Yearning for the good old days in PC gaming. Before Steam and DRM took over.

I love Steam. I really do. But, at the same time, I want to actually own my games (i.e., sell my copy to someone else, install it without validating the install with Valve, etc.). Steam took that away and placated me with unlimited redownloads and installs. I grew weak, and took their offer. Fine, I'll sign my soul away, as long as it makes my gaming life easier.

It's funny that people complain about Origin and how anti-consumer it is, but Valve has been doing the same thing for seven years. Of course, Valve did add many value-added services (achievements, Steam Community, mod tools, free dedicated servers) that took away some of the pain of not being able to own your game like you used to.

Do some of you guys yearn for the old days of PC gaming? When you bought everything in a box and it was your's to keep, so long as the disk was good? When you didn't need a third party to phone home to make sure that your game was legit? When you could let a friend borrow your game for a week? When you could resell your game in its functional state at any time?

Sure, we didn't have automatic patching, achievements, or the cloud, but I sure do miss the old days. I really do.

I love Steam. I really do. But, at the same time, I want to actually own my games (i.e., sell my copy to someone else, install it without validating the install with Valve, etc.). Steam took that away and placated me with unlimited redownloads and installs. I grew weak, and took their offer. Fine, I'll sign my soul away, as long as it makes my gaming life easier.

It's funny that people complain about Origin and how anti-consumer it is, but Valve has been doing the same thing for seven years. Of course, Valve did add many value-added services (achievements, Steam Community, mod tools, free dedicated servers) that took away some of the pain of not being able to own your game like you used to.

Do some of you guys yearn for the old days of PC gaming? When you bought everything in a box and it was your's to keep, so long as the disk was good? When you didn't need a third party to phone home to make sure that your game was legit? When you could let a friend borrow your game for a week? When you could resell your game in its functional state at any time?

Sure, we didn't have automatic patching, achievements, or the cloud, but I sure do miss the old days. I really do.

The_Capitalist

What i hate about steam is when you buy a game there its yours forever. I bought Spore with expansion and one of the worst games i've ever bought wish could sell or just erase it for good but nope the name will always be on my steam list.

Also heard Skyrim will be steamworks which really sucks since its an offline game now will get people on steam asking me if i wanna play other games while i'm play that.

What i hate about steam is when you buy a game there its yours forever. I bought Spore with expansion and one of the worst games i've ever bought wish could sell or just erase it for good but nope the name will always be on my steam list.

Also heard Skyrim will be steamworks which really sucks since its an offline game now will get people on steam asking me if i wanna play other games while i'm play that.

Sleepyz

Nope, not at all. I dont miss big bulky boxes, driving to the stores to purchase the games, paying sales tax on everything, having to repurchase games because of scratched discs, and having to locate the damn disc whenever i want to play the game. Digital distribution has so many advantages and I have been around long enough to have seen all sides of this (started PC gaming in the 80s).

I guess for those who like to sell your games after you play them once, i see your point. I'm not one of those people though. I wont even get into the whole part of EULAs stating the licence you purchased are NON-TRANSFERABLE and also the fact that despite what you think, you never have actually "owned" the game.

Guess why The Witcher 2 is the only game I've bought for quite some time despite not really being interested in it?

It's drm free. It doesn't matter what game you make, if it has drm I don't care about it. I'd happily use a disc to play though.

Even without Steam they killed off the used PC games market with limited installs and etc.

Guess why The Witcher 2 is the only game I've bought for quite some time despite not really being interested in it?

It's drm free. It doesn't matter what game you make, if it has drm I don't care about it. I'd happily use a disc to play though.

dsgsdfgf

[QUOTE="dsgsdfgf"]

Guess why The Witcher 2 is the only game I've bought for quite some time despite not really being interested in it?

It's drm free. It doesn't matter what game you make, if it has drm I don't care about it. I'd happily use a disc to play though.

DanielDust

Supposedly it was pretty nasty too, people got something like a 20% boost in framerate once they patched it out.

[QUOTE="dsgsdfgf"]

Guess why The Witcher 2 is the only game I've bought for quite some time despite not really being interested in it?

It's drm free. It doesn't matter what game you make, if it has drm I don't care about it. I'd happily use a disc to play though.

DanielDust

Yes, I know. They were forced to have drm by the publisher but then removed it quickly. I bought the game a month ago on GOG when it had the drm removed. It's not the optimal solution though as I want control over what version I play. I hate it when you only can download the latest.

I love steam because they make gaming cheaper than ever before. Without steam I couldn't purchase new games at 50-80% off.

In the "good old days" the bargain bin at game shops was full of crap that no one wanted. Steam has ushered in a new era of awesome prices.

I love steam because they make gaming cheaper than ever before. Without steam I couldn't purchase new games at 50-80% off.

In the "good old days" the bargain bin at game shops was full of crap that no one wanted. Steam has ushered in a new era of awesome prices.

