Right, but a store with DRM can effectively prevent me from playing the games, that’s where my ownership effectively ends.
With GOG, there’s no DRM. So in all senses except some weird philosophical context, I do own the game. I paid money and received a file(s) that I can relocate, make backups of, burn to disc, archive, etc.
You could argue that if they revoke the license and I continue using the file that I have on my computer, that I’m now committing piracy, but that’s getting into a big technicality
But DRM-free means there’s no mechanism to revoke that license. Which is really how it should be because entities shouldn’t be able to benefit from a sale and then retract their side of the deal and keep the money just because they made up some terms that say they can do that.
does it matter if that license is only needed to download the game? once you have it downloaded, it doesn’t matter if the license gets revoked (it only grants you the ability to download the game, and use galaxy online/social features such as achievements and multiplayer)
That’s not what the TOS says at all. They reserve the right to suspend or cancel your access to gog services and content. In this regard that means if you bought a game and for whatever reason do not have the offline installers you can no longer access them download them since your access is gone. It’s like you went to an all you can eat buffet and did something really stupid to get kicked out, the food you already consumed is still yours and you do not need to return it as the last scene in The Meaning of Life.
It’s not yours. You buy a revocable license. Read their TOS.
How are they going to take the file off my computer?
Mr. GOG comes to your house and destroys the drive you’re storing the game on
Same as every other store with DRM: they won’t. Still doesn’t mean you own your games.
Right, but a store with DRM can effectively prevent me from playing the games, that’s where my ownership effectively ends.
With GOG, there’s no DRM. So in all senses except some weird philosophical context, I do own the game. I paid money and received a file(s) that I can relocate, make backups of, burn to disc, archive, etc.
You could argue that if they revoke the license and I continue using the file that I have on my computer, that I’m now committing piracy, but that’s getting into a big technicality
But DRM-free means there’s no mechanism to revoke that license. Which is really how it should be because entities shouldn’t be able to benefit from a sale and then retract their side of the deal and keep the money just because they made up some terms that say they can do that.
does it matter if that license is only needed to download the game? once you have it downloaded, it doesn’t matter if the license gets revoked (it only grants you the ability to download the game, and use galaxy online/social features such as achievements and multiplayer)
Gog has no drm. So effectively who cares.
That’s not what the TOS says at all. They reserve the right to suspend or cancel your access to gog services and content. In this regard that means if you bought a game and for whatever reason do not have the offline installers you can no longer access them download them since your access is gone. It’s like you went to an all you can eat buffet and did something really stupid to get kicked out, the food you already consumed is still yours and you do not need to return it as the last scene in The Meaning of Life.