Yes.
What if i want to play the original portal game on a pc that cannot have internet? Steam does not allow me to download a straight installer, its a license with a long list of acceptable and non acceptable uses.
Don’t get me wrong i love valve and what they have done for gaming as a concept, as a linux i would not Be able to game as i do if it was not for proton.
But if i purchase a game i demand to own my copy.
I actually have a database where i keep pirate and cracked copies of games i own legit licenses because i refuse to have my rights limited simply because of the possibility of a victimless crime where checks note some big corp gets slightly less profit.
All games should be available standalone.
And while, am speaking my software opinions
If i buy a game license on one system it should cover that game all other platforms and systems. No more buying the same game twice just to play on different hardware. (This makes less sense if its a dedicated copy and not a license though)
All software from hardware that is no longer receiving support must be open sourced, i am looking at you near mint first gen ipad mini. I die before you end on a landfill in such good state.
Oh no worries, i am technical and autistic enough to setup systems that will serve my actual needs, regardless of economic/industry expectations.
Lutrius is great but i prefer Heroic game launcher, it can do the same but does also provides convenient acces to gog, epic and amazon licenses. I am only storing backup copies of games if i actually find it worth it to keep them, and i acquired a lot of mediocre titles over the years.
I also do still do use steam with little hate towards it there own implementation of proton is hard to beat in its reliance. I have yet to find a single game within my steam library that fails to work properly on arch.
Doesn’t stop me from working on my own alternative local game server parallel to it, Mhehehehe
Regardless i still feel like i should just be able to legally download some standalone offline installer from a website for later use. Especially for older games that used to have physical copies. whether or not my system can run that installer as it is, is morally irrelevant.