Steam, Ownership, and the Trust We Build Over Time

[Haruspex]

I've noticed some discourse, here and other places on the Internet regarding whether or not we own our games. It's been interesting, to say the least, and I'm not really sure where it came from.

I've been using Steam for over 20 years now, and when I first got on, I was not happy with it. Before November 2004, I purchased all my PC games in an actual store. They came in boxes on discs, and I would install them from these discs and play them. When I purchased my physical, boxed, collectors edition copy of Half Life 2, I brought it home and went to install it as I always have, but something was different. It required me to install something I had never heard of called "Steam". Then it required me to connect to the Internet, which was a huge hassle considering I was using dial-up at the time. Steam required me to create an account. It installed the game off the disk via Steam, and just when I thought I was finally going to get to play, it wanted to download an update for Steam that was much too large for my dial-up connection before it would let me. I was absolutely livid. It wasn't until I brought my PC to work to use the high speed connection there that I was able to download the updates needed and then bring my PC back home and finally enjoy the game offline. What I didn't realize at the time was that I was witnessing the very rules of PC game distribution change before my eyes.

As the years went on, my opinion of Steam didn't really improve. It was just kind of there. It was the thing I used to play Half Life 2. Later I found out I could attach the keys to my physical copies of other Valve games to Steam, but most of my PC game purchases remained physical. As the years wore on though, fewer PC games were sold on store shelves. Steam started selling third party games. My purchase of physical games slowed, and although I was resistant, my purchase of games on Steam slowly increased. By around 2011, physical games in stores had basically vanished, and I was purchasing PC games on Steam almost exclusively.

Over time, my disdain for Steam was replaced with a sort of quiet comfort and complacency, much to my surprise. I didn't hate it. I had nothing bad to say about it anymore. My games are here, they work, they're always available, and that's all I really ask for.

The discourse that's popped up asks the question; "Do we really own our games?" It's not a question anyone really cared to ask before. Legally, no, we don't. We own a perpetual and limited license to those games, and we have since the early days of gaming. Even when games were distributed on plastic cartridges, you owned the plastic, but you owned a license to the software it contained. Now with digital distribution, the terms of the license hasn't changed, but the plastic has been eliminated, and thus the dynamics of control have been shifted. Before, you had full control of that hunk of plastic. Now, the distributor has control of the service you use to download the software you've licensed. So the real question now isn't about ownership. It's about trust. Do we trust the platform we use to be good stewards of our game libraries?

I am 40 years old, and I have used Steam for just over 20 years. That means for half my life I've trusted Steam with my games, and for the other half I've trusted myself. In 20 years, the number of games Steam has lost or taken from me is exactly zero. My own track record isn't as good. I lost games, broke them, lent them out and never saw them again. It's my own fault, sure, but Steam never once lost or broke a game of mine. 20 years and I can still install and play Half Life 2 just the same as I could back then. They have earned my trust.

Valve is uniquely consistent for a tech company, especially across multiple decades. They're not infallible, but they've shown restraint and respect for their users in a way that the competition just doesn't bother with. It's a kind of quiet integrity. Boring for headlines, but that's exactly what makes them dependable. Valve does nothing, then they win.

As for the competition, that's interesting. Back in 2003 when Valve started Steam, the idea that PC gaming was dead was all over the place. Headlines left and right asked the question, "Is PC gaming dead?" Most companies took this as gospel and were throwing all their money and effort into console gaming. Epic Game's Tim Sweeney was quoted in 2008 saying the following:

Originally posted by Tim Sweeney:

"Yesterday's PCs were for people that were working and later playing games, even if those games were lower-end ones. There will always be a market for casual games and online games like World of Warcraft. But at the end of the day, consoles have definitely left PC games behind."

Valve though quietly pressed on. Any large company could have stepped in at that time when Steam was in it's infancy and completely dominated PC gaming, and things would be very different today, but they didn't, because "PC gaming is dead". Valve didn't think so though, and they were right. Today, PC gaming has a larger share of revenue than all of console gaming combined[www.visualcapitalist.com], and Valve is the dominant platform in that space, not because of any underhanded tactics or shady backroom deals, but because they focused on PC gaming when others did not, and it paid off. Now they have a massive user base, and that user base is largely content and comfortable, in spite of what you might here a few loud individuals claim.

