The Ownership Illusion – Subscriptions, DRM, and Digital Rights [S02E02]

Al, Ian, and Lucas confront their hypocrisy as subscription service users who hate subscription services, debate whether cloud gaming is elitist or equalizing, and explain why GOG.com can’t save us from Steam’s benevolent monopoly.

https://gog.fm/listen

This episode tackles gaming’s ownership crisis, from the last time anyone bought a physical game (Al: maybe PS2, Ian: no idea, Lucas: pirated GTA San Andreas) to Microsoft and Sony controlling what games exist on their subscription platforms. The discussion covers Game Pass’s gullible idiot tax, PlayStation’s tier trap, cloud gaming’s utopian equalizer potential, used game sales extinction, and why Steam tricks you into thinking you own 500 games when legally you own zero. Three gamers—one displaced by an Argentinian outsource—reluctantly admit subscription services might just be video game rentals rebranded, and that’s actually fine, except when Ubisoft says you should get used to it.

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Grumpy Old Gamer Podcast – Episode 2 (Season 2) Show Notes

Episode Title: You Don’t Own Shit Anymore
Hosts: Al (host), Ian, Lucas (guest, replacing Tim)
Episode Length: ~51 Minutes

Episode Summary

In the second episode of Grumpy Old Gamer season two, Al introduces Lucas as Tim’s replacement (temporarily) and leads a discussion about gaming’s ownership crisis. Starting with the uncomfortable question of when anyone last bought a physical game, they examine subscription service hypocrisy, Microsoft’s platform control, cloud gaming’s class warfare implications, and Steam’s 500-game library illusion. The conversation covers Game Pass’s forgotten cancellation trap, PlayStation’s tier manipulation, GOG.com’s DRM-free philosophy, regional pricing advantages, and the EU’s Stop Killing Games initiative as the only legislative protection against publishers stealing your library. Three PC gamers conclude they’re hypocrites who complain about not owning games while swimming in Steam libraries they’ll never complete.

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Key Topics Discussed

Meet Lucas, Tim’s Replacement

The Introduction:

• “I’m replacing Tim, it seems, uh, don’t tell him”
• “He’ll listen to this and be like, whoa, what, what, what, what, what?”
• From Argentina
• “Doesn’t make him a bad person”
• “I’m lovely actually”

The Grumpy Credentials:

• “Very grumpy when it comes to gaming industries”
• “I’m an old soul”
• “A beautiful old soul”
• Not very old but makes up for it with grumpiness

The Banter:

• South American piracy joke immediate
• “They’ve outsourced this job to Argentinian”
• “#bringbacktim in the comments”
• “Sorry, Tim”

When Did You Last Buy a Physical Game?

Al’s Answer:

• Can’t remember
• Xbox Series S has no disc drive
• PC (beast) has no disc drive
• “Maybe PS2. That’s perhaps how far back I’m going”

Ian’s Answer:

• “I don’t know, man”
• Laptop has no CD drive
• PlayStation 5 has no disc drive
• “Probably something on the PS4. I couldn’t even tell you”
• “It’s been so long”

Lucas’s Answer:

• Always PC player (2010-2012 era)
• “GTA San Andreas. It wasn’t the official version though”
• “Some copy a guy made in a basement”
• “I tried to install it and my PC started flying around the room”
• Straight into piracy admission

The Timeline:

• Al: ~15+ years
• Ian: Unknown, very long time
• Lucas: 2010, pirated copy
• “We’ll go back 16 years”

The Hypocrisy Question:

• Historically complained about subscription services
• Now deeply immersed in them
• End User Licensing Agreements (EULAs)
• Click without reading
• “Are we not kind of a bit hypocritical?”

