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The days of owning games are coming to an end

sublimit

sublimit

Banned
There's only so much you can do with a customer who buys a game.

And I mean buying a game in the traditional sense, where you go to a store, pick up a physical product, and can play that product on your hardware forever and ever, amen. Sony has found success with "giving away" games every month for subscription of PlayStation Plus, and Microsoft is now catching up and starting to up the quality of the games being offered. But EA is taking things a step forward and launching a subscription-based service for the Xbox One.
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But let's be clear, this is a shift of power from the buyer to EA. You'll lose access to content if your subscription lapses, just like the free-game initiatives from Sony and Microsoft that are designed to keep you paying month after month, year after year. EA has an easy way of tracking your spending habits and buying habits, and could begin to offer you tailored content to match your playing patterns.
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The importance of having this sort of service within Xbox Live can't be understated, and it locks you into EA's platforms and products in a way the company couldn't before. It could be a good deal for customers, but it's definitely a good deal for EA. It's also another step away from true game ownership.
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What EA is offering in this case is ephemeral, just like the games we buy digitally through Sony and Microsoft and install directly on our hard drives. One day the servers will go down, and the games will be gone. The hardware will die. The companies will stop supporting these services and they'll cease to host games. It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when. The digital coupons for content and games are a great deal for this generation, but let's not fool ourselves into thinking we're buying anything lasting.
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We may complain about this in the comments, but the reality of the situation is that this is the future we've built.We support this new age of limited ownership, of products that exist at the pleasure of the publishers and developers. We spend money on games and services, we prop up the minimum viable products that we like and support their ongoing development.
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The stacks of NES games that I can still put in my system to play, the PlayStation One games that still work on my first-generation PlayStation 2, these are all relics for a time that has passed. We're not buying anymore, and EA is showing us the next step towards our rented future. This future comes with benefits, and we may save some money, but let's also understand what we're giving up, and why.

This is the way forward; the way of the future. Your kids won't mind that they don't own their games, they won't know any other reality. The rest of us will worry about what it all means, as we pay for the next piece of content that will blow away like sand the moment the Xbox Two is released, or will fade from memory as we hook up our PlayStation Fives.
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http://www.polygon.com/2014/7/29/5948829/ea-access-owning-games

Pretty good opinion piece (IMO) and i agree with all the points he makes.Also another thing that he didn't mentioned is that if EA's experiment becomes successful and more companies follow their example,it will be much easier for MS or Sony in the future to lock you in a new DRM console.
 
Surface of Me

Surface of Me

I'm not an NPC. And neither are we.
This would be relevant if EA made games you only get via subscription. As of right now its tin foil hatted, slippery slope bullshit.
 
A

alexandros

Banned
The only safe haven for backwards compatibility and games library preservation is the PC. Even if official support ends there are ways of keeping the games alive.
 
R

random25

Member
That would be crazy if "Xbox Two" is the name of next gen MS gaming console. :p

On topic, the power is still on the buyers. As long as the paying public supports physical media by a ton, it will still be there.
 
Denton

Denton

Member
As long as companies like CD Projekt and Larian exist, so will ownership of games. But this service thing will surely be convenient for many people.
 
R

redcrayon

Member
To be honest, the games that I know I'll really want to keep (usually rpgs) I buy physical copies of where I can. What I use my PS+ sub for is an extended range of 'fodder', keeping me supplied with all the mid-range games that I a) play between the more interesting stuff and b) that I don't want to buy at full price. If any of them turn out to be really good ( and several have), I then pick up a cheap physical copy.

Losing access to my PS+ games really wouldn't bother me at all, nor do I consider myself locked into the system forever more. All the PS+ stuff on my Vita sits in a couple of folders so I know exactly what I'll lose if I don't want to renew the subscription, and which games I should keep an eye out for a sale on to upgrade them to a more permanent copy. It's just a cheaper way of playing the games that (for me) are kinda second-tier, and that I would otherwise have bought long after launch for peanuts and traded in immediately afterwards anyway.

What I'm not convinced by is EA access- very few publishers put out enough games that interest me to give them a yearly fee for just access to their stuff. If the individual games are too pricey I'll just wait for a sale, EA games are rarely even half the price after six months in the UK.

