The difference being that GOG games do not need a crack, a client, or use any DRM.
The last part is the reason I buy from GOG instead of Steam. Also because I like oldies and GOG does a great job at making them work on modern systems (with notable exceptions) while Steam is more than happy to sell you a game that only works on Windows 98.
One particular case I remember was the Commandos series that Steam advertised at the time as Windows 7 compatible even if it was absolutely unplayable. I returned it and bought GOG's version that worked just fine.
Gog has a tiny fraction of all games on the market, much less the AAA ones that people are playing. Steam has ~all games on the market, and ~all of them can be pirated.
So it's not very convincing that Gog somehow has it worse or that there's some unique obstacle with Gog. Steam DRM clearly isn't the challenge people think it is.
I doubt it will be many (from ones that are buying games right now). If you expect quality entertainment you should be willing to pay for it. (as with anything).
It's kinda copy of Windows strategy. I was using pirated version od Windows as kid but as I got more affluent I can totally justify to pay for it and turned into customer.
I don't know exact numbers but entertainment/games market should grow a lot as more of the world catches up, so it's worth to invest in capturing them. With current prices the big markets are basically US, Germany and China.
Given making an account is free, expect way more new "customers" now.
This is not theoretical. There is a lot of people that enjoys not paying for anything, if they can get away with it.
And no, I don't like entertainment industries that claim a lot of losses in the press and ask for subsidies or lobby for laws. But it is certainly real that there is a lot of software piracy.
But GOG doesn't do as good as steam does with region specific prices, and ensure that gamers from poorer countries pay less for games than from richer countries.
The last part is the reason I buy from GOG instead of Steam. Also because I like oldies and GOG does a great job at making them work on modern systems (with notable exceptions) while Steam is more than happy to sell you a game that only works on Windows 98.
One particular case I remember was the Commandos series that Steam advertised at the time as Windows 7 compatible even if it was absolutely unplayable. I returned it and bought GOG's version that worked just fine.