DeadPoolX: Steam has an offline mode.

olanorig: If GOG introduce new and not so new games without the DRM, then I'll transfer all my purchasing here. Gog will be my one stop shop for my gaming habits.

DRM is always a let down and preventing me buying from Steam and other digital gaming distributors that implement strict copy protections. I'll I want is to enjoy my games, hassle free and I really don't want to be bothered if I'm connected to the net or not (because I don't have a reliable internet connections). Besides I payed for the game and I want to owned it. DRM is like you purchase a t-shirt but you don't owned that shirt, you just have the right to wear it. and that sucks.

AstralWanderer: So that's why I would never touch Steam with a bargepole myself

photoleia: You took the words right out of my mouth. I've always been a *must buy a physical copy* type person, but the DRM inherent in both new and not-so-new games has become a major issue. Half the time there are no benefits to having a physical copy since you just have to have Steam or some other client to make it work. That is not cool. I fully support GOG in thier latest move and look forward to the great things that this company will continue to do.
photoleia: I installed it for the first time (after swearing I'd never install it) because of Skyrim. That is the one series I cannot say no to. My verdict? I hate it (Steam). It's a pain, a system hog, doesn't always close out when it says it does (I have to sometimes force shut it down from the task manager). I'm especially nervous about the fact that Steam's EULA states that it is under no obligation to give you access to its games should something happen to their company. I have friends who have stated that Steam's head haunchos have said that they will provide patches (or some other means of providing access to games) should something should happen to the company ... but unless it is in writing I don't believe a word of it. As of yet, their EULA says otherwise and I just hate the whole business.

sparkatus: I just bought the DVD version of Skyrim (Countdown to the end o my life started :/). I thought of buying from steam and after reading that stuff about the EULA, I'm glad that I didn't. Hell, from now on, I'll think twice about buying games at steam.

jdiamant2: Amen brother. Well said. I am in full agreement. Unless it's a MMORPG or other kind of online-based universe game, there simply is no reason why we should relinquish any control or allow any "big brother watching," or ad flashing AT ALL. If we pay full value for the game, it should be 100% in OUR control.

This is one of the reasons I like supporting GOG even if I do buy a game that was previously available as freeware.

jefequeso: I'm still not happy about it. The community here has developed around a common interest in old games, and once that focus is lost the community is just going to end up like every other gaming forum out there.

photoleia: It seems to me like that GOG is proposing would still be "old" games by mainstream standards. While I might consider FO3 to be a new game (2008) given the age of games I usually play, most everyone I know calls FO3 and old game and thinks I'm crazy for not having played it yet since it came out "ages" ago. TheEnigmaticT mentioned that GOG was thinking about games that were 1-3 years old. When you consider that GOG already has quite a few newer old games like King's Bounty, Two World, Scratches, and the like; this really isn't that far of a stretch from what already exists. Personally, I'd love to see things like Jade Empire on here(if all the stars aligned and everything). Compared to GOG's usual offerings, is would still "newer" game after all.

photoleia: Most of the people who actually care about DRM generally seem to be pretty openminded about older games. Atleast in my experience anyways. Plus, retro gaming is "in." Didn't you hear?

BreOl72: You know "Gemini Rue"? http://www.wadjeteyegames.com/gemini-rue.html
A (presumably under 20yo) user at GameStar.de wrote:"Retro bedeutet nicht, dass die Grafik auch wie vor 20 Jahren aussehen muss... " (Retro doesn`t mean that the graphics must also look like 20 years ago ...)

AstralWanderer: Consider yourself fortunate. Steam can be particularly nasty when things go wrong since your purchases are linked to one account and will all fail if that account is suspended - some examples here, here, here, here and here.

A bigger issue long term is that the reliance on a working Steam account can be exploited by Valve, by charging an annual (or even monthly) fee to keep accounts active. With 35 million accounts, a $5/month fee would bring in over $1.7 billion (assuming an 80% acceptance rate) with little extra effort on Valve's part. Provision for this has been made in seciton 4B of the Steam EULA (which is even helpfully titled "Subscriber Agreement" just to make things clear), subject to Valve giving 30 days notice.

Of course, as more people sign up for Steam accounts and link more games to them, the amount that such a fee could generate rises geometrically with Valve being able to consider a higher fee as well as having more users to exploit.

Offline mode is no help since, according to Valve's Offline Mode FAQ, it has to be configured in advance, for each game and even then doesn't work properly (many users reporting that they have to re-activate with Valve after a few days).

And then there are the privacy/security implications - Valve can track what you play (as well as where and when) and if their system was compromised, it could be used to distribute malware to all subscribers. Valve have protected themselves in their EULA (section 9C: "VALVE DOES NOT GUARANTEE CONTINUOUS, ERROR-FREE, VIRUS-FREE OR SECURE OPERATION...") but it should be a concern for anyone using Steam.

So that's why I would never touch Steam with a bargepole myself - the other services (Impulse, D2D, GamersGate) do allow more leeway since they activate on install only, but anything that links multiple purchases to a single account and requires activation against that account can be abused in a similar fashion.

I consider GOG a safe purchase since their downloads are completely stand-alone and would be happy to purchase new games from them.