200 reasons to love PC Gaming

[Elwro]

Their Steam digital distribution service is as important to PC gaming as Windows

RIIIIGHT
I wonder how I managed without it

QFT


Also, almost(?) all screens in that article seem to have been put where they are completely at random.

 

[racofer]

Saw that reply coming a mile away. Try atleast.

Of course you saw that. Shitty answer for shitty question.

Your games are linked to an account which you can use on any pc you want.

My non steam games work on any pc I want.

It has a good friends system so you can join mpgames that your friends are playing in.

And all other multiplayer systems that have existed so far, which by the way don't require the steam drm to be installed, did that as well if not better.

It patched itself, you dont even have to start an automatic update program, because it checks for updates when u start steam.

Yes, because patching a game is an incredibly difficult and time consuming task, how on earth did gaming get so far without it? Of course, I'm not considering hydrocephalus creatures such as yourself.

As for invading your privacy, i hope you arent a member of any community site like facebook or netlog

I'm not.

or linked-in because they violate your privacy much harder and do whatever they want.

See above.

 

[Zeus]

The PC Gamer team celebrates 200 issues by compiling the reasons we still love mouse and keyboard gaming...

All snark aside, has anyone calculated how much of this list also applies to wireless Xbox 360 controller gaming?

Whether they're raving over Left 4 Dead (360), World of Goo (Wii), Hitman: Blood Money (Xbox, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2) or even John Carmack (Doom 3 dropped on Xbox a while ago, has he done anything since?) this list comes off as a bunch of things they like about gaming in general.

It's kind of sad that except for vague concepts like "free games" and whatnot, the actual games they're so proud of are also for consoles.

If Thief and X-Com get ported to 360, they'll have nothing left!

 

[DarkUnderlord]

I like Steam. For the most part.

 

[Azrael the cat]

I like Steam because at least it gives a DRM some minor functionality - my god I was pissed off to find out that HL2 needed a net connection to play single-player when it first came out though. Not as bad as a friend of mine - he bought it with his new gaming laptop cause he's in the army and wanted something he could take with him while travelling. Given his lack of net access for the following few months he was shitty as hell about it.

Nah, the one way that I can see Steam as being a genuinely good thing for PC gaming is that it provides the best available means for indie developers to bypass big publishers, and for not-so-indie-developers to threaten to bypass their publisher if the restrictions on content are too severe. Sure there are other means for indies, and always have been, but the mass audience has never bothered to use those. This puts them right up under their noses where they click to play their HL, CS and TF2.

 

[racofer]

I like Steam because at least it gives a DRM some minor functionality..

Okay, so you like this flavor of shit because it tastes sweeter than usual?

 

[Silellak]

Nah, the one way that I can see Steam as being a genuinely good thing for PC gaming is that it provides the best available means for indie developers to bypass big publishers, and for not-so-indie-developers to threaten to bypass their publisher if the restrictions on content are too severe. Sure there are other means for indies, and always have been, but the mass audience has never bothered to use those. This puts them right up under their noses where they click to play their HL, CS and TF2.

Yeah. It's also nice because of the easy access to older games. I bought the X-Com games on it cheap, just because I could guarantee they'd run well on XP.

I don't have many issues with it, but I also don't use it very often. I keep meaning to buy Psychonauts on it, though.

 

[bhlaab]

It should, yes.

Lol teh irony!

Edit: do we need to continue? Everyone knows I will win again.

Yeah, with well-spoken arguments like these how could you possibly lose.

Here's why steam is nice: I can open it up, search for a game, and if they have it, I can buy the game right there and it downloads it because I'm not living in fucking 1845 where I have to ride my horse-drawn carriage to the butter churnery for entertainment.
And as far as digital downloads go, it's the best non-illegal service out there and they're constantly improving it.

Hating steam is sooooooooooo 2004.

 

[Melcar]

It should, yes.

Lol teh irony!

