Maybe I'm old school, no let me correct that I am old school, to the point where I don't play multiplayer. However back in my days we used to be able to install "spawn" versions, as long as one person in the LAN had the CD we could play. Did they die out? That would seem weird to me, as it seemed to be the PC equivalent of calling the boys over and using 4 controllers on an XBOX.
On a personal note, I get annoyed at when they put the protection code on the manual. I'm the type of player who throws out the manual (especially in this day and age when the manuals are usually in pdf on the disc), and with Neverwinter nights I threw the manual out and lost my copy protection codes. So now I have to transcribe my codes onto the case the games come on, unless the kind designer has already done so. EA is the worse offender for this, I brought NFS:MW (honestly, a game like that needing a manual?!?) with Civ IV and once again the damn codes on the back of the manual. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
So now before I go on about my joints and damn kids skateboard on the sidewalks, I better go nap nap.