Why EULA's Don't Protect You - Digital Content Isn't Property - Adam Koralik
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- Опубліковано 6 гру 2023
- It's Adam Koralik here and today we're discussing the recent realization more and more people are having that digital content isn't property. I want to yet again elaborate on that, specifically focusing on what a EULA is exactly, and why it doesn't protect you.
See first video here: • PlayStation Steals Dig...
Second video here: • PlayStation Shuts Down...
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Videos like this make me have a greater appreciation for the many storage totes I have loaded with DVDs 📀 CDs 💿 and many many physical video games that I’ve held on to.
I’m also a big collector of 4K blu ray movies.
Look at getting plex and ripping those discs.
Best of both worlds.
All Digital content is truly nothing more than a privilege to occupy the content for an unknown duration.
At least for the full console generation.
I always thought as long as it’s on your sd card or whatever it’s yours forever.
@@sandman8920Nope look at the case with Skull Girls they literally stole the game from those who bought it
It is yours on that console. I have freedom planet on the wii u. I feel like it's mine. I understand it can't be sold but I'm okay with that
I just this minute put my wii u on and it has redownload option too on the wii u shop 😊
I've been primarily a PC gamer for my entire life. I gladly buy games on Steam knowing what's in the EULA because I generally trust Valve, and even when I owned physical games I never re-sold them. I'm under no delusion that I own my Steam games, but I'm willing to put up with the "risk" so I can use their service.
That being said, I buy a LOT of games on Gog specifically because it's the only video game digital distribution store where you truly own the games you buy, since they're DRM-free. No launcher needed and you can copy the files anywhere you want and launch them with no verification.
As long as Gog exists, games can be properly preserved without having to crack / pirate them.
Burn those files onto a disc and you have a physical copy.
GOG is my platform of choice.
They are doing an amazing job of archiving older games.
I don't trust Steam, they delete stuff from the store all the time, like you can't buy Mortal Kombat 9 anymore, or the original Skyrim if the remastered version doesn't run on your computer but you know the old one works perfectly.
Also, they can remotely block you from playing games you paid for on your perfectly working device because one day the decide "we don't support your OS anymore". That's not acceptable, that's insane. Steam won't run anymore on Windows 7 very soon, so you won't be able to run games that run on Windows 7, on your perfectly working Windows 7 PC because they say so.
It's like if Sony came to my place to take away my PS2 games because I haven't bought a PS5 yet.
I can play games for Win98 all I want on my Win98 PC, I can play NES games on my NES, it's absurd in a couple of months my perfectly working Windows 7 computer won't play games made for it anymore.
And people that say "bruh, just upgrade to Windows 10 or 11" are completly missing the point.
@@pelgervampireducksteam still allows you to download and install games that are not on the store if you had them in your library
also if you're travelling and have no internet connection then the majority of your Steam games won't start up at all.
@@TheNeXTGUI Not too hard to swap to offline mode, and the majority of them will work just fine. Not like gog though where an internet connection is only needed to download and update.
I like that you explained this. I think America as a whole is moving in the direction of non ownership for persons but for corporations.
Smaller scale communism in a way.
@@c0mpu73rguy No that's wrong.
Communism is Government ownership.
This is Capitalism.
LARGE scale and late stage Capitalism.
Capitalism is Private Ownership i.e. owned by corporations.
Everything eventually privately owned/privatized to the 1% rich. (they own the corporations as the major shareholders)
"You will nothing and like it"
Do not confuse private ownership with personal ownership.
The argument for ownership of games is personal ownership i.e access to it anytime, able to sell it, use it indefinitely etc..
without authentication, without dependence on corporate servers and services and function as it was primarily intended.
E.g.
GOG is DRM-Free, that's its selling point.
People are able to buy and *own* their game i.e. offline backups, no authentication, can make copies, install with no internet etc...
In regard to licenses and intellectual property gamers don't own that, but that's not what is important anyway.
Which is an argument some try to use to obfuscate ownership with
"Oh you don't really own your games anway if it is disc based or no DRM"
they don't understand or are being disingenuous.
It's called the NWO brought to you by Claus Schwab and the World Economic Forum
"You will own nothing and thank us for it"- WEF chairmen George Sorros and Claus Schwab
@@c0mpu73rguyThe extreme of Capitalism often reflects the extreme of Communism..
It’s funny because a while ago Microsoft announced they’ll be shutting down the Xbox 360 store in July 2024, but what they also said is that players can still play their favorite games after purchasing even if they bought it digitally.
Here’s what Microsoft said when they made that announcement:
- You can still play games you purchased on Xbox 360 after July 2024.
- Multiplayer games will work after July 2024 as long as the publisher still supports the online servers.
