2K Games On Steam

*in response to DigitalBiscuit...post #3



There are numerous reasons to love steam:

1. don't need CD/DVD
2. lose/delete your game/reinstalled operating system/want to play on a different computer? redownload it
3. a bit more challenging to hack/crack
4. updates are automatically downloaded
5. does not use Starforce
6. don't need to travel to store to buy(big incentive for those who DON'T live in large cities)
7. no worrying about whether a store has said game in stock or not
8. play the game the minute it's released with the preloading features
9. most to all money is going directly to the developers, and not publishers/stores...thus rewarding the developer for making a great game, and not the 3rd party that leeches on them.


And reasons to hate steam:

1. can be overpriced depending on games occasionally(in relation to online/brick and mortar stores)
2. no physical manual
3. no physical cd/dvd
4. "what happens if Valve dies?"
5. need to be online to play single player game(depending on game)
6. if you lose your steam account, you lose all games attached to it



There are both good and bad things related to not just steam, but online distribution as a whole. All we can do is weigh in all the factors that affect our decisions, decide what attributes are more important, and go with what best suits the personal preferences of whoever is considering the purchasing decision. It's a matter of personal preference in the end. There is no "right" or "wrong."

Copy protection in the minds of publishers and developers is a dream that in an ideal world would work without hindering the paying customers, and create an impassible roadblock for "software pirates." Consider that if you created a miracle piece of software that boosts the efficiency of each computer component, and increased processing power by 20x, you would want to be paid for each unit sold. However, since it is software, it can easily be copied and distributed for free without your permission, since the first guy to buy it just happened to be the planets most experienced hacker, is easily capable of reverse engineering any program ever created, and is out to kick your ass, you're in for some trouble, and you wished that you had taken the time to consider the fact that it would have been wise to attempt to devise some method to prevent that bastard from giving your beloved program, that could not have been created if you had not sold your soul to some gypsy woman for $5, since that $5 was used to buy that happy meal from McDonalds, laced with a little acid, that inspired you to write that miraculous program. WOW!!! you got f***ed. Now everyone has it for free, and now you have to work at some fast food resturaunt in the back room, sulking in your misery, cleaning toilets, all because you didn't get any money.

Of course, that's all hypothetical, however...the moral of the story is: people prefer to spend the least amount of money possibe...and if it's between giving the producer/developer of a product the money they earned, and stealing it from their warehouse(assuming they won't get caught...ever), then what do you think people are going to do? People only base their actions on morality to a limit...greed in corporate America has no bounds.

Now if you excuse me I think I'm going to conduct a test to see if lava lamps actually contain lava through physical analysis(dip my hand in unknown, very likely highly toxic, possibly flamable or corrosive liquid and see what happens)

...end rant

Jeez. Why is this shit still so much more expensive then going to a store?

Because I am lazy, I will just look at Amazon:

Civilization 3 Complete: $18.98
Sid Meier's Pirates!: $18.98
Shattered Union: $29.99 (lol cheaper on Steam)
Civilization IV: $44.98 (pretty close)

I don't know... as much as I love Steam, the prices could use some adjusting

Next up: Capcom games-

http://podcast.next-gen.biz/?p=11 (it's in the first minute or so of the podcast)

I know I wouldn't bother with this. I already have Civ IV but the convenience isn't enough to justify paying the same price or higher. Since I live in a major city it's easy to just go to the brick and mortar store and get it there cheaper.

While convenience is nice, I think it's really going to come down to pricing as ti whether this takes off or not. I mean, the Internet is supposed to be all about lowering prices.

The prices on Steam don't reflect product value as much as what people are willing to pay. As long as Steam users continue to gleefully pay high prices for digital delivery, the prices on Steam will reflect this.

I like Steam for digital delivery, but loathe the fact it's used for as a copy protection. Makes Steam a lot less attractive option for me.

Because retail stores still have software publishers by the balls.