I hate to admit it, but I now HAVE to rely on Steam for my games.

In the UK, and in my city, there are three PC game sellers (PC games remember). Those are Game, Gamestation (Which didn't really sell a lot tbh) + HMV.

Gamestation has shut, due to lack of profit.
Game has gone into liquidation
HMV fails to sell the top 10 PC games.

I wanted to buy Mass Effect 3, regardless of the reviews, and I just couldn't buy it anywhere. Game didn't even stock it in the first place.

People have been complaining about Steam from the get-go. But Steam is now my only option for buying games, and since Mass Effect 3 can't even be purchased on Steam I have to resort to other online sellers such as Amazon.

Just thought i'd rant a bit about how sad it is to see all the gaming stores in my city shutting down due to a lack of profit :/

It is a shame but unless they meet online prices people won't be able to shop there. I'm surprised at HMV not selling top 10 games though - they do in my local one.

I used to really enjoy going to Game for their midnight launches but it stopped being worth it when the same game was ￡10 more than Game Online which was still ￡5 more than Amazon/Steam. Game is great for parents etc who need advice on what sort of game to get but the people spending the big money in these places generally already know what they want and have done their research. They don't need service, just the product. And that's why they're probably not going to come back in ernest. It is a shame though - the staff in my local store are excellent.

Dont forget Green Man Gaming they are from UK. Even though I live in the USA I still buy games from them. They are always having good sales.

Greg

What about ordering them from an online retail store, like from Amazon.co.uk?

I think the last PC game I bought from a local store is probably Gothic 3 back in late 2006 or whenever it was. Since I pre-ordered Morrowind CE from an online retail store back in 2002, I've done the vast majority of game purchases from online stores.

Amazon, Play and Gog.com are all great for me. Ebay as well. When you're dealing with constricting DRM then you need to research a bit more though. It's a shame about Game/Gamestation as you could find some gems in the pre-owned section, great staff in Gamestation as well.

Steam, I could see it burn and would be happy about it.

I haven't done anything in an actual physical game shop, beyond checking the reccommended specs, in years. Even the boxed games I buy come from online retailers these days.

You do realise you given yourself an alternative right there? Clearly Steam isn't your only option.

I don't see any problem with buying PC games online, Steam is actually really easy to use, if you've got the right connection for it. Otherwise just purchase whatever you can't get, from Amazon. I haven't had any problems when buying PC games from any particular retailer from there so far.

I can only imagine online shopping in terms of gaming becoming the norm at some point in the future.

Just don't buy ME3. Problem temporarily solved.

Or this. Save your sanity and prevent a looooong mourning period lol.

In the US I haven't seen a retail store that has a decent collection of PC games in years, I think Amazon is the best option.

Amazon is the way to go.

http://www.deals4downloads.com/games/deals#/f/gp__pc--pst__coregames/s/saving/page/1 is a great website that tracks all the deals offered by quite a few digital download platforms:

• Steam
  
• Amazon
  
• GOG
  
• Origin
  
• GamersGate
  
• Beamdog
  
• Direct2Drive
  
• Impulse
  
• Adventure Shop
  
• DotEmu
  
• GMG
  
• Mac App Store
  
• Desura
  
• DLGamer
  
• GameFly
  
• Gamesplanet
  
• Gametap
  
• Gametree
  
• Get Games
  
• Mac Game Store
  
• The Gamers Front
  
• YuPlay

Where I live we never had such stores in the first place Only a chain store (Empik) selling books, press, music, films, games. It's in quite a good condition, I don't see it closing any time soon.

But I admit it's been a long time since I actually went there to buy a game - I usually order from their online shop, it's faster and more convenient. I only go there to browse through books because I like to touch them, see the quality of paper and cover, read a few pages before I buy. Games don't require this, all discs look the same anyway.

With this in mind, I have a hard time understanding your problem - if it was about downloadable games being the only option while you want to have a physical copy, I'd agree. I love to have a box on the shelf as well. But you can buy everything online, just like ME3 you mentioned, it will be delivered straight to your house and even cheaper than if you'd bought it in a store. Sure, it's sad that stores are being shut, but it doesn't change your situation in any way.

You don't have to rely on Steam. There are dozens of other retailers, just look at the list BootySweat provided.

If you're mourning the loss of walk-in, retail gaming outlets, yeah I hate it too and it makes me sad...but those have been disappearing for years. Or at least becoming so understocked that it's laughable. Where I live, only this huge place called Fry's has any kind of selection anymore, and that's still pretty pathetic. Ok for the very latest releases or the most popular titles in the past couple years, but that's about it.

But as mentioned by the others...Steam isn't the only option. You can still buy games from online stores. They send you the box/discs, no different than a walk-in product outside of delivery time. If you're anything like me, you still don't like this option, but it is there.

use gog, no drm.

and if its new games u want, dont buy em