The Subscription Service Contradiction

Ian’s Position:

• “Oh yeah. I never read those user agreements”
• “Scroll right through. Assume it’s not gonna want my soul”
• “We’re kind of in a rough space because we have to be”
• “It’s the way that things are”

The Benefits:

• Digital-only model has advantages
• Why it’s taken over completely
• “No reason to buy hard physical copy”
• Besides ownership, which is “kind of a big one”

The Evolution Question (Lucas):

• “When did they stop coming to market without the disc player?”
• Happened suddenly, “one day to another”
• “Everyone was okay with it”

Al’s PC History:

• Last PC didn’t have disc drive
• Current one 18 months old
• Previous one couple years
• Before that had disc drive but never used
• “Locked into the Valve Steam ecosystem”

The Steam Monopoly:

• Aware Epic exists
• Aware GOG exists
• “Would never go to a store now”
• “Would never go on Amazon”
• “Just go straight to Steam”
• If not on Steam, won’t play it

Self-Awareness:

• “I am hypocrite”
• “Don’t like people can snatch things away”
• “Still a sucker for it”
• “Might be a bad person or just a gullible schmuck”
• “Obviously you’re both” – Ian

Game Pass and PlayStation Plus

The Selling Point:

• Access to games for $10 vs $60 individually
• Lowers barriers
• Opens up genres
• “Big selling point”

The Long-Run Screwing:

• Stop paying = lose access to everything
• Ian’s PlayStation story
• Tier level changed
• Subscription ran out
• Lowered tier
• Lost access to previously available games
• “That’s just the way it is”

The Forgotten Cancellation:

• Al’s Minecraft story for kids
• Game Pass Ultimate trial for £1
• Got Minecraft access
• Forgot to cancel
• Charged £23 next month
• “Exactly what EA wants”

The Price:

• Recently increased to ~£23/$30
• More than individual game purchases
• “Just ridiculous”

The Comparison:

• £23/month for Game Pass
• Minecraft £16-20 (£16 with Game Pass discount)
• Could have bought Minecraft outright
• Instead trapped in subscription
• “You paid an extra month without knowing”

The Gullible Idiot Tax:

• Disposable income factor
• “Won’t miss that 23 quid”
• “Wasn’t like, oh, I can’t believe I’ve lost it”
• “Oh, well nevermind. Just move on”
• Didn’t rush to cancel
• “Will probably miss it again”

Microsoft’s Counting On It:

• “Collective audience of gullible idiots”
• Who will continue funding them
• Forget subscriptions
• Don’t notice charges
• Passive revenue stream

Developer Platform Control

The Core Question:

• If not on Game Pass or PlayStation Plus
• Can your game succeed anymore?
• Do Microsoft/Sony control what’s playable?

Schedule One Example (Lucas):

• Not in any subscription service
• Developer now millionaire
• “Best you can do these days”
• “Fun game and easy to understand”
• “Don’t bring politics into it”

The Counter-Question:

• Millionaire without Game Pass
• Could be multimillionaire with Game Pass?
• Being unfairly restricted?
• Moving towards reliance model

The Visibility Argument:

• Game Pass provides visibility
• More people exposed
• Potential for more sales
• “More coal in the funness of streaming payments”

Al’s Concern:

• Microsoft/Sony determine what’s playable
• “You cannot play this game”
• “We will not allow you to play this game”
• Is that right? Is that fair?

The Control Mechanism:

• Can only try games Microsoft puts on Game Pass
• Missing huge numbers of titles
• Developers missing huge numbers of customers
• “Microsoft are controlling what is actually available”

Lucas’s Realization:

• “They’re making the market for those people more small”
• “Only those available”
• “Yes, it’s unfair”
• “If you own console is your own fault”
• “Go to PC and just be a man”

The Console Trap:

• Limited game selection
• Can’t try unless on Game Pass
• Must buy expensive games blind
• No demo option
• PC has broader access

The Cloud Gaming Debate

Ian’s Use Case:

• Main reason for Game Pass
• Cloud streaming feature
• Premium level includes it
• Play games off their servers
• “Play games on a potato laptop or tablet”

The Future Vision:

• Cloud gaming as the future
• Everything run in cloud
• Streamed to device
• Super fast internet enables it
• No longer need powerful hardware

The Great Equalizer Argument (Al):

• “Doesn’t matter if potato PC”
• “As long as he’s got a TV”
• Person in Madagascar same access as Al
• Fast internet + screen = equality
• Should we embrace this?

