Do I own my games or not?

[Rain for x-gods]

I’ve been around since the early days of Steam. Back then, it wasn’t easy to trust a new platform with something as valuable as our games. We were transitioning from physical copies—discs we could hold in our hands—to a digital library that promised we’d still own what we paid for, just in a different format.

Over time, many of us put our trust in Steam. We accepted this shift under the assurance that our purchases were permanent, that our games were ours to keep. Now, I’m hearing a very different message: that games are merely a service, and ownership is an illusion.

What the hell happened?

This isn't just a technical change—it’s a betrayal of the trust built over years. I want clarity. Is Steam still committed to the original promise—that when we buy a game, we own it?

I still consider myself lucky to own my games. I don’t want to end up like what I half-jokingly call “Gabe Newell’s digital slaves”—those who gave up their consumer rights without question, surrendering the idea of ownership for the convenience of access.

It's not funny. In fact, it’s heartbreaking to see so many fellow PC gamers abandon their dignity and logic as consumers. They paid real money, yet have nothing to show for it if the service ever disappears or decides otherwise.

I say this not out of bitterness, but sadness. We should never forget that as consumers, we have rights. And one of the most basic rights is ownership of what we pay for.

[rawWwRrr]

So to recap after 315 replies... no, you don't.

[Taebrythn]

Opprinnelig skrevet av Thiesen:

You don't even own the apartment you're renting to live... that buildinjg do not belong to you... it belong to the one you rented it from... which can at any moment evict you for misbehaving,,.

Whever you take a loan you owe the money back... that's not your money,,,

So this is actually incorrect. You don't own the apartment per se but while you rent you do own that space. there is a reason why there are laws against landlords just entering your property or even in the USA they need a warrant to enter your house/business/apartment/car/motel room etc.

[Haruspex]

Opprinnelig skrevet av rawWwRrr:

So to recap after 315 replies... no, you don't.

No, you don't, and you never did, but ultimately does it really matter? As long as I can access and play my games, and can expect to be able to do so in perpetuity from a digital distribution service that I trust, I'm satisfied.

[Chika Ogiue]

Opprinnelig skrevet av #1 Ban Evader:

the Suggestion/idea trolls at it again

Can you show me the last post I made on that forum? Then I ask you stop branding me as something I am not. We are merely having a discussion here and discussion include the countering of outright lies and mistruths. Funny you don't seem to have a problem with off topic snark and false accusations but have a problem with a falsehood being corrected. Why is that?

Opprinnelig skrevet av Crazy Tiger:

He does, but playing dummy is better suited for the conspiracy narratives cause facts are pesky inconveniences in that.

He could be, but I like to give the benefit of the doubt. He could really be an oldster who's reached the point where he is incapable of grasping new concepts and changing long established patterns of behaviour. Of course, an oldster who's reached that point, isn't likely to be posting on a forum anymore... So that benefit of a doubt is now a very frayed string.

Opprinnelig skrevet av xBCxRangers:

Opprinnelig skrevet av lx:

The same crew every time.

Yes. The same people all fed up of your continued spreading of falsehoods. You have this consistent need to be the centre of attention. Often hijacking other people's threads to do it. If we ignore you, you only spout even more wild mistruths for that attention. So we give you attention to curb the damage of those mistruths.

So if you have nothing to actually bring to a discussion other than the same "myth busted" falsehoods, perhaps sit this one out for once?

[76561199842107952]

Opprinnelig skrevet av Chika Ogiue:

Opprinnelig skrevet av #1 Ban Evader:

the Suggestion/idea trolls at it again

Can you show me the last post I made on that forum? Then I ask you stop branding me as something I am not. We are merely having a discussion here and discussion include the countering of outright lies and mistruths. Funny you don't seem to have a problem with off topic snark and false accusations but have a problem with a falsehood being corrected. Why is that?

if you dont like it, then quit trolling. You're not doing much to prove me qrong

[veracsthane]

Opprinnelig skrevet av Haruspex:

Opprinnelig skrevet av rawWwRrr:

So to recap after 315 replies... no, you don't.

