Digital distribution is the future. This is no longer really arguable, although retailers try very hard to believe differently. Digital distribution is great for players because it allows them to gain access to a game quickly, and they don't need to keep a physical copy of the disk on hand to install or play a game. Digital distribution is even better for publishers because it gets rid of the packaging costs associated with retail copies of games, it reduces the amount of profit that the publisher needs to allow to the distributor, it makes it simple to ensure that players have an updated copy of the game, and it makes impulse buys extremely simple.
Yet there is still some skepticism about stores like Steam, and not all of it is coming from retailers. Some PC gamers are concerned that digital distribution is demolishing the traditional act of buying a game and replacing it with the idea of buying a license. In other words, the game is no longer yours to do with what you please. So is Steam a force of good, or an enemy pretending to be our friend?
By far the most controversial feature of Steam, and other game distribution networks like it, is that your games are tied to an account. This is, in part, what makes Steam so useful. Because your games are tied to an account, you only need that account to gain access to your games. Should you reformat your hard-drive, you simply need to login into Steam and leave it running in the background while it downloads and re-installs your games.
However, the need for an account also raises a nasty question: do you really own the games that you buy on Steam? When you purchase a Steam game, all you are doing is downloading a copy of the game. You do not own the disk. You have no ability to resell the game at a later time if you decide you're tired of it, and you do not have the ability to lend the game to a friend at will (although some Steam games come with "guest passes" which allow limited access by a friend). The games are also tied directly to Steam, so it is impossible to play the games without Steam running. And since Steam is an online platform, this also means it is impossible to play games you've purchased if your Internet connection goes down.
Its easy to see the problem. When you buy on Steam, you're not really buying the game so much as the right to play the game. Some people may be fine with this, but I am wary. I believe consumers should retain the right to do what they please with products they've purchased, and so I view Steam's approach as problematic. Steam may say it is DRM free, but that is simply a bending of the truth. Steam games don't carry specific DRM software, but Steam itself acts as a way of managing how the player uses their games.
This is important to remember before taking the plunge and buying games on Steam. Steam offers numerous games, and should you choose to start purchasing games using the Steam service, you are going to become linked to the service. There is no going back. You can't return your Steam games, you can't re-sell them. If you were to lose Internet access for some reason, or you were to tire of Steam, then tough luck. You're stuck. At first, this doesn't seem like a big deal. But if you buy, say, four big titles from Steam, then you've probably just laid down $150-$200 dollars, all of which is at risk if your ability to connect to Steam or access your Steam account is ever interrupted.