Lucas’s Horror:

• “Actually scary”
• “Just imagine you just bought a PC”
• Amazon decides all gaming cloudy
• “What you gonna do?”
• “Cry in your bed at night”
• “Awful idea”

The Replacement Fear:

• Not a choice, a replacement
• “Everyone’s going to do”
• “Replacing the actual model of gaming”
• Don’t own PC anymore
• Don’t own console
• “Just have a TV and internet connection”

The Payment Trap:

• Paying for everything
• Internet connection also subscription
• “If you don’t have any money, you can’t play”
• “If you don’t have internet that day, you can’t play”

Ian’s Benefits:

• Friends can’t afford gaming rigs
• Cloud gaming: immediate access
• $2-20 subscription vs thousands on rig
• “Without any real setup”
• “As long as the internet can handle it”
• “Feasible, not ideal”

The Elitism vs Equality Clash

Lucas’s Childhood Memory:

• New kid shows up with shiny thing
• “You’re going to get bullied if you don’t have it”
• “Find a way to have it”
• “Beautiful tradition of make people feel bad”
• “Makes those people try harder”
• “Call me old. Call me mean”

Al’s Idealist Position:

• “Are you not being a little bit elitist?”
• European adjacent socialist liberal head
• “Why should we have exclusive access to games?”
• “Dude in Madagascar same access to Space Marine 2”
• “As long as he’s got screen and fast internet”

Lucas’s Response:

• “Those things are also elitist mate”
• “Having good connection these days not for everyone”
• More people have fast internet than £2000 PC
• But still not universal

The Dream vs Reality:

• “Sounds like a dream”
• “Would love everyone in world have chance to play games”
• “Not the way the world works”
• “Always someone above you and someone below you”
• “It sucks, but that’s the way life is”

The Clarification:

• “I would love to see people who can’t play play games”
• “Love games and they should have chance”
• “Wasn’t trying to be mean”
• “It was a joke. It sounded bad”

Al’s Mock Outrage:

• “Who is this elitist motherfucker?”
• “Bring back Tim”
• “At least he’s a bit nicer”
• “I have great PC and you don’t”
• “Very elitist”

Lucas’s Defense:

• “Are you having your period?”
• “I have my paycheck today, so yeah, that’s my period”
• “I was taking the piss”

The Harmony Position:

• Cloud gaming while saving for PC
• Investment for people
• Cheaper options exist (PlayStation, Steam Deck, Steam Cube)
• “Work best in harmony with each other”

Used Games and Trade-Ins

The Lost Practice:

• Concept doesn’t exist anymore
• Ian worked at video game store selling used games
• Buy new for $50 or used for $35
• “No brainer”

Why It Stopped:

• Game producers don’t get money from used sales
• Steam sale: developers get paid
• Game Pass: developers get numbers/notification

Al’s Hill to Die On:

• “Tough shit” to developers
• “If I buy something, I should own that product”
• “What I decide to do with it is nobody’s business but mine”

What We Lost:

Trade-Ins:

• CEX and other stores
• Buy on PlayStation 2
• Play and complete
• Trade in for next game
• Can’t do anymore

Game Swapping:

• Friend buys one game, you buy another
• Play both, then swap
• Benefit of two games, cost of one
• Impossible now

The Developer Decision:

• Set price at $60
• “Once I pay my $60, it’s fuck all to do with them”
• What happens after sale not their concern

Steam’s Hook:

• Al: ~400-500 games
• Lucas: Almost 500 games
• Ian: ~50-50 (recent PC convert)
• Can’t sell any of them

The Digital Distribution Reality:

• Cost to distribute negligible
• Whether sell one or million
• Production cost same
• Distribution cost same
• No physical manufacturing

The Impossible Sale:

• Finish playing Steam game
• Can’t sell it
• Can’t get money back
• Locked into ecosystem forever
• Can only sell whole account

The Car Analogy

Physical Property:

• Buy car for £10,000
• Drive five years
• Sell for £5,000
• Recoup some money

Digital Games:

• Buy game for $60
• Play 100 hours
• Can’t get any money back
• Used to be able to do that

Game Rentals:

• Blockbuster era
• Rent for week
• Pay $6
• Return it
• Access without ownership

The Twist:

• Subscription models = video game rentals
• Pay small fee
• Enjoy for limited time
• Give back when done
• “Taken us back to the good old days”

Who’s the Real Mug?

