Actually, you do lose access to the game if Steam deactivates your account, game license, or otherwise locks you out. You not only need Steam to download the game, but you cannot play the game without Steam open and running. Thus, there is no added security in physical copies of Steamworks games.

I was talking about Steam going out business and they have said that will unlock all games if this happens (and if somehow they didn't I'm sure Firaxis would release a patch that did). Steam going out of business is the only scenario in which I would need the security of a physical copy, otherwise I can use the electronic one.

So you don't think all that stuff Steamworks gives them that they'd have to get from somewhere else is a factor? If my options are Steamworks, Gamespy (which has licensing fees), or GFWL (which everybody hates), then this is not a tough call.

Other scenarios include your Steam account getting stolen, Valve deactivating your account, or Valve otherwise removing your access to the game. Should another company ever acquire Valve, they may make changes to your account per the Steam subscriber agreement, or via an updated agreement.

The above scenarios are unlikely but possible, and represent flaws with the service.

Primary factor, not sole factor. The other factors are important.

I hadn't thought about having my account stolen, that would suck, though that's a risk for any online service and I'm sure it's something I could get resolved without too much trouble (the issue being how long it would take). I'm not worried about Valve randomly deactivating my account or removing access to the game though any more then I'm worried about my bank randomly deactivating my savings account and saying they are going to keep all the money. Both could theoretically happen, but both are outside the realm of things you should realistically worry about and would result in massive lawsuits and loss of business.

This sucks; Valve is going to make me pirate a game that I would have been happy to pay for...  j/k   Or maybe I'm not.... 

I guess Civ 4 with the xp's & mods, and the inevitable EWOM Civ mod will have to do. 

http://pc.ign.com/articles/112/1122096p1.html

Wrong thread.

All of which are much less likely than you losing a physical copy of the game, along with the dvd case containing the serial.

Also stolen account can easily be recovered.

I disagree. I know several people who have had Steam accounts hijacked. It is a common practice and the thieves are quite clever with their phishing and hacking methods.

Another troubling policy: If your account is VAC-banned while hijacked, Valve will not remove the ban. Many stolen accounts are used for cheating and many get banned via VAC. Enjoy.

Well that only means that you can't play on their multiplayer servers not that you lose access to your games. I'm inclined to agree with that policy, otherwise everyone who cheats would just claim that their account was stolen.

Valve could easily verify this by checking connection logs and such. It's a terrible policy because it puts convenience (for Valve) ahead of the customer. I'm inclined to condemn a system that assumes that its users are potential cheaters.

But hey, that's old-fashioned. In a Mark Zuckerberg world, you take whatever your license agreement tells you and you like it, or you are a defective person.

You don't think it's users are potential cheaters? Have you ever played an online first person shooter like modern warfare? The number of people who blatantly use cheats is unbelievable and it can really kill the enjoyment of the game.