Gaming
Video Game Ownership is Taking a Weird Turn
We shouldn't “get comfortable” not owning our games
But, that seems to be the goal.
Ubisoft has not-so-subtly suggested that purchasing games is in for a big change. They’re signalling a major industry shift that will soon take hold. This shift affects all digital content.
The rights to own content have changed with the shift to digital media. From disks and drives, we once purchased irrevocable privileges to access a game.
That access has changed through digital libraries. If a certain business goes under, or an acquisition makes big changes — you’re out of luck. Your catalog can be taken away for whatever reason in this new landscape.
I’m sure you’ve guessed by now that this is a bad thing. When a consumer sets out to buy a game digitally, they assume they have a right to access this content as they wish. As with buying a game in a physical store, it’s yours to keep after paying the price.
It isn’t like renting a movie or going to the theater — where you know it is a limited-time purchase. You give the access back. Your seat is left for the next viewer.
Taking away access to a player’s entire catalog means they would have to buy another copy. Reasons to take away access vary and are justified at certain levels.
Inactivity is a recent and controversial idea to revoke a user’s account and access to their purchases. There are games that I haven’t played in many years. My access remains the same because they are not in a digital library. They’re accessible whenever I want. That is how digital libraries should and need to remain.
Indeed, consumers do not have true ownership of the games they buy. They never did. According to certain game executives, all game purchases are copies.
Taking these steps to undermine the relationship with the consumer is a disservice. It is money-hungry, greedy behavior.
It all leads back to the increasingly popular subscription model. These month-to-month payments may seem nominal for some, but they add up. For continual access, users pay much more than single games for far less benefit.
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