[BadVista Advocate] A few thoughts on games

[Jacob Maynard]

Without this sounding rude or anything resembling it, do you play a lot of
games? It's just a little uncommon for a person in your generation to play
a lot of video games.

I ask this because you speak very intelligently about the matter. Good
thinking on your part. I hadn't even considered these thoughts.

Jacob

>
> Most of us here understand that the reason a lot of games are only
> available
> on Microsoft platforms has to do with 3 things:
>
> 1. Closed source code
>
> 2. Dependencies on proprietary ancillary code (.net, Direct X, etc.)
>
> 3. (Microsoft FUD): Fear that all us GNU/Linux bad guys will steal the
> game...
> Pirates all.
>
> Well think about this for a minute.
>
> All Windows games that can be played on just a single computer --not
> Internet
> dependent on some outside server, have already been cracked --and not by
> GNU/Linux guys --we don't use Windows so what would we do with a Windows
> game, even if it was cracked? So it's Windows bad guys that are cracking
> (pirating) Windows games, not all of us.
>
> So #3 simply has no bearing on GNU/Linux users at all, for any Windows
> game
> that is ... lets call it 'self contained'.
>
> Now as to games that are not 'self contained'. Well, all of those have
> tons of
> cheats... the list of cheat sheet sites for any Windows game or games is
> simply endless. So 'Windows only' games come down to he who cheats best
> wins.
>
> Now ask your self if that really makes any sense to play a game that only
> by
> cheating can you really get somewhere at the game?
>
> Free Software games, on the other hand, are not likely to have 'cheats' as
> a
> practical part of the game --at least not for long, because either some
> one
> will patch it so that is no longer possible, or they may simply
> incorporate
> it into the game for the use of everyone (it becomes a feature that really
> is
> a new feature).
>
> Makes Free Software games a lot more fun because you can play it with a
> lot of
> faith that how you do will be based on your ability to play --not the
> other
> guy's ability to cheat.
>
> This relies on having the source available to all, which is why #1 is a
> stopper for us GNU/Linux types. Honesty is only insured by transparency.
>
> That only leaves problem #2... Well after a little thought about problems
> #1
> and #3, it becomes sort of obvious that #2 only exists to insure vendor
> lock
> in --not for the game, for the real vendor that wants everyone locked in
> --Microsoft.
>
> So if you want to play Microsoft's games (they are too, if you can only
> play
> them on Microsoft's OS, no matter who they nominally 'belong' to), then by
> all means do so.
>
> Just don't complain that GNU/Linux is bad because you can't play
> Microsoft's
> games on it... We like it that way, for all the above reasons --and a few
> more that have more of a philosophical nature (like understanding what
> losing
> Freedom means).
>
> So that's my two cents on Microsoft's games.
>
> Don.
> --
> GNU/Linux is the future.
> Join the FSF: http://www.fsf.org/register_form?referrer=4458
> Get the Real Facts: http://BadVista.org
>
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