Last weekend, I decided I was going to buy a couple of games, which I haven't done in a while. I seem to remember a time when your choices consisted of either Steam, or… Steam. Now there seems to be a dizzying array of choices, including:
- Amazon
- GamersGate
- Impulse
- Direct2Drive
- Steam, obviously
- And probably a few others that I've forgotten about.
None of these companies really seem to try very hard to explain why you should buy from them as opposed to some other distributor, so I resorted to trying (and failing) to infer it from the fine print.
Eventually I gave up on doing any actual research and just (a) tried Amazon at random, only to find that they won't sell to Canadians, then (b) tried Steam at random, only to give up after being repeatedly railed by their CAPTCHA, then finally (c) tried D2D at random and actually succeeded in making it all the way to a download.
I have no idea what I actually got myself into. All I know is that I can play my games. I guess that makes me exactly the sort of consumer these companies want. Generally, I like to be a little more well-informed when it comes to purchasing.
When I choose one of these online stores, what am I actually choosing, other than price and availability?
Are these games just commodities, like the loaf of pre-packaged bread I can buy from any supermarket, or is there something about them that actually varies from one retailer to the next? Are there any interesting tidbits I might find in the TOS, or something else that might come back to bite me later – like, maybe, being unable to play my games if I get a new PC or if the company goes belly-up? Can some of them cut off my access one day on a whim and demand a hefty ransom? Anything else that might be useful for me to know?
P.S. I found this question about digital distribution services but it's basically in poll format, doesn't mention a lot of the services listed above, and much of what's in there seems to be (no offense to those who answered) vague statements based on personal opinions. I'm not looking for a list of digital distributors or recommendations, I want to actually understand my options and be able to make an intelligent decision next time I go to buy a game.
Best Answer
Steam has two major advantages:
Steam Sales
(edit: this is less true these days, other online stores now have huge discounts regularly too) 75% - 90% off most major titles within 6 - 12 months of release. There is nothing close to the deals steam have, not on online shops, not in bricks-and-mortar shops, not even second-hand.
Valve's reputation
Valve have proven time and time again over the years that they are "the good guys". They make a lot of effort to do right by their customers. So I trust them (more than any of the companies you listed) to not lock me out of my games if they can help it. If Valve ever got sold and decided to cancel Steam forever, they're the company most likely to secretly release a hack or something to keep my games running.
They are also extremely profitable, thanks to their excellent games (I mean the first party titles like HL, L4D and Portal), and to their excellent business model. They are the digital distribution company most likely to stay in business forever.