this post was submitted on 11 Oct 2024
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[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 month ago

The amount of comments on social media that I saw of people surprised by this means this really wasn't something the average person knew about, it's natural to think if you paid for digital content it should've the same rights of physical. Though reselling will get messy.

[–] [email protected] 37 points 1 month ago (2 children)

The answer is to introduce law which would force digital products to be owned, not licenced for non commercial users.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago

I think the answer was to introduce a law which would force digital market places to clearly describe what users are paying for, for folks who weren't around during the controversial time when Steam and Xbox Live Arcade came out and can't grasp the concept; folks who didn't observe the reality before and after this shift.

Even though it was abundantly clear already, this is what the California law is all about.

If, with this clear explanation, you still want to merely get a license to use games via a service, you should be able to do it.

Valve isn't doing anything wrong: far from it. Steam is awesome and I understand that one day, it could all go away and with it, all the games I have access to.

I also understand that, at any time, Valve may decide that they don't want me to use Steam anymore, or that someone may hack into my account and I won't have access anymore.

Finally, I get that even now, things that I could do with physical games; I can't do with my Steam library (eg. Easily play a game on my Steam Deck while someone also plays another game on my desktop, or sell a game disc that sits on my desk).

I understood this when I reluctantly signed up to Steam to play Half Life 2 back in the day when it was a complete dumpster fire of a buggy mess of a service. But it has improved so much since then.

Hey, do you, but I don't see what the big deal is. We've already protested that Steam was a bad idea, and Valve was literally the devil, but it's actually turned out to be objectively more convenient than any alternative to play games, and it's no longer Valve forcing us to install Steam to play their games. Practically the entire industry has shifted, plus there are now alternatives (besides piracy) like GoG. Hopefully this law causes more competition in that DRM free space.

[–] [email protected] -3 points 1 month ago (3 children)

What exactly would that entail? I “own” Hades, thus I can depict Zagreus in my own works, as his likeness is my property? I’m allowed to copy the game to a dozen thumb drives and sell them on the street?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

What exactly would that entail?

Go figure 🙄

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 month ago

Somewhat ironically, both of those things would actually require a license as opposed to ownership

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 month ago

It would mean that you were allowed to sell your license to somebody else, just as you would be able to with a physical copy.

It would mean that you could continue to have it, and be able to reinstall it on future hardware if Valve closed shop tomorrow.

Currently you can do neither of those things.

[–] [email protected] -2 points 1 month ago

We knew it 10 years ago, we know it now, how is this news to anyone consuming online digital content?

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago (1 children)

If the game is FOSS, does this warning still show? 🤔

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago
[–] [email protected] 37 points 1 month ago

Thanks, new California law!

[–] [email protected] -1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

We know about we been buying a license not a game.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

Maybe the average lemmit, not the average gamer.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

gestures to the other 99% of gamers

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