Now that we know PC gaming is clearly not dead. Console gaming has plateaued, while PC gaming continues to grow, those companies that focused on console gaming before want a piece of the pie, but Steam has set roots. 20 years they've had to establish themselves, so those roots are deep. There have been efforts to compete with Valve, with varying success, and Valve hasn't done anything to try and prevent or hinder these efforts, but people are generally resistant to split their attention and their libraries. Probably the most visible effort is the Epic Games Store, started in 2018. They made waves with paid exclusives and giveaways, and as of today they still haven't made a profit.

Last month, an interview with former Amazon VP, Ethan Evans highlighted that Amazon spent billions building a PC gaming platform in an effort to unseat Valve. A quote from that interview sums it all up pretty well.

Originally posted by Ethan Evans:

“The truth is that gamers already had the solution to their problems, and they weren’t going to switch platforms just because a new one was available. Just because you are big enough to build something doesn’t mean people will use it.”

Basically if people are happy and comfortable where they are with all their games, their save files, their achievements, their friends, and so on, they're not going to look elsewhere just because something else is available.

That brings me to the discourse I've been seeing. I might ask myself, If I were an executive of a big company who wanted to take market share from Valve and get people to use my platform instead, I'm not going to achieve that by simply building another platform, no matter how good it is. Steam users are simply too comfortable and happy where they are, so what's the solution?

Poison the well.

Steam users need to be made less happy, and less comfortable, and only then will they even begin to consider anything else.

It's difficult to tell if what we're seeing is corporate psyops, or just Internet noise. It could be a bit of both. The Internet is full of people who love to stir the pot, or play devil's advocate, or ride the dopamine waves, but it's pretty well documented that companies do fund whisper campaigns, influencer placements, and targeted messaging to shape sentiment. It's not necessarily through overt lies, but by pushing messaging that benefits them. It's cheap, and once the message it out there, the nature of the Internet means it tends to self propagate, and many who spread that message may not even know where it originally came from.

If you read this far, thanks for bearing with me. I understand these kinds of threads don't get much traction, and I fully expect this one to rapidly sink to the bottom. It's not concise, punchy, or controversial enough to get the kind of engagement that keeps threads alive. Basically, what I'm getting at is, whenever you see sudden "Steam bad" sentiment that doesn't line up with any actual change in Valve's behavior, be skeptical. You're not wearing a tinfoil hat, you're just paying attention.

[Mr. Smiles]

If you want to use another service, do it, no one is stopping you, or holding a gun to your head.

Just know that on any other platform, you still don't own your games, but a license to access them... even on GOG. That's not a strictly valve thing, and it's not going to change anytime soon.

[Haruspex]

Originally posted by Mr. Smiles:

If you want to use another service, do it, no one is stopping you, or holding a gun to your head.

Just know that on any other platform, you still don't own your games, but a license to access them... even on GOG. That's not a strictly valve thing, and it's not going to change anytime soon.

Please read the thread before responding. If you do, you'll see this is not at all an anti-Steam thread, and in fact speaks very highly of Steam and Valve and throws doubt over the current discourse surrounding recent "Steam bad" sentiment." I know it's long, and I'm sorry about that.

[76561198407601200]

Originally posted by Haruspex:

Originally posted by Mr. Smiles:

If you want to use another service, do it, no one is stopping you, or holding a gun to your head.

Just know that on any other platform, you still don't own your games, but a license to access them... even on GOG. That's not a strictly valve thing, and it's not going to change anytime soon.

Please read the thread before responding. If you do, you'll see this is not at all an anti-Steam thread, and in fact speaks very highly of Steam and Valve and throws doubt over the current discourse surrounding recent "Steam bad" sentiment." I know it's long, and I'm sorry about that.

