That is a common mischaracterization of Steam but it is technically incorrect.
Steam itself is the distribution platform (authentication/payment system and package manager). It can be used to deliver both DRMed and DRM-free content [1]. Valve's own DRM (called "Custom Executable Generation" or "CEG" for short) is part of the Steamworks framework; many games published on Steam do use CEG and some games also include third-party DRM on top of or instead of it [3] but it is not mandatory to use CEG for your game for it to be published on Steam.
Now, you could argue that Steam encourages the use of DRM but that's a rather different discussion.
As long as you are required to have an active Steam account to play the games you purchased on Steam, an account that can be revoked if you break the terms and agreements, then it is a form of rights management. The simplest form of rights management it has is that it will not allow two simultaneous connections to the same account, regardless if you have nothing but DRM free games in the account.
Steam is a software/store to purchase (not sure if purchase is the correct term) video games. Steam requires you to use an account and all your purchases are logged in it. So when/where-ever you use that account, you have access to the games.
Steam forces you to authenticate online with your account before you can use the Steam software to run the games. If you fail to authenticate or if Steam decides to remove your account or else, you cannot use Steam. That is the DRM part.
You know what else enables you to download your games from all over the place? A file that you put on any of the free or paid file hosting services. For example, I bought Machinarium, downloaded the file and put it on my private online drive.
Steam prevents you from re-selling or even gifting the games you licensed, or from buying and playing games without having all your usage data being sent back to them.
Can you play these free games on Steam without an account that have terms placed upon it?
Sorry, I seriously doubt anyone would ever be able to convince me that Steam is not DRM. If a game that has no third party DRM is purchased on Steam then Steam is required to be running to play that game. It limits you in how you play the game in numerous ways in relation to your account, such as one computer at a time. You cannot buy one copy of a game and give your friend access to your Steam account so the two of you can play multiplayer in that one copy of the game at the same time on the same account.
If you break the terms and agreements of Steam and have your account locked then you lose access to all your games, free or purchased.
Steam is a form of rights management.
Not that I have a problem with Steam as I am currently a happy customer.
> Can you play these free games on Steam without an account that have terms placed upon it?
Yes. You might need Steam to install them, but that's just for delivery. Afterwards you can play them without an account or without having steam installed and on another PC.
To quote: "This is a list of games available on Steam that do not use the Steamworks CEG component, making them effectively DRM-free once installed. This means that you can copy the game folder anywhere you want and launch the .exe directly without being online or having Steam running."
You know, my first thought was that you were wrong. But then I was thinking that maybe something changed after the influx of the new free-to-play games that recently appeared on Steam. So I decided to look into this.
From what I've read you are correct in that Steam can be a delivery service in that some games do not require the Steam client to be active. Although, they do seem in the minority. I found that it interesting that games using DosBox tend to not require Steam running to play. I was not aware of that.
Although, I still stand by my statement that Steam is still DRM in that an account is required to use it. It's just that unlike most DRM, the range of rights management that it supports is broad. As long as an account that can be revoked is required then, admittedly to me, it is a form of rights management.
a) No, because email is the product in of itself. If you had to have an email account, login into your email account through a client, and then access something else that requires the previous two then I would say in that instance that it is DRM. In that case the email client would be the source of the DRM, not the email it gives you.
b) If you are required to have an account for a piece of software that controls your access to other software, be it to use or just download, then yes I see that as a form of rights management. To use my own analogy, I can burn my own DVD with no DRM and play it on my DVD player, but the DRM is still required to play commercial discs; therefore the DRM still exists even though I have an opportunity to not be encumbered by it. Or here's another thought, if someone's account on Steam was revoked, can they still use that account to download the free-to-play games that have no DRM? Granted, they could just create another free account, but still...
With b) it's as I said, I understand your view and you certainly need your account for that one time when you buy the game. So if your account gets closed at a later time you still have full access to the game. But that would make Amazon.com DRM as well as you can't buy your game without having an Amazon account.
In that case, yes I view Amazon as a form of rights management. On their system you are allowed to purchase and take delivery of said game, after that it no longer manages anything anymore.
But I don't think you understand my view. Just because a rights management system lets you do something without encumbering you doesn't suddenly mean it isn't a rights management system.
Your view seems to be that in a few situations Steam operates as a delivery service for a free game that Steam does not restrict you in any way beyond that, therefore it is not a rights management system. My view is that it is because the rights management is clearly in the system, it's just up to the developer to use it or not.
It's even conceivable that Valve could restrict a person's account from downloading a free-to-play game for whatever reason they desire.
The downloading of a free game is the simplest form of rights management it has, it lets you download the game with your account. But in many, if not almost all, other instances it manages your rights based on the criteria of the system and developer.
Steam is DRM, but it was created to balance out the needs of the consumer and producer that hopefully benefits both. Just because most forms of DRM seem to be created to only benefit the producer and not the consumer doesn't make DRM a horrible thing. Therefore, it doesn't seem right to try to explain something like Steam, that can behave as DRM, in a way that makes it seem like it isn't DRM.
By the way, I've enjoyed the discussion, it's given me new things to consider in my viewpoint on DRM and Steam.
Steam is DRM. Steam enables me to download my games from all over the place, because their DRM knows that I bought the game at least once.
Not always a hinderance