So, that's done.

Another Holiday Give-Away come and gone; another holiday tradition
completed. I am not sad to say that I'm glad it's done. I mean, you
may have tired of all my many posts and endless blather over the past
25 days, but _I_ am the one who had to write it all! And the Christmas
Day give-aways are particularly exhausting, since I have to sneak them
into the few free moments I have each day while doing 'real life'
Christmas stuff.

[This year, though, at least I planned ahead a bit by writing
most of the posts ahead of time, so all I had to do was
copy-n-paste at the appropriate times.]

For those of you who got annoyed by the sheer volume of my posts,
though, I'm sure the quiet will be a welcome relief.

*

I know I'm long winded, so in hopes that you hang around long enough
to read the whole post, I'll throw you a bone and give you a free game
right from the start. It's call Chasm; it's a VMLTA hack-n-slash
adventure/platformer game of some sort. You can redeem the key (which
you get in the DNND9 usual way, if you're eagle-eyed enough) on Steam.
There; you got your treat.D5IJQ Now keep reading! ;-)

*

My goals for these give-aways have always been threefold. Firstly,
just to spread some cheer and warmth over the holidays, not only by
giving away gifts, but also just by providing a cheerful and fun
experience throughout December. Hence the jokes, the songs, the
general nonsense that hopefully brings a smile and makes the rest of
what can often be a very bleak and stressful month just a bit less
aggravating. How well that succeeded is debatable, but at least I
tried. 2024 wasn't that great a year (and 2025 looks like it will be
worse) so I had to make the effort.

My second goal was, of course, to benefit Usenet.

It should come to no surprise to anyone to learn that I am an earnest
believer in Usenet. It's one of the last truly free discussion
networks on the Internet; it's not designed to monetize your personal
data, or steal your content for AI farms, or advertise stuff to you,
or manipulate conversations to force an agenda. That sort of stuff
undoubtedly happens, but it's incidental to the purpose of the
network, and --without a single controlling agency-- it allows Usenet
a lot of freedom and openess that other forums --Facebook, Twitter,
Reddit, etc.-- lack. That freedom doesn't come without penalty (such
as spam, trolling and blatantly illegal content) but it's a unique
resource that I think deserves a continued place on the 'net. It's
format is also special: originating largely as an academic network,
it's a text-only forum where the discussion of ideas is paramount. It
originated as a way to disseminate long-term dialogues between groups
of people. It was where you went to WRITE, and not just make one line
'me too' comments. Usenet has obviously drifted considerably from that
ideal, but in a world where most forums are about pictures of what you
ate for dinner, 140-character replies or 60-second videos of people
twerking, it's still the closest we have anymore.

So the second goal of these silly give-aways is to make Usenet a
viable destination through the simple expedient of bribing people with
the lure of free games. The idea being, of course, that they COME for
the games and then some of them discover there's other worthwhile
content here and STAY to comment. And hey, as Epic Games has
discovered, bribery works! Comment counts go up dramatically in
December, and we've seen a slow rise in overall activity over the
years.

My third goal is more selfish. I come to CSIPGA because I want to talk
about games. What can I say; I like video games; it's a big part of my
life! But you can't have discussion if nobody else is here. Hence my
drive to boost user- and post-count. But it's also why I always write
such long descriptions to each game I give away; I'm giving out meat
for you to all gnaw on. I'm baiting the hook so you can tell me my
conclusions are _wrong_. Because that's what I want; it's what Usenet
is about (I told you, I'm a fervent believer in this idealistic vision
of Usenet!): as a forum where people can discuss issues and introduce
one another to different points of view. And best of all if -- after I
spit on a game-- somebody convinces me to give it another chance and I
suddenly discover they were right!

