PC games have next to no resale value to begin with, so I don't think that's even a consideration. You can't trust people not to just sell you the disc and keep on using the CD key, leaving you with a nicely packaged coaster. Besides, having the games on Steam means that every time you reinstall a game it's up to date, you can play the game on any computer with an internet connection, and you can preload new games before they even get released, so you have it installed and ready to go the moment it hits. Sale prices on Steam are better than just about any retail deal you could hope to find, and group discounts on new games makes it cheaper than buying the physical copy as well.
Of course it has the drawback of not being able to loan out individual games, but I think what it offers more than makes up for that. As an added bonus, it will allow me to play games without the need for an optical drive, which is great because I don't plan on putting one in my next PC. I haven't used the DVD-ROM drive in my current PC more than a dozen times in the last three years, and I don't even use it for OS installs anymore since installing from a flash drive is so much faster.
EvilGuy: Going on a limb here in assuming you are in your 20's ? Steam is a bad idea in the long run. The average game is completed within a week and very little replay value offered. With Steam you are unable to loan it out to friends or to sell.
That aside think of future "retro" collectors, and how people go crazy for old stuff now. My mom threw away all my old boxed games from the 80's and 90's and they would be worth a lot of money these days. Digital downloads are worthless, and you might as well be going to the time-proven Fairlight for it.
I don't see how you are saving money, games I bought digitally were the same price as retail box like Blizzard games and Bad Company 2. I put alot of hours into BC2 I should have got the box so it could sit on the shelf next to my other BF1942 games.