You've posted in the other topic regarding this..

https://steamcommunity.com/discussions/forum/0/601900862720192812/?ctp=26#c601901942630833235

[Haruspex]

Originally posted by The Living Tribunal:

You've posted in the other topic regarding this..

https://steamcommunity.com/discussions/forum/0/601900862720192812/?ctp=26#c601901942630833235

Yes, and that's one of the kinds of topics I'm referencing here.

[nullable]

Originally posted by Haruspex:

Steam, Ownership, and the Trust We Build Over Time

I think as far as ownership goes a lot of it isn't psyops, executives from major publishers have made explicit statements that rub gamers the wrong way. And I'm going to attribute this to, "don't assume malice, when incompetence will do". And instances were publishers have made decisions that that are visible and impact gamers visible. IE Sony's unpopular PSN account requirements and the impact it had on Helldivers 2 players where they purchased the game and then were suddenly excluded from playing it. Very visible and very impactful and intrusive statement that makes it clear having a license and owning something are very different things.

When no one is going out of their way to make it clear or antagonize gamers the difference is a lot more muted. You and I have owned Half-Life 2 for decades. What has Valve done with it's games in twenty years, nothing, besides be consistent. And that kinda seemed like the status quo. But that get's thrown into a frenzy when suddenly someone upsets the apple cart.

I think a lot of publishers envy Valve's position sure. And Valve has done a great job not squandering its first mover advantage. But forever is a long time. And the industry is still evolving and eventually there will be a generation that's not seen physical media for PC games or consoles. "Ownership" won't really be a concerned, it's inevitable that people pitching a fit over this issue will die and it'll all be normalized.

I mean frankly, having games in my library for decades that I'm not going to play again, and the idea of having hundreds of games on discs or their boxes crammed into my basement isn't appealing. And all the physical games I do own, old PC games, SNES, N64, PS2, Xbox 360, Wii, WiiU games that I have I haven't touched them in years. What's the benefit of owning that clutter? For me pretty minimal. It would be fair to say I'm over "ownership". It doesn't really matter when a license is perpetual and I have access to decades old software a mouse click away and that's not likely to change any time soon.

In a very real way I've owned Half-Life 2 longer than I've owned any physical game. Like I could bust out my SNES and get the games, and google how to get it working on a modern OLED TV and all the hassle. You know what, never mind, too much hassle. But I could be playing Half-Life 2 in like ten minutes if I clicked install right now, no fuss. Extremely convenient.

I think people get so hung up on"ownership" they forget about all the things we've gained. The trade offs between the illusion of physical media at its peak and now are very real. In a world of physical media only, a game like Terraria and 15 years of development and updates doesn't exist. No Man's Sky is a footnote failure in that universe. For my money it's a pretty good trade off. And gaming is arguably better off for it.

[xBCxRangers]

PC gaming is just very expensive, and for many, very difficult to traverse.

I wouldn't doubt a good portion of Steams playbase, are playing at work or school, not as a primary gaming source, where consoles, phones and handhelds seem to be the easier less expensive and less complicated way to go.

I do think Mr Newell "gets it' though, which is why he partnered with Nividia in lieu of Ge Force Now, created Steam Deck and other ways people can enjoy games, then that of a work simulator being a PC.

His work with controller emulators and support i think he did a great job.

I in fact are having the best gaming days of my long life, due to the fact Mr Newell has opened his platform other than the traditional PC method. That are even played on consoles thru stream services.

There are issues, in that Valve likes to provide their service on the cheap. And therefore customer services, moderation and other matters where consumers come to get redress, is severely lacking.

And i bring those issues up all the time, having those feel i may be "Anti Steam" when the opposite is true, in trying to make Steam accessible and fair to all.

As far as having trust in our game libraries, the answer is, no. We cannot have trust when this is not MS, or Sony, or other behemoths.

Steam is personally owned, and although digital gaming and what has become of it is getting very sticky across all platforms, it's especially worrisome by a privately owned company seemingly by an MIA owner, and his bar buddies. MIA in the nature we never hear anything. No events. No press conferences, nothing.

