*yawn*

That was the exact moment I went from "Already not super interested" to "I'd rather die."

This is a chicken & egg problem: people want real movies instead of hipster documentaries, but companies holding the rights to those movies don't want to go first. The stranglehold of syndicates is really frightening. Old movie classics have been pirated so much by now, what harm could a DRM-free copy possibly do? There are other interests here at play.

I don't give a damn what the goal is. GOG isn't a brother a parent, a friend, or anything else that warrents that kind of consideration. GOG sure isn't a charity. GOG is a business that is continuously stocking crap. I am under no obligation to be nice about that because maybe sometime, in the distant future, they might or might not produce something worthwhile.

And I will continue to give my opinion of releases in the release thread, because it's the damn release thread. GOG hasn't promised jack shit. GOG has made a lot of vague promises about how maybe someday if the stars align...

They can't force the publishers to take on the DRM-free mantra, so they get what they can. What's the alternative - losing the DRM-free part?

I don't know what the solution is, but I understand why it's this way.

Okay, one solution: gOg buys a few select properties and themselves become "the first one" to publish bigger movie titles here DRM-free. Beyond that, it's just gonna take some time and some effort to convince the rights holders that it can - and does - work.

I don't know exactly what the solution is, but I do not believe, in my heart of hearts, that video game/nerd documentaries were the only type of movies that GOG could have released DRM-free. What about the indie scene? What about documentaries about other subjects?

Certainly I don't expect GOG to immediately start releasing huge blockbusters, but they're not completely helpless victims of circumstances, either. They're releasing "nerd" documentaries instead of the alternatives I mentioned because they want to. Because they believe that their customers, as gamers, will be especially interested in them. In that context, it is perfectly appropriate, as a customer and potential movie buyer, to let GOG know that I would prefer for them to pursue other avenues. It is especially important to keep sending that message in these early days, while policy decisions are still being made and updated, and GOG is deciding what they should do next. Trying to write this off as children whining about dessert is pathetic.

Of course, it's possible that this is all pissing in the wind; that their general user base is a lot more excited about these documentaries then most of the people on the forum, and in that case GOG will continue to serve that wider audience. That's fair enough, and if it becomes obvious to me that that's the case, I'll just start quietly ignoring their movie releases. But that's not yet.

How is it that the big banner on the front page isn't showing any movie? Is that banner only for games from now on?

"Following the adventures of three high school robotics teams battling for first place at a national robotics competition in Miami, Bots High is a no-holds-barred fight to the death with robot carnage everywhere you look."

See, this is how it all begins... It's all fun and games, until one day Skynet shows up and wipes out all of mankind.

Dunno. Maybe they DO have more, bigger, more movie-like titles ready to go and are just holding them back for legitimate business / marketing reasons. And maybe we'll start to see movie teasers just like we've seen with games: "Big Publisher is on its way, soon to give you some classics you've been drooling over for a while now!"

I certainly hope that's the case. And if not, well, some big-ish publisher will make that first move and it won't be the end of the world for their company and that should lead to a few more joining in.

And maybe what we need is a community effort for movies similar to what Barry Woodward and tfishell and some others have undertaken with games.

Agreed. The excitement I felt for a release that I hadn't heard of vanished the moment I saw the screenshots. Not my kind of game. I'd be more likely to purchase GOG bear underwear than the rubbish documentaries served up here that can be watched on YouTube.

I keep having the same reaction too. A content filter is sorely needed.

I really do not see why GOG are pushing forward with this movie stuff (not a criticism just an observation), if they do get actual movies, people will want either HD versions (many gigs d/l) or lower def versions cos of internet caps, either way its easier to just buy a (cheap) DVD version or splash out for a Bluray version.

I don't get point of the documentaries at all and I don't think I am the only person with a puzzled look on their face when they get released :)

I hope it works out, but the Luddite in me just doesn't get it :)