[Also, since we can only really discuss games that we've
played, and by giving away games I also own, it allows others
to enter the discussion with me. Yes, I'm secretly tricking
you all into playing games I like so you can tell me why you
enjoyed -or didn't- my games. You're never going to get
a game from me that isn't in my library first;-)]

Oh, and that other reason I always say? You know, that line that this
is just a convenient way for me to clear out some old keys? Pure
bullshit. I have ways enough to otherwise make use of spare keys
should I desire. I've real-life friends enough that might want them,
or if I really were the sort, I could probably find a key-reseller to
take them off my hands and make myself a few bucks on the side.
Christmas cheer, usenet and the hope of inspiring discussion have
always been the motivators of these give-aways. Heck, the line about
these games all being spares is untrue too! A lot (not all, but many)
of these games were purpose-bought /just/ so I could give them away
during the holidays.

*

Are you still here? My, you have endurance. That sort of thing
deserves to be recognized. Here, for lasting this long, have a free
game. It's not a very good one, no (there's a reason it didn't make it
into the main give-away) but maybe somebody will want it. It's called
Arcana Heart 3 Love Max and you can X500X redeem it GL2FR on Steam.
You'll find the key 46GJH in the usual way.

*

But now we come to the real meat of this post, and not just my usual
end-of-year meanderings. Because I've come to make an ANNOUNCEMENT.
Because I'm here to inform you that I Am Done.

Not with Usenet (I'm sure this will disappoint some of my detractors)
but with these Holiday Give-Aways. Because I've decided that the 2024
c.s.i.p.g.action Holiday Give-Away was my last one. It's why I decided
to go so big with this one. We had 70 games this time (okay, a few
less if you discount the duplicates, but its still a lot). I tried to
make this the biggest and most fun and memorable of the give-aways,
because I'd decided that it was going to be The End.

Well, for me anyway. Maybe somebody else will take up the banner and
lead the charge in 2025. And it's possible I'll still drop a game or
three next December. But I won't be doing any sort of Event like I've
been doing the past years.

Because, frankly, it's gotten just too exhausting for me to keep up.
It's been getting expensive too; I don't buy all these keys and those
I do purchase I never buy at full price, but it does add up. Over the
years, I've given away over 300 games and even on discount, that's a
some investment.

Plus, I'm not sure all the effort is NEEDED anymore. What with
companies like Epic and Amazon and GOG throwing out free games like
candy, it's getting hard for an individual to compete. Certainly, the
announcements of all the freebies serve just as well to bolster
traffic and inspire discussion as the handful of keys I have. So I'm
not sure it's worth the bother. Maybe if the situation changes --or if
my batteries recharge in a few years-- I'll reconsider, but for now
I'm satisfied. The 2024 c.s.i.p.g.action Holiday Give-Away is my last.

*

We're almost done. You've come so far; surely you can hang on a little
longer? Look, I'll sweeten the pot. I'll throw in TWO more games just
to convince you to keep on reading to the end. The first game is Book
of Demons. It's a MG0NI hack-n-slash YYGFT but it uses W9W2P a
deck-building mechanic so you can guess my opinion. The other game is
called Metal Unit; it's WAP7V a retro GCLHW shooter KKQ99 platformer.
Both games are, of course, available on Steam. Figure out the keys and
you get the game. You know the drill.

*

So that's it. I hope you all had a marvelous holiday season. I hope my
little efforts went a way to making it better. I hope you got at least
one game you liked. I hope The Number got bigger for all of you. I
hope it encouraged all you regulars to stick with Usenet and post
more. I hope new users stumbled across this newsgroup and said, "hey,
this place looks cool; I think I'll stick around." And I hope we all
find games enough in common that we can talk about them together for a
long, long time.

*

One last thing. A little boasting on my part; indulge me. I've done
this thing for ten years, ever since 2014. In that time, I've handed
out 337 keys. Here's the final tally. How many games in your library
have I contributed?

