For me personally, I spend the majority of my gaming purchases on Linux titles, but if a non-Linux title is sufficiently discounted and I really want it, and I can play it with WINE/Proton, then sure... I'll buy the odd "Windows" title. Linux native titles do take high precedence though.

going into steam discussion forums for <insert gamename> and then saying "no tux, no bucks" is not ideal imo. If i was a dev i would just lock this thread and thats it. imo even the "+1" posts are better.


But overall, yeah to support the devs that do proper linux ports is a good thing and should be the main goal imo. I'm also fine buying discounted "windows" game to play with proton/wine - but i don't buy it at full price then, exception was Dirt Rally 2.0 though :D since i just loved Dirt Rally 1


edit: Devs who dont want to make linux ports could just say "No Bucks, no tux" :D

Between helpful and harmful I don't think either applies. I don't think it really matters much in the long run. For me it's mere a matter of value. A native game has much more value to me than a non-native game. I'm willing to purchase a native game even though it is unlikely I'll have time to play it because I appreciate the effort of bringing it to Linux. That's obviously not something I would do for non-native games. A lot I do intend to play at some point. If I can find the time. In practice that means non-native games pretty much get skipped. Too big of a native backlog to worry if something might have enough value for me if it's not on Linux. There'll be some exceptions. For instance, I do intend to play Witcher 3 in the future because I enjoyed the other two. I also bought a couple of games which had later games of the series on Linux. So even though Proton/dxvk is there, I still don't consider non-native games to have enough value.

I always look for native whenever possible, as for Windows I only buy them when they meet certain criteria - Working near or perfectly in Wine and must be heavily discounted, at least 50%.

I do think it's helpful. Voting with one's wallet is the best way for a consumer to affect the market. Of course the impact of a single purchase is minimal, but as long as there are more interesting games being released for Linux than I could ever find time to play, I'm perfectly happy with this policy. Granted, I can see how it is more limiting to people who are into social gaming and multiplayer stuff, but I'm not, so I'm fine.

In any case, if I really wanted a Windows game, I wouldn't mind waiting months or even years for a really high discount. I might get a GOTY bundle of something like the Witcher 3 for ten € or less some day in the future, for example. It'll be just as good then as it is now.

EDIT: I see I'm mostly echoing Ehvis' words here. :)

I think this is overall more helpful, as games do get developed mostly as part of a business, which usually only capitulate to consumer demand when consumers act as a group against corporate interests. (the computer industry is a prime example, where all the secrecy and legal burdens really just serve the interest of capital instead of serving consumer interests or innovation)

We got a lot of games on linux thanks to Valve interest and the tireless work of many porters, but unless people expect equal treatment they will never get it. And it's easier than ever to port, thanks to the quality of ogl/vulkan drivers and the adoption of the latter among game developers.

I think in the age of Steam Play, it has become more important if you care about support. Steam Play spread a small niche across the entire market, so people are buying less Linux supported games now. I've already seen multiple developers talk about Steam Play like it's an actual deployment target, which is problematic for so many reasons...

However, "no tux no bucks/bux" is a ridiculous saying I started hating a long time ago. It tells a developer nothing, unless they're intimately familiar with the Linux community and frankly it comes across quite rude. I'll give you an example: https://twitter.com/AntonHand/status/1155562112057368577

That post spread like wildfire and made Linux gamers look pretty ridiculous. Even if you don't agree that it was rude, it's still too abrupt and idiotic to be useful to get support. We have to help educate those types of people, to get them to stop making stupid posts like that so we end up spreading across developer networks, where they all end up agreeing we're not worth the hassle. Be polite, it's not hard.

It goes back to Marc's article on how to be a good advocate and not come across like an arse.

"No Tux, No Bux" is definitely not something you say to a developer. That would be ridiculous and makes you look entitled. I'm a big proponent for "No Tux, No Bux" and IMO it's purely a policy one applies to themselves and doesn't shove it in the face of devs. It's more helpful to politely ask if Linux plans exist and thank developers when they do ship for Linux.

As for the overall helpfulness, I view that voting with your wallet (just like voting in general) is an important thing to do, even if your individual choices are but a drop in a bucket.

It's definently not something you copy paste into conversations with devs, but more of a principle. I do not apply it all the time, but the time the only games i consider buying on their normal price (outside of sales) are ones where the developer provides native support. I even held out on buying Hitman until the Feral port came out. (but then with Hitman 2 i bought the game in a sale for steamplay. I'd consider buying a second copy if Feral ported this one too though.)

Quoting: Xpandergoing into steam discussion forums for <insert gamename> and then saying "no tux, no bucks" is not ideal imo. If i was a dev i would just lock this thread and thats it. imo even the "+1" posts are better

Quoting: Liam DaweHowever, "no tux no bucks/bux" is a ridiculous saying I started hating a long time ago. It tells a developer nothing, unless they're intimately familiar with the Linux community and frankly it comes across quite rude. I'll give you an example: https://twitter.com/AntonHand/status/1155562112057368577

Quoting: Samsai"No Tux, No Bux" is definitely not something you say to a developer. That would be ridiculous and makes you look entitled. I'm a big proponent for "No Tux, No Bux" and IMO it's purely a policy one applies to themselves and doesn't shove it in the face of devs. It's more helpful to politely ask if Linux plans exist and thank developers when they do ship for Linux.

I'm referring to the idea rather than those exact words. I would never dream of saying that to a devs face lol. It's just a convenient saying for expressing the idea of not buying a game for use in proton. I also edited the original as it seems quite a few people thought I was referring to those exact words.