the abhorrent ToS for both GoG and STeam prohibit consumers from using VPNs to find the cheapest prices in the global market. This is unethical, stupid, and probably illegal.

Nobody can prevent you from going on vacation in a different country and buy GOG games there.

So only rich people and transnational corporations can take advantage of foreign markets? Seems super unfair.

What happened? I mean, you’ve been a member for a little over 4 years, have a rep of 1 (-1 now), which means that you didn’t participate in the forums much. Is there anything that happened very recently that made you so angry? You sound it’s much more of a personal anger instead of a very vague shaking the fist against tax-dodging megacorporations.

Regional pricing is nothing new, really. And I would say that the argument in favor of this practice actually takes the different living standards and disposable incomes in different countries into account. I find it annoying, but it’s not an entirely crazy idea. And it’s also not entirely crazy that GOG etc. would like to try to prevent their customers to abuse the system that’s supposed to create more equality of sorts in its userbase. I don’t know how much of a legal basis is behind their TOS, but I would assume it’s reasonably sane, as they would have to comply to EU consumer protection regulations.

I’d say either take it or leave it. Or don’t make such a fuss about it and be smart about what you might consider to do about it.

I have a crazy theory: GOG customers aren’t that much about rich people but rather about supporting a company that provides them with (mainly) DRM free gaming for a fair price, and keeping old games up and running on modern computer systems. They know that everyone of us could easily download pirated copies of their games from dozens of websites (they’re super easy to find), but they trust that the majority of people is willing to pay for their service and DRM free policy. It’s the same with abusing the regional pricing. It’s a matter of both sides more or less trusting each other that they won’t screw over one another.

And the fact that GOG still exists and is growing shows that the business model works.

Wouldn't it essentially be fraud to lie and say you're purchasing something from somewhere that you aren't? And you're the one complaining about ethics...

I'm not a fan of regional pricing models generally speaking, but I understand why they are used since markets will only bear so much price wise and publishers would view selling their product cheaper as preferable to the product being pirated.

That being said you don't have to purchase things you can't afford when they are luxury goods. If you were complaining about your neighbour being able to buy a loaf of bread for 10% of what you had to pay because of where you lived I may be more sympathetic... but you don't need to buy games.

gotta pay those taxes man. if you're THAT cheap just be a pirate already.