- No impact on purchasing or playing backwards compatibility titles.
- You can continue to play discs or redownload previously purchased games on your Xbox 360 even after the store closes in July 2024.
I would love to hear your take on Microsoft shutting down the Xbox 360 store in July 2024. Excellent video.
We'll see how long that lasts I suppose.
If the servers are down then the backwards compatibility will not work.
Microsoft does not have true backwards compatibility. It requires you to input the disc and get a download of the game.
You can't download shit if the servers not online anymore.
This was my biggest beef with the Xbox "backwards compatibility".
It was only an option as long as the servers were operating.
It was never really backwards compatible.
@@bubba842 When it comes to the 360 you could get the update required online and put it on your 360. Xbox One yes the disc is basically just an acces key to download the BC built of the game. Thanksfully so far MS has no intention to remove this.
@@bubba842then download it ahead of time before the store is gone. Once it's downloaded you can play it just fine offline.
@@zonk1477that doesn't help for games that I do not own yet. If I can't pop that game In and play it in 10 years then it's something else that was digital BS.
Literally had my friend and her family ask me for some of my BluRays and DVDs becuase they have no internet until the 20th. This has happened so much. Glad to be a mini blockbuster for others
I really enjoy your videos on this content and could listen to a good 30-50 minutes of this topic easily. It’s very important for sure. My cousin is my age (29) and he’s all about digital games and I’m into physical. There have been times where he can’t get certain games I have or that something happens where he can’t play a certain game to which I just suggest buying physical which he scoffs at.
Companies indoctrinated people into thinking is ok to take away your property
Me looking around my room filled to the ceiling with physical media makes me so pleased. I am not dependent on the internet and some subscription to enjoy music, movies and games.
I'm glad I have a physical media collection that now comprises of over 7 thousand DVD'S, cds, bluerays, Cassette audio tape, VHS, and laserdisc. Anything I don't have, and find myself wanting to watch, well there is always captain blackbeard right?
Adam I can tell your passionate about this subject and I appreciate your view and videos on the subject. Physical media should be supported forever and never die. The only problem is some games are digital only and offer no physical option and if it does it's expensive.
Because corporations, through donations and lobbyists, have more access to politicians than regular folks, and more sway. It is in their interest to have as little regulation as possible.
And people don't read EULA's so they can just slip stuff in there
@@AmericanLonertrue but if we had politicians who cared about consumer protection the EULAs wouldn’t be allowed to screw us over so blatantly, even if you read them the only option is to sign it or not use the product.
You only mentioned the legal solution XD. I enjoy being a pirate, after all this, I enjoy it even more. It really sucks that paying customers are the ones that get the worse treatment
13:50 it’s good that you pointed this out about physical discs; yes, some games are unplayable unless the game is patched, but at least you can transfer ownership.
Keep up the great work spreading the word about this subject. This is the beginning of the digitalization era going full-steam and we NEED to protect our content from being taken away from us at the behest of multinational corporations.
someone once said to me that the HR department is around to protect the company from you wanting your rights and it feels relevant
Wow, “you have opened all of our eyes” -No one man can question this point of view. Thank you,..truly.
I used to be a big advocate for digital gaming until recently with the whole Sony situation. There were so many pros in my eyes: convenience, not needing to worry about space, digital library, and family sharing across the network. I now realize the most important thing has been sacrificed for all the things listed above, ownership. What’s the point of having all the great things of convenience and shelf free space if someday I won’t have access to any of it that I paid with my hard earned money? From this point moving forward I’m supporting physical again, because up to this point I was only buying physical copies of games that are huge like RE4 remake collectors edition etc. thank you for spreading awareness on this topic Adam.
I’ve been thinking about this for a while, and I have come to the conclusion that physical games/movies/music are overhyped.
Yes, while it is true that stuff can be pulled from the store unlike a physical copy; as time passes by, modders and hackers have figured out a way to put all that stuff on the internet, and you know that whatever goes on the internet, pretty much stays there.
Digital is always more convenient, (and yes I am aware that you have more control over a physical copy, like trading and selling) but i’ve come to realize that a lot of influencers have made it more about “the collection” rather than playing the actual games. A lot of people buy physical games for the sake of aesthetics and nostalgia and I get it, to each their own, if you wanna preserve a physical copy, that’s fine, but a lot of people are driven to buy physical stuff out of fear that the digital copy will no longer be there in the future which is why some physical stuff is so expensive when its not really “rare”.
They say a lot of games are rare but I can go on ebay and find a couple copies of the games they’re talking about. I think its important to separate logic from emotions, like is it really logical to pay $300+ to play Resident Evil on the Saturn when a Satiator costs less? Its not like Sega or Capcom are getting any money out of that copy.
