Steam has become the largest online store for PC games for several good reasons. However, one of the main problems that older gamers in particular have with the platform is the licensing of the games – in contrast to traditional forms of game ownership.

A new law in California targeting restrictive digital licensing models has forced Steam to become more transparent about its licensing practices. Although California’s law applies to the United States, the impact on Steam and other platforms has global implications. As part of this increased transparency, which all platforms must adhere to to some extent, Steam has added a disclaimer to the shopping cart that reads as follows:

Purchasing a digital product grants a license for the product on Steam.

Good Old Games (GOG), an online distribution platform for computer games and films founded in response to the increasing licensing of games, was very amused by the new notice from Steam. In a humorous post on X, GOG suggested using a reference that pokes fun at the whole idea of ​​licensing games. The post refers to Valve’s new note in the checkout:

When you purchase a digital product on GOG, you receive an offline installer that cannot be taken away from you.

While it may sound funny at first, there are serious problems with the current model of selling games through licenses. The biggest difficulty is: What happens to the games if platforms like Steam or the servers suddenly close? That’s exactly what happened with ‘The Crew’ this year. Not only did the game disappear from the Ubisoft store, but it was also deleted from players’ libraries.

Another big issue when licensing games is inheritance. There is currently no way for players to pass on their games to family or friends after their death, although the EU is reportedly working on one legislation works that could make games hereditary.

My interest in tech started in high school, rooting and flashing my Motorola Defy, but I really fell down the rabbit hole when I realised I could overclock the i7 930 in my Gigabyte pre-built PC. This tinkering addiction eventually lead me to study product design in university. I think tech should improve the lives of the people using it, no matter the field. I like to read and write about laptops, smartphones, software and trends in technology.

Translator: Nicole Dominikowski – Tech Writer – 932 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2022

Future scenarios and fictional worlds fascinate me, which is why I like to deal with topics such as AI, AR and gaming and write about them on Notebookcheck. In order to devote myself more deeply to these areas, I studied design, digital media and art after my journeyman time as a gold and silversmith. In my free time I also play music and spend a lot of time in nature with my dogs.