The reason why you should NOT buy Steam games

[direkiller]

You know blaming steam for something inherently wrong with game registration and CD keys is kind of funny.

Your just spouting nonsense, steam can't help you because the CD key isn't made or registered to them. The CD key is from the publisher, who put that CD key in a specific region. Don't talk to steam, talk to the publisher.

Learn where blame goes ffs

Its L4d2 Valve is the publisher
so he is blaming the right person

 

[oplinger]

You know blaming steam for something inherently wrong with game registration and CD keys is kind of funny.

Your just spouting nonsense, steam can't help you because the CD key isn't made or registered to them. The CD key is from the publisher, who put that CD key in a specific region. Don't talk to steam, talk to the publisher.

Learn where blame goes ffs

Its L4d2 Valve is the publisher
so he is blaming the right person

He's actually not. Valve is not Steam. Steam is not the publisher. Steam Support is not Valve's game support. Steam Support handles Steam issues.

It's really not that hard to figure out. Since he's not having an issue with steam itself, steam support can't help him.

 

[Grunge4Ever]

I love how everyone is shitting on Steam right now. Just so you guys know, if it wasn't for Steam, PC gaming would be virtually dead.

Second it.

 

[agentironman]

I got a similar message but since I emailed customer support it has since been resolved. Now any game in their library is available to me and I live in South Korea. I like Steam, especially when they have a huge sale like they did come year's end.

 

[Azaraxzealot]

This is why you go console!

even then different disc formats will screw you over (did you know that NTSC is not the only disc format? creepy)

but since i don't travel, console games it is then! so i don't have to sink 1000 dollars into something that may or may not work when and how i want it to

My PC was only $500, and I play Crysis on 40 FPS. I've also never had compatibility issues on games that I've bought. The only times I've had problems installing games in on the rare occasion where I pirate something. And even then, I can't really complain. I'm doing something illegal.

One thing you have to note is that a gaming PC is also... a PC. Most homes nowadays have at least one computer, which costs at least $300. So a console that will last at an average of 5 years plus a computer costs roughly $750. But, you then have to buy an entirely new console 5 years later, for another $500. With your PC all you have to do is make a $100-$200 upgrade.

If anything, PC's can be the cheaper choice.

here we go again with the "my PC was X amount less than what you mentioned and it can run [insert PC gaming buzz game here]"

honestly, not everyone has the spare cash and time to make the investment on a PC gaming computer, plus it saves both time AND money to just go console

and again with the "most homes have PCs" true, but if those PCs are not built EXACTLY to certain specifications then how are they going to get their fix of Saints Row 2? Crackdown? Gears of War? Grand Theft Auto 4? Red Dead Redemption? Mass Effect? Halo: Reach?

it's stupid to assume that just because someone has a PC it means they can become a PC gamer with some "simple" instructions (i've looked into making a gaming PC, and really, on my income, it's not gonna happen. between a fiance, moving out, college, and bills, that leaves me with... what? 10 dollars a month? so i can have a gaming PC by the time i'm too old to bother with games anymore? yeah. not helping. not everyone has the budget and time expected of them to create this "all powerful" device)

plus there are all those different chips and processors and certain types of RAM and different kinds of memory associated with different parts of the computer that you have to learn to do it all correctly, and even then knowing WHERE to acquire the parts is a pain in the ass.

so as far as a time investment along with money?

i could get a PS3 and 5 games to supplement it (or a 360 and 10 games to supplement it) for the amount of money it would take to just build the PC itself.

and besides, the new console will probably cost 400 dollars (at worst) and 250 dollars (at best), and a lot of games will be forward-compatible, so no need to worry about extra expenditure there.

PC is too needy and leaves no room for error when making it, plus, the community is extremely unfriendly to newcomers when it comes to asking questions or just talking about it. A console is just easier all around. At least then the developer is forced to make a game tailor-made to your needs rather than having to tailor-make your gaming platform to THEIR needs

Consoles are not cheaper, and will become more expensive as time goes on. Consoles are holding back the progress of computers and costing Nvidia and ATI money. Why? The most basic cards already go above what consoles have. The consoles are the standard for tech as most games are multiplatform now. They are forced to lower the game complexity for consoles to maximize sales. The result? More PCs than ever before are PC gaming ready. Consoles never moved for 6 years, but PC has far out ran them to the point the cheapest PC is more powerful than a console.

Too much power.
Not enough gets used to justify the sales of a graphics card above the cheapest available.

