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Some voices from the industry suggest the Steam model isn't enough to save offline PC games content. Funcom plans to publish Dreamfall: Chapters (the next instalment in their adventure series) online, while Valve appear to be favoring downloadable episodic content.
"We're entering a new age of games distribution," remarks Jørgen Tharaldsen. "There are so many advantages that it would be foolish for a developers like Funcom not to explore it. We started distributing digitally back in 2001 with Anarchy Online - the game would have been nowhere near as successful without it."
Other developers, like Soren Johnson (lead programmer on Civ III & IV) argue that MMOG is the future of PC - by their very nature, these games can't be pirated. Arguments over PC game piracy rumble on, not least among gamers.
"I hate pirate scum," rants one online gamer. "They reckon the PC doesn't get any decent games and they shouldn't have to pay for content they 'don't want'. But they still decide to play!"
However, the likes of Garry (Garry's Mod) reckons that file-sharing can boost a game's sales and popularity: "When a friend passes me a CD and says 'try this', that's great marketing because I'd never have known about that game, so it's not really a lost sale."
One thing is certain: if the relevant authorities catch you illegally downloading games, you run the risk of massive fines and imprisonment. So start asking yourself, "Is it really a pirate's life for me?" Yo ho ho, me hearties, show me that horizon! And other familiar nautical expressions.
