[wiktor-k]

> Eventually I couldn't justify buying the console version of a game that I was willing to play on Steam.

I do that too but doesn't the same rule apply to Steam, too? (that is if it goes down, you can't download the games anymore?).

[kouteiheika]

That's true, but in general it's easy to archive games from Steam and (as long as the publisher doesn't use any 3rd-party DRM) they're trivial to crack.

I buy my games from Steam because of the convenience and to support the developers, but if, say, Gaben kicks the bucket and Steam suddenly closes/turns evil I can just as easily pirate all of my games back. So from a game preservation standpoint Steam isn't that bad compared to the locked down consoles and their walled gardens.

[autoexec]

> I buy my games from Steam because of the convenience and to support the developers, but if, say, Gaben kicks the bucket and Steam suddenly closes/turns evil I can just as easily pirate all of my games back.

I'd recommend pirating copies now to keep as backups while it's still easy. You can't be sure you'll be able to find copies of less popular games in the future, having the control over our own computers to do things like run unauthorized software is being threatened all the time, the ever expanding surveillance over our lives makes it increasingly risky to do anything legally questionable, and the copyright regime is only getting more powerful. I don't think piracy is going to die out any time soon, but I do suspect it's only going to get more difficult as we're increasingly controlled and spied on.

[gjsman-1000]

Steam is always given an exception in these conversations because they’ve generally behaved - but that can easily change overnight from a black swan event.

[2mlWQbCK]

Some future manager will look at a graph and think monetization can be improved X% while only losing an estimated Y% of users. It is guaranteed to happen. Question is only if most in the current generation will outlive free access to their entire Steam library or not.

[cardanome]

That is why I buy my games on GOG. They don't have DRM, you can legally backup all your games.

Plus they are EU-based which decreases political risk in the current political climate.

[hombre_fatal]

It does, but Steam outlives console e-shops and hardware which have limited lifecycle by design since they are deliberately generational.

GOG would be another example since you can get a DRM-free binary.

On the other hand, does it really matter that much? Probably not. It feels good from a hoarding stance to have a bunch of games I'll probably never play but I got for a "good deal", heh.

A counter-point to my comment is that the real goal should be to buy the game on the medium you want to play it on only if you're going to play it, finish as much as you want to, and not care if it goes away because it's all ephemeral in the end.

I barely play games anymore yet I still would get sucked into looking for deals on Switch e-shop and Steam, and that feeling of sheepishness is what I had in mind when I commented.