Aaargh...

I just tried to sit down and relax with a game of single-player StarCraft (a game that has many fond memories associated with it) and I found out that I couldn't, simply because doing my non-work coding would be more fun. What this means is that I've found immediate gratification doing more productive things than playing computer games.

Still playing HL2 though. But one thing sucks. Steam is a nice idea, and I really hope this model disintermediates game publishers, or at least offers alternative methods of distribution that leads to a revival of the indy games industry, as if that's not happening already. I've nothing against game publishers (except Sony, EA and Vivendi), but disintermediation is de facto a good thing, from an economical point of view if nothing else.

With Steam, however, the paucity of server capacity combined with realtime online per-play activation and a buggy client is a perfect way to turn people away from this kind of thing. I paid for HL2, I should be able to play it without having to jump through all these hoops. It's only marginally less customer-friendly than the RIAA, and treats the users with the same suspicion and half-said accusations of criminality. It's frustrating.

Anyway. That's me done whining.