To get assurances our libraries are there to stay, i think we do have to hear from Mr Newell and/or his colleagues much more than we do, to give us confidence as to the future of this company, and more importantly our games.

[Haruspex]

Originally posted by nullable:

In a very real way I've owned Half-Life 2 longer than I've owned any physical game. Like I could bust out my SNES and get the games, and google how to get it working on a modern OLED TV and all the hassle. You know what, never mind, too much hassle. But I could be playing Half-Life 2 in like ten minutes if I clicked install right now, no fuss. Extremely convenient.

Well said. Of the 30 or so NES games I owned from my childhood, I think I might have about 4 of them still in a box stuffed in a closet somewhere, maybe. The rest were lost, or sold, or lent out and never returned. Half Life 2 just stays where it is though, ready to play.

I have this gigantic setup dominating a corner of my living room with a big 32" Sony Trinitron CRT and a bookcase full of old consoles with Everdrives and a video switch. Sometimes, I kind of wish I had that corner of my living room back, especially when I can easily just play those games on my Steam Deck anyway. I keep that setup for nostalgic reasons, and occasionally I sweep the dust off it.

As for the alleged "Steam bad" psyop, I'm still not sure. I'm not exactly staying up at night collecting data on it and making connections on a cork board with red thread while chugging black coffee like some kind of manic journalist on the trail of a big scoop, it's just a feeling like there's a pattern there. My advice for anyone who might have been getting sucked into it like I felt I was is to step back and get a little perspective. Does Valve's behavior match the narrative? If not, don't worry about it.

Originally posted by xBCxRangers:

PC gaming is just very expensive, and for many, very difficult to traverse...

I do think Mr Newell "gets it' though...

Steam is sort of the "UPS" of gaming. Always under the radar, never making waves or news (for the most part), and has an analogy as UPS does, that if the old methods work, continue the model.

That is a very measured and nuanced take from you Rangers. I am very pleasantly surprised, and I think I might have been wrong about you. I'm going to take you off my block list and try and read your responses from a different context from now on. You have come off as very negative and oddly abrasive and sarcastic to me in the past, but I suspect that I might actually have been misunderstanding your intent.

I've always taken the stance that PC gaming, and Steam for that matter isn't necessarily for everyone. It certainly can be expensive, especially if you're going for high powered, AAA gaming, and in that regard a console is going to give you more bang for your buck. PC gaming is more complicated and not as straight forward, and not everyone wants to mess around with troubleshooting and tinkering. They just want to sit down and enjoy their games, and I can absolutely respect that.

For those with the extra patience and disposable income though, who don't mind a little tinkering and troubleshooting from time to time, there are a lot of real benefits to PC gaming. And it's not black and white either, you can have a PC that's more console like, and if the rumors are true the next Xbox is about to become a lot more PC like, and might even be able to run Steam. If you look, there's something out there for everyone. We are lucky to live in an extremely gaming rich time in history. Use the service you want, as long as you are having fun and trust that service, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

[pckirk]

What is with all of these off topic threads? These have nothing to do with using the steam app, the steam client or the steam website UI.... There is an off topic sub-forum where you can post this off topic rant dribble

[Princess Luna]

So TLDR is: Feel free to not use Steam if you dont want
Jsut note that EOS/GOG have only 1/10000 amount of Steam games

[Princess Luna]

Trust ?
I Trust EA to make a New buggy AAA and same FIFA every year

[C²C^Guyver |NZB|]

20-Year-Old account and has nearly 2,000 games and doesn't realize that you don't really own the games

[C²C^Guyver |NZB|]

Originally posted by Haruspex:

Originally posted by nullable:

In a very real way I've owned Half-Life 2 longer than I've owned any physical game. Like I could bust out my SNES and get the games, and google how to get it working on a modern OLED TV and all the hassle. You know what, never mind, too much hassle. But I could be playing Half-Life 2 in like ten minutes if I clicked install right now, no fuss. Extremely convenient.