GummiRaccoon

Thats true...also remember that before when stores had limited shelf space, the game you might want to buy would only be on the shelf for a limited amount of time and then it might be very difficult or expensive to find later.

I like the fact these days that I know if I have a lot of games to play right now, I can wait for 3-4 months for a new release and it will be 1/3 to 1/2 the price it started at. It wasn't like this in the "old days".

[QUOTE="GummiRaccoon"]

I love steam because they make gaming cheaper than ever before. Without steam I couldn't purchase new games at 50-80% off.

In the "good old days" the bargain bin at game shops was full of crap that no one wanted. Steam has ushered in a new era of awesome prices.

mkaliaz

Thats true...also remember that before when stores had limited shelf space, the game you might want to buy would only be on the shelf for a limited amount of time and then it might be very difficult or expensive to find later.

I like the fact these days that I know if I have a lot of games to play right now, I can wait for 3-4 months for a new release and it will be 1/3 to 1/2 the price it started at. It wasn't like this in the "old days".

Yeah seriously, you can literally just buy games that are on sale and ignore new releases and by the time you get done with the sale priced games, the new release is on sale now.

And yes, I recall trying to find a copy of Red Alert about a year after it was released, no where to be found. I'd say that contributed considerably to piracy.

customer"Hey I want game x"

store"sorry we don't carry that anymore"

Customer's friend "I have it, I'll burn you a copy"

Guess why The Witcher 2 is the only game I've bought for quite some time despite not really being interested in it?

It's drm free. It doesn't matter what game you make, if it has drm I don't care about it. I'd happily use a disc to play though.

dsgsdfgf

That's DRMs earliest version and it was a huge pain. Optical drives are the devil.

No, I like steam. I think the whole DRM has brought gaming to a new era. Moving House? Don't have to bring piles of game cases with you. Yo ucan just take the ones you want off steam. I think it's good however origin is spyware and I dilike that particular program.

I'm actually really happy with being able to buy all my PC games online.

No standing in line in a shop. No waiting for the mailman.

All the games that I'm really excited to play, I get to preload and play them 1 second after they have been released.

Case in point; Cataclysm expansion pack for WoW.

Last two packs I was standing in line for 3+ hours outside the game shop in the middle of night and the cold Danish winter, so I could get playing right away.

*Then* I had to travel back to my apartment and wait for the install before I could even start playing.

Cataclysm? Buy online, patch up WoW well before the launch. Log onto servers at 00:01. Star playing. Winning!

But then again, I have very little of the "collector" mentality, and I don't really care at all for saving my old boxed copies of games.

I like steam.

I'm right there with you. I shouldn't have to rip the DRM off of my Steam games to get them to work on my laptop because offline mode is broke.

S/team is pretty un-invasive and if you really want to play your games on more than one system then you're probbaly being a bit picky and self-entitled anyway.

I'm actually really happy with being able to buy all my PC games online.

No standing in line in a shop. No waiting for the mailman.

All the games that I'm really excited to play, I get to preload and play them 1 second after they have been released.

Case in point; Cataclysm expansion pack for WoW.

Last two packs I was standing in line for 3+ hours outside the game shop in the middle of night and the cold Danish winter, so I could get playing right away.

*Then* I had to travel back to my apartment and wait for the install before I could even start playing.

Cataclysm? Buy online, patch up WoW well before the launch. Log onto servers at 00:01. Star playing. Winning!

But then again, I have very little of the "collector" mentality, and I don't really care at all for saving my old boxed copies of games.

Technomancer82

Preload catacylsm.

Go to store at midnight release for festivities, buy copy

take out of box add CD key to your account

winning

I'm with you, all the way. Game boxes, manuals, and other items you might get with the game are things to be treasured. Also, the ability to perform offline installations was a big plus for me. I don't like the idea of a company going out of business or a server shutting down one day, making those old games useless. Games were a product, like a lawn mower, guitar, or a hairbrush. You could sell them, loan them, or give them away. These are the advantages that I pay full price for. A digital download service is worth very little to me. I rarely pay more than $5 for a digital game.

really wish to go back to the old days, I absolutely hate steam

Again, digital distribution has been the 'next step' in piracy protection and Steam's often low prices only usher in that next step even faster.Stinger78

If that's the next step, I have to wonder what the ultimate goal is? Is it the Onlive service? If games completely went to streaming content, it would kill piracy completely, but it would also strip consumer rights the most. I would never pay a cent for that.

[QUOTE="Stinger78"]Again, digital distribution has been the 'next step' in piracy protection and Steam's often low prices only usher in that next step even faster.Falconoffury

If that's the next step, I have to wonder what the ultimate goal is? Is it the Onlive service? If games completely went to streaming content, it would kill piracy completely, but it would also strip consumer rights the most. I would never pay a cent for that.

You don' t "own" games in a legal sense. alexside1

The thing I really miss about the old days are the retail boxes.

I'm trying to max the retail versions of the games, but the Steam offers are too attractive (All **** hell GTA series in 12.49$, L4D2 5$ and so on...).

