I have no problem playing a game by shady means if I have to but if it's released later I prefer to support it.

Many many lovely thoughts in this thread, literally every post is an interesting read.

I agree with you peeps and can say that I support GOG (as much as I can) because it really does shine little light in this dark world.
When I first heard about GOG, I really hated it. Stupid site that sells games that I played for free (abandonware) until yesterday I thought. Then I came here and liked what I've seen big time. A company that appreciate it's customers, always trying to improve it's service and keep old gaming gems alive AND as accessible as they can be. This conduct inspires many satisfied users to create very generous and (at most times) healthy atmosphere in the forums which is another plus for giving one's support.

You still won't get my 5.99$ for that HoM&M1, GOG.com, but that doesn't mean I don't love you. :*

And if the game doesn't run on your PC, you get your money back ^^

"Why do YOU personally *buy* old DOS "abandonware" games?"

The short answer is - I don't :)

When a game is on sale again, it is per definition no longer abandonware. The question then becomes "Do you personally pirate games" - does it not?

Anyway, that's how I see it

I try to be very scrupulous about purchasing all my software, even when it doesn't make much sense. I do this because I think that in an age of ubiquitous copy machines, copyright is immoral and should be abolished, that society must find another way. I fear that if I pirated software people would be quick to think that I was insincere and just trying to rationalize behavior that personally benefits me.

It's sad, but I'm okay with old works dying. Most of the best stuff will survive and we'd just be lightening the backlog of future generations anyway. ;)

I used to run in the abandonware shadows back in the day because there were a lot of games I couldn't find in stores anymore, but now i buy games here because I don't have to go through all the hassle with trying to run it on new systems or even with missing content (music, cutscenes, whatever) with gog.com.

If I want a game that is being marketed to me (as in, available for purchase in my region in my language), and it is reasonably priced, I buy it.

If the game is unreasonably expensive relative to how much I want it, I ignore it. There's plenty of entertainment out there that is worth the money. Same goes for particularly draconian DRM implementations.

If it is not available for official purchase in my region (eg: abandonware, untranslated foreign products), I have no qualms about pirating it. If the maker is not willing to put forth the work to sell their product to me, I am under no moral obligation to pay for it. If those circumstances change after the fact (from the previous examples: a rerelease, game gets picked up for localization), the game will be paid for.

That's my view on it, and I apply the same to any form of entertainment.

I think abandonware is very important as a way to preserve history and classic games. Many will never be sold again because of licensing agreements, so abandonware is essential. Someday it will be even more essential as DRM servers shut down.

However nothing GOG sells is abandonware because... well, it's being sold.

So I don't get the question.

I think the OP means: Why do spend money for games that used to be abandonware (before GOG had them) and you (potentially) already have. Or games that are still available from the (more shady) abandonware sites for free.

Because pirating old games isn't any different from pirating new games.

I guess my answer to that is that we all have our own personal morality and lines we draw. For me buying NOLF if it ever comes to GOG, despite having abandonware versions now, is important as a way to justify downloading those abandonware versions. If I didn't buy them when they go on sale then it would make me feel like I'm full of shit when I download them in the first place.

The thing that makes the "preservation" idea a crock for most "abandonware" is that a lot of them are copies that are cracked or otherwise tampered with, in some cases ineptly. The worst example being when I downloaded something that had a permanent invulnerability trainer on it (I mean, you didn't get a trainer menu at the beginning... you were just invulnerable, period...kind of defeats the point of the game eh?)

I'd rather pay to get something I know is going to be the real deal, even if it's not going to go to the original devs (which I don't think is ALWAYS the case here). Especially if I can get a manual, maps, etc. along with it which our kind "preservationists" don't always bother to preserve.

In most cases, I'd rather have the original disc than a GOG copy, but that isn't always possible or fiscally feasable, plus I support GOG for holding to the anti-DRM banner. I do wish they'd bring in more "really old" stuff since 5.25" floppy releases are the hardest to come by (even if you can find working discs, you need the hardware that can read it which also gets pricy... they apparently don't make USB drives of those like they do with 3.5"ers.)

Does someone here know something about that?
I'd really like to know if there are old games here, where the original dev gets a part of it and not only some company that has the licence now.

- Supporting GOG and the GOG Way (if GOG fails, it means that only the Steam mentality functions).

- The possibility of some cents sometimes reaching what is left of the original developpers. Or the simulation of that.

- The respect for the game (look, Game, I bleed for You, I deserve You).

- The support and occasional bonuses.

- The neat clear officiality of it.

- The self-inflicted punishment for all the games I've ever pirated in my life.