Meme transcription: A table comparing the steps to start a game ‘then’ vs. ‘now’.

Content of the “Then” column:

  • Double-click GAME.exe
  • Play game

Content of the “Now” column:

  • Launch Steam
  • Steam updates

  • Steam opens

  • Close Steam’s ad window
  • Select Game
  • Game launcher starts

  • Game launcher launches Game launcher updater

  • Yes
  • Yes
  • Yes
  • Ok
  • Would you like to sign up for our newsletter?

  • No
  • Our EULAs have changed. Please review them before continuing

  • Scroll
  • Scroll
  • Scroll
  • Scroll
  • Yes
  • Yes
  • Yes, sell my soul
  • Start game
  • Skip vendor intro
  • Skip vendor intro #2
  • Skip vendor intro #3
  • Sit through nVidia The way it’s meant to be played
  • Skip opening cutscene
  • Main menu opens

  • Would you like to connect your Steam account to account?

  • No
  • Press play.
  • Play game.
  • pjhenry1216@kbin.social
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    17
    arrow-down
    5
    ·
    edit-2
    1 year ago

    Do people forget that games used to require you to have the CD-ROM in the drive before they would run?

    They weren’t always like that though. Don’t forget piracy didn’t start with the video game industry. It only started once it took off. CDs came later.

    Source: person who remembers playing games off 8" floppies.

    Edit to add: a game 20 years ago will only run because Windows says it’s ok. If it’s a linux-based game from 20 years ago, then it depends on a lot of other stuff. It’s not Steam that keeps them running. Steam just provides you a copy for the most part. GOG exists and doesn’t have the DRM that Steam allows. Does it have the same library? No. But we shouldn’t support DRM to begin with, so if it’s not on GOG, than I don’t trust the game itself.

    • JoeCoT@kbin.social
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      13
      ·
      1 year ago

      I also played games off floppies, sure. And there were anti-piracy measures there too. I remember playing a pirated copy of Leisure Suit Larry as a kid, and you had to answer questions about pop culture kids wouldn’t know, followed by specific questions about wording in the manual. Before CDs, manuals were the anti-piracy measure.

      • mark3748@geddit.social
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        1 year ago

        I used to play Faery Tale Adventure on Amiga. The anti-piracy was code phrases around the edge of a paper map.