PC gaming exists. i have so much copied/shareware, floppy disk, CDs, DVDs, game boxes + collectors... it's a mess and i had to start get rid of some of them.

i also have wii/xbox 360 games and hardware so it takes a lot of space.

steam saved my life by saving some space so i try to buy as much as possible on steam.

and i like getting the game on my pc almost instantly when i buy it and the possibility to do it at 3 am when all shops are closed.

some of the game packs are very interesting financially too.

but i don't use it to talk to friends because i don't any have friends who play actively on steam.

Well I own and play some Valve games so....

Well I own and play some Valve games so....

CommanderShiro

Yes.

Yeah i use Steam mainly when it comes to weekend deals and generally good discounts.If i want to buy a game that has the same price both on Steam and retail then i'll go for the retail.

I use it almost every day.

The only reason I use it is so I can play my Valve games.

Yep, I use it for most of my game purchases on PC.

so far I love steam. What scares me are these horror stories about people losing hundreds of dollars in games because steam banned their account for something they didn't do.gamerguy845

That's why I buy the disks and then install them to Steam. That way if something bad happens, I have a back-up.

so far I love steam. What scares me are these horror stories about people losing hundreds of dollars in games because steam banned their account for something they didn't do.gamerguy845

Everyones banned for something "they didnt do".

if we went by the statements of people then no ones ever banned for a legit reason from anything.

That's why I buy the disks and then install them to Steam. That way if something bad happens, I have a back-up.

Phoenix534

I'm not even sure what you're talking about. If it's a retail game where the retail copy enables you to download through Steam then doesn't the generally mean it's a game where you HAVE TO use Steam? Do you just mean that it's a game that you make show up on your Steam list for the social aspects of it or something? I wouldn't really call that "installing them to Steam."

[QUOTE="gamerguy845"]so far I love steam. What scares me are these horror stories about people losing hundreds of dollars in games because steam banned their account for something they didn't do.warmaster670

Everyones banned for something "they didnt do".

if we went by the statements of people then no ones ever banned for a legit reason from anything.

[QUOTE="warmaster670"]

[QUOTE="gamerguy845"]so far I love steam. What scares me are these horror stories about people losing hundreds of dollars in games because steam banned their account for something they didn't do.SpaceMoose

Everyones banned for something "they didnt do".

if we went by the statements of people then no ones ever banned for a legit reason from anything.

Theres other things th warrent a ban, things like using stolen credit cards, attempting to steal other peoples account info etc.

My bank account wishes I didn't. I have 353 games :(scoobiesnackarf

And how many of those do you play?

Steam is one of the BEST non evasive DRM. Ok sure you can't sell your games, but I never do. I always find time to replay at a later date.

You can have your games on multiple computers hassle free. And if you get a new computer or reformat instead of fumbling around for CDs and keys you just download steam and go to bed.

Did anybody else notice this?

"( not for buying games but for talking)"