Game Ownership or Just a License? Concerns About Steam's Policies and Our Digital Libraries

[DarkEmpire]

Here’s the full message including both parts:

Dear Valve/Gaben,

I have some concerns after hearing the recent news and the lack of clarity about what is now required. After a brief introduction, I just read that when you purchase something through Steam or another store, you no longer have the right to actually own the game, but only receive a license. This implies that there’s always a possibility that a game could be removed from my library, even though I’ve paid the full price for it.

I am very happy with the service, the cloud save features, and the opportunities we have. However, the idea that "someone" could take a game out of my account—one that I've spent my whole life saving for and achieving in—gives me some anxiety, and I’m sure others feel the same way.

To be clear, I miss the physical game cases with DVDs inside, where you didn’t need the internet to play, except for manually downloading patches (like in The Sims 2, back in the day). I feel more inclined to buy fewer games, or only purchase them when they are at heavily discounted prices.

My question is whether there will be more clarity about what the licensing terms mean for us as Steam users. Is there any possibility that this could be changed so that when we purchase something, we can truly own it? Or could we at least get some assurance that our games won’t suddenly be removed from our library or become unplayable without warning?

[Wolf Knight]

you never owned the games you purchase. what you had was a LICENSE to use. the difference between when games were on disk and now is that the game developers can enforce the license agreements.

if you want changes to licenses, talk to your lawmakers about it.

[Kargor]

Also, in "I don't know how many years Steam has existed", games were never removed from the libraries, with or without warning.

The only exceptions were games that were "forcibly refunded" shortly after release, or online games shutting down, making the client completely useless.

Steam takes the idea to "sell" games seriously. Chances are, the day you loose the games is when Steam itself shuts down.

[Caduryn]

Originally posted by DarkEmpire:

Here’s the full message including both parts:

Dear Valve/Gaben,

I have some concerns after hearing the recent news and the lack of clarity about what is now required. After a brief introduction, I just read that when you purchase something through Steam or another store, you no longer have the right to actually own the game, but only receive a license. This implies that there’s always a possibility that a game could be removed from my library, even though I’ve paid the full price for it.

I am very happy with the service, the cloud save features, and the opportunities we have. However, the idea that "someone" could take a game out of my account—one that I've spent my whole life saving for and achieving in—gives me some anxiety, and I’m sure others feel the same way.

To be clear, I miss the physical game cases with DVDs inside, where you didn’t need the internet to play, except for manually downloading patches (like in The Sims 2, back in the day). I feel more inclined to buy fewer games, or only purchase them when they are at heavily discounted prices.

My question is whether there will be more clarity about what the licensing terms mean for us as Steam users. Is there any possibility that this could be changed so that when we purchase something, we can truly own it? Or could we at least get some assurance that our games won’t suddenly be removed from our library or become unplayable without warning?

Oh my....

You always only just given a License..... since way over 20 Years now....

[Yzal]

15 years on Steam and didn't knew you only ever owned a license

[Tito Shivan]

Originally posted by DarkEmpire:

To be clear, I miss the physical game cases with DVDs inside, where you didn’t need the internet to play, except for manually downloading patches (like in The Sims 2, back in the day).

You're lucky if you actually get a disc inside of a store bought game case these days.
Even more lucky if that disc actually contains the game... instead of the launcher installer from which you'll download and play the game.

[DarkEmpire]

Originally posted by Tito Shivan:

Originally posted by DarkEmpire:

To be clear, I miss the physical game cases with DVDs inside, where you didn’t need the internet to play, except for manually downloading patches (like in The Sims 2, back in the day).

You're lucky if you actually get a disc inside of a store bought game case these days.
Even more lucky if that disc actually contains the game... instead of the launcher installer from which you'll download and play the game.

That's right. That happened step by step over the years later." It started with the Orange Box what i can remember.

[Boblin the Goblin]

Originally posted by 76561198083019420:

Originally posted by Yzal:

15 years on Steam and didn't knew you only ever owned a license

you never owned a license before, you owned nothing and you still own nothing on steam no license

whenever you click the purchase button on any game youre just donating money to whoever

No, you own a limited license.

[76561199758891988]

i aint own no dang license and aint gonna heh heh heh
Git R Done

[Kaibamon]

What I can recommend to people here is that they start buying more from GoG. The true competitor to Steam. Sure they don't have all the new games, but any game you purchase is yours to keep. You get the installer and place it on your HDD or w/e and even if they remove it form the store, you still OWN IT.

