I've been searching for the 70% of PC sales stat, and the closest I could get was a 2009 report by Stardock, which said that Steam counted for 70% of digital distribution (not all PC games). Interestingly, I can't find the original .pdf doc that gave specifics (all the links I can find for the 2009 doc are inactive).

I remember reading the Stardock report when it came out, and as far as I recall, it did not include the casual game portals like Big Fish. Apparently they don't count?

If anyone can find a copy of the Stardock report, I'd love to read it again to see if memory is playing tricks on me.

In terms of the PC games sections shrinking in stores --sadly, yes, it's happening. I was in Best Buy today and the PC game section was about one fifth of the size it was a few years ago.

Becky, it states your statistics here.

Ana

http://www.stardock.com/press/CustomerReports/Stardock2009.pdf

On p. 7 of the pdf

The breakdown of which online sites they included must have been in something else I was reading. Thanks for your help!

To clarify something: when it comes to Asylum, the game will be available in as many channels as possible. I can tell you that we're talking to GOG and I will definitely upload to Desura. Personally, I really dislike DRM.

However, I'm afraid that we don't have a choice with Steam. It's true that perhaps adventure gamers tend to do their shopping elsewhere, but developers are missing a huge cut of sales if they don't make it to Steam. I can't confirm the 70% figure myself but I was told this is the case by many publishers. Not just digital sales, but ALL of PC gaming. It's that huge.

(keep in mind that Stardock report is ages old in "industry years")

So I think we have to work towards guaranteeing that adventures have a strong presence on Steam, even if you don't like the service. When the largest distribution channel for PC believes that "adventures don't sell", it just doesn't bode well for the future of the genre

Well I'm very happy to hear that you are talking to GOG
A DRM free version that I can burn to disk is the next best thing to a boxed disk - for me, anyway

Agustin's example is a very good one that I had in mind. You might not care for boxed games, but it seems very typical of adventure gamers to want to own boxed versions of their games.
Further examples are, yes, inclusion of new elements such as keyboard controls, timing, action, etc..., Another example is tending to not want to part with the PC (whereas most genres have expended to Xbox or other video games consoles)

The reason this isn't elitist at all is that I never claimed to not belong to this group of people - I myself for example dislike action scenes in my adventure games and also like to collect boxed versions. I do not own any game console other than my computer. However, at the same time I own quite a few games on Steam and try to keep an open mind for new "twists" in the adventure genre (just like Myst wasn't considered as an adventure by many at the time, but is today a prototype for a whole class of adventure games - criteria change, and the answer to "what is an adventure game?" changes with time)

I did not mean to insult anyone here, I was just stating what in my eyes is a rather obvious fact: the adventure genre is progressing(call it altering, if you want) both technically and conceptually much slower than other genres, and its fans (me included) tend to be more conservative in this respect. That's what I meant with progress, which I generally consider positive.

And Agustin, good luck with Asylum, I hope it makes it!

I consider the real progress to be the current move AWAY from DRM-infested on-line stores. Boxed or not boxed, physical or download copy, I couldn't care less. But I have an issue with DRM. And because of this I simply can't bring myself to even register to a service like Steam, even if it's only to vote for a game I would want to see released.

Really wish Agustin and his projects the best though. I will definitely buy Asylum if it finds its way to GOG or to other sites in DRM-free form.

Asylum is by far the most atmospheric adventure game I've seen/played in a long long time. So I think that to support this game on Steam is the least we can do. My vote was decided right when this game hit Greenlight.

Remember that by voting for the game you help a developer. It has nothing in common with you buying the game from steam or other sources. We are in times when publishers tell us that adventure games are too risky and don't generate enough revenues.

Let's help those who still have enough energy to keep this fight.

Best of luck Agustín!

Thank you so much, metamorphium! While we are at this, remember to support the non-adventure but funny as Hell Vampires! You won't regret it

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=97055339&searchtext=vampires

With your help, Asylum has been steadily climbing to the top and it's one of the Top 100 games. In fact, it's currently #75. To put things in perspective: yesterday it was #85! So we have skipped 10 positions in less than one day!!

Like I said before, keep in mind there are many other adventures that need help. My collection "Adventures In The Green" is currently among the five most popular this week (in part due to the success of Asylum but also thanks to dozens of shares) and lists 20 adventures that deserve your attention: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=96152495

Bottom line: this is a "snowball" effect. The popularity of one game can spread like wildfire to similar ones. The Greenlight system has its faults but I've come to understand what Steam is pretending with this and it's not that bad. Even if you don't have a Steam account, consider sharing links and collections.

Again, I can't stress the importance of guaranteeing a strong presence of adventures on Steam!

Agustín, vampires are already getting amazing support from Gameboomers, but I did compile a slowly growing list of "Games that have you use your brain!".

http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/?id=97491051

Apart from known games, there was a huge discovery - an adventure game called "Cradle". Not knowing much, I'm already intrigued.

Both Cradle and Contrast are doing remarkably well. Contrast in particular could be among the next Greenlighted!

There are threads on Cradle here on GameBoomers.

I voted for Asylum, Vampires, Al Emmo, Gray Matter, and more today

Yes, I too would love to see Steam become a reliable place to find good adventures

I Voted. Oooh, that looks scary!
Terri