Instead of posting a (probably) boring article about who I am and what this blog is about, I shall instead refer to you to the About page, where you may find out all such boring information at your own leisure!
Dear Publishers,
I humbly request that you please stop integrating physical copies of your video games with software such as Steam.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with using digital suppliers, such as Steam, to retail your video games, but if you give consumers access to a physical copy of said video game please stop integrating these physical copies of the game with Steam and any of it’s services.
The main issue I have is not with Steam itself, or any service like it (such as Direct2Drive, Good Old Games, etc), digital distribution is widely considered to be the “way of the future” in regards to marketing video games and I see it as a valuable and reliable source for people who have access to to said services.
For those who don’t have access however, it is a very restricting and frustrating piece of software to get around. The way Steam handles digital rights management (DRM) is not my issue here; that is a completely separate issue altogether and one that is so saturated with information on I simply won’t discuss it here. My problem with integrating your physical copies of video games (and I must stress that I am only concerned about physical copies, for obvious reasons) is that people on low-speed internet connections (such as myself) can end up with a very frustrating time trying to install and run said games, and people who don’t have internet access at all (a low minority, but one that exists none-the-less) will never be able to install a game unless they have the ability to gain temporary internet access elsewhere.
I understand these two scenarios are rather rare in today’s societies; we are heavily internet driven, and it is only a small minority without high-speed internet access (mostly rural homes), but the minority should be considered none-the-less.
More and more gamers today are beginning to download their games via digital suppliers and so are less inclined to go out to a retail store such as GameStop, Walmart, EB Games or whatever store sells video games in your area, I believe that the large majority of people who buy physical copies of games are either people who prefer to do so (like myself) or those who simply do not have reliable access to a service such as Steam.
In a world full of high-speed internet connections and computer communications, it would be a nice respite for what is a minority of people if they could simply buy their games without having to install any third-party software or updates before being able to play their games. I can live with minor internet activations so long as Steam is not the medium for achieving them. I’m sure even some high-speed internet users would appreciate this as well.
Sincerely,
Joshua “Mr. Tastix” Smellie