Poll: What if Steam were to stop existing

[Lazy Kitty]

then prepare offline mode, problem solved.

What about all the games that haven't been downloaded yet? What if I were to get a new OS?
[sup]It's about time I installed Windows 7.[/sup]

Steam supports Windows 7. If the games don't support Windows 7 is not Valve's fault now is it.

That's not what I meant.
What I meant was: What if the steam service were to stop, and then I'd install an new OS. I would have to download and install steam and all the games I purchased through Steam again. But that would be impossible if the service has stopped.

 

[Idlemessiah]

If Steam dies and irreversibly takes the games with it (unlikely I imagine) then I'd just dig out my old games like AoE2 I guess.

I would probably do the same, though it still is a lot of games to lose in one time blow (For me that is.).

I hear that. Pretty much every game I've bought since the Orange Box has been from Steam =/ Gotta be 100, 150 quid down the drain by now.

 

[oliveira8]

then prepare offline mode, problem solved.

What about all the games that haven't been downloaded yet? What if I were to get a new OS?
[sup]It's about time I installed Windows 7.[/sup]

Steam supports Windows 7. If the games don't support Windows 7 is not Valve's fault now is it.

That's not what I meant.
What I meant was: What if the steam service were to stop, and then I'd install an new OS. I would have to download and install steam and all the games I purchased through Steam again. But that would be impossible if the service has stopped.

Ah I see.

Example: Valve announces that is closing doors.
"We don't have a cent. We shutting down. For every Steam user has a period of a month to download XXX patch. With this patch all the games you have purchase no longer require Steam activation."

You download the patch and your games no longer need Steam activation. All you need to do then is backup the files into a DvD/external hard drive/whatever and you should probably be safe.

Of course this is speculation of the best thing that can come out of a worst case scenario.
I hope that made sense.

 

[MasterChowmein]

I have my consoles

 

[Lazy Kitty]

quotes

Ah I see.

Example: Valve announces that is closing doors.
"We don't have a cent. We shutting down. For every Steam user has a period of a month to download XXX patch. With this patch all the games you have purchase no longer require Steam activation."

You download the patch and your games no longer need Steam activation. All you need to do then is backup the files into a DvD/external hard drive/whatever and you should probably be safe.

Of course this is speculation of the best thing that can come out of a worst case scenario.
I hope that made sense.

I really hope that would be their solution.

 

[RanD00M]

I've got a backup plan.It's called a console.

 

[Nazz3]

I couldn't play MW2 anymore

 

[Gildan Bladeborn]

I would feel completely justified pirating all the games I purchased via the now defunct service locking me out of the games I purchased, that's what would happen.

 

[Do4600]

On a more important note, the day valve goes out of business you're going to be more concerned with fending off flying hogs then playing games online.

So very true; as long as video games are available to play on pc, steam will exist. Many companies have already done away with their own on-line downloading and updating infrastructure in favor of steam.

 

[soundoflights]

Well I've downloaded 35 games from steam so if the steam death scenario came into effect I would essential lose my entire game library of the past couple years. So if that was to happen I would probably go find something else to do, D&D maybe. Honestly the only way I could see this scenario happening is
1. The Internet dies.
2. Computers change completely
3. The Internet changes completely
Gaming as we know it will probably be entirely different in 5 years so I'm really not that worried about it.

 

[Jadak]

I suppose I'd just keep using Impulse..

Stardock ftw.

 

[_zuul]

steam gone forever?
FUCK YEAH SEAKING!




but.... i like l4d! noooooooo!

 

[Random Argument Man]

Things would go back the things were before steam...After a huge cry from PC users.

 

[Lazy Kitty]

Things would go back the things were before steam...After a huge cry from PC users.

That is if not everyone drowns in those tears.

 

[fix-the-spade]

What about all the games that haven't been downloaded yet? What if I were to get a new OS?
[sup]It's about time I installed Windows 7.[/sup]

Why would your changing operating system have even the slightest effect on your steam account?
If that's what you're worried about go and read the Steam terms of use, it'll answer a ton of questions.

Anyway, if Steam were to 'stop' exactly the same thing would happen as what happened when Microsoft pulled the plug on it's DRM heavy music service. People would crack their products and carry on as though nothing happened.

You can do it now (don't, you will essentially ban yourself from playing VAC equipped servers ever again), if it were to happen there would be community mods to kill off steam's authentication and VAC's authentication in a couple of weeks.

 

[Random Argument Man]

Things would go back the things were before steam...After a huge cry from PC users.

That is if not everyone drowns in those tears.

Good thing I bought my submarine http://www.classicrockmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/yellow_submarine_songtrack.jpg

 

[Geekmaster K]

In this era of digital distribution, if Steam were to ever permanently go offline without Valve allowing people to keep the games they already bought, it would be a sign of the PC gaming apocalypse. Not that PC gaming would be completely destroyed, but people would actually have to go to the store to buy a game instead of just downloading it from Steam. And they would have to buy every game they purchased from Steam again if Valve didn't let them keep anything. This includes hard-to-find games like Half-Life 1. For many people, this would be apocalyptic!

 

[Elburzito]

NOOOOOO!!!!!!!!
I'll make it stay alive.