3 ms·

I don’t mind steam, but it’s not like you really “own” your library even on that platform. So it has probably been a while since most of us actually owned a vid

by devjab 3y ago

I don’t mind steam, but it’s not like you really “own” your library even on that platform. So it has probably been a while since most of us actually owned a video game the way it was 30 years ago. Sure, the subscription services are taking it even further, but as long as you’re not in total control of the stuff you own, it’s not really yours. At least in my opinion.

ghaff 3y ago
As a practical matter, if I had a 30+ year old game still up in my attic, it would probably take more time/knowledge/money in many cases to get it running usefully than most people would reasonably put in.
- pierat 3y ago
  That would be in the realm of Total Annihilation (middle 1990s). I installed that a few weeks ago from the CDs provided on archive.org It took a few minutes to download AND install. What it really boils down to is the ever-downward trend to destroy ownership by converting as much as possible to a service or hidden rental. Me? I prefer to own games that work now or 30 years from now.
  - robinsonb5 3y ago
    > What it really boils down to is the ever-downward trend to destroy ownership by converting as much as possible to a service or hidden rental. The phrase I use for that is "erecting toll-booths".
- bobmaxup 3y ago
  Not if you still had the original system as well. I imagine it is not the norm though.
tokai 3y ago
Yes you do. You can backup and run (most[0]) games without steam. [0] when you can't its because of publishers purposefully blocking it.
- TillE 3y ago
  Yeah tons of games on Steam have zero DRM, many have trivially weak Steam DRM, and a handful have serious third-party DRM. Whatever the specific license may say about your rights, it's usually easy to make a completely portable backup.
worble 3y ago
Honestly, as talking about "ownership" in terms of the law I find to be an argument that just goes round in circles. Like yes, you don't own the game because the EULA says so, but no EULA's aren't legally binding, but yes because they can revoke the game without recourse, etc etc. What's more interesting is ownership in practical terms, in my opinion. And I don't think you can really blanket all the game in Steam under one rule here - some have absolutely 0 DRM and you can back them up and run them just fine anywhere and some have Steam DRM which is trivial to crack; these games you practically own. And then there are games which use Denuvo or other DRM means, where unless its one of the rare games that get a crack. I suppose what I'm trying to say is that, regardless of anything else, digital ownership to me boils down to "Can I copy these bytes to a hard drive, and then 20 years later still use them?"
- ufocia 3y ago
  You're really talking about digital possession not ownership.

by devjab 3y ago

ghaff 3y ago

As a practical matter, if I had a 30+ year old game still up in my attic, it would probably take more time/knowledge/money in many cases to get it running usefully than most people would reasonably put in.

pierat 3y ago
That would be in the realm of Total Annihilation (middle 1990s). I installed that a few weeks ago from the CDs provided on archive.org It took a few minutes to download AND install. What it really boils down to is the ever-downward trend to destroy ownership by converting as much as possible to a service or hidden rental. Me? I prefer to own games that work now or 30 years from now.
- robinsonb5 3y ago
  > What it really boils down to is the ever-downward trend to destroy ownership by converting as much as possible to a service or hidden rental. The phrase I use for that is "erecting toll-booths".
bobmaxup 3y ago
Not if you still had the original system as well. I imagine it is not the norm though.

tokai 3y ago

Yes you do. You can backup and run (most[0]) games without steam. [0] when you can't its because of publishers purposefully blocking it.

TillE 3y ago
Yeah tons of games on Steam have zero DRM, many have trivially weak Steam DRM, and a handful have serious third-party DRM. Whatever the specific license may say about your rights, it's usually easy to make a completely portable backup.

worble 3y ago

Honestly, as talking about "ownership" in terms of the law I find to be an argument that just goes round in circles. Like yes, you don't own the game because the EULA says so, but no EULA's aren't legally binding, but yes because they can revoke the game without recourse, etc etc. What's more interesting is ownership in practical terms, in my opinion. And I don't think you can really blanket all the game in Steam under one rule here - some have absolutely 0 DRM and you can back them up and run them just fine anywhere and some have Steam DRM which is trivial to crack; these games you practically own. And then there are games which use Denuvo or other DRM means, where unless its one of the rare games that get a crack. I suppose what I'm trying to say is that, regardless of anything else, digital ownership to me boils down to "Can I copy these bytes to a hard drive, and then 20 years later still use them?"

ufocia 3y ago
You're really talking about digital possession not ownership.