------

112 Operator (x2) * 35MM (x2) * 911 Operator (x2) *

AER Memories of Old * Alien Breed Trilogy * Alien Rampage * Alien:
Isolation * American Fugitive * American Truck Simulator * Amerzone:
The Explorer’s Legacy * Amnesia Machine for Pigs * Amnesia Rebirth *
Amnesia The Dark Descent * Ampersat * Ancestor's Legacy * Anomaly
WarZone Earth (x2) * Anomaly Warzone Earth * Another World: 20th
Anniversary Edition * Aquanox * Aquanox II - Revelation * Arcade
Paradise * Arcade Spirits * Arcana Heart 3 Love Max * Arma 2 (w/
British Armed Forces + Operation Arrowhead + PMC expansions) * Arma
Gold Edition * Arma X Anniversary Edition * Arma: Cold War * Arma:
Tactics * Arx Fatalis * Assassin's Creed Chroncles: China * Assassin's
Creed I * Asterix & Obelix XXL Rolemastered *

Baldurs Gate Enhanced Edition * Baldurs Gate II Enhanced Edition *
Batman: Arkham Origins * Battlemage * Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock *
Beholder * Beholder 2 * Between the Stars * Binary Domain (+DLC) *
Bionic Commando Rearmed (x2) * Blade of Darkness * Blades of Time
Limited Edition * Book of Demons (x2) * Book of Demons * Borderlands
GOTY * Broken Age * Broken Sword 2 * Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons *
Bubble Ghost *

Calico * Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth * Call of Juarez *
Call of Juarez: Gunslinger (x2) * Callisto Protocol * Carrier Command:
Gaea Mission * Chamber of the Sci-Mutant Priestess * Chasm *
Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena * Cities in Motion 2 *
Cities Skylines w/ AfterDark DLC * Civilization V Complete *
Commandos Collection (Commando 2, Commandos 3, Behind Enemy Lines,
Beyond the Call of Duty) * Consortium (x2) * Control: Ultimate Edition
* Convoy * Crying Suns * Crysis 2 Remastered * Crysis 3 Remastered *
Crysis Remastered *

Daemonsgate * Dark Souls III * Darkstone * Darkwood * Dead Island
Definitive Edition * Dead Rising 3 Apocalypse Edition * Dear Esther
Landmark Edition * Destroyer: The U-Boat Hunter * Deus Ex Mankind
Divided * Devil Daggers * Disco Elysium The Final Cut * Dishonored *
Dishonored: Definitive Ed * DISTRAINT: Deluxe Edition * Divinity II -
The Developer's Cut * DmC: Devil May Cry * Doom * Doom (2016) (x2) *
Doom + Doom II (2024) * Doom 3 * Doom 64 * Doom Eternal (x2) * Doom II
(x2) * Drakkhen * Draw Slasher * Drawful 2 * Dungeons II *

ELEX * Enclave * Eternam * Eurotruck Simulator 2 * Evoland Legendary *

F.E.A.R. 2 - Project Origin * F.E.A.R. 3 * Fallout 1 * Fallout 4 *
Fallout 76 * Far Cry 3 * Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon * Final Station *
Flashback * Front Mission Evolved * Fury Unleashed *

Galactic Civilizations II Ultimate Edition * Gas Guzzlers Extreme *
Ghostrunner * Going Under * Gotham Knights * Grey Goo Definitive
Edition * GRID 2 (x2) * GRID 2019 (x2) * GRID Autosport * GRIP Combat
Racing (x2) * Guts and Glory *

Haegemonia Legions of Iron * Haegemonia The Solon Heritage *
Haegemonia: Legions of Iron * Hard West * Hektor * Hellblade: Senua's
Sacrifice * Hello Neighbor * Hero of the Kingdom II * Hocus Pocus (x2)
* Homeworld Remastered Collection * Hostage: Rescue Mission * How to
Survive 2 * Hunted: The Demon’s Forge *

Insurgency * Internet Cafe Simulator * Iron Danger *

Jurassic Park The Game * Just Cause 3 XXL Edition *

Kerbal Space Program (x2) * King's Table - The Legend of Ragnarok *
Kingdom Come: Deliverance – Royal Ed * Kingdom Two Crowns * Knights of
Pen & Paper +1 Edition *