You don't need to be a PC expert to be a PC gamer. Just smart enough to not shell out 5,0000K to scam artists and understand basic economics like a good consumer should.

i'm already a smarter consumer than 90% of the people i know and almost 100% of the people i meet. i spend more time teaching people that you can get better deals if you just shop around than just buying from a chain store

not everyone is as "intelligent" as on this site, in fact, most people are 10x worse than me when it comes to believing it's "too hard" to do certain things (like just buying a 250 gig refurbished xbox 360 slim rather than buying a new 4 gig and buying the extra hard drive. seriously, people around me think like THAT)

i don't even have 500 dollars to spend on a PC, at any one time i'll have at MOST 100 dollars, and then again that goes right into school or my taking my fiance out on a date.

i scrimp and scramp just to get enough money for a 2009 used game. let alone enough for a full-on gaming PC.

 

[McNinja]

The Witcher was $10. I bought the frick out of it.

No bearing on the topic, but look at your post number, one more to go.

I actually have no idea what my post count is. I don't really pay attention to it. However, I will clarify my post.

I have had no problems with Steam. I like it, and will buy games from it. The Witcher was $10. I was always wondering how good it was, so I bought it. Speaking of which, Steam also has fantastic deals. I wouldn't have gotten The Witcher had it been even $15.

 

[Paularius]

I love how everyone is shitting on Steam right now. Just so you guys know, if it wasn't for Steam, PC gaming would be virtually dead.

Thats not true. Apart from valve games i've only come across 2 other games i have that require steam to play. Fallout new vagas and Mafia 2.

Infact if anything steam will be what kills pc gaming. All there deals and such will soon be forcing the retail game stores to stop selling pc games as they cant afford to lower there prices that low. The pc section in game stores here are already a quarter of the size they were a couple of years ago.

 

[Zabriskie Point]

This is why you go console!

even then different disc formats will screw you over (did you know that NTSC is not the only disc format? creepy)

but since i don't travel, console games it is then! so i don't have to sink 1000 dollars into something that may or may not work when and how i want it to

My PC was only $500, and I play Crysis on 40 FPS. I've also never had compatibility issues on games that I've bought. The only times I've had problems installing games in on the rare occasion where I pirate something. And even then, I can't really complain. I'm doing something illegal.

One thing you have to note is that a gaming PC is also... a PC. Most homes nowadays have at least one computer, which costs at least $300. So a console that will last at an average of 5 years plus a computer costs roughly $750. But, you then have to buy an entirely new console 5 years later, for another $500. With your PC all you have to do is make a $100-$200 upgrade.

If anything, PC's can be the cheaper choice.

here we go again with the "my PC was X amount less than what you mentioned and it can run [insert PC gaming buzz game here]"

honestly, not everyone has the spare cash and time to make the investment on a PC gaming computer, plus it saves both time AND money to just go console

and again with the "most homes have PCs" true, but if those PCs are not built EXACTLY to certain specifications then how are they going to get their fix of Saints Row 2? Crackdown? Gears of War? Grand Theft Auto 4? Red Dead Redemption? Mass Effect? Halo: Reach?

it's stupid to assume that just because someone has a PC it means they can become a PC gamer with some "simple" instructions (i've looked into making a gaming PC, and really, on my income, it's not gonna happen. between a fiance, moving out, college, and bills, that leaves me with... what? 10 dollars a month? so i can have a gaming PC by the time i'm too old to bother with games anymore? yeah. not helping. not everyone has the budget and time expected of them to create this "all powerful" device)

plus there are all those different chips and processors and certain types of RAM and different kinds of memory associated with different parts of the computer that you have to learn to do it all correctly, and even then knowing WHERE to acquire the parts is a pain in the ass.

so as far as a time investment along with money?

i could get a PS3 and 5 games to supplement it (or a 360 and 10 games to supplement it) for the amount of money it would take to just build the PC itself.

and besides, the new console will probably cost 400 dollars (at worst) and 250 dollars (at best), and a lot of games will be forward-compatible, so no need to worry about extra expenditure there.

PC is too needy and leaves no room for error when making it, plus, the community is extremely unfriendly to newcomers when it comes to asking questions or just talking about it. A console is just easier all around. At least then the developer is forced to make a game tailor-made to your needs rather than having to tailor-make your gaming platform to THEIR needs

Consoles are not cheaper, and will become more expensive as time goes on. Consoles are holding back the progress of computers and costing Nvidia and ATI money. Why? The most basic cards already go above what consoles have. The consoles are the standard for tech as most games are multiplatform now. They are forced to lower the game complexity for consoles to maximize sales. The result? More PCs than ever before are PC gaming ready. Consoles never moved for 6 years, but PC has far out ran them to the point the cheapest PC is more powerful than a console.