If I buy a digital game; and it is pulled from the store, then I’m gonna pirate that shit. Its not ethical, but neither is telling people you’re buying something when you can just take it away.
That being said, I still buy physical games, but if a retro game is over $60, I’m downloading it on my everdrive or something.
Idk, what do you think?
I mean, my stance on physical should be pretty obvious son.
Man I have saved so much money over the years by buying a new game, beating it, and then selling it on ebay as "like new" for 90-95% of the retail cost...
Thanks Adam for making these videos after the whole Sony situation! I shared the three videos to a couple of friends of mine who buy digital media. They have been moved back towards physical media! One a co worker of mine went to our local retro store a day or to after watching your vids to buy some physical games! Great channel! Cheers!
Another one is censorship of old movies and music. Streaming services are convenient but they are editing, deleting scenes.
Extremely good point!
It's nice to know that these recent videos you've done have been an eye opener for people. I just hope this isn't one of those typical moments in time where people only care because of recent controversy only to completely forget about it, after a few days or weeks later, until the next controversy happens.
The messed up thing is why people think games should be exempt from different things that every other item is subject to. People don't care if clothes rip and you have to buy new ones. Food can bad if you don't eat it fast enough. When things go up and price, people may complain, but they still buy these things. When it comes to video games, the whole distribution HAS to remain static. Games shouldn't be allowed to go up in price. I should be allowed to play my games at any time even if they are forty years old. You don't wear your clothes from forty years ago. You don't care that food has gone bad from forty years ago. You don't care that a forty year old car does not work from forty years ago. I am not even trying to defend corporations. It is just amazing how people feel video games should be immune to going extinct whereas it is ok for any other item to go extinct and not receive anywhere near as strong as a backlash.
There wasn't a huge backlash when VHS was discontinued. People were more than happy to rebuy movies on DVD or music on CDs. There is always somebody complaining about something, but people complain about video games being extinct more than they complain about actual things could mean life or death. It is a little sad but also interesting.
I, for one, am super appreciative of you making these videos. I buy physical when I can but have done the lazy digital stuff too. No more digital after watching these videos
I feel like digital distribution clients/companies main argument would be, we are paying for the access to their library of content and not the content itself.
Imagine buying a car and the manufacturer one day decides to shut your car off or no longer supported maintenance for it. Luxury brands already do this with things like heated seats. They can wirelessly update your car and turn off features.
One thing to mention is that Nintendo ironically most of the time tends to reprint their physical games with the latest patches or close to it, along with companies like Super Rare, Strictly Limited, Limited Run etc, so those are at least preserved in some way, Another good thing is that according to articles physical game sales are up from the previous few years so it will at least delay it, and since us millennials are the last real physical media supporters and the biggest contributors to the economy, companies do have to listen to what we want to a degree for the time being
Adam really thank you for bringing this issue to light. Digital content are just glorified rentals and you don't own them at all. Physical is the way to go since the beginning. I was born in 1982. I understand the importance of preserving physical content to the fullest and the satisfaction of owning it as well. Yeah when we die we don't take shit with us but while alive we get to enjoy it fully. Vote with your wallet people and be aware of tricks this multimillion corporations are willing to pull off to take your money.
Great explanation. Like I said previously, I have been "preaching to the choir" for years regarding this. Some listened, but the vast majority did not. And over the years it got even worse. Don't even get me started on "physical" titles that either only have a part of the game on the disc or more egregiously do not have the game on the disc at all and are merely "unlock keys" used to download the media from there servers anyway. When the servers are gone those discs are utterly useless.
''Sonic Origins Plus'' comes to mind and is a perfect example of your comment.
This is why some, myself included, believes they should be legally prevented from using the term "Buy" or "Purchase". That should apply to all digital media.
Now, physical media EULAs say the exact same thing. But in that case is unenforceable.
The video was very interesting and informative. I was born in the early 80s and so I grew up owning a Nes, Snes and Genesis. I have always been a collector of physical media to this very day because that's what I've always known. I never bought into the digital ecosystem and never will. It is very unfortunate to know that newer generations are unknowingly digging a grave for physical media by adopting digital content. My best advice to the people of my generation is to be more proactive about buying physical media before corporations eventually reduce production or stop it altogether. It just seems foolish to be trading my hard earned cash for convenience.
as someone who bought a lot of ps3 digital games they should make sure we as the customer are protected from all of our purchases keep pushing these videos fam !!
Backup your PS3 digital games,
I actually raced and bought all the DLC for my favorite digital only PS3 games back when Sony was planning on shutting the store down.
I did end up coming across physical versions of said games accidentally on eBay and learning there were physical versions, but only in Europe, so I jumped on them immediately. 😂
Unfortunately the DLC of each game isn't on disc, but at least the base games are and I can hold onto them.