They can stream all the annual AAA stuff as much as they like, and I even think it makes sense for annual multiplayer shooters and football where the previous game is often made irrelevant by the new one. But I'll still be happily paying a few quid a time for smaller games that I can play for years at my leisure.

That's something that the nostalgia in the article doesn't touch on- I no longer have to pay £30-£40 a go for console games like I did even a decade ago, the range of pricing options in the modern industry is a good thing rather than an expensive one-size-fits-all model.
 
A

AniHawk

Member
Surface of Me said:
As of right now its tin foil hatted, slippery slope bullshit.
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microsoft made a very real push for it just last year and sony was also considering it. valve is an absolute powerhouse in this realm, and nintendo is considering digital as a sort of platform. i don't think it's some sort of fantasy, but the inevitable future.

physical goods may still be produced- maybe for limited editions for pc or something, much like vinyl for music. it'll be a fun novelty for collectors.
 
C

ColEx

Member
I would use both, some games are just not worth owning, like sports games and annual-ish fps games like Battlefield etc.
 
W

Widge

Member
I haven't bought a physical game in years now. Films too. CD's even longer. In fact, the only thing I buy physically is vinyl.

This may quantify as me "letting it happen" but the truth of it is that my purchasing habits are letting it happen.

I could get in a tizz about it, post a few angry comments, but the reality is that I'd ensure that physical products remain there for me still not to buy.
 
M

MrGerbils

Member
There was a time, not even that long ago, where the thought of owning a movie to watch at home as many times as you want was completely mind blowing.

Media habits and access change and evolve, and the type of media we get changes because of it.

The deeply serialized TV shows like the type that are popular now probably wouldn't have worked in the days before DVDs/Netflix and the binge watching they allow for people to catch up. Maybe this new type of access to games will bring interesting new takes on game design too.
 
S

smurfx

get some go again
wonder how gamestop and other retailers will try to fight subscriptions. you will probably be able to buy a month sub at the stores but you can't sell used games that way.
 
C

CecilRousso

Member
ColEx said:
I would use both, some games are just not worth owning, like sports games and annual fps games like Battlefield etc.
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Pretty much that. On consoles If the price is less, I actually prefer to first get the games through rental services/subscriptions, and then buy the games I actually want to keep. Too many purchases are just overwhelming.

The problem does occur when owning a certain game is no longer an option at all of course.
 
O

Occam

Member
What, is someone going to come to my house and take away my physical collection?

Anyway, given the choice, I always buy physical, as do millions of others.

I will not join this new corporate-controlled inverted communism where private property is abolished and they own everything, while you own nothing.

Anyway, it really is time for some digital consumer rights. Just because you buy something digitally, that doesn't mean you should not have any ownership rights, along with the right to transfer ownership.
 
Solidsoul

Solidsoul

Banned
sublimit said:
http://www.polygon.com/2014/7/29/5948829/ea-access-owning-games

Pretty good opinion piece (IMO) and i agree with all the points he makes.Also another thing that he didn't mentioned is that if EA's experiment becomes successful and more companies follow their example,it will be much easier for MS or Sony in the future to lock you in a new DRM console.
Click to expand...

Wow everything in this post is absolutely dead on. I completely agree, I hate the direction games are taking.
 
X

Xone9

Banned
I wonder if before everyone on the Internets screamed at Microsoft for doing the DRM thing for the XB1, that this EA access was part of the deal.

Then Microsoft backtracked, told EA to give it a year, then here we are!
 
R

REMEMBER CITADEL

Banned
KHlover said:
Only if you let it happen.
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It's happening, and it has been happening for quite a while. It's going to get even more extreme with streaming, which is also pretty much inevitable at some point. People might say no now (although I'm unsure that they will; they seemed to eat up PlayStation Plus as soon as Sony offered them "free" games), but when they see and experience games that would simply not be possible running on a single local machine, they'll succumb. Maybe not us, but the masses will, and we will be swept along.
 
A

Amir0x

Banned
Occam said:
What, is someone going to come to my house and take away my physical collection?

