Oddbean

Hot take: If you buy a digital game and download it, that's it. You have technically bought and own the game, and developer/store are not necessarily obligated to allow you to download the game again. Counter to hot take: Because the game is attached to the store's DRM, meaning that you can't use the files as intended without that store and a connection to their server / needing you to be online, then that means you don't own the game, and as a result Counter counter: When you bought a physical copy (disc) of a PC game, even back in the day, if it was attached to Steam with those same requirements, then you didn't own those physical copies as well. Final thoughts: Physical (file extraction) or digital (right of one time download, further requires future potential payments), if you buy the game and I can run it without the need of an internet connection, in terms of a singleplayer game, only then do you truly own it. In terms of an online game, it's the same but you don't own the servers they're running so its fine if they go under, however, they should not pursue you legally if you mod the files and make it connect to your own or others' servers. #gaming #gamestr

I don’t fully agree with Electronic’s argument, but perhaps this can bring more perspectives to the table on the topic since your argument reminded me of him: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rM1jaFvM58

The reason why I said what I said was because not many people understand the fairness of digital games, and get confused when comparing disc vs download, thinking that its unfair for them not to download their game again when a store goes under or if they get their license of a game revoked (that last point is a whole different issue I'll post about later). I think that video helps spread awareness at the start of an understanding of how things work, but it needs something like 2 to 5 more videos to properly encompass this range of topics. Regardless though, here's my thoughts while watching that video: - A lot of fluff at the start / very counterable. - I mean yea, file extractions, backups, and modding/cracking is the way to go. - Yup, the difference between me downloading a singleplayer .exe game with no DRM and another having a disk with the same files is none. Technically speaking we both have "physical" copy of the game, one is physically in a disc and the other is physically in a hard drive. - In the context of the above point's game example, you could sell the game disk to someone else, while not necessarily with the hard drive version of the game, you aren't necessarily selling the "Game" but rather selling the "collector's item" thought of it, the actual disk, and the art on top as well as its box if there is one, and the convenience of it, is what you're selling. In cases of DRM roadblocks, the value of the "convenience of it" shoots up dramatically. - - In terms of transfer, well, that's obviously easier when thinking with the files and not with the physical disc (Ex: a lot of games on itch or GOG)

That was my thought from the beginning. Digital doesn't necessarily mean but by itself. Same with electric vehicles, they don't have to be bad, but they're very connected to manufacturer's cloud services since it's a new technology. Could as easily been a regular electric with no connection. It's always comes to DRM.

Ye sadly... Though I'd imagine that connectivity, at least on Tesla as an example, is because of the self-driving part to stream huge machine learning data to the car. However, considering what's being done where people can self host their AI, yea we're reaching to a point where even self driving cars don't necessarily need to be connected to a server. Now here's an interesting thought for the future: Open source electric self-driving cars Shit will be wild x3