If there was no Steam, would PC gaming still be as heralded?

[Robert Ramos]

I love Steam. Ngl, though, there's a chance I might jump to PS4 if there was no Steam.


Would PC gaming still be as heralded nowadays if Steam didn't exist?

[Whiskey Grey]

Would probably be dead if it wasn't always so far ahead, yes.

[Super Sailor Moon]

Probably not.

Steam links all of your games to your account. No need for CDs or redownloading links from old emails. Everything is just there and ready for download.

[Fated raison detre]

Not by a mile

[Ruff Rabbit]

Steam isn't the only game distribution platform, it's just the least broken. PC gaming would be fine without it, there'd just be less expensive indie games no one really wants.

[superherocat]

I think it would thrive. You would just need a same type of service that Steam offers under a different name. if you want gamer to give you money, Treat the gamer right and give them what they want.

[Mir Teiwaz]

Ween shellan yorra accroad mea, sarla oz enne.
Titil yehah, presia yorr wis yehah, presia yanje.

I imagine if Steam hadn't happened, someone else would have tried to step up to the plate and make their own digital distribution platform.

It probably would have failed though, since no one else had the same leverage to make people use their platform like Valve did.

[ventti 60 original papers]

Just think - if Steam never existed, neither would Origin. Maybe. Probably. I don't know.

[YunaSama]

Yeah... But then we'd still have PC CD Roms... Not a big deal... And Emulators ofcourse... cat_3nodding

[Aevum Noir]

The likelihood of more pirating would be a consequence for sure...

I'll go into camp, "Probably not."

[Robert Ramos]

Aevum Noir

The likelihood of more pirating would be a consequence for sure...

I'll go into camp, "Probably not."

On a side note, is your avatar dressed like a hero from a Castlevania game or is it just coincidence that it looks like that? ninja

[Darius Alexander Tate]

Well I think there is some software that really shouldn't be on Steam, such as X-Plane 10. WHy on earth would anybody want to download a 80 GB flight simulator when you can just have the 8 DVDs shipped to you?

[xLiemx]

Aevum Noir

The likelihood of more pirating would be a consequence for sure...

I'll go into camp, "Probably not."

very very questionably accusation. I'd say it neither increases or decreases.

Take for instance, no piracy because steam's "service" is already cheap and very easy to use.

then again, take note of how many exploits are overriding the steam drm. To spell it out, steam games are being cracked over by pirates. No steam = no steam override exploit for pirates.

[Shadowolf]

Hm, before Steam came along, it was actually not doing all that great against the PS3/360 generation, except for Blizzard, who practically dominated the PC with WoW, and not to mention the MMORPG fever going on then trying to ride on Blizzard's success. Anyway, without Steam (or digital distribution in general) I would think PC gaming wouldn't be dead, but it would be rather "static" with some ups and downs with releases, and it would certainly not thrive the way it is doing now. Honestly, I picture not much a difference of games being released pre-Steam... a lot of MMOs, FPSs (more Crysis and Call of Duty clones), RTSs, western RPGs, etc.

Regardless, I feel Steam really bought PC to a level playing field with consoles. I don't mean in any way to tech (that people would often compare the PC to consoles) - in fact, that separated PC from consoles, in a way that I feel PC games were almost alienating to console gamers, and vice versa. In a way, they were pretty different worlds.
But now, devs that make games for consoles now really care to bring 'em to PC too, and gamers care too, because a large part of console gamers (including myself) have switched over to PC, which has become much-much friendlier to console gamers. Steam has made their games fairly universally compatible across a variety of computer specs, not to mention their revival and constant deal of older games have offered a way to make it so that old games are no longer "obsolete" to new games.
Likewise, console games have become "more" like PC games (a big part of that is everything to do with online gaming and distribution), and lines between the two are basically blurred today.