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this post was submitted on 24 Dec 2024
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This makes me sad. I wanna believe in gog. The last bastion of hope for gaming.
In what way? I know it's great but I don't know if I'd call it the last hope for all of gaming. It's a good store front. Their application has better FOSS alternatives and there are other pretty okay ways to buy games too. I don't follow them closely. Are they doing anything particular that warrants that description?
They're like the only store that actually sells you the game and not a revokable license to a game
I thought itch did that too
They do
That's just wrong. They just sell you a license and provide a DRM free game. You are not supposed to continue playing the game if the publisher terminates your license. They just give you the ability to do it, but it has no legal value
Yeah I was aware of that. I don't know if that constitutes the last hope for all gaming, but it's definitely a positive. Other stores have a much better user experience, and until they rival stores like Steam in functionality and ease of use, actually owning your own game is just a very nice to have feature and nothing more. Of course, I wish all stores did that. I don't want to have to resort to piracy if my steam library goes poof, but so far I haven't had to, and piracy is still an ethical choice in that scenario.
My point isn't that steam is better, but that GOG has a couple nice features and several downsides, and it is by no means changing or saving the industry. They have a long way to go, and I don't think saving the industry is the end goal for them.
No, but saving the industry is their "hook", if not explicitly stated as such. I know that every game I buy from them will be impossible to take away from me if I backed up the installers first.
I don't know if that's true anymore. There are games on there that require login into PSN after installing.
Are you sure? I haven't played any of Sony's games on GOG. From reviews, it looks like Horizon still sends telemetry if you're connected to the internet, but I don't believe it's gotten the remaster update that mandates PSN. I could be out of the loop though. I do know that GOG caught flak for allowing Hitman 2016 on the store, which is technically playable from start to finish without an internet connection, but the connection to their server gates all sorts of extras, so the customers rebelled and got it removed.
You never have bought a game even when buying it on physical media. You always purchase a license to the game.
You really need to look at what you're buying. Whether it's a download, a DVD, or damn floppy disk, you're still just buying a license. A very revokable license. If it's online, the publisher can cut you off.
GOG installer is offline:
https://www.gamesradar.com/games/valve-reminds-steam-users-they-dont-actually-own-a-darn-thing-they-buy-gog-pounces-and-says-its-games-cannot-be-taken-away-from-you-thanks-to-offline-installers/
https://x.com/GOGcom/status/1844752098145038435
GoG isn't the publisher. Y'all don't read the shit you agree to, and know fuck all about media distribution. You've never owned a video game, a movie, or even a book that isn't in the public domain. You've only ever owned licenses for personal use, and those licenses have always been provisional and revokable. Always. Your ignorance is not change that.
Enhance your calm. I was merely pointing out that the game installers are offline for GOG, meaning there's not a physical mechanism to cut you off. As you mentioned, if it's online, then they can cut you off, which is true for Steam but not GOG.
Those are terminologies corporations care about. But, for real life use there is a difference between a product that can be remotely taken away and products that can't. Otherwise could be argued there is no difference between a pirated copy of Red Dead Redemption 2 and a legit one, which there is once you try to play offline.
GOG Seels DRM free games that you can download the installers and all necessary files. No matter what they do, once you've downloaded it, they can't stop you from playing it.
I hope you're paid well to spread this easily disproven lie.
https://support.gog.com/hc/en-us/articles/212632089-GOG-User-Agreement?product=gog
This is just the license to download the game installer, not to install it.
Once you've downloaded the software they can't revoke the license for that installer file.
Yes they can. They cannot stop you from installing the game, but once they revoke your license, it would be piracy.
GOG shills always twist reality to try to make it conform to the "you own you games" lie, but the truth is GOG is no different than Steam.
How do you use a Steam game after its license was revoked?
By default Steam is a mere download manager without any DRM. You can zip the game folder and back it up anywhere. Whether or not publishers go through the additional steps to enable one or more DRM solution is a different matter. My favorite Steam games have no DRM at all.
Same as GOG: piracy.
You're purposely ignoring the obvious differences between GOG and steam to fit what you believe. Have fun with that
The differences are practical, not legal. He is right in the end
Practical difference is all that matters in most instances. If a law cannot be enforced, it is irrelevant.
They can't, actually, because they don't hold the rights to that content, only to GOG and the installer. Once it's installed their distribution and license rights end.
If the game you install has its own license from the rights holder that gets revoked then you'll be in breach of that license, if anything.
How do you disprove that this "GOG content" are offline installer files that, as long as you keep them backed up, work indefinitely even if GOG revokes your license to download them again?
I don't. However, using those files after GOG revokes your license would be piracy.
the reality of the situation is that these 2 things look exactly the same in 99% of circumstance and 100% of circumstances that consumers actually care about