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.

[AustrAlien2010]

You can't own what you can't touch.

Simple as that.

[Mountain Months]

Автор сообщения: AustrAlien2010

Yes, forum discussions tend to repeat themselves forever:
https://steamcommunity.com/discussions/forum/0/4364625713979969824/

It's always the same discussions with the same people responding to them, writing the same statements over and over again.

It's like Groundhog Day.

and the same people whining about it

[C²C^Guyver |NZB|]

Автор сообщения: Mountain Months

Автор сообщения: AustrAlien2010

Yes, forum discussions tend to repeat themselves forever:
https://steamcommunity.com/discussions/forum/0/4364625713979969824/

It's always the same discussions with the same people responding to them, writing the same statements over and over again.

It's like Groundhog Day.

and the same people whining about it

I think the OP is the one whining.

[Mr. Smiles]

OP is about 50 years late to the party...

[Chika Ogiue]

Автор сообщения: Heraclius Caesar

Does anyone else find it interesting that this OP already made this same exact thread some 2 months ago and was already informed about this subject?

Well, it's not unusual these days for people to keep reposting the same topic here hoping to farm awards with it. It's more amazing that as of the time of this comment, no one has awarded the OP. Love to see it.

I'm still waiting for my example of a license being revoked for a frivolous reason, too. Certain people are so quick to try to spread fear that "your games will vanish for no reason" and yet then cannot provide even a single example of it actually happening.

Автор сообщения: Beltneck

When I give someone money for a car, I get a car; and I'm free to modify, reverse engineer, or resell that car.

1. You'd be free to modify the vehicle within legal limits depending on use. 2. No, you don't have the rights to reverse engineer a car in order to discern how certain functions of the vehicle for which the manufacturer holds the intellectual property rights work. E.g., how a specific system operates like the detection of object proximity (bushes, people, other cars) or how the intelligent key functions and so on. 3. You can resell the vehicle, again, within the legally granted boundaries.

You might be surprised at just how many regulations and stipulations there are for the sale and resale of vehicles. Particularly in the US. For fifteen odd years I translated automotive documents, ranging from engineering manuals to legal documents, including for a case where someone was being sued for reverse engineering a certain system for which that manufacturer held the rights.

The same will go for your solar panel example, if the panels are being sold to you with the express permission that they can be modified and included as components, then you're good to go. Otherwise, no.

If any of this is tripping you up, please consult a legal specialist in your region.

[Nerv]

you don't own anything that isn't physical, and some physical things you don't own either. one day, everything will be owned by the mega corporations

[veracsthane]

Автор сообщения: pckirk

since the early days of the 1960's, you have never owned any books, software, game, app, music, video etc.. Yes we had actual media that this was on, like records, reel to reel tapes, 8 track tapes, cassettes, video tapes, compact discs, laser discs, digital media etc, you have never owned the content on the said media, you have only owned a licence to listen, operate, use, watch, and play said content. So nothing has changed in over 70+ years.

if you broke into someones house to take any of the listed items you would be arrested for theft and due to no online connection if the companies tried to take you to court to deny you access to the item post puchcase they would have laughed you out of the court room.

all of this garbage is recent and op no you dont. thats the point of the always online drm.

if you take any of the steam games and try to turn them on even with the internet unplugged it will force you to run steam first. the always online drm is always more trouble then its worth and any game that runs well in 2025 thats 10+ years old has minimum to no drm.

stadia is the game developers wet dream because of the whole denial of service politcal speech bans to force new sales.

anyone here defending steam or any of the drm garbage is ignoring the abuse developers are trying to brute force. these developers simply wont be existing in the future because everyone who gets burned 1 to many times comes back to the same answer of "ya know if i just didnt buy the trash it would have nothing to do with me." thats called apathy and no one cares at that point what anyone else thinks much less why they think it.

most developers will be making their own game stores as the contractions start and the ones that succeed wont be bloated down with spy ware like ea ubisoft steam and bnet have. steam will be mostly indies and youll get more exclusivity garbage in the news.

the 2 biggest problems the stores have is
-sheer volume of existing content that works better
and
-delcines in population because no one is having kids. they already screwed up and made this one worse with the speech bans that where always done for political reasons no matter how much they try and deny it. you will never ever convince someone like me to play anything on bnet because friends dont let friends play blizzard games. our kids wont touch the platform either.

[kenzobunar]

Ok, so then

If buying games isn't owning them, then pirating them isn't stealing. Sounds fine to me

[Mr. Smiles]

Автор сообщения: kenzobunar

Ok, so then

If buying games isn't owning them, then pirating them isn't stealing. Sounds fine to me

As per any time someone uses this argument: you own a license to access the game, you bought a license to access the game. You pirate a game, you do not buy a license to access the game, thus you are stealing the ability to access the game.

But yeah, reported for promoting/justifying piracy.

[Chika Ogiue]

Автор сообщения: kenzobunar

If buying games isn't owning them, then pirating them isn't stealing. Sounds fine to me

You're right. It isn't stealing. But it is still illegal. It's unlawful access and carries severe penalties. So, that's not the gotcha you think it is.

[kenzobunar]

Автор сообщения: Mr. Smiles

Автор сообщения: kenzobunar

Ok, so then

If buying games isn't owning them, then pirating them isn't stealing. Sounds fine to me

As per any time someone uses this argument: you own a license to access the game, you bought a license to access the game. You pirate a game, you do not buy a license to access the game, thus you are stealing the ability to access the game.

But yeah, reported for promoting/justifying piracy.

Ok, i am reporting you for falsely reporting me

[kenzobunar]

Автор сообщения: Chika Ogiue

Автор сообщения: kenzobunar

If buying games isn't owning them, then pirating them isn't stealing. Sounds fine to me

You're right. It isn't stealing. But it is still illegal. It's unlawful access and carries severe penalties. So, that's not the gotcha you think it is.

Then it's also illegal not to own the thing you paid for. You are literally saying like they can take away something i paid for anytime they want

[Mr. Smiles]

Автор сообщения: kenzobunar

Автор сообщения: Mr. Smiles

As per any time someone uses this argument: you own a license to access the game, you bought a license to access the game. You pirate a game, you do not buy a license to access the game, thus you are stealing the ability to access the game.

But yeah, reported for promoting/justifying piracy.

Ok, i am reporting you for falsely reporting me

Do it.

[Chika Ogiue]

Автор сообщения: kenzobunar

Then it's also illegal not to own the thing you paid for. You are literally saying like they can take away something i paid for anytime they want

You do own the thing you paid for though: you own the license to access the creative experience that license pertains to. The only person or entity that OWNS that experience is the one that made it or paid for it to be made on their behalf.

Now, as I asked someone else, if you think that your license can be taken away at any time for any reason, provide a real world example of it happening for a frivolous reason. Here's a hint: shutting down servers for an online only game because the costs and resources out weigh the decline in usage is not a frivolous reason.

[( ( < < <🤖> > > ) )]

Автор сообщения: kenzobunar

Автор сообщения: Chika Ogiue

You're right. It isn't stealing. But it is still illegal. It's unlawful access and carries severe penalties. So, that's not the gotcha you think it is.

Then it's also illegal not to own the thing you paid for. You are literally saying like they can take away something i paid for anytime they want

these days you could buy a auto drive car that says... bye bye...
the maker wants me back at factory.... sure it might be illegal..
but you aint got a car and you are just gonna report it as stolen...
because would you know the car has gone back to the maker..