Not sure if this goes here but i have a steam giftcard, but i also like free stuff for example piracy even if i barley do so and dont know much about it.
Its only 20 bucks but im not sure what its worth putting into.
Should i just get like a steam deck or something with a mix of my money and the gift card?
What would you advise?
There’s also games without DRM on Steam if you’d rather not spend more that what’s been gifted. As Steam itself doesn’t track those, there’s those two wikis keep track of it if you want:
https://steam.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games
https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/The_big_list_of_DRM-free_games_on_Steam
Iirc the maintainer of the wiki has a sister group in Steam’s forums, so people could ask him to migrate the wiki.
There are many independent small indie games, many DRM free, for less than $20 on steam. What kind of games do you play if any?
I really like games with replayiblity such as roguelikes, open world rpgs like skyrim for example, but i have so many hard roguelikes that ive grown sorta sick of them and i can never usually beat them.
Im trying to explore more types of games but havent really done so.
Have a look at Factorio. It’s DRM free and you can easily spend hundreds or thousands of hours on it if you like it. Try the free demo first. Also keep in mind that it’s never on sale (or always, depends how you look at it). Be warned though, it’s very addictive.
Here we see, another innocent victim being drawn into the addictive clutches of Cracktorio. The factory must grow.
I would buy a copy of a game you pirated but liked very much, just as a way of giving thanks
I don’t think it really goes here, but here’s my advice lol:
Unless you really need steam hardware (the steam deck is amazing for commuters, for example), you probably don’t need to buy it. That being said, they are fun to use, so feel free if you’d like to.
You can also get some games that are difficult to play pirated during a steam sale (mainly live service games, I believe). Just wishlist and wait.
I agree, don’t feel pressured to buy what you don’t need, don’t want, or can’t readily afford.
Another option is you could buy from one of your favorite developers. There are a handful of games that I’ve purchased (sometimes for friends) simply because I’ve liked their game.
There are lists of DRM-free games you could get if you’re concerned about Steam’s platform or want to run them independent of platforms. Here’s one such list from PCGamingWiki.com
Thanks you for the info! also i will leave this here for now because idk where else it goes or if it should be taken down?
I don’t think the admins mind, so you can just leave the post here. For future reference, head to somewhere like the steam, steamdeck, or steamdeck piracy communities.
The next Steam Sale is supposed to start December 12, so I’d browse around for any games that look interesting to you, add them to the wishlist and wait until the sale to make the most of your money.
If looking specifically thru the Piracy angle, maybe a game that you want to play but hasn’t been cracked yet, or one you want to play the Multiplayer
Sometimes it’s more convenient to have games on steam if you like their workshop content or they are still receiving significant updates. 
I would wait for a sale and then put that money into indie titles you are interested in
Steam as soms sales so…
I understand your point and there are many reasons why people pirate stuff.
If possible I would spend it on a game or software if you like.
May I suggest games that can be played offline like indie titles if your into them.
Not an indie but still great: Sleeping Dogs Definitive Edition it’s 20 euros and when at a discount drops till 3 euros.
I play on Linux myself work great and if your not into those online games with anti-cheats you can consider buying a steam deck.
Pick something that interests you but is made by a small, indie, maybe even solo dev. Check out some of the stuff made by people on lemmy in the Godot community maybe. Lots of cool projects to consider.
If you want a steam deck, get a steam deck.
It’s harder to run non steam games on it though.
But it’s taken over my pc in terms of usage.
(Edit: I also sprang for the dock. It’s been my living room machine ever since i got it)
I wouldn’t say harder just different. There’s alot of tutorials on how to install them. Plus you got launchers that will add your non steam stuff to steam.
Here’s my rule of piracy if you’re buying something
You’re really passionate about the product and you really want to support the developer or publisher
The game gets frequent updates which you see value in which causes issues whenever you have to download updates separately from another site
there is some type of online or connect feature that you cannot get offline that you see value in… This can be mods or multiplayer etc
Or if you want to play a game on a steam deck and it’s really cheap. After all, you and I both know it’s incredibly easy to play something on steam deck straight from Steam rather than having to shortcut to a pirated exe
