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If i want a game I buy it. But sometimes I play it first.
IMHO it is also alright to use a pirate copy to get a usable copy of software you already own. Some old DOS games I bought, and either cant find or have on 3.5 floppy are best replaced by a .zip file from the usual sites.

I avoid using Steam if I can as it takes up processor power, some of my high spec games are cracked pirate copies many of which have been streamlined by the pirates. I have copies of premium title games has never been used, so their DVD keys are unused either, I wont resell them because I consider them mine and the devs deserve to be paid for their work. Fair is fair. But with that obligation sorted out I have no problems with installing and and playing from a cracked .zip file copy. A lot of the crackers on the major pirate sites know what they are doing and include patches in the crack, or fix the games themselves.. Besides Steam takes up about 10% of the processing power of a major game itself. Not running Steam means more processing power for the game, and a marked performance boost. I don't like having to go online frequently and update my gaming progress either, or have the software log what I am doing. In its own way I find Steam as reprehensible as Windows. It also allows people to play on a desktop where there is no land line phone and no permanent net connection.

I was sorely tempted to pirate the DLC for titles with grasping DLC policies. Though I haven't done that yet. Normally I just wait for the DLC to be bundled and discounted. There are enough games out there that I have no temptation to play any game on release.

If Microsoft can use all this spying to figure out a time to reboot my computer when I am not actually needing to work on it, that would be great.

 d-usa wrote:
If Microsoft can use all this spying to figure out a time to reboot my computer when I am not actually needing to work on it, that would be great.

This always annoys me too. In the middle of a good game having a fun time and all of a sudden your screen goes black? Oops, looks like Windows has decided it's time to install that update! Feth youuuuuuuu!

Choose the timing of updates yourself.

Almost all MS updates will happen on a Tuesday/Wednesday.
At the start of either day, run Windows Update, and you get to control the patching.