Huh, I actually never used Steam until it came to Linux. I switched back in 2010 or so, and before that I either downloaded games directly from the dev or bought disks.

I don't understand what was wrong with that model. I remember buying Minecraft directly from the website back in 2012 or so, and I did the same with Factorio (2014?). I remember playing Starcraft 2 with its own launcher, which again I got through the website. The same is true for League of Legends.

I don't get why everything has to be through some launcher, though I do appreciate what Steam is doing for the Linux community, so they have earned my business (if it wasn't for Steam, I wouldn't play nearly as many games). But from an overall gaming perspective, I agree that having such a dominant platform isn't good, and I would probably buy from other stores if they offered a decent experience, but I'm not going to jump through hoops to play games.