Edit: do we need to continue? Everyone knows I will win again.

Yeah, with well-spoken arguments like these how could you possibly lose.

Here's why steam is nice: I can open it up, search for a game, and if they have it, I can buy the game right there and it downloads it because I'm not living in fucking 1845 where I have to ride my horse-drawn carriage to the butter churnery for entertainment.
And as far as digital downloads go, it's the best non-illegal service out there and they're constantly improving it.

Hating steam is sooooooooooo 2004.

So Steam is about instant gratification then? Fucking kids these days.

 

[Jaime Lannister]

Steam gives you unlimited installs and only Luddites aren't online all the time these days anyway. If steam is DRM then Bethesda makes good games.

 

[Melcar]

Steam is DRM.

 

[Azrael the cat]

I like Steam because at least it gives a DRM some minor functionality..

Okay, so you like this flavor of shit because it tastes sweeter than usual?

If that flavour of shit gives indie developers a good means of reaching a broad audience, then yes

 

[bhlaab]

So Steam is about instant gratification then? Fucking kids these days.

As opposed to what? Going to your local electronics outlet and choosing between a vast selection of World of Warcraft and 200-in-1! Puzzle Games? Meanwhile some jerkoff employee is wandering around making sure you dont steal anything and an 11 year old autistic kid is getting his dickcheese fingerprints all over the guitar hero demo?

Fine then, yes, I appreciate instant gratification because I don't consider purchasing and installing my video games to be incredibly gratifying experiences.

 

[Melcar]

Decline of Gamers

 

[poocolator]

Why is it good?

Because it's more convenient for me than pirating.

I find it's invasiveness irritating. I prefer to know what is running on my computer, how it's running, and how much goddamned memory/CPU-time it takes up. Steam denies me far too much control.

Anyway, I find it easier to pirate things than dick around with a half-functioning, shitty corporate trojan like Steam.

Bullshit. Steam is a pretty simple application. How exactly does it do any of that?

My standards limiting the free-reign of programs are high. Steam doesn't fit those standards. I don't like having applications communicating with big brother at will.

Edit: Oh yeah, I can't play HL2 on whim because I forgot my fucking password and don't want to hunt down hacks enabling you to play off-line.

 

[Ashery]

Steam is DRM.

Steam is, however, functional DRM that is also very convenient.

For an analogy, look at the progression of widely adopted advances in recorded music. Was fidelity or convenience the primary reason for widespread adoption of newer technologies?

Personally I'm neutral towards Steam. If Steam is the only means to purchase a game from a developer that I want to support, I'll buy it on Steam. Otherwise, I prefer to have the physical disc. Also, for older titles like X-Com, I'd rather just wait for it to become available at GoG before I grab a copy.

 

[Jaime Lannister]

I don't like having applications communicating with big brother at will.

libertarian detected

Oh yeah, I can't play HL2 on whim because I forgot my fucking password

someone too lazy to write shit down detected

Steam is no more DRM than a disk check unless you're a hermit with no internet.

Otherwise, I prefer to have the physical disc.

I disagree. Disks scratch and get lost. With Steam there's no need to maintain the disk.

 

[Ashery]

Otherwise, I prefer to have the physical disc.

I disagree. Disks scratch and get lost. With Steam there's no need to maintain the disk.

And what happens when Steam goes under? Losing a disc because of my own negligence is fine, losing every game I ever bought on Steam due to them going under is not.

 

[Black]

Oh yeah, I can't play HL2 on whim because I forgot my fucking password

What the fuck? You're dumb, you pay the price!

 

[Shannow]

Your games are linked to an account which you can use on any pc you want.

Hmm, carry a disk around that I can install on any computer or download a game for half a day if there is an internet connection of suitable speed... Let me think which is better...

It has a good friends system so you can join mpgames that your friends are playing in.

How innovative. Every mp game should have something like that. Oh...

