One little detail I feel like bringing up about Linux gamers: WINE compatibility layer.

It seems to me that plenty of Linux people who play games are not sticking to Linux to do it.

Some boot up consoles to play console-specific games (e.g. Horizon Zero Dawn on Sony PS4)
Some boot up to Windows to play Windows-specific games (e.g. Player Unknown Battlegrounds)
Some play Windows games via WINE on Linux (e.g. Witcher 3 or Skyrim)

My problem with the above is that it isn't helping Linux gain traction. All those Linux users, who play the above non-Linux games are bringing the Linux percentage down. It's not so big a deal if the game isn't sending usage analytics back to the game publisher or back to Steam, but when it is, then it is making Linux userbase smaller than it actually occupies. (i.e. If that Linux user was playing a Linux game instead of a Windows / WINE / console game.)

My feeling is that Linux user percentage worldwide could be as high as 3 to 4 percent. And, that userbase would play more games on Linux, if those games were available on Linux.

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Big fan of Dungeon Warfare, Kingdom Rush and TD games generally (as long as they're good ones, well balanced, where you can implement different strategies). I'm also looking forward to Dungeon Warfare 2.

Added Defender's Quest to my Steam Wishlist, based on these reviews.

I have Kingdom Rush: Frontiers on Android, and from my last memory of playing it I'm pretty sure I was finding it "too hard".

I've played and enjoyed Space Run - finished most of the missions, but not all yet. Certainly didn't feel that I was over-restricted in the placement of armaments and defences. I think the most negative thing I have to say about Space Run is that the developer never got round to releasing the follow-up game Space Run Galaxy for Linux ( oh well :( ).

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I did a tiny amount of Linux beta testing. Might be doing some more and reporting back to the developer.

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I decided to pick up retro-style beat-'em up game Mother Russia Bleeds which is currently on sale at 75% discount on Steam. Haven't tried it out yet. Looks "interesting" ;)

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I want to support new games the moment they come out... but at the same time I want all the DLC for the game, without having to buy it later. Whereas people who don't buy early, wait for the Game Of The Year (GOTY) version and get everything in one go and a much better value deal as well.

In my case I bought Pillars, then White March I, then White March II, and NOW there is Deadfire DLC (and the 'GOTY' Definitive version which has it all.)

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I've been considering buying Shadow Warrior 2 (60% off) on GOG, even though it is "for Windows only" (BOO HOO!)

But, I've stuck to the "No Tux, no bucks" philosophy and resisted buying it. I really do aim to play games only on Linux... It boosts Linux gaming stats and I can leave my Windows partition to rot. The Halloween Sale on GOG is over now, so SW2 is back to full price again ( "Temptation averted" ).

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Quoting: BrisseYeah, but my point is that you seemed to imply with your last comment that pirates don't count towards Steam statistics which is just plain wrong.

No, my implication was that someone who pirates will potentially do so, whenever possible. Agreeing with you that people can selectively pirate software, i.e. buy some stuff and pirate other stuff. However, if the person is in Steam statistics, it probably means they bought the game on Steam or acquired a steam key some other way, possibly fraudulently.

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Quoting: BrisseThere's no reason someone who pirated Windows wouldn't have a legit Steam account with a few legally owned games on it. The world isn't that black and white.

Here's some Black and White for you..

You play legitimately bought games on pirated Windows - you're a pirate.
You play pirated games on pirated Windows - you're a pirate.

You play legitimately bought games on free Linux - you're not a pirate.

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Quoting: Guest

Quoting: g000hI think what annoys me about this news is the fact that most of the copies of Windows being used in China are pirated. Previous news stories estimate 90% of Windows in China is pirated. A few years ago, Steve Ballmer stated it being the case. It is clear that Chinese do not want to pay for software, probably because typical earnings are not great and probably because they can get away with it without fear of repercussions.

The thing is... They could be using Linux instead, and for FREE. And no WannaCry or other malware that has gone through Windows installs over there. Imagine the boost to Linux if all those Chinese had not been pirating...

What makes you think that Chinese Linux users would bother to pay for the games?

Answering your question: Anyone who pirates operating system software is just as likely to pirate games or application software. In the case of games which don't have an online multiplayer component, e.g. playing The Witcher 3, Skyrim, Dark Souls, then I'm sure that piracy is rife.

However, games which use a gamer id to login to an online multiplayer game, e.g. Overwatch, PUBG - Then the publishers can identify pirates and ban them. In these cases, I expect there are game purchases being made. Also noting that these are Steam statistics, so I expect the game has been bought (or the steam key acquired fraudulently) for the pirate to play it.

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I think what annoys me about this news is the fact that most of the copies of Windows being used in China are pirated. Previous news stories estimate 90% of Windows in China is pirated. A few years ago, Steve Ballmer stated it being the case. It is clear that Chinese do not want to pay for software, probably because typical earnings are not great and probably because they can get away with it without fear of repercussions.

The thing is... They could be using Linux instead, and for FREE. And no WannaCry or other malware that has gone through Windows installs over there. Imagine the boost to Linux if all those Chinese had not been pirating...

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