Grumpy Old Gamer

The Ownership Illusion - Subscriptions, DRM, and Digital Rights [S02E02]


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We replaced Tim with Lucas from Argentina and nobody told him. Now three idiots argue about subscription services, cloud gaming, and why you technically don't own any of your digital games.

The conversation covers how none of us can remember the last time we bought a physical game, yet we complain about not owning anything. We're all trapped in the Steam ecosystem with hundreds of games we'll never play again and can't resell. Game Pass costs more than just buying Minecraft outright, but people keep paying anyway because we're gullible idiots who forget to cancel subscriptions.

Cloud gaming gets debated as either the great equalizer or the final nail in ownership's coffin. Lucas argues for the satisfaction of building your own PC. Al suggests cloud access might democratize gaming. Ian points out the practical benefits of playing games on a potato laptop. Nobody agrees on anything.

GOG gets praised for selling DRM-free games you can own, but we all still use Steam because the interface is better and our libraries are already there. The EU's Stop Killing Games initiative offers hope for permanent game access, assuming it passes and forces global changes like Steam's refund policy did.

https://gog.fm

https://gog.fm/blog

https://gog.fm/spotify

https://gog.fm/apple

https://gog.fm/amazon

https://gog.fm/discord

https://gog.fm/twitch

https://gog.fm/steam

https://gog.fm/curator

https://gog.fm/facebook

https://gog.fm/twitter

https://gog.fm/bsky

https://gog.fm/instagram

https://gog.fm/threads

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Grumpy Old GamerBy Grumpy Old Gamer