Last Days of June * Lethal League * Lichdom * Life is Strange Complete
Season 1 (x2) * Lord of the Rings - War In the North * Lorelai * Lost
Planet 3 Complete Pack * Lust From Beyond - M Edition *
Mad Max * Magicka 2 * Major Stryker (x2) * Marco Polo * Math Rescue
(x2) * Max Payne 3 * Mega Man Legacy Collection * Men of War * Metal
Gear Solid V The Phantom Pain * Metal Unit * Metro Exodus * Metro
Exodus Enhanced * Middle-Earth: Shadow of War * Monaco * Monaco Whats
Yours Is Mine * Mount & Blade Warband * Mystic Towers (x2) * Mystical
*

Nostradamus: The Last Prophecy * Nuclear Dawn *
Oddworld Munch's Oddysee * Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus * Oddworld: Abe's
Exodus * Oddworld: New N Tasty * Oddworld:Abe's Oddyssee * Oh Sir The
Insult Generator * Orbital Racer * Outlast * Overlord * Overlord 2 *
Overworld: Raising Hell Expansion *
Paganitzu (x2) * Paganitzu * Papo & Yo * Parkan 2 * Pathfinder
Kingmaker Enhanced Plus * Payday 2 * PGA Tour 2K21 * Poker Night 1 *
Poker Night 2 * Postal 2 * Postal Redux * Prey (2017) (x2) * Project
Highrise * Prophecy I - The Viking Child * Prototype 2 * Quake II *
Quantum Break *

Rage * Rage 2 * Rain World * Raptor: Call of The Shadows - 2015
Edition * Realms of Chaos * Rebel Galaxy * Rebel Galaxy * Red Faction
Guerrilla Re-Mars-tered * Remember Me * Remnants of Naezith * Resident
Evil Revelations (x2) * Resident Evil Revelations 2 Episode 1 * Rime
Chaos Control * Ring of Pain * Rise of the Triad * Risen 2 Dark Waters
Gold Edition * Road Redemption * Ryse Son of Rome *

Schein * Scribblenauts Unlimited * Shadowrun Dragonfall Directors Cut
* Shadowrun Returns * Shadows: Awakening * Shark Attack Deathmatch 2 *
Silence of the Sleep (x2) * Silent Age * Sinking Island * Skullgirls
2nd Encore * Slain: Back From Hell * Slay the Spire * Sniper Elite III
* Sniper Elite v2 * Soulblight * Space Hulk Ascension * SpaceCom *
Spelunky * Spintires * Spyro Reignited * Stacking * STALKER: Clear Sky
* STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl * Star Ruler * Star Wars Dark Forces
Remaster * Star Wars Jedi Knight Jedi Academy * Star Wars Knights of
the Old Republic (x2) * Star Wolves * Starship Troopers Terran Command
* Strange Brigade * Strider (x3) * Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones *
Styx: Master of Shadows * Styx: Shards of Darkness * Sunset Overdrive
* Survivalist * Syberia * Syberia 3 * System Shock Remaster * System
Shock 2 *

Tails Noir (Backbone) * Take On Helicopters * The Amazing American
Circus * The Ascent * The Long Dark (x2) * The Uncertain: Last Quiet
Day * This War of Mine * Tomb Raider * Tomb Raider Anniversary * Tomb
Raider Legend * Tomb Raider Underworld * Tooth and Tail * Two Worlds
Velvet Edition *

Valfaris (x2) * Vanishing of Ethan Carter * Vikings: Wolves of Midgard
* Viscera Cleanup Detail *

Wacky Wheels (x2) * Walking Dead Season 1 * Walking Dead: 400 Days *
Walking Dead: Season 2 * Walking Dead: Michonne * Wandersong *
Wargroove * Warhammer 40K: Battlesector * Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War
GOTY (x2) * Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War 3 * Warhammer End Times –
Vermintide (x2) * Warhammer Quest * Warsaw * Wasteland (1984) * We
Were Here Together * West of Dead * Wizard of Legend * Wizardry 8 *
Wolfenstein: Youngblood * Word Rescue (x2) * Worms Rumble *
X-Morph Defense Complete Pack * XCOM 2 (x2) * XCom Complete * Yoku's
Island Express * You Suck At Parking Complete *
Zombie Night Terror

*

And now, this is truly... The End.

Ho-ho-ho, everybody!