It patched itself, you dont even have to start an automatic update program, because it checks for updates when u start steam.

Not only is "manual" patching pathetically easy it also gives you a choice whether you want to patch or not. You should really click racofer's link. Other examples are patches that fuck up things worse than the unpatched version or patches that nerf game-elements that you like. STEAM restricts your autonomy.

As for invading your privacy, i hope you arent a member of any community site like facebook or netlog or linked-in because they violate your privacy much harder and do whatever they want.

The best argument ever: Think cutting off your finger hurts? Well, losing your hand hurts even more.

As for availability: There are enough online stores that do without bloat/spyware/DRM like STEAM, even if one does not have the patience to wait 1-3 for amazon or to walk 5 minutes to the store. STEAM's pricing scheme is also fucked with $ = € (= English Pound).

Steam is no more DRM than a disk check unless you're a hermit with no internet.

Digital Rights Management. Of course STEAM manages your rights. How could you claim it doesn't?

If STEAM were restricted to its online purchased games, if auto-patching, phoning home were possible to turn off and were turned off by default, if you could play games without the application being on after registering them I'd be less critical.
As it stands STEAM buttfucks its costumers with a really small dick. Depending on how used customers are to being buttfucked (and on how sensitive they are) they don't feel it. Many even like it.

But hey, STEAM is the future. Can't fight the future, right?

 

[Lingwe]

It has a good friends system so you can join mpgames that your friends are playing in.

I only have one steam game and I don't know any friends who play it. So what use it this to me?

The only game that I have had any problems installing was a Steam game (wouldn't get past a certain part 'building local files' or something, couldn't get it working until several weeks later).

As for the "Steam is as important to PC gaming as Windows" comment...how come I was playing all those games for the last dozen years without Steam? I know games journalists are fucking morons who are prone to make stupid comments in an attempt to sound hip and up to date...actually no, I'm not surprised at all.

And once Steam goes bankrupt - all 'my' steam games go bankrupt. Of course I say 'my' because it's not really 'mine'. All it is me renting the game. If I wanted to rent games I would go down to the video hire store.

In summary - Steam is shit and idiots like game journalists who equate Steam to PC gaming don't even have the brains to realise the obvious...actually the just don't have brains.

 

[Major_Boobage]

I was giving pro's on steam Lingwe, you are pulling things out of context. And never own a game, they only thing you own is the medium it is on and the box. You just have a right to play the game and thats so with every game not only with those on steam.

Nice how you didnt give any argument as to why steam is bad except drm racofer. Another game does that too isnt an argument now is it.

Your games are linked to an account which you can use on any pc you want.

Hmm, carry a disk around that I can install on any computer or download a game for half a day if there is an internet connection of suitable speed... Let me think which is better...

Yes running around with your cd's/dvds is always good fun. Dont forget them or you are screwed.
And any decent country has 4mbit internet connections at least, downloading a game takes hardly half a day but rather a couple of hours.

And yes you can turn updates off. Incredible isnt it!

Let's now hear some proof of the BIG invasions steam does on your privacy. Let's go.

Evil intruding phonehome DRM!!

 

[entertainer]

how about 200 reasons to hate console gaming?

 

[racofer]

Yeah, with well-spoken arguments like these how could you possibly lose.

Oh look, how cute! He defends his butt buddies!

Here's why steam is nice: I can open it up, search for a game, and if they have it, I can buy the game right there and it downloads it because I'm not living in fucking 1845 where I have to ride my horse-drawn carriage to the butter churnery for entertainment.
And as far as digital downloads go, it's the best non-illegal service out there and they're constantly improving it.

And this is why gaming is declining. Going to a store to buy a game is SO MUCH WORK! How did humanity survive until this point is beyond anyone's imagination, a lucky roll, perhaps?

 

[Gragt]

At least I can use other online distribution systems that allow me to play without starting some irrelevant software and even let me backup the game files anywhere I want.