[sfnhltb]

Not sure exactly when it started, but limited licenses to use software you "own" has been the case pretty much from the beginning, it didn't start with online sales. This is true of other media as well - you don't own CDs, DVDs, BluRays, VHSes, you purchase a limited license to watch (or listen to) the content in non commercial settings (or if you were someone like Blockbuster back in the day you paid more for a version with a broader license that allows it to be rented out commerically). If you owned it with no special licensing restrictions they wouldn't be able to enforce those sorts of terms and conditions on the purchaser.

So welcome to the 1970s/earlier 1980s or whenever it was this became the norm for all entertainment media (and commercial non-game software, etc).

Edit:

Originally posted by Kaibamon:

What I can recommend to people here is that they start buying more from GoG. The true competitor to Steam. Sure they don't have all the new games, but any game you purchase is yours to keep. You get the installer and place it on your HDD or w/e and even if they remove it form the store, you still OWN IT.

I have at least 200 games that have been removed from the Steam store for various reasons, all of them are still in my library anyway (except 1, Moirai, which was free, not exactly replayable, and removed because hackers keep stealing peoples emails using it). And you don't own games just because you get them from GoG, you still only have a license for the game, see above.

[Tito Shivan]

Originally posted by DarkEmpire:

That's right. That happened step by step over the years later." It started with the Orange Box what i can remember.

The only place where you still can mostly buy actual discs with the game in it as of now are consoles... And because publishers don't want to bite the hand that feeds them by selling their hardware. But just like game resale that frog has been slowly boiling for some time already.

The most laughable thing about the new law that has spawned this discussion is it only requires digital stores to change their wording.

The very same you can only activate, download and use from Steam can still be 'bought' at a brick and mortar store without them explaining anything to you.

May this case serve as a cautionary tale about what happens when goverments get involved in matters they really don't understand.

[rawWwRrr]

Originally posted by DarkEmpire:

I have some concerns after hearing the recent news and the lack of clarity about what is now required.

Regarding the change to the SSA?

They took away the requirement to settle disputes only via arbitration and removed the restriction from forming and/or joining class action lawsuits against Valve. Nothing else changed.

Originally posted by DarkEmpire:

After a brief introduction, I just read that when you purchase something through Steam or another store, you no longer have the right to actually own the game, but only receive a license.

It's always been that way. The only difference these days is the distribution model. When a game was bought before the online digital distribution model, there was no other way to obtain a copy of the game other than a piece of physical media. But you still never *owned* the game. You owned a license in which to play a copy of the game. It's never been more than that.

Originally posted by DarkEmpire:

This implies that there’s always a possibility that a game could be removed from my library, even though I’ve paid the full price for it.

I am very happy with the service, the cloud save features, and the opportunities we have. However, the idea that "someone" could take a game out of my account—one that I've spent my whole life saving for and achieving in—gives me some anxiety, and I’m sure others feel the same way.

At least your eyes are open about it, now. The rare circumstances when that would most likely happen would be if Valve suspected you of performing malicious acts with your account. Unless you plan to lie, cheat, and steal with your account, or hack Valve/Steam with it, or try to launch nuclear missiles at Russia with it, there's no reason for Valve to remove access to any game you might have on your account.

Originally posted by DarkEmpire:

To be clear, I miss the physical game cases with DVDs inside, where you didn’t need the internet to play, except for manually downloading patches (like in The Sims 2, back in the day). I feel more inclined to buy fewer games, or only purchase them when they are at heavily discounted prices.

This would imply you're an old frog. And this sudden realization should have been well known to you far earlier than today. But don't think the threat of fewer purchases from you will cause the industry turn a whole 180 and go back to the way things used to be. While it was great to have something tangible like a DVD case, or handful of floppies, you had no choice to guard them against all manners of damage. Otherwise, you'd have to shell out more money for another copy assuming that game was still available for sale. Now, with a service like Steam, I have all of my games just a click of a button away. My hard drive crashes? My PC burns down in a fire? Oh well. Log my account into a new PC and my entire library is just a click away from enjoying it again.

Originally posted by DarkEmpire:

My question is whether there will be more clarity about what the licensing terms mean for us as Steam users. Is there any possibility that this could be changed so that when we purchase something, we can truly own it? Or could we at least get some assurance that our games won’t suddenly be removed from our library or become unplayable without warning?

Again, licensing didn't change. You *still* don't own the games.

[76561199758891988]

Besides, the gubermint said i cant have no more hosh darn licenses no more after my 5th dui. Har Har Har Git R Done!

[Chaosolous]

If you've ever bought anything digital you've never owned it. Just a license to access it, which can be revoked at any time for any reason as there are no laws protecting such purchases.

[TwisterCat]

Originally posted by Chaosolous:

If you've ever bought anything digital you've never owned it. Just a license to access it, which can be revoked at any time for any reason as there are no laws protecting such purchases.

Would the GOG offline launchers stop working, if CD:PR goes down?