I finally have a properly working laptop, and now I shall get back to writing stuff for the site. I will try to keep it weekly from now on, it doesn’t take long to write and I have plenty of free time. This column is mostly for discussing the current gaming events, but occasionally I will include other things that I think are interesting. Such as today where I will discuss OnLive, and ACTA.

OnLive is something which you have probably heard of. It’s a service that allows you to stream games from a cloud computer over to yours. This means that you can play brand new games using an old PC, because it’s streamed over the internet like a video. I received a free OnLive console and some codes for free games on the service at EuroGamer expo.

Let’s start with the basic premise of the service. It’s an interesting concept. It allows you to play games without having to own an expensive PC. That’s pretty much the only upside, however. I can’t see why anyone would want to use OnLive, unless they couldn’t afford a decent PC or a console. I suppose the subscription is one thing. It allows you to pay a flat monthly fee and be able to play a lot of games as long as you like. There are some pretty big, if somewhat outdated games in the Playpack, titles like Bioshock 2, Saints Row 2 and Arkham Asylum. Certainly worth a month’s subscription fee in order to play and complete them, but other than that, a fairly useless investment unless you really can’t afford a console or PC.

I am enjoying using the free games I have been given. Arkham City, Assassins Creed Revelations and Saints Row the Third are all great games, but this isn’t trouble free gaming. I have a 20mb braodband connection here, and it still occasionally has network issues, which either severely decreases the quality of the game, or completely disconnects from the game. That sort of thing just doesn’t happen in the more usual gaming platforms.

Then there is the pricing structure. The games costs pretty much the same whilst new, but the older games cost much more than they usually would in a shop or second hand. I know most people haven’t figured this yet, but digital games should cost less than a real, disc version. And that’s not even considering the fact that you don’t own the games. Even if you pay full price, if your account becomes inactive they have the right to remove all their games from your inventory. Whether that’s just something they can theoretically do, or something they will actively do I don’t know, but the fact that they could do it is bad enough.

So, my review for OnLive isn’t glowing. I think it’s a neat idea, but the execution is mostly wrong. At the moment, the way it is, it is no match for the traditional methods of playing games.

Now onto ACTA. This is the new “law” that people are saying is going to kill the internet. After what just happened with SOPA and PIPA I think people are high on the sense that internet can do anything, and that people are out to destroy the internet.

I am going to say right out: ACTA is not the threat to the internet that SOPA and PIPA were. Firstly, remember that this law was signed 3 months ago in some countries, notably the anti-piracy heavy USA, and nothing has changed.

Firstly, let me tell you what ACTA actually is. It isn’t a law as such. It is a framework. By signing it, a country is not making any changes to their current laws. All it is is a framework for countries to work to, in order to make tackling piracy, and more importantly counterfeiting. the same in all countries.

This framework is not designed to break the internet. In fact, the latest draft would have pretty little effect upon the individuals. What it is designed to do is stop large scale piracy for commercial purposes, or basically, to stop people profiting from other peoples work. It’s really a very solid basis for a law, because it’s not right to profit off the work of others.

When it gets to us as individuals, very little would change. People are worried that border crossing but that wouldn’t be affected. ACTA discourages searching personal items for counterfeit or copyright goods. Again, I will state that this is about big scale operations looking to profit from piracy. We should stop over reacting to this if we don’t know what it is actually about.

Especially considering the fact that this doesn’t even change anything, it’s all blowing steam for no reason. Just keep an eye out for the acts that actually get made by each company to enact the parts of ACTA, and everything will be fine. Read more here, it gives a much better account of what ACTA does than my short summation: http://www.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/or8ag/ive_read_the_final_version_of_acta_heres_what_you/