Anyway, given the choice, I always buy physical, as do millions of others.

I will not join this new corporate-controlled inverted communism where private property is abolished and they own everything, while you own nothing.

Anyway, it really is time for some digital consumer rights. Just because you buy something digitally, that doesn't mean you should not have any ownership rights, along with the right to transfer ownership.
Click to expand...

The article is suggesting that this is a step toward a FUTURE with no more permanent owning of games, not that you can't still go out and buy games. So what you own now and this gen and into the past will be what you own, but what comes after you won't have the option to own. At least, that's the bleak potential future being painted here.

And it's reason #32 in a huge list of reasons I ain't touching EA's service.
 
sublimit

sublimit

Banned
Xone9 said:
I wonder if before everyone on the Internets screamed at Microsoft for doing the DRM thing for the XB1, that this EA access was part of the deal.

Then Microsoft backtracked, told EA to give it a year, then here we are!
Click to expand...

That was the first thing that came to my mind as well when EA made the announcement.
 
Q

Qassim

Member
Sounds great, can't wait. All digital, all the way!

As far as ownership is concerned, it always confused me that people implied they had ownership of their console games. The consoles are DRM boxes designed to ensure you don't get too much ownership of your games, the license you bought to play the game is included and tied to a physical disc. If that disc gets lost or damaged, the license to play that game could never have been backed up and continued to be used because of DRM.

I'm fine with it all, but I think people forget that they already gave up a decent amount of 'ownership' of their games when they accepted the console model (I know there have been some consoles have had basically non existent DRM, but they've generally been the exception). So it always seems odd to me when people try and take a principled stand against DRM and ownership of their games whilst supporting the things that go against those principles.

Just like people accepted that, they'll accept this too. It's inevitable, and the way many games are designed to be disposable, with a limited shelf-life (so they can sell you a new one in a year or two) - people generally won't care about the longevity of their games in the future. It's happening with every other digital medium, it'll happen with video games too, and it already is happening.
 
T

tuna_love

Banned
Amir0x said:
The article is suggesting that this is a step toward a FUTURE with no more permanent owning of games, not that you can't still go out and buy games. So what you own now and this gen and into the past will be what you own, but what comes after you won't have the option to own. At least, that's the bleak potential future being painted here.

And it's reason #32 in a huge list of reasons I ain't touching EA's service.
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Is reason 1 not having an xbox?
 
K

KemoSabe

Member
If thats the case then my gaming days are over. Or im going all retro...

Im not paying for something i dont own and the publisher can take away at any given time.
No thanks, keep your online only shit for yourself.
 
S

scytherage

Member
I personally prefer having discs. The downloads are just too large and hard drives fail all the time.

When internet speeds treat 1GB downloads within seconds in more places around the world, maybe this will be true.
 
Flintty

Flintty

Member
MoGamesXNA said:
This is the real reason why PC is the superior platform IMHO.

The day I lose the ability to own my games is the day I move exclusively to playing the three decades of titles I've yet to even touch. I have enough games to play for the rest of my lifetime. If publishers don't want my money going forwards then that's their problem.
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This seems backwards when you consider Steam. Do you truly own your steam games?
 
Z

zoukka

Member
And so the age of collecting new games ends too. Luckily we have three decades worth of great games to collect still!
 
Q

Qassim

Member
Flintty said:
This seems backwards when you consider Steam. Do you truly own your steam games?
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Some of them, yeah. There's nothing inherent about Steam that takes away ownership - it's on a game-by-game basis. Some games on Steam are completely DRM free.

It's up to a developer or publisher to decide if they want to add Steam (or third party) DRM to their game. Valve doesn't mandate DRM on the games.
 
G

Gipsy Danger

Member
Do you actually lose access to the EA games if your sub lapses? Even though it's only a 10% discount? That seems a tad ridiculous. At least the Sony and MS games are free.
 
T

The Red Wizard

Member
GabeN will save save us from a future where we can't download our games long after buying them.

scytherage said:
I personally prefer having discs. The downloads are just too large and hard drives fail all the time.

When internet speeds treat 1GB downloads within seconds in more places around the world, maybe this will be true.
Click to expand...

