As i see it, with a debit card, they
are taken kinda out of the game. They
are not lending money, it seems really
bad for them.
Not exactly. It is true that they're not lending money, but they charge a hefty commission from the retailers for each swipe which is pure profit with almost no risk. One of the proposals considered (or maybe approved already, don't know) in Congress is to cap that hefty commission, which will really make the debit cards merely a service for the checking account holder, rather than a profit maker for the bank.
On the other hand, it's
definitely good for individuals.
I disagree with that. Debit cards are easier to use than checks, but they provide much less protection than credit cards. Here's what I had to say on this a while ago, and seems like the community agrees.
But, why do we really need a credit
history to buy some of the more
expensive stuff
Because the system is broken. It rewards people in debt by giving them more opportunities to get into even more debts, while people who owe nothing to noone cannot get a credit when they do need one. With the current system the potential creditor can only asses the risk of someone who has debt already, they have no way of assessing risks of someone with no debts.
To me, all this credit card system
seems like an awfully nice way to make
loads of money, backed by governments
as well.
Well, credit cards have nothing to do with it. It's the credit scores system that is broken. If we replace the "card" with "score" in your question - then yes, you're thinking correctly. That of course is true for the US, in other countries I have no knowledge on how the creditors assess the risks.