User blog comment:Kacj321/Skyrim PC Specs Released/@comment-93.141.86.169-20111029095339/@comment-4113369-20111101185453

Steam is becoming more common because it's a decent form of DRM. Thanks to all the 1337 h4x0rz out there DRM is nowadays more about prolonging the time it takes for the game to be cracked, rather than to prevent the cracking at all. Without Steam, I'd be willing to bet that more companies would opt for the really annoying stuff, like Spore's DRM which limited the number of times you could install it, or a DRM like in Assassin's Creed. That one is apparently the most effective one out there (it took a month to crack, if I rembember correctly), but now that it's cracked Ubisoft is basically punishing and/or penalizing people who actually buy the game. It might not seem ideal, but it's a blessing compared to the alternatives.