Freeware games vs. the rest

With so many good freeware offerings appearing, through flash or free downloads, is the market becoming more difficult for shareware / indie titles?

Considering the casual gamming market is on the rise, and a lot of it is shareware, I would say no.

I reckon all games will become free since you do not have to sell a producet to generate revenues from it.

What are the alternatives?

Pay to play as opposed to Pay to have a shiny box and disc? - like the old coin-op arcades that have disappeared.

The day that pay to play becomes the norm is the day that I altogether stop playing games.

The most obvious is sponsorship

Agreed, and this is part of the reason why I don't touch MMORPG's. But there will always be free games.

I can see pay for play on mmorpg's and other online games
they're already the norm

sponsorships? did zool get you hooked on chuppa chups or cool spot get you bloated on 7up in the 90's?
adverts during level loading?
madness

pay to play tetris, space invaders doom3?
this isnt an arcade my pc (finally bought a new one) doesn't have a coin slot

the buy once play many method (either download or go to a shop and walk out with a box) has worked (albeit with piracy) since the 80's

> Agreed, and this is part of the reason why I don't
> touch MMORPG's. But there will always be free games.

Yeah but there's a different between pay to play coin op arcade games and pay to play online neverending tosh.

I too though will find a new hobby should games in the future be pay to play only.