I used to be the perfect Gameboy: I wrote hundreds of gaming reviews and several hint/help books. Copy protection was always an annoying part of the gaming experience – even in days of the floppy disk, when Sierra Online gave you a gazillion of disks to install to get started with Space Quest …

Steam is an online shop and delivery system. Not a bad idea in itself, but it’s copy protection and installation gone overboard.

Daw of War 2 requires you to enter several serial numbers to get started, install Steam and Windows Live (gaming service), create two new accounts (one for Steam and Windows Live) just to get running.

It can take easily over an hour to get everything installed, updated, accounts confirmed etc.

Most annoying Steam and Windows Live are also active during the game, so if you want to communicate with your buddies or you get a message from them their ugly faces reappear.

It simply destroys any atmosphere and bloats the gaming experience beyond believe.

But the whole registration process has another ugly side to it: you no longer can sell you game, because it’s tied to your Steam account. With this the Gaming Industry wants to destroy the booming second hand market for games and keep the prices high.

Thank you so much Steam – that was the first and last game I will own based on this stupid system …