I will be backing up my PS3 in attempts to keep the DLC archived as well.
But if the ToS say otherwise, and consumers fail to read it, how is that on companies? People should have known what they were getting into before.
Happy Birthday Adam. Been watching your channel for 10 years. You inspired me to collect games.
Thanks!
Adam's Blockbuster's "unlimited rentals" analogy is fantastic! A great analogy for understanding the greedy (anti-consumer) mindset the gaming industry has adopted. Publishers love the Digital only because they can now make direct sales & distribution = more moolah!
I dig the videos in this room. And yeah, all that talk has me upping my physical collection like no other. I game on PC but I do go into it knowing its all licenses...LOL. I would enjoy more videos of the sort like this Adam.
a few days ago the team fortress 2 item servers went down for 36 hours. that means every person who purchased any item from the clothing shop was basically non-existant in-game.
and this happens all the time now because the game is over a decade old and the servers are running code from over a decade ago, not the most stable thing.
I’ve just started buying physical games again making more of a commitment to it after seeing your recent videos. Bought avatar physically for ps5 just there instead of digital. Physical from now on !
Does disc of avatar contain the whole game and is playable without needing patches?
I'm a stubborn physical media holdout as well, but I think Adam is still underselling the value of GOG. All physical games are a container for delivering digital content, the goal should always be to back these games up and store copies in multiple locations. Who or what facilitates this better than GOG? I've got my Saturn and PS2 isos backed up, but who can realistically do this with Gamecube for example? without the aid of piracy. GOG is just as good as physical media, and in cases where the console mods aren't very convenient yet (or just weird formats like Gamecube or Dreamcast) it is superior.
You can back up GC games on a modded Wii
i would be fine with physciall being udner gog. that way we can support both devs and stores.
Really appreciate this discussions on this topic Adam, it's good stuff, keep it up.
I think you have the pinned comment on the first video.
@@AdamKoralik haha yeah that’s me, appreciate the shoutout to Gen-Z’s in the last vid too!
I tried to buy as much physical media as I can when it comes to video games. But there is exceptions in my opinion if it’s like a live service game (like the division)or something like call of duty by a digital version,
there’s no value once the servers go off. But if it’s a game that has a single player and multiplayer I would say by physically. and the only thing that sucks there is a few games out right now that I want to purchase but I don’t want to support digital download like Alan Wake 2 if they come out with a physical version I will buy it.
Collectors will still value those network games. People who want a full collection of something will want those.
There will be a market, even if the game is gimped.
@@bubba842 yeah only to collectors but not regular people that just might have a stack of games
Yeah I thought everyone knew the risk. I do buy some digital games on sale when the physical is expensive, but I do it to just enjoy the game and as I’m a 80s kid I 100% never feel like I own the game. Long term rental is definitely how it feels. Great videos passed couple of days on this subject 👍
Definitely appreciate these videos. Worked in video game retail for the past many years and the average person Definitely needs to hear this!
This is the first time I ever heard that some people believe an EULA protects THEM. This once again proves they never read any. If the did, they wouldn't think that.
Yeah dude, I was stunned how many people in the comments apparently think it's a contract protecting THEM.
People really need to hear and understand why us 'old heads' harp-on about physical media. If you can't hold it, trade or sell it; you don't own it! Hence, you must buy it physically or you won't have it in the near future.
Good video. I find these types of videos really fun and engaging when you get into the crux of how things work within game companies and sales/economics of gaming. ;o
I think when it comes to Steam, the way it works is when you launch a game, the app itself automatically launches you into Steam to verify that the game is unlocked on your account for playing. But as long as you have the actual game already installed on your PC, the files will exist on your hard drive (which means, like you said previously, it's my own homemade physical media but without the extra niceties like box art, instruction manuals, packaging, etc.).
So, if Steam were to go out of business, those files will remain on my drive. If Steam was going out of business but didn't come out with some sort of small utility to allow those games to be "unlocked" to compensate users in preparation for the final day, users themselves will figure out a way to reverse-engineer the process so they can play those games without Steam being launched. That then circles back into your point that hacking/piracy is the only way to ensure ownership of digital content.
You made a very strong case with the example story of the two kids going to GameStop and selling their Switch games/game consoles, and how the one kid with physical games got more money. :)
I think if I was more of a console gamer, I'd definitely see more issues with digital purchases than I've been seeing with Steam. I honestly don't buy any _console_ digital content at all-- the content I've bought is all Steam purchases. Having the game files downloaded to my PC gives me more of a sense of having the content, so I don't feel as worried about it.
