Are you taking all your chances in a single area?
Are you taking all your chances in a single area?
I wanted to hear what others think about buying most of their games through a single service like Steam. Some prefer using several platforms, while others still enjoy purchasing physical copies. Over the years, I've favored buying discs over downloading games from services such as PSN because I valued owning my media physically and playing offline. Nowadays, most PC games depend on internet access, which is why I eventually stopped buying discs. Still, I don’t always want to rely solely on Steam for all my titles. If a game from Ubisoft costs the same price on Uplay as on Steam, I’ll choose the Uplay version. One reason is that buying on Steam doesn’t guarantee access to the publisher’s platform, and I don’t really like keeping everything on Steam. Maybe it’s just a habit, but I’m not sure if losing my library would be a big deal. I’d rather not put all my bets on one service. What are your thoughts?
Awesome idea! I never considered backing up the database that way. Now I need to think about how to save the games so I can use them offline or have the installers stored elsewhere, just in case things get tough... I really want to keep playing! 😄
I really enjoy gathering those discs. However, if I can find a game for less on Steam, I’ll go for that one.
I own every game on Steam naturally. If Steam shuts down unexpectedly, I’ll lose access. Probably I’d save all my titles to another computer and store them on an extra hard drive.
I don’t put much effort into it, but I suppose it’s not that big of a deal for me. I enjoy playing games—it’s enjoyable and a good way to unwind when I need a break from work. If I lost my digital collection, I’d probably start over or try something new.
I purchase every game on Steam, keeping the large collection of disks on my desk that I used to have. I think Steam will eventually disappear, just like the hardware needed to run these games. I own the disk for Dungeon Keeper 2, but I can’t play it anymore. This pattern will likely continue with all our current collections. It’s not the same as having a music library where we might still have vinyl and CDs for years, though minidiscs are less likely to last. PC games are even more challenging and tend to become outdated quickly, making them short-lived. So it’s okay to diversify my collection—many of these older titles I probably won’t revisit anyway.
I feel you, OP. I just can't help but worry that somehow, someday, the entire internet will go under, which is why everything I do and watch on the internet gets downloaded into my hard drives. You can do the same for you games - buy a separate hard drive and put all your iso files in there. You would physically own the game, so to speak.
Everyone has valuable insights. My gaming collection isn't my main focus, but I do aim for a certain experience with my investments. Fifteen years ago, I purchased Final Fantasy 7 and took good care of the discs. Occasionally I think about playing it again, and I still have several devices that let me enjoy it. Although I can now purchase it on Steam at a fair price, the real value was getting it once without wasting money. This decision helped me shift from consoles to PC. Backwards compatibility appears to work better on computers. I’m not sure how things would change if Steam disappeared. I know there’s offline play, but you’re still tied to it for many games.