No, you don't, and you never did, but ultimately does it really matter? As long as I can access and play my games, and can expect to be able to do so in perpetuity from a digital distribution service that I trust, I'm satisfied.

you literally did when it was a psychical medium that had no internet connection when companies where sued into bankruptcy for a buggy product instead of doing day 1 patches.

literally every country would have arrested the companies for trying to break into your home to "reclaim" their ip they sold and there where entire laws written about the "licenses" for resale purposes ya know with pawn shops and game stop. same laws would easily apply but sheepeople like you defend the always online bs and look at that. they are abusing the tos agian. remember south park the human centipedie. the episode was made because of this exact issue with companies abusing tos and ula to avoid being sued and to many people dont know so it largely does work agian.

[Haruspex]

Opprinnelig skrevet av veracsthane:

Opprinnelig skrevet av Haruspex:

No, you don't, and you never did, but ultimately does it really matter? As long as I can access and play my games, and can expect to be able to do so in perpetuity from a digital distribution service that I trust, I'm satisfied.

you literally did when it was a psychical medium that had no internet connection when companies where sued into bankruptcy for a buggy product instead of doing day 1 patches.

literally every country would have arrested the companies for trying to break into your home to "reclaim" their ip they sold and there where entire laws written about the "licenses" for resale purposes ya know with pawn shops and game stop. same laws would easily apply but sheepeople like you defend the always online bs and look at that. they are abusing the tos agian. remember south park the human centipedie. the episode was made because of this exact issue with companies abusing tos and ula to avoid being sued and to many people dont know so it largely does work agian.

Still licensed. I don't really feel like digging it up again, but I grabbed a scan of a EULA from a PS1 game that stated "This software is licensed and not sold". Your plastic NES cartridge of Rad Racer? You own the plastic, but not the software contained within. The only thing that's changed is they've eliminated the plastic.

As I've already repeated multiple times, the real discussion isn't ownership, it's control and trust. Who controls your game library, and do you trust them to do so?

In the days of physical media, you didn't own your games any more than you do today, but you did have control over them. Today, on this platform, Valve has control over them. Do you trust them not to take away your access to the games you don't own? I understand if you don't. You certainly don't have to use the platform. From where I'm sitting, they've given me absolutely zero reason in 20 years to believe that they would ever remove my access to the games I've purchased the rights to access here. They have a solid track record. They're stable, growing, and I feel comfortable with my eggs in this basket. I've lost more games that were in my own control than were ever in Valve's control. The number of games Valve has taken from me in two decades is exactly zero.

[76561199842107952]

Opprinnelig skrevet av Haruspex:

Opprinnelig skrevet av veracsthane:

you literally did when it was a psychical medium that had no internet connection when companies where sued into bankruptcy for a buggy product instead of doing day 1 patches.

literally every country would have arrested the companies for trying to break into your home to "reclaim" their ip they sold and there where entire laws written about the "licenses" for resale purposes ya know with pawn shops and game stop. same laws would easily apply but sheepeople like you defend the always online bs and look at that. they are abusing the tos agian. remember south park the human centipedie. the episode was made because of this exact issue with companies abusing tos and ula to avoid being sued and to many people dont know so it largely does work agian.

Still licensed. I don't really feel like digging it up again, but I grabbed a scan of a EULA from a PS1 game that stated "This software is licensed and not sold". Your plastic NES cartridge of Rad Racer? You own the plastic, but not the software contained within. The only thing that's changed is they've eliminated the plastic.

As I've already repeated multiple times, the real discussion isn't ownership, it's control and trust. Who controls your game library, and do you trust them to do so?