The other angle I have, also, is because I was an indie game developer for a while and recognize how expensive it could be to actually have a game hosted on a platform's storefront, I have more of an appreciation for the developers trying to make a living from their content, so I feel like I'm showing them my support when I purchase digital games on Steam (I'd much prefer not pirating them, if possible).
Anyway, that's all I have to say. Interesting, engaging video! And I agree, the sound quality in your office is really good (though I prefer the background in your normal room with all the games and stuff).
I'll burp you soon. Have a burp!
Burp.
Great Video Adam! Thanks for the info 👏
I like these continued chats and videos regarding our digital content purchases. I last said in the previous video that my answer to all this is piracy but that doesn't make me a pirate and I'll explain.
Why do people like myself enjoy digital?.... I'm not a collector in any way plus it's a huge convienence. Unfortunately, like you said, we do not own our digital content.
Why do I totally agree with you regarding physical content, even though I hate collecting and amassing a huge collection which I can barely store in my small house? because it's ownership but man do I prefer the convience of digital.
So this has all ways been my go to plan....
When a new system like the Switch comes out, buy a physical to see if I like it. If I do then great, if I don't then sell or trade it. make a digital wishlist of modern games I happen to enjoy and only buy the digital versions when they go on offer (say 50% off or better) for my own convience. I get to support the developers and won't be labelled a discusting pirate lol.
Finally, any system that is retro, or no longer made the public marketplace, I would find ways to hack all my systems that weren't current consoles. I don't bother hacking consoles that are in the current generation so I find it pointless to hack a Switch for example.
I know how passionate you are Adam for gaming and the industry as a whole my friend, and that's why you make all these lovely history videos of every generation, but I myself am also very passionate about my gaming experiences and I try out multiple regional and version differences of all the games I enjoy in order to find and play the best experience possible. Although companies tend to re-release alot of old games on new hardware, they tend to never live up to the amazing stuff that the hacking and modding community can accomplish with these experiences and so, Piracy for the most part when it comes to my retro content has always been the way to go.
So you can gather that I hardly buy re-releases or remakes unless they are amazing and not piss-poor port jobs and I love the Hacking / Modding scene. It's all free and ultra convient because it's digital too. you just have to put in the effort to research it, find it, download it, and get it set up.
I will support and fund the games I think deserve my attention when it comes to the modern consoles and right now, I own an Xbox series S and a Switch. I've got no interest in Playstation, Xbox is digital purchases but I am very stingy and always wait for offers, plus I haven't been playing my Xbox much now that I'm trying to delve into the PC gaming master race which I've never done before, but I tell you what, the hacking and modding scene for PC is the best there is.
Finally, Nintendo is the best at current when it comes to Physical but it's not perfect. Some games to require updates but it's not as bad as the PS / XB Disc Coasters we get from those companies. I always check my physical Switch games for which version they are on and I believe the ones that require no updates such as Advance Wars 1 & 2 Re-Boot Camp will be more desirable and pricier in the future. So this is also gonna help with my trading mentality in the future too.
I know it was a long drawn out messege Adam but I wanted to let you know where I stand with all of this and hope you can send me a reply and tell me what you think too.
This is the same "digital" that the powers that be want to bring to YOUR money.
CBDC-Digital Wallet-
weirdly enough i never really had problems with my digital stuff but i could see the reasons for concern with the whole sony thing
Imagine paying full price on a digital game and you like going back to it at least once a year or once of every other year and publisher just take that game away from you for whatever stupid reason they’ll come up with
This is why, several times when I've had games etcetera come up with eula's that fell to load and agreed to a non-existent eula, I'll take a picture of the screens.
I can see companies like Evercade perfectly positioned to capitalize on Sony/Xbox moving to all digital with more old school consoles that have new physical media
Can evergate play GameCube games?
@@dreamsdeep1076 they can barely run PS1 games 🤣but i think the hardware will get better with revisions later on
duke 3d remastered did pretty well i heard.
they remastered the original duke nukem 1 and 2 games, they are really good and they are currently an evercade exclusive. Don't play Duke 3D on evercade as its a PS1 port and almost unplayable@@gondorianslayer4250
Just subbed thanks for being a voice for all the physical media collectors out here
Yes sir.
This is such an important conversation to have and you really do it justice. Thank you
Do your part, make a video about it! I want to see your take.
@@AdamKoralik fuck yea you're right! OK I will totally do that tomorrow.
These discussions should be playing in front of a congressional assembly
My mom once testified before Congress, maybe it'll happen to me. :P
9:20 Valve has never stated that. They're some of the more benevolent companies we'll ever know of so they'll most likely not lie to you about that, that's just something people automatically assume because the file (along with the criminal DRM) is downloaded into your system, that's deceiving cause again-DRM requiring Steam handshakes is included in the darn thing. I really love how he drove home that point, your perception of taking things at "Face Value" can sometimes translate into lying to yourself that everything will be OK for all time. Something has to give and especially TAKE eventually.
