Comment by freehorse
13 days ago
> I think that is far more that people like the other closed source launchers less
Why does one need a game launcher? Cannot we just like run games as we run any app? Having to use a launcher that by default requires internet connection, even if the game itself doesn’t, sounds like a very specific choice of how to do things. We don’t run any other kind of program like that.
I don't think Steam requires internet access past initial login. In any case, I'd much rather have our lord and saviour Gaben, between me and toxic corpo X than have to deal with the corpos directly when an issue arises. I'd also much rather give Gaben my coins since he essentially made gaming on Linux viable. Right as Microsoft decided to fuck around, our lord Gaben came to the rescue. It'll be sad when he one day retires, but hopefully he'll be able to find a decent successor.
I think that you need to set it to be able to launch online, but maybe I am wrong.
I have no issue with steam per se. It has actually kept on its path threw the years and it actually invests back into gaming with games and steam deck/proton. However, I find it hard to trust good intentions after many platforms with good intentions were at some point sold and enshittified. I would rather have DRM-free games that do not depend on a launcher that maybe after 10 or 20 years will not work the same.
Otherwise, steam is a great platform and a rare example of a platform that not only has not enshitified but invested back to the product they sell in ways that benefit users.
I don't think one excludes the other. I want DRM-free games, but I would also like a launcher like Steam, so I don't have to manage my library most of the time. For example, I have 1000+ games, of which I only care about, let's say, 50.
With a launcher, I can back up the 50 I care about and leave the storage of the rest to it. If they were to disappear without warning, I don't ~really~ care, but I still have easy access to them. Then the launcher can also take care of compatibility issues with old games automatically. Say a game is dependent on X, which was made in the Win XP times and no longer works, the launcher can find a modern fork/substitute and auto replace it, so that I don't have to fuck around with it myself.. There's value in it.
Then you get the platform itself with good guide integration, mod workshop integration, friends (game invites, sharing, etc), combined store...
It's kinda like what I believe GOG is trying to do, though I'm not very familiar with them since I just don't like how much their launcher pings (blows through my NextDNS usage limit in a week).