Too much power.
Not enough gets used to justify the sales of a graphics card above the cheapest available.

You don't need to be a PC expert to be a PC gamer. Just smart enough to not shell out 5,0000K to scam artists and understand basic economics like a good consumer should.

i'm already a smarter consumer than 90% of the people i know and almost 100% of the people i meet. i spend more time teaching people that you can get better deals if you just shop around than just buying from a chain store

not everyone is as "intelligent" as on this site, in fact, most people are 10x worse than me when it comes to believing it's "too hard" to do certain things (like just buying a 250 gig refurbished xbox 360 slim rather than buying a new 4 gig and buying the extra hard drive. seriously, people around me think like THAT)

i don't even have 500 dollars to spend on a PC, at any one time i'll have at MOST 100 dollars, and then again that goes right into school or my taking my fiance out on a date.

i scrimp and scramp just to get enough money for a 2009 used game. let alone enough for a full-on gaming PC.

Okay, so? Just because you don't have the money doesn't mean that everybody doesn't have the money. Stop trying to argue this, it's a moot point. At one time you bought a console. At one time you bought a PC. Chances are you are using the PC at this very moment. Instead of paying all that extra money on both, you could have saved money getting a powerful PC, and maybe you would be able to take your fiance on more dates.

 

[Tony2077]

death to pc gaming long live steam

 

[Tsaba]

For those of us who don't travel between countries on a regular basis... Steam is God.

I had a TERRIBLE experience with EA Download Manager, and now I will never buy another digital game from anywhere other than Steam ever again.

For those of us who do travel, steam is God, when you remember to put it in offline mode before you travel, I'm just say'n you pack your suit case, and you put steam in offline mode. It's that easy.

Agreed though, I love steam with a fricken passion. Have yet to date to have a problem.

 

[Azaraxzealot]

This is why you go console!

even then different disc formats will screw you over (did you know that NTSC is not the only disc format? creepy)

but since i don't travel, console games it is then! so i don't have to sink 1000 dollars into something that may or may not work when and how i want it to

My PC was only $500, and I play Crysis on 40 FPS. I've also never had compatibility issues on games that I've bought. The only times I've had problems installing games in on the rare occasion where I pirate something. And even then, I can't really complain. I'm doing something illegal.

One thing you have to note is that a gaming PC is also... a PC. Most homes nowadays have at least one computer, which costs at least $300. So a console that will last at an average of 5 years plus a computer costs roughly $750. But, you then have to buy an entirely new console 5 years later, for another $500. With your PC all you have to do is make a $100-$200 upgrade.

If anything, PC's can be the cheaper choice.

here we go again with the "my PC was X amount less than what you mentioned and it can run [insert PC gaming buzz game here]"

honestly, not everyone has the spare cash and time to make the investment on a PC gaming computer, plus it saves both time AND money to just go console

and again with the "most homes have PCs" true, but if those PCs are not built EXACTLY to certain specifications then how are they going to get their fix of Saints Row 2? Crackdown? Gears of War? Grand Theft Auto 4? Red Dead Redemption? Mass Effect? Halo: Reach?

it's stupid to assume that just because someone has a PC it means they can become a PC gamer with some "simple" instructions (i've looked into making a gaming PC, and really, on my income, it's not gonna happen. between a fiance, moving out, college, and bills, that leaves me with... what? 10 dollars a month? so i can have a gaming PC by the time i'm too old to bother with games anymore? yeah. not helping. not everyone has the budget and time expected of them to create this "all powerful" device)

plus there are all those different chips and processors and certain types of RAM and different kinds of memory associated with different parts of the computer that you have to learn to do it all correctly, and even then knowing WHERE to acquire the parts is a pain in the ass.

so as far as a time investment along with money?

i could get a PS3 and 5 games to supplement it (or a 360 and 10 games to supplement it) for the amount of money it would take to just build the PC itself.

and besides, the new console will probably cost 400 dollars (at worst) and 250 dollars (at best), and a lot of games will be forward-compatible, so no need to worry about extra expenditure there.

PC is too needy and leaves no room for error when making it, plus, the community is extremely unfriendly to newcomers when it comes to asking questions or just talking about it. A console is just easier all around. At least then the developer is forced to make a game tailor-made to your needs rather than having to tailor-make your gaming platform to THEIR needs

Consoles are not cheaper, and will become more expensive as time goes on. Consoles are holding back the progress of computers and costing Nvidia and ATI money. Why? The most basic cards already go above what consoles have. The consoles are the standard for tech as most games are multiplatform now. They are forced to lower the game complexity for consoles to maximize sales. The result? More PCs than ever before are PC gaming ready. Consoles never moved for 6 years, but PC has far out ran them to the point the cheapest PC is more powerful than a console.