In the days of physical media, you didn't own your games any more than you do today, but you did have control over them. Today, on this platform, Valve has control over them. Do you trust them not to take away your access to the games you don't own? I understand if you don't. You certainly don't have to use the platform. From where I'm sitting, they've given me absolutely zero reason in 20 years to believe that they would ever remove my access to the games I've purchased the rights to access here. They have a solid track record. They're stable, growing, and I feel comfortable with my eggs in this basket. I've lost more games that were in my own control than were ever in Valve's control. The number of games Valve has taken from me in two decades is exactly zero.

sounds like something a communist is would say

[Haruspex]

Opprinnelig skrevet av #1 Ban Evader:

sounds like something a communist is would say

You are mistaking my realism for advocacy. This is how the platform works. I hated Steam in 2004. I bought a physical copy of Half Life 2, collectors edition. I was on dial up Internet. The last thing I wanted to do was install some online thing and sign up for an account. I just wanted to play the physical copy of the game I bought, like all the other physical games I bought. I was actually pretty bitter about it for a number of years.

Things change though. Times change. The physical games on store shelves dried up. Steam started selling third party games. I got actually decent Internet. My purchase of physical copies slowed as my Steam purchases begrudgingly increased, and at some point I found myself really enjoying myself here. I was surprisingly comfortable and happy. 2004 me wouldn't have believed it.

The only alternative for me would have been to quit PC gaming. Console gaming won't fare much better. Physical copies are rapidly drying up there too. Valve did eventually win me over, and I'll buy from GOG without qualms too. The physical PC games aren't coming back.

I do maintain a contingency plan in the extremely unlikely event of catastrophe, but I don't think I'll need to use it.

We're rascals, scoundrels, villains, and knaves,

Drink up me hearties, yo ho.

We're devils and black sheep, really bad eggs,

Drink up me hearties, yo ho.

[Juanf]

same

[Crazy Tiger]

Opprinnelig skrevet av lx:

ha-ha another witch hunt/flame war. go on...
but first tell me, is there anything more you can contribute for this topic?
if not, get your chitchat elsewhere. like go spam the offtopic section.

Opprinnelig skrevet av Komarimaru:

Opprinnelig skrevet av Crazy Tiger:

Opprinnelig skrevet av Chika Ogiue:

Opprinnelig skrevet av Boblin the Goblin:

Opprinnelig skrevet av Amaterasu:

...?

You forgot to add yourself and Rangers to the list.

How convenient of you. And unaurprising.

[Spello]

The key word being "Buy" and "Pay" here is in essence a lie. Buying a thing, is in sense, keeping it till it's end. The goods are either eaten, used up, spent or destroyed. The seller or shop keeper won't get into your house and take the goods back (essentially stealing them).

What? You said I bought a licence? Not the game? and it can be taken away? (essentially stealing) Sooo it's false advertisement and the button should be renamed to "Rent".

When someone buys a physical copy. One can make another copy for his/her own usage. Doing this when the copy is close to it's life's end, makes it virtually impossible to not play the game any time one wants. Having no controll of preserving our goods has to be against some consumer law. If not, then there should one be created.

Imagine bying shoes and on the 2nd day they come to your house and take them, saying server shut down so you can not "use your shoes" for single player jogging ... that's simply ridiculous.

[Boblin the Goblin]

Opprinnelig skrevet av Spello:

The key word being "Buy" and "Pay" here is in essence a lie. Buying a thing, is in sense, keeping it till it's end. The goods are either eaten, used up, spent or destroyed. The seller or shop keeper won't get into your house and take the goods back (essentially stealing them).

What? You said I bought a licence? Not the game? and it can be taken away? (essentially stealing) Sooo it's false advertisement and the button should be renamed to "Rent".

When someone buys a physical copy. One can make another copy for his/her own usage. Doing this when the copy is close to it's life's end, makes it virtually impossible to not play the game any time one wants. Having no controll of preserving our goods has to be against some consumer law. If not, then there should one be created.

Imagine bying shoes and on the 2nd day they come to your house and take them, saying server shut down so you can not "use your shoes" for single player jogging ... that's simply ridiculous.

It isn't false since you are buying the limited license.

You own that limited license.

[76561199237092713]

to recap... goto gog.

[Boblin the Goblin]

Opprinnelig skrevet av FIXYOURSYSTEM:

to recap... goto gog.

It's the same license. Even some games on Steam don't require Steam to be played.