Yeah, there's a horde of Steam users that maintain 9:20 is absolutely true. I of course, don't agree.
Adam, I appreciate what you have been doing and that you are such a launch advocate for physical media and ownership rights. There are so many people that don't understand what rights even are. They think that it's just some arbitrary thing created by politicians. And this is why I think many people are so quick to defer their rights. It's one of those things where they come from an uneducated position, then realize that they didn't know what they had till it was gone. You could apply this to so many things actually. But property ownership is a huge deal. Convenience and comfort is the trojan horse that will lead you to a world where you own nothing(and you'll be happy. -WEF).
I love these informative videos. This is very important please keep them up. I've always been concerned. But what really got me was 8 years ago or so. Hulk Hogan got into some legal trouble, which for the record I support him on. But anyway, when it happened, I didn't hear or read about it right away. The next thing I know, I go on the WWE Network to watch their wrestling content and a majority of his content was deleted. I called a friend to ask what was going on and he informed me on the situation. I did not think that would happen. Most of the deleted content was added back to their streaming service. But there is some content that has never been added back and it's been around 8 years like I said. That's an example of why I've always been concerned with digital media. So, I am completely on your side of this. I always have been.
My solution is to rarely buy games, I get almost all my games through subscription services. And some I get to keep even if the subscription lapses, such as the PC games I get through Humble Choice.
The economics triangle is secretly the Triforce
Power, Wisdom, Courage
Even in the early days of Xbox 360's digital dazzle, whether it's a game or flashy avatars on Xbox Live, the reality hit hard - investing in digital content was tossing money into an abyss. Since those days, I've avoided digital purchases. With no control over your own digital content, the options are clear: go for physical copies or embrace the Xbox Pass, a monthly rental subscription style similar to Netflix. Today, be smart, it's a choice between physical purchases or streaming for a monthly fee. Always steer clear of buying or renting a single product digitally as those are worthless.
I hate that some versions of games are digital only. Any updates or bug fixes are at the mercy of the company's decision. Looking at you Overwatch 1.
If you still have a PS1 or a PS2 or any other console before digital and have all the physical games, you are a God.
Another weird point I just realized, (they) meaning any digital content client/company and their action will absolute in courage piracy.
However they will never admit fault, or course correct and will most likely, get really Sue happy with their lawyers.
Liking all the constant videos Mr Adam
Quick story about digital.
My local 7-11 is still selling "super mario 3D all-stars" cards. I bought a copy for a feiend, and Nintendo refused to activate it.
Thankfully, they gave him credit for it, so he bought super mario wonder instead.
I spoke to 7-11, and it will not surprise you to learn that they don't give a flying F about that game no longer being available. They still have it for sale.
That's special.
Again.. echoing points I have reiterated several times.
I routinely tell people that the EULA for platforms like PlayStation are the exact same and basically tell you that you own nothing and can be stripped of access for any reason they see fit. This is regardless of physical or digital..the only saving grace is that the physical can operate outside of connection to server.
Thanks for hammering this home.
My wife thought it was stupid when I asked her if she wanted our favorite show on DVD. "We can just stream it." Then, she tried to stream it one day & it was gone. Guess who has it on DVD now. 😂
Exactly.
Best way to explain the difference between a license and physical media is the way you purchase Microsoft Windows. You can burn a copy of Windows 11 install onto a disc and create physical media, but you must purchase the license to use Windows in order to remove the watermark from your desktop. That’s like the only example I can think of where the physical media and the license are two separate things
Great video, Adam! As we move into the annoying practices of streaming/cloud/online services, I thought something like Steam would be the standard for "digital ownership", but this made me realize that's not really a thing lol not as long as it depends on a platform hosting it
Let me add on to all of this... speaking as someone who straddles the line of fully supporting physical media and as a Steam user, I myself have one hell of a backlog of already purchased games and I imagine a lot of other people are in the same boat. It's not at all unreasonable that we could cool our jets and catch up with the backlog and withhold our money until we get clear rules as to what we own and what we are clearly "renting:". Maybe it's time for a new hashtag. Something like #SteamBacklogUntilWeGetRights or something snappier.
It always amazes me how many people dont get this. In my mind, a digital version of something should be worth at most half the physical of the same thing. Ive only bought digital at full price a couple times, and only in cases there is no physical available and would be well worth it in play time and supporting the developer or localization.
Physical, I'll buy on a whim because worse case, its always there to play if/when I get around to it whenever or however that is, or has some sort of resale value. Digital really has to convince me in some way to spend my money.
