When the desktop file did not launched the updater but the game, people not wanting to phone home just had to click the Unvanquished icon and not run the updater. Now that that Unvanquished icon runs the updater (something I vote for), we need an option to skip the check at startup and just run the game straight. Players would just have to click the gear button to re-enable the update check if needed.
This would not only please privacy-caring people but also those who may play on disconnected networks (see #35).