I've recently bought BF3 retail version, but while everyone in my country is playing it via Origin, I'm waiting for GAME.co.uk delivery to reach my home.

What's funny about it that I paid less for the retail version (34.97GBP for retail, 60Euros for digital @ Origin).

Where are the times that we used to wait outside the games store and wait for it open to buy Half Life 2, or midnight sells for the releases of WoW expansions...

My games collection, the old games are in other box in the house (Diablo 2, ZORK and many others).

Just waiting for BF3 to arrive...

[QUOTE="dsgsdfgf"]

Guess why The Witcher 2 is the only game I've bought for quite some time despite not really being interested in it?

It's drm free. It doesn't matter what game you make, if it has drm I don't care about it. I'd happily use a disc to play though.

GummiRaccoon

That's DRMs earliest version and it was a huge pain. Optical drives are the devil.

I disagree. It has a huge advantage over the drm we have nowadays: It's all in your hands. All you need to play is the disc. I don't know about others but I have the ability to know where my games are and have the discs in top condition which means that I can always play my game.

Nowadays you can't do anything. You can't fix it if the activation server is down or if your account is banned for whatever reason. Getting told that my game is unavailable because the servers are under stress is not acceptable at all imo.

Let's not forget that Valve constantly helps indie-developers with Steam.

I enjoy Steam. I like not having to carry around all my games, I like the convenience.

As for selling bought games, I think any money you might make selling used games gets made up for by saving money on the frequent and incredible sales Steam, D2D, and more have.

Same here.

The days where you just had to put in your CD/DVD/Floppy and install & you are set are unfortunatly over.

Now it's install Steam for this game, install GFWL marketplace for this game and Orgin for that game.

Installing all these side programs that have nothing to do with the actual game isn't that bad per se but it can cause problems.

BF3 for example. I tried to play the beta but first I had a lot of issues just to get Origin running. When I finally did get it running and went on Battlelog to find a server it said the game wasn't installed. I was so pissed that this couldn't be the old & simple: start game, go to server list and join a game.

I uninstalled everything & I won't buy BF3 because of all that bloatware that does nothing more than cause problems and restricting the rights of paying customers. Yes, it only pisses off paying customers because DRM is absolutely useless in stopping pirates.

I'm kind of over the whole DRM thing. Yeah, it sucks, but it has very rarely impeded my ability to play the game. Only GFWL does that. Get over it. Steam is an awesome platform.

Nah for me Steam has made things eleven million times easier. Where I'm from games cost $100, and we don't get a lot of the games. I had to import most of my games, that meant paying 20~ plus shipping, plus import fees. So I had to pay more, and wait a lot longer without Steam. I love Steam, I plan to marry Steam when we both get older and have beatiful DRM filled kids

I love Steam. I really do. But, at the same time, I want to actually own my games (i.e., sell my copy to someone else, install it without validating the install with Valve, etc.). Steam took that away and placated me with unlimited redownloads and installs. I grew weak, and took their offer. Fine, I'll sign my soul away, as long as it makes my gaming life easier.

It's funny that people complain about Origin and how anti-consumer it is, but Valve has been doing the same thing for seven years. Of course, Valve did add many value-added services (achievements, Steam Community, mod tools, free dedicated servers) that took away some of the pain of not being able to own your game like you used to.

Do some of you guys yearn for the old days of PC gaming? When you bought everything in a box and it was your's to keep, so long as the disk was good? When you didn't need a third party to phone home to make sure that your game was legit? When you could let a friend borrow your game for a week? When you could resell your game in its functional state at any time?

Sure, we didn't have automatic patching, achievements, or the cloud, but I sure do miss the old days. I really do.

The_Capitalist

Well, unfortunately the old days also meant high piracy and a lot more whom never bought the game because they could download it for free. So no i dont miss the old days i love the fact that i dont have to go down to a shop and wait in line for a game but can buy it when i have time and also dont have to have cash for the game :D

Jacanuk

We have equally as much piracy today as ever. You might even say it's a worse problem than ever. DRM never stopped piracy. The only method that stops piracy is to make it an online only game that downloads critical game assets and data from servers, or something like the OnLive service. I read that Diablo 3 is an always online game because loot is generated from Blizzard servers, and stored there, under your account. It will be interesting to see if pirates can emulate that system to make an offline, pirate version of the game.

Let's not forget that Valve constantly helps indie-developers with Steam.

Am_Confucius

You have to remember Steam is the only digital retailer that forces youto install all games to the partition with the Steam foldr on it. If peoplebuy more and more games it will be impossible to keep them all on the one partition, even if they have 10 other partitioons it won't help them, this wioll mean more and more games sitting on Steams Servers hoping they don't have powr cuts or flooding or whatever.

I am sure in the small text it says Steam does not guarantee your games held on its servers, and probably have all sorts of caveats.

If Steam just let me install to any partition, like Impulse and GOG and D2D do, that would make a huge change, but the fact they still have this customer unfriendly system says a lot about them! They are too big for their own boots I feel.