I honestly am baffled that many companies try to force many people to sign a contract that is clearly trying to circumvent ownership rights in the first place. I feel like for lawful non-DRM software, we need a law to not allow the concept of indefinite rental to be legal. It should be limited to rental with an expiration date or flat-out ownership. If a lawful game is naturally digital only with DRM, and digital pirating is the only way to preserve it, then as long as it's victimless (I don't buy in the always lost sale argument) then I don't see anything morally wrong with it.
One horrible thing is that some physical games actually do have some form of EULA trying to claim ownership in terms of legal power, and if revocable at will is one of them, then flat-out yeah the law will need to change obviously to not enforce that. Some already tried to use some EULA to stop right to repair, and that's just not ethical regardless if the consumer knew the terms before sale or not.
It would be better if we allow more copyright limitations to drop charges against certain cases of piracy by law, there are some cases where currently breaking certain law did in fact, save some of victimless art from being lost forever.
I dont disagree with Adam, but there is one huge advantage that digital has over physical.
When I bought splatoon 2 digitally, I was able to play it on both my switches at the same time, so that my wife and I could do multiplayer.
I also didn't have to pay tax (that will vary province to province) so that's about $100 in savings overall.
Don't worry about the people who made the games back then not getting paid for pirated copies today. They made their money back then for it and the only ones who would benefit from the license are the companies who own them and choose not to bring them back. Paying those companies doesn't mean the money goes to the ones who worked on it back in the day, whether they died or retired, whether the old developer studios shut down or got merged into something else. It's all pointless to worry about. Just pirate the games to preserve them and pass them along to the next generation. If it picks up enough clout again, the companies will take notice and bring them back officially, granted at a premium price sometimes.
(I'm a physical media guy; and a paralegal)
The interesting thing is you're in the same boat with physical purchases. You don't own any of the IP (Intellectual Property). You are purchasing a license to the data (on the disc), however you do own the plastic it comes on/in (the disc itself). It's still a licensing situation with no real way for them to claw it back from you. So... you have it in perpetuity only because it's not feasible, financially or physically, to go to the millions of houses that have it if the company loses their license to sell it.
When we say we own physical games, that is short-hand for: we own the plastic the game's 1s and 0s came on, we purchased a limited/revokable license to the IP, and they have no actual means to come to your house and take it away from you for the myriad of reasons IP switches hands, or companies go bankrupt. Also, they wouldn't be able to strip the data without damaging your owned plastic disc. They are fused. The situation is a type of stalemate fortified by the non-feasibility of ever getting it back. Your little fortified oasis lost to the actual owners influence.
You're my new best friend.
Always get physical. Don't like games fixed to my account. Can't lend it to anyone or sell it.
honestly I think there should be laws put into place that if you don't sell a game in like 2-3 years time, the game and all the support software required to play the game should be public domain. that's pie in the sky wishful thinking but if a company doesn't want to sell you their product then they should forfeit their product to the public.
As far as movies, I keep redundant back ups of digital files. For games, I'm mostly all physical media. Thank you Matt!
Do the same for games
I basically never buy digital on consoles for this very reason. If the company loses the rights to sell the game and delists it permanently, then there is literally no way of playing the game on your platform of choice unless you hack it and find a download of it online. I've migrated to PC gaming exclusively in the last decade and I've never been crazy about 99% of games being digital only, but at the very least, I find it way easier to pirate something since it takes minimal effort and pretty much everything can be properly preserved through this method.
I'm not holding this up as a defense for PCs though despite my love for the platform. If they started printing physical discs on Blu-rays for PC games, I'd definitely support that over going digital. The only real defense I have for digital is that it doesn't require owning a copy, which means it can cost way less money than some physical games, especially if they are rare. I have a big Steam library and probably would not have had the chance to experience classic games like Fallout or replay PC games from my childhood like Roller Coaster Tycoon. Since these games are on the internet, it means they can be preserved much better and people can have easier access to them. I personally see that as a win, but I think that only applies if piracy is an available option if the game gets delisted for whatever reason.
The frustrating part is, that they charge just as much for selling you the game in digital format as they do for the physical copies in stores. I've never understood that logic. They are clearly saving a ton of money with their digital distribution over physical distribution to stores. If they offered a 50% discount or more for the digital format, I wouldn't mind giving them all the rights of ownership. But as it stands, it feels like they're clearly trying to rip us off.
Hi Adam. You've become my favorite gaming channel in a pretty quick period lol.
Just wanted to know your stance on the ps portal and whether sony will re-enter the mobile gaming industry again.
I don't have much of a take on it except that at best they're trying to do the Wii U concept with modern tech. If it works,. maybe they'll try again.
