Can you game on a PC w/o Steam?

[Opa Opa]

I'm getting to the point where I want to check out the PC gaming scene again but browsing games (physical game releases specifically) you cannot play some great titles without activating them on a Steam account.

I hate DRM. CD keys, looking up a word in an old manual... those I can handle. But being locked to a service that I have no intention of using; I don't like.

I'm aware of, and support, DRM free physical games and services like GOG, but a lot of popular games require "selling-out" to Steam to install the game. While legally...questionable... I'm not above using a crack on a game I purchased but I assume that would lock me out of official mods, expansions, and dlc.

What do you guys think? Should I just suck it up and use steam or keep fighting the fight against the eventual digital nature of things?

Also, any random PC advice for a total noob would be cool, too.

[Hazerd]

If you buy a Digital game from Amazon, it doesnt require Steam or any service.

Then again, i only have 1 game on Amazon digtal and it is just a direct downoad and install from Amazon

Divinity II: The Dragon Knight Saga

http://www.amazon.com/Divinity-II-Drago ... asin_block

You can select Steam DRM or DRM Free apparently now.

[fastbilly1]

Opa, that will be alot of research to see if a game is playable without steam. Some, like Borderlands 2, require steam even if you buy it retail.

Honestly if you want to get into PC gaming, Steam is the easiest (and cheapest if you get things on sale). There are other ways but Steam is the easiest. I highly recommend at looking at GOG and seeing if they have anything you like, they are my second favorite digital distribution company. DRM free games, simple install, great selection, cheap prices.

What kinds of games are you looking for?

[irixith]

Stop looking at Steam as some sort of archaic DRM system. While it does provide some protections, it is the least intrusive DRM that exists on the PC. It strikes the perfect balance between requiring some sort of protection for the developers/publishers and not hindering the user. That's part of why it became so popular in the first place. The constant sales, being able to pick up great games for pennies on the dollar has only made it more loved. When it's easier and more convenient to buy than to pirate, you know they're doing something right.

You can download Steam and your games onto as many computers as you like. You can back up, move, and otherwise transfer your files around at will. Tons of games on Steam don't even have any DRM at all, they just use it as a content delivery system.

Staying away from Steam if you're a PC gamer at this point is just silly.

[Betamax001]

Stop looking at Steam as some sort of archaic DRM system. While it does provide some protections, it is the least intrusive DRM that exists on the PC. It strikes the perfect balance between requiring some sort of protection for the developers/publishers and not hindering the user. That's part of why it became so popular in the first place. The constant sales, being able to pick up great games for pennies on the dollar has only made it more loved. When it's easier and more convenient to buy than to pirate, you know they're doing something right.

You can download Steam and your games onto as many computers as you like. You can back up, move, and otherwise transfer your files around at will. Tons of games on Steam don't even have any DRM at all, they just use it as a content delivery system.

Staying away from Steam if you're a PC gamer at this point is just silly.

Honestly having CD Keys and constant CD checks is a hassle. Give me Steam any day.

[Hatta]

I follow a simple rule. If it has DRM, pirate it. If not, pay for it. If I miss out on anything, I'm playing too many games to notice.

Are there any games on Steam that aren't available on bittorrent? Has Steam's DRM actually prevented anyone from pirating anything? I doubt it. Publishers are only leaving money on the table by implementing even the slightest DRM.

[isiolia]

Trying to be a modern PC gamer while avoiding the general software distribution paradigm that Steam represents will only serve to frustrate you. If it's not Steam, it's Origin, or Battle.net, or Games for Windows Live, etc. Not to mention XBL, PSN, Google Play, whatever for modern software.

I prefer buying a physical, DRM-free copy as much as I can too, but it's quickly getting to the point where that isn't even an option. Tomb Raider was the first non-MMO I've bought purely digital for full price (well, $45 prerelease price)...because a physical PC edition does not exist.

It's an inevitable transition. At least for mainstream commercial products. Fighting it is wasted energy, IMO. For the kind of service it provides, Steam tends to be exemplary. At the very least, it's actually a lot more convenient than using discs, and less annoying than most of the copy protections used before.

Publishers are only leaving money on the table by implementing even the slightest DRM.

DRM pretty much always serves to deter casual piracy. You know, non technically inclined folks handing out copies of everything they buy to friends/family. Businesses buying one copy of Windows or Photoshop. That kind of thing. Which, largely, it succeeds in doing.

Someone intent on not paying for something will find a way not to, and a way to rationalize it to themselves. People pirate Humble Bundle stuff they could get DRM-free for a penny. While it might vary from person to person, the idea that there's some perfect distribution method that would never be pirated is naive at best.

[BoneSnapDeez]

I've been avoiding games that force me sign up for Steam or any other service. I almost bought Fallout: New Vegas the other day until I read the back of the case. I'll get the 360 version instead.

[MrPopo]

If you want to play current PC games then you're going to need to suck it up and accept that it's going to use some sort of DRM scheme. The only game I can think of that doesn't is The Witcher 2, since CD Projekt is anti-DRM.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Oh I don't disagree, which is why I've been steadily moving to console ports.