About email addresses
Let me suggest that for any game that requires you to register, you do NOT use your regular main email account. The email account you will enter will be used to login to the game, receive game news, and most importantly, be used in case you forget your password to your game. (Not that any of us older folks forget anything such as passwords, kid’s names, or why did we get up and go to the kitchen or other room for , umm, ‘I forget’). Yes, you may use one email for everything. But, if by chance, this account becomes compromised, whether though hacking the email security through the provider or you clicked on a link you were not supposed to click; you may lose access to your game account to someone else other than you, and they could take control of your game. More urgently, if you use only one email address for everything, your contacts, family members and friends, could be deleted or bank information might become compromised. I know my suggestion means you’ll need to login to this secondary email occasionally. Just don’t forget what the address is, and the password. And do not use the same password for everything. Write them down. I know this goes against some suggestions by security people, but if someone breaks into your house to open your notebook of passwords, that will be the least of your worries. OK, Elder Mael has many more suggestions about passwords and secondary email addresses (but, maybe another time).
Now, dear reader(s), as soon as you buy a popular game and register using your new email address, you are bound to get an email saying, you are being notified that an attempt was made to sell your account, or you are suspected of ‘botting’ in the game, and your account is being suspended, unless you click here and login. DON’T. If a game suspects you of cheating, or violating the EULA, they shut you down, and it’s up to you to resolve the situation. I’ve gotten literally hundreds of emails, and most go into my junk mail, about my World of Warcraft account, which I don’t have. If you click on the link in a suspicious email and enter your login information, you have lost your game to whomever sent the email. They can delete your characters, or take everything of value from those characters, and more probably, get your account banned because they tried to sell virtual items for real money. Don’t fall for realistic looking emails in your junk email.
How many email accounts do you need? That’s up to you. That email will be used to send you information about updates, maybe future expansions, and more importantly, it will be used to validate your email address for the game, and if you ever forget that password. This leads me into my next topic, Steam.
What is Steam?
Mael, why are we talking about steam? Boil water and viola!
I’m talking about the gaming portal, Steam. Um, what? Let me give you the wiki quick and dirty answer: Steam is a digital distribution, digital rights management, multiplayer, and communications platform developed by Valve Corporation. It is used to distribute games and related media online, from small independent developers to larger software houses. (As a caveat, Elder Mael uses Steam). Steam is a place where you can buy games, play them, and chat with other gamers. Every game purchased through Steam, goes into your library. You launch your game from there and receive updates for your games. Steam also helps smaller developers with distribution, and they validate that you are authorized to play that game. Another benefit, if you buy a new computer or purchase a laptop, simply re-install Steam, and you’ll have access to your gaming library. You may lose your saved games, but this is not a problem on larger games, where your information is stored on the game’s server. And, they have sales! Oh my, I go broke saving money when Steam has a sale. 60%, 75%, 90% off sales are not uncommon. And Steam is the reason my Hawken review is a little late. They have decided to use Steam as a way to distribute their free-to-play game. I use Steam, and have not had any problems other than buying too many games when they go on sale. I will be reviewing some free-to-play games that require you to have a Steam account. So take the time and sign up, if you have not already done so. Registering for a Steam account is free and does not require a credit card. All you need is a valid email address where you can receive messages.
Humble Bundle
Humble Bundle is a site where you pay what you want, support charities, and can purchase many games that are bundled together. Not two or three, but often six or more are available. They have a sale every week, and have a store where games can be purchased. Better yet, most of the time, if you pay more than a dollar, you’ll get steam keys to put your game into your Steam library. Sometimes, the game is automatically put into your library if you set up your humble bundle account to do so. Support charities, inexpensive games, sales every week, occasionally e-books; what’s stopping you from at least checking out Humble Bundle? And, yes, I have purchased way too many games from them.
Free games from the dark side of the Internet
I’m talking about pirating games. Making illegal copies for friends or worse yet, selling the pirated software. Here are Elder Mael’s rules about pirating games:
- DON’T DO IT!
- See Rule #1
Game developers spend quite a bit of time developing games, in some cases well over
5 years, which they deserve to get remuneration for their efforts. Purchasing
your game will help the publisher and developers stay in business; buying could
help them decide to make a sequel. Whether it is two people in a garage
developing a game meant for a few friends or a large company such as ArenaNet
with several hundred employees working on the latest Guild Wars 2 update, they
all deserve to be paid for their efforts. Besides, If you’ve read my blurb about Steam and Humble Bundle, you’ll have no reason to pirate games when they can had for next to nothing.
Elder Mael 