Look. You're not a lawyer, ok. But I don't care about the EULA or other stupid initials.
Perhaps you should at least care sometimes what the EULA says. They contain information as to what you can and cannot do with your copy of software. And sometimes discrepancies are found. Still, times have changed when softwares years ago did not come with such things and people believed that software/applications they purchased are theirs alone as property.
Do you really think companies are your parents? That they will provide you with your nourishment? That they are only interested in YOUR welfare?
They are only interested in planned obsolescence. Do you know how much companies get scared that there are still people playing COUNTER (...) STRIKE today?
I did not conjure up that analogy or idea, nor do I believe that they should take care of us, the customers. Whether or not the developers of any software want to provide post-release support is completely up to them. They, the developers, are the ones who make the choice of taking care of the customers who use their software.
But at the same time, things change, hardware evolves, and computers become more efficient. Developers want to take advantage of that extra computing power. So they make an improved iteration of their product.
You think it is in their best interests to KEEP *YOUR* games in THEIR server for you??? NO!!!! They AREN'T!!!
Ok, they have "back up" plans, of course, but you know that they also have the on-off switch! The delete key! The "I want those guys to stop playing portal so I'm just gonna delete it from the server and the money they paid for it will be all wasted for them because we spent it and we want more" attitude.
If the people at Steam are willing to simply pull the plug on a variety of software and/or games that sit on their server, it is their call. However, it is virtually guaranteed that if they do so without any forewarning, they will be criticized for such immediate action. They do, however, likely have a good and general idea as to how to proceed in the event that they have to remove old products to make room for new one. Yet there is one thing people have forgotten.
Half-Life is over 11 years old as a game. About 5 years after this, Steam was released and Half-Life can be a part of it. It is the oldest title available on Steam and can still be played to this day.
I LIKE having CDs and boxes and if I take good care of them I'll never misplace it. Do you understand that? Do any of you understand that? Having the CD and box for games that I don't have to ask permission over the internet is the only way I can guarantee my money has been spent in something no one will take from me. So, you guys are so bad at tidying up your rooms that you need the COMPANY to keep the installation files for you, even knowing they will fuck you tomorrow?
Or do you agree with your posessions being taken from you? Ok, come and tell companies to come here to my home and steal back my guitar, my fridge, my books then.
I want to go LEGAL and support companies and that's what I get? You know, if I just downloaded pirated copies of games, and unlocked my XBOX to download content from a torrent server, it would be much easier. But I wanted to be legal. To pay to have my things. And not have then arbitrarily taken from me.
But no. People don't understand. I get bad karma. And still will have my posessions "revoked" from me
So far, there is no record of any legitimate game purchase being taken away due to digital distribution. But you like your CDs and boxes and that's understandable. I do too. I sometimes like having a hardcopy if it means that I can install it and be done with it. But at the same time, hardcopies of today are becoming more troublesome with games being riddled with invasive copy protections. That becomes a hassle to some of us who wanted a game that just simply run without having to deal with a copy protection system. And some of those copy protection systems has potential to make a computer unstable.
It isn't so that our place is a mess. But I will admit that my room is indeed not tidy. On the other hand, I still know where my copy of BF2 is and I still have Return to Castle Wolfenstein sitting in the jewel case. As I mentioned before, Steam is a service that can provide convenience. There is a risk involved and there are disadvantages to using it. And we know the risk. Is it paving the way to the worst case scenario where they will suddenly turn evil and shut everything down? I personally doubt that. Storing information in the cloud is becoming a unique feature for internet applications. Would they delete the installation files from their servers? That's highly unlikely. The cost of storing data on hard drives and whatever storage medium in use today continues to go down. Will they ever dare to turn off the authentication systems altogether? That depends on the direction that Steam is going. So far, I do not see Steam going anywhere any time soon.
I may not have understood your bitterness against digital distribution in general. But I have seen a few implementations of it. Amazon lets you download mp3s you purchased and it has no strings attached to it. Music from iTunes also do not require authorization from Apple to play now since they have removed the protection system from it. Some games from Steam do not come with any form of DRM, enabling people to be able to launch and play the games without the need of having Steam running to play. It's not conforming to anything. Rather, people like the convenience over what they may have to deal with if they purchased the hardcopy instead.