Well said. Of the 30 or so NES games I owned from my childhood, I think I might have about 4 of them still in a box stuffed in a closet somewhere, maybe. The rest were lost, or sold, or lent out and never returned. Half Life 2 just stays where it is though, ready to play.

I have this gigantic setup dominating a corner of my living room with a big 32" Sony Trinitron CRT and a bookcase full of old consoles with Everdrives and a video switch. Sometimes, I kind of wish I had that corner of my living room back, especially when I can easily just play those games on my Steam Deck anyway. I keep that setup for nostalgic reasons, and occasionally I sweep the dust off it.

As for the alleged "Steam bad" psyop, I'm still not sure. I'm not exactly staying up at night collecting data on it and making connections on a cork board with red thread while chugging black coffee like some kind of manic journalist on the trail of a big scoop, it's just a feeling like there's a pattern there. My advice for anyone who might have been getting sucked into it like I felt I was is to step back and get a little perspective. Does Valve's behavior match the narrative? If not, don't worry about it.

Originally posted by xBCxRangers:

PC gaming is just very expensive, and for many, very difficult to traverse...

I do think Mr Newell "gets it' though...

Steam is sort of the "UPS" of gaming. Always under the radar, never making waves or news (for the most part), and has an analogy as UPS does, that if the old methods work, continue the model.

That is a very measured and nuanced take from you Rangers. I am very pleasantly surprised, and I think I might have been wrong about you. I'm going to take you off my block list and try and read your responses from a different context from now on. You have come off as very negative and oddly abrasive and sarcastic to me in the past, but I suspect that I might actually have been misunderstanding your intent.

I've always taken the stance that PC gaming, and Steam for that matter isn't necessarily for everyone. It certainly can be expensive, especially if you're going for high powered, AAA gaming, and in that regard a console is going to give you more bang for your buck. PC gaming is more complicated and not as straight forward, and not everyone wants to mess around with troubleshooting and tinkering. They just want to sit down and enjoy their games, and I can absolutely respect that.

For those with the extra patience and disposable income though, who don't mind a little tinkering and troubleshooting from time to time, there are a lot of real benefits to PC gaming. And it's not black and white either, you can have a PC that's more console like, and if the rumors are true the next Xbox is about to become a lot more PC like, and might even be able to run Steam. If you look, there's something out there for everyone. We are lucky to live in an extremely gaming rich time in history. Use the service you want, as long as you are having fun and trust that service, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Those NES games? You didn't own those either.You owned the plastic cartridges, not the games on those cartridges. You guys really need to read up on this stuff. It's been around since the 1970s

[AmsterdamHeavy]

Did anyone actually read the thread, or just the title and start making assumptions?

[Haruspex]

Originally posted by Princess Luna:

So TLDR is: Feel free to not use Steam if you dont want

Or do! Because, or at least I believe, they have proven themselves worthy stewards of our libraries. (And if you don't, why the heck would you be here anyway?)

Originally posted by Princess Luna:

Jsut note that EOS/GOG have only 1/10000 amount of Steam games

Indeed. I have about 300-ish games on GOG too, and there are some games on GOG that Steam doesn't have, or even refuses to carry. I'm glad they exist.

Originally posted by C²C^Guyver |NZB|:

20-Year-Old account and has nearly 2,000 games and doesn't realize that you don't really own the games

Originally posted by C²C^Guyver |NZB|:

Those NES games? You didn't own those either.You owned the plastic cartridges, not the games on those cartridges. You guys really need to read up on this stuff. It's been around since the 1970s

Yes. I addressed that in my over-long and probably too verbose wall of text that your average forum users won't read. Apologies for that.

[AmsterdamHeavy]

Originally posted by Taebrythn:

Originally posted by AmsterdamHeavy:

Did anyone actually read the thread, or just the title and start making assumptions?

Did you? even making the assumption that you think you ever owned anything is laughable. it didn't matter if you bought a cd, game or movie you never owned it. they were always license even in the 90s and before.

You didnt read it either. Obviously.