I used to collect video game osts on vinyl but i felt that its an impractical way to listen to music for me. Ive stuck with CDs since i can rip it in high quality and put it on my phone. Best of both worlds.
I like this format! 💯
My son just a few days ago commented on my Godzilla game for the PS4. He was like you can't even play that game on line anymore! You should sell it, do you know how much that is? I was shocked PS5 just came out in 2020 & all ready some digital games for the PS4 are no longer there in just 3 years!? That is just crazy to me. I've never downloaded a single game in my life & after hearing this from my son just confirms that I should never do it EVER! By the way I'm telling that Switch story to my son today too! Holy Digital Corporation Scam Batman!
Exactly.
Theres just something special about having your collection of things you gathered over time. The thought of not having anything to show for it doesn't seem bery enticing, im the only one of my group that still buys physical which is kinda sad.
15:28 Shockingly, that's why SNK was ahead of the curve. Arcades fell by the wayside, especially in the West, while the AES got games till 2004.
But it's kind of like your analogy to owning VHS. Back in the day, sure you could own one but they cost a ton. Same thing with the Neo Geo. You wanna own it rather than "rent" the ability to play it in the arcade? $650 console, $200+ games
One of the biggest problems and why I do indulge in some digital games, is that they never receive a physical version or they're locked to a console. I'd love an arcade collection from Hamster's Arcade Archives, but that won't happen (outside of a few Taito games). Sega has a great version of Daytona USA on the PS3 and it'll never be seen anywhere else. I eventually see myself keeping loads of consoles just to preserve my digital collection. It's easy to buy physical for bigger releases, but for the smaller or more niche titles, what do you do?
You encourage companies like LRG or SRG to get it made. If a company won't let me buy it, I'm not going to.
You pass on those games. The companies then get the hint and release physical if they want to make money.
I don't understand how this is even a debate? You are absolutely right.
Dude, you have no idea how many comments, even on this video, think this doesn't matter.
@@AdamKoralik Its like you point out, the license spells it out in detail. There is no mystery here. Oh well.
I had just read not too long ago about a case of someone getting banned from their account for using bad language which was against some sort of user policy. Lost access to their games. Can you imagine?! What a bunch of crap. People will be learning quicker now that digital is worthless. Physical forever!
Another great video Adam
Some older games on Steam that are still being sold can't be played on modern Windows, and you can't run them on older Windows since they are no longer supported since Steam don't support older Windows. You can't get a refund if 14 days (I think it is 14 days) have passed since the purchase date.
That is why I prefer GOG, especially for older games.
I am 100% on with you on physical media. I am so thxfull that I knew about this when I was a early teen (around the age of 14-15), the 1st time I watched your videos.
I was about to install a game on Steam and the EULA showed on me, and it does claim that I don't own the game, I own a license. Thank you Adam for bringing this EULA to my attention a few months ago.
Keep spreading the truth Adam, love hearing the opinions of a professional video game nerd and also record in whatever circumstances/rooms make YOU feel the most comfortable.
Very true most of it, BUT, if Valve or someone similiar ended up in court with their EULA, they would lose.
We are using licences, but they write BUY at their store. They know damn well if they wrote LICENCE this game instead of buy, that they would get less sales.
But there really needs to be some new laws regarding digital media.
Guaranteed if someone went to court against Valve claiming they own the games, Valve would win, easily citing their EULA and the exact clause pointed out in this video.
@@AdamKoralik But there are holes in their argument. They still have BUY on their store page with games. BUY means something else. Don't think it would be that easily of a win in a court in EU or Australia.
BUY means they are lying to people.Regardless of what their EULA says.
Valve have had defeats in courts in the EU and Australia before, because of better consumer rights.
I think this is theoretically true depending on the company, the product, and the device, but I know for a fact I will always be able to play the digital games on my 3DS and Switch. I can literally just power them on and boot into the games offline. There's nothing set in place in the firmware that could revoke my access to those games. A system update could do it, but such a thing would never happen. It is indeed limiting that they can't be resold and eventually can't be reinstalled, but I'm still able to play them in perpetuity.
Great video
Adam I have loved these videos on digital content, but are you being held captive in that room? Blink three times in the next video if you need help. I'm here for you bro
Ha, just my office.
17:37 if it cannot be stolen then it isn't piracy.
Well...one more Dreamcast example. Sonic Adventure 2 had some features that you could only download. Particularly a hub, where you could interact with characters like Big the Cat (who asks you why you never asked him to help and you have to play some game where you correctly guess where he was...yes, those cameos were put in for a reason, and that's why he was removed from the Battle remaster and subsequent releases), play some mini-games, and so forth. That hub world (which you got to download for free during a birthday celebration for Sonic) is not longer available because it wasn't on the disc.
Fun right?
Yes sir.