Steam in itself is DRM. You can't run games without it. There are very few exceptions where you can. You must be online to use it, unless you manually specify offline mode( you must be online to do this ).
It is a price I choose not to pay.
That's the difference. Most companies who implement and force DRM on their games don't do it right, and causes issues for the end user, and makes their gaming experience rather shit.
Steam makes it easy to search for games, to download them, and to play them. The Steam platform is easy, fast and it just works.
It's the same reason Netflix took off - they take out all the hassle, and give you a great experience. I don't hear people complaining that they can't watch Netflix ... without Netflix.
You need to access their servers to play the game. This introduces problems or privacy, security and the right to play the bought game in the future.
You last sentence is a nonsensical. Of course you don't hear people complain they can't watch Netflix without Netflix. But they do complain you can't watch Netflix. Notice the difference?
Sorry, Netflix is not available in your country yet.
Steam does not have region locks. If they did, people still wouldn't complain about the original point of DRM etc the people who have access to Netflix, don't complain about their DRM.
[1] https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=3160-agc...
Netflix was your argument, not mine, I simply disproved it.
Saying that no one(!) complains about Netflix's DRM is also pure imagination.
You can just turn on Offline Mode and play your games just fine. I hear your concerns with DRM but Steam is hardly a good example of the horrors it can cause.
Please note that you must connect to the Steam Network and test each of the games you would like to use in Offline Mode at least once to set up your account and configure Offline Mode on your machine.
> You need to access their servers to play the game. This introduces problems or privacy, security and the right to play the bought game in the future.
In return games on Steam are available for a huge discount.
I have exchanged some of my rights in return for a highly discounted price. I don't mind that because it was a willing trade that I chose to be a part of.
What is shocking here is your willingness to give up your privacy for a marginal discount.
Not at all true. The publisher/developer have to implement the DRM. I could put the folder for Bastion into my dropbox and share the game with you right now. You wouldn't need Steam to play it.
> You must be online to use it, unless you manually specify offline mode( you must be online to do this ).
This hasn't been the case for a few years. Offline mode now works without having to specify it beforehand.
Installing over the internet via digital download is not going to go away, and until someone comes up with a decentralized DRM scheme, centralized DRM is here to stay.