Too much power.
Not enough gets used to justify the sales of a graphics card above the cheapest available.

You don't need to be a PC expert to be a PC gamer. Just smart enough to not shell out 5,0000K to scam artists and understand basic economics like a good consumer should.

i'm already a smarter consumer than 90% of the people i know and almost 100% of the people i meet. i spend more time teaching people that you can get better deals if you just shop around than just buying from a chain store

not everyone is as "intelligent" as on this site, in fact, most people are 10x worse than me when it comes to believing it's "too hard" to do certain things (like just buying a 250 gig refurbished xbox 360 slim rather than buying a new 4 gig and buying the extra hard drive. seriously, people around me think like THAT)

i don't even have 500 dollars to spend on a PC, at any one time i'll have at MOST 100 dollars, and then again that goes right into school or my taking my fiance out on a date.

i scrimp and scramp just to get enough money for a 2009 used game. let alone enough for a full-on gaming PC.

Okay, so? Just because you don't have the money doesn't mean that everybody doesn't have the money. Stop trying to argue this, it's a moot point. At one time you bought a console. At one time you bought a PC. Chances are you are using the PC at this very moment. Instead of paying all that extra money on both, you could have saved money getting a powerful PC, and maybe you would be able to take your fiance on more dates.

its a laptop i'm using. it was a gift. it can't run GTA: San Andreas on the highest settings, so its not a good gaming... thing.

the console was practically a gift, i got a bunch of gamestop gift cards for my graduation and bought it.

 

[Zabriskie Point]

I love how everyone is shitting on Steam right now. Just so you guys know, if it wasn't for Steam, PC gaming would be virtually dead.

Thats not true. Apart from valve games i've only come across 2 other games i have that require steam to play. Fallout new vagas and Mafia 2.

Infact if anything steam will be what kills pc gaming. All there deals and such will soon be forcing the retail game stores to stop selling pc games as they cant afford to lower there prices that low. The pc section in game stores here are already a quarter of the size they were a couple of years ago.

It's not about what games require Steam. It's about giving customers a convenient way to buy PC games in a world where PC games are becoming more and more rare in retail stores.

The PC section in game stores is getting smaller because game stores can't take in used PC games, because of the serial key. When Gamestop takes your used game, and then sell it back to someone else, none of that money goes to the developer. It's 100% profit for Gamestop. If they can put more games that will make them more money on their shelves, what's going to stop them?

Steam is definitely not killing PC gaming. That's ridiculous. PC gaming is dying because Steam has great deals, resulting in more sales? That doesn't make any sense. It's just the opposite. PC gaming is hanging on because players are more inclined to buy and play PC games because of the great deals on Steam, and how convenient it is to just buy the game, download it, and play it. I love not having to go to a retail store to buy games anymore.

This is why you go console!

even then different disc formats will screw you over (did you know that NTSC is not the only disc format? creepy)

but since i don't travel, console games it is then! so i don't have to sink 1000 dollars into something that may or may not work when and how i want it to

My PC was only $500, and I play Crysis on 40 FPS. I've also never had compatibility issues on games that I've bought. The only times I've had problems installing games in on the rare occasion where I pirate something. And even then, I can't really complain. I'm doing something illegal.

One thing you have to note is that a gaming PC is also... a PC. Most homes nowadays have at least one computer, which costs at least $300. So a console that will last at an average of 5 years plus a computer costs roughly $750. But, you then have to buy an entirely new console 5 years later, for another $500. With your PC all you have to do is make a $100-$200 upgrade.

If anything, PC's can be the cheaper choice.

here we go again with the "my PC was X amount less than what you mentioned and it can run [insert PC gaming buzz game here]"

honestly, not everyone has the spare cash and time to make the investment on a PC gaming computer, plus it saves both time AND money to just go console

and again with the "most homes have PCs" true, but if those PCs are not built EXACTLY to certain specifications then how are they going to get their fix of Saints Row 2? Crackdown? Gears of War? Grand Theft Auto 4? Red Dead Redemption? Mass Effect? Halo: Reach?

it's stupid to assume that just because someone has a PC it means they can become a PC gamer with some "simple" instructions (i've looked into making a gaming PC, and really, on my income, it's not gonna happen. between a fiance, moving out, college, and bills, that leaves me with... what? 10 dollars a month? so i can have a gaming PC by the time i'm too old to bother with games anymore? yeah. not helping. not everyone has the budget and time expected of them to create this "all powerful" device)

plus there are all those different chips and processors and certain types of RAM and different kinds of memory associated with different parts of the computer that you have to learn to do it all correctly, and even then knowing WHERE to acquire the parts is a pain in the ass.

so as far as a time investment along with money?

i could get a PS3 and 5 games to supplement it (or a 360 and 10 games to supplement it) for the amount of money it would take to just build the PC itself.

and besides, the new console will probably cost 400 dollars (at worst) and 250 dollars (at best), and a lot of games will be forward-compatible, so no need to worry about extra expenditure there.