Discs fail as well and are more susceptible to failure than hard drives.
 
Flintty

Flintty

Member
Qassim said:
Some of them, yeah. There's nothing inherent about Steam that takes away ownership - it's on a game-by-game basis. Some games on Steam are completely DRM free.

It's up to a developer or publisher to decide if they want to add Steam (or third party) DRM to their game. Valve doesn't mandate DRM on the games.
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Cool, thanks for clarifying :)
 
A

AmaterasuOni

Banned
Not, if it's up to me. I will not take part of this madness (I only pay for PS+)!

It's a stupid idea. Think about how much money studios are losing when they can't grab easy money with all those CE, Special, Über, Limited and so on editions. And people are collecting this kind of pointless stuff. These same people won't take part of this digital revolution.
 
D

Denzar

Member
KHlover said:
Only if you let it happen.
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Unfortunately, we, "gamers" will let this happen. You, me, GAF won't, but the unthinking majority (loaded term, I know), the people that are not as well informed as you and me will not even flinch and buy it anyway.

Flintty said:
This seems backwards when you consider Steam. Do you truly own your steam games?
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They are tied to your Steam account which works on every PC. OS'es might change, hardware might change, but the open nature of PC is one major factor consoles don't have going for them.

If MS continues what they are doing, we'll have ot resort to other OS'es and make it work.
 
Z

Zeyphersan

Banned
BPoole said:
I'm fine buying digital games but I don't ever see myself buying into a program like EA Access
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Me too. Maybe I'm weird, but I don't view a digital purchase and a subscription on the same "this is bad" plane. I still count my digital games as ones I own.
 
D

Das_Blarthole

Neo Member
The reality is, unfortunately, that whilst you do own physical copies, for the most part, unless you buy GOTY editions, you already live in a world where you don;t fully own all of the 'game' you bought, if you buy DLC - I have all the DLC for ME2 on 360, but the ME2 edition I have for PS3 is technically more 'mine to do with as I please' because it ships all the DLC bar Arrival, and cosmetics on the disc.

For me as a dual console owner, I can buy physical for my PS4 and be happy with it, and happily pick up the games later down the line on EA access, also I don;t bother with FIFA but my son and my brother in laws do, so when they come round they can play downstairs and really it's not cost me much.

Also the idea that the PC is the place to be is somewhat of an oxymoron, as you're still highly dependent upon spirited individuals breaking things like steamworks and other such callback and authorise mechanisms, if Steam and their ilk drop into non existence. GOG of course is great and as long as you keep all your installers, you're pretty much insulated from your purchases being unavailable to you should it collapse.

But the key thing about all of this, and harking back to the original digital only vision of the XB1, is that physical copies have a number of advantages to users, but at the time no consumer advantages were pushed by MS, hence why the universal hatred for the system and it's subsequent 180, but there's no reason why digital, subscription and physical should no co-exist as long as they all have consumer advantages that an individual can weigh up and choose their poison accordingly.
 
H

hesido

Member
I'm a fan of PS Plus Instant game collection, but I guess if full price games begin to be designed as nickel/dime pay to win structures, renting those games for low prices wouldn't really be beneficial to the consumer as it seems.

Warablo said:
Eh, maybe I shouldn't go all digital on my PS4..
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But you are forced to go digital at some point. Bought a retail copy of TLoU Remaster? You'll have to deal with people with moneyz that walk/run faster/quiter, there are game changing digital only perks behind a paywall.
 
A

Amir0x

Banned
Das_Blarthole said:
The reality is, unfortunately, that whilst you do own physical copies, for the most part, unless you buy GOTY editions, you already live in a world where you don;t fully own all of the 'game' you bought, if you buy DLC - I have all the DLC for ME2 on 360, but the ME2 edition I have for PS3 is technically more 'mine to do with as I please' because it ships all the DLC bar Arrival, and cosmetics on the disc.
Click to expand...

it's a good thing I've literally purchased almost no DLC for the entire gen and will continue to never purchase DLC :D

Only DLC I can ever remember purchasing was Minerva's Den on PC. I ain't responsible for this future, no sir. ;P
 
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