Remember When The Internet Was Free?
 

As I browse Google and Yahoo to try to find stuff, I find myself coming across various paysites, member sites, and the like. I remember when the Internet used to be free, and you didn't have to pay to get stuff. Like this IGN and Gamespot crap. And, heck, IGN has some incorrect information(MGS3 is set in 1967? Whatever. The trailer specifically states 1964.). Who wants to pay for incorrect information?

So, since almost every place on the Internet is "pay this," "members that," etc., what do you guys do to get your fixes? I personally have resorted to using Japanese Google to search the Asian Underworld[aka Bootleg Capital of the World(aka Hong Kong)] to find some stuff for free. Or I resort to people doing the work for me and going through that swamp to provide me(and the public) what little free stuff they can find. Gamefaqs.com is good for relaying information you'd have to pay to get on Gamespot.

Besides porn sites, I don't see 'members only' or 'pay' often.

I do. As listed abve, Gamespot and IGN. Then when I look for PC game mods, I find sites that have the files hosted on member sites. "Here, we have a link to this mod, but it's on a member site." Various stuff like that.

I miss Happy Puppy being free. I used to find all kinds of good games from the demos there. Now its a member only pay thing.

I remember the internet kinda being lame when it was free. It wasn't the freeness that made it lame of course. It was the lack of qaulity in most of the free things.

If you really want free stuff, you'll spend the extra time looking for it. Otherwise, just pay for it and get over it.

I don't ever remember bandwith or internet access being free. The fact that there's alot more pay sites now is because there are a demand for services for which people are willing to pay for, it's simple supply and demand. Go Capitalism!

As well, ever since the much-revered "Dot Com Bubble" burst, many of these online sites could not even exist without membership dues. If it's a choice between paying or losing them altogether, it's not such a bad deal to sign up. Many of them are not outrageous, anyway. Really, though, I haven't encountered many sites that require membership. It hasn't been an obstacle for me in any way, shape or form.

I agree with Otaku, I use to go to Ign all the time back when it was still Game Sages for everything. But since the Dot Com Boom everything is either a paysite or an add site. Sure Irealize why but one second everything is free the next everything requires a credit card number. Which is why I keep a list of sites that require everything I need for free.

So people can make some money from what they've created. You'd do the same in their position. I find that if I come across a pay site, I can usually find something of the same/near-enough quality elsewhere. Though hentai sites really annoy me 'Free access' then 'email address' THEN 'gimme money'. Thank God for search engines...