PC is too needy and leaves no room for error when making it, plus, the community is extremely unfriendly to newcomers when it comes to asking questions or just talking about it. A console is just easier all around. At least then the developer is forced to make a game tailor-made to your needs rather than having to tailor-make your gaming platform to THEIR needs

Consoles are not cheaper, and will become more expensive as time goes on. Consoles are holding back the progress of computers and costing Nvidia and ATI money. Why? The most basic cards already go above what consoles have. The consoles are the standard for tech as most games are multiplatform now. They are forced to lower the game complexity for consoles to maximize sales. The result? More PCs than ever before are PC gaming ready. Consoles never moved for 6 years, but PC has far out ran them to the point the cheapest PC is more powerful than a console.

Too much power.
Not enough gets used to justify the sales of a graphics card above the cheapest available.

You don't need to be a PC expert to be a PC gamer. Just smart enough to not shell out 5,0000K to scam artists and understand basic economics like a good consumer should.

i'm already a smarter consumer than 90% of the people i know and almost 100% of the people i meet. i spend more time teaching people that you can get better deals if you just shop around than just buying from a chain store

not everyone is as "intelligent" as on this site, in fact, most people are 10x worse than me when it comes to believing it's "too hard" to do certain things (like just buying a 250 gig refurbished xbox 360 slim rather than buying a new 4 gig and buying the extra hard drive. seriously, people around me think like THAT)

i don't even have 500 dollars to spend on a PC, at any one time i'll have at MOST 100 dollars, and then again that goes right into school or my taking my fiance out on a date.

i scrimp and scramp just to get enough money for a 2009 used game. let alone enough for a full-on gaming PC.

Okay, so? Just because you don't have the money doesn't mean that everybody doesn't have the money. Stop trying to argue this, it's a moot point. At one time you bought a console. At one time you bought a PC. Chances are you are using the PC at this very moment. Instead of paying all that extra money on both, you could have saved money getting a powerful PC, and maybe you would be able to take your fiance on more dates.

its a laptop i'm using. it was a gift. it can't run GTA: San Andreas on the highest settings, so its not a good gaming... thing.

the console was practically a gift, i got a bunch of gamestop gift cards for my graduation and bought it.

It's like you're not even trying to defend whatever points you think you had. I'm done arguing with you, you're no fun.

 

[mrdude2010]

"This game was activated with a product code that is valid only in a specific geographic region. Since you are not currently in that region, Left 4 Dead 2 is not avaliable to play."

This is the error message I get when I attempt to install certain games (Left 4 Dead 2 being one of a few) on Steam. I legally purchased these games while I was in Singapore fully expecting them to continue working when I returned to the UK. This expectation was wrong as Steam support has made blindingly clear. It would appear Steam seems to think you don't actually own games you buy, you only own them if you remain within the geographic region you bought them in. So I think I will be buying physical/non-steam copies of games from now on...

Well thank you for listening to my rant, just take it as a warning if you intend on buying Steam games overseas

Hmm, I hope they figure that mess out. I understand the red tape for complicated e-commerce vs import laws gets rather thick. But it does seem silly that I'd need to worry about, say, moving to Japan because my games would all stop working!

it's a blatant case of "send steam an email so they can fix the issue with your particular bought copy of the game"

also, i'm pretty sure singapore games are slightly different from UK games, like how you can't play a non-NTSC game on a US xbox360, so that might have something to do with it

 

[redisforever]

Meh. I don't give a crap what people say about Steam, the only problem I every had with it is that I missed the Portal for free thing, but I got it for free later anyways.
The only game problem was fixed with one message to Steam Support, and all of the games that I have on it, they all work beautifully.

 

[Projo]

"oh no, my steam game is region locked, just like physical games tends to be!"?

 

[zehydra]

Correction to OP's post title:

The reason why international travelers should not buy Steam games whilst abroad.

 

[Zabriskie Point]

Correction to OP's post title:

The reason why international travelers should not buy games whilst abroad.

Fixed.

 

[zehydra]

Correction to OP's post title:

The reason why international travelers should not buy games whilst abroad.

Fixed.

the original post was supposed to be a complaint against Steam itself though.

ah whatever.