The Question:

• Lucas and Al: 1000 games between them
• Play handful
• Never play most again
• Can’t do anything with them

The Options:

• Person paying streaming/subscription?
• Two guys with 1000 unplayed Steam games?

Lucas’s Pride:

• “Wear them like a medal”
• “Look at what I have here”
• “I bought this, it’s mine”
• vs smart person paying one month

The Commitment Question:

• Steam library shows commitment to industry
• Monthly subscription shows no commitment
• But which is smarter financially?

Al’s Challenge:

• “Do you own that game?”
• “I own right to play it”
• “You can play it as long as they allow you”
• “You never own that game”

The Problem:

• Subscription service problem?
• Or Steam problem?
• “Trick you into thinking you own it”
• In library, can see it
• “At any point they can pull the plug”
• “You don’t own shit”

GOG.com: The Alternative

What It Is:

• “Beautiful idea someone had”
• Buy games and actually own them
• DRM-free (Digital Rights Management)
• Download files anytime
• On PC, another system

The Problem:

• “Don’t have all the games”
• “Just a few bunch games”
• Why can’t they access other games?
• Limited selection

Ian’s Clarification:

• Older games focus
• Niche games
• “Really, really old PC games”

Lucas’s Correction:

• Selling new games too
• Witcher 3 available
• “Can be considered old, but not that old”
• San Andreas regional version

The License Issue:

• Companies not giving rights to GOG
• Can’t sell without licenses
• “Not allowed to sell licenses to people”

Al’s History:

• Started bringing back old titles
• Star Wars Supremacy/Rebellion example
• Had physical big box copy
• Didn’t play on modern machines
• No disc drive anyway
• GOG rebuilt for modern machines

The Preservation Society:

• Rebuilds old games for modern PCs
• Still primary mission
• But expanding

Recent Release:

• Chronos the New Dawn
• Released September 6, 2025
• 4-5 months ago
• Available on GOG
• Business model changing

The DRM-Free Promise:

• Digital Rights Management free
• Can’t control your access
• Buy Chronos: it’s yours
• Permanent ownership

CD Projekt Red Connection:

• GOG bought out
• Now owned by CD Projekt Red
• Ukrainian developer (possibly)
• Behind Cyberpunk and Witcher franchise
• “Working with them or owning GOG”

The Good Thing:

• Fully independent now
• Wholly owned by Cyberpunk developer
• More new titles on GOG
• DRM-free releases increasing

Why Still Use Steam?:

• Huge library
• Excellent interface (though bloated)
• Does exactly what you want
• All other games already there
• Collecting mentality
• “Why would I not just add another game?”

Steam’s Dominance

Lucas’s Assessment:

• “Even with this trouble about not owning things”
• “Steam is still the best store for gaming in all the world”
• “None other store offers the things Steam offers”
• “Always try to do good discounts”
• “19% off a game you really wanted”
• “Thank you very much. I’m going to buy that now”

The Monopoly Question:

• Someone said Steam has monopoly
• Al argues they don’t
• Don’t use abusive business practices
• Don’t close down competitors
• Epic exists, GOG exists
• “They just do it right”

Why They Dominate:

• Started long ago
• Everyone became invested in ecosystem
• “Continue to use it”
• First thing you see: Steam store
• Discount, sale, event
• “Straight in there”

The Popup Strategy:

• Open Steam
• Popup with current offers
• “Do it really, really well”
• Why everyone’s invested

The Account Closure Threat:

• “You don’t own anything on Steam”
• “Steam could close down your account”
• “What are you gonna do?”

The Library Reality:

• Lucas: Almost 500 games
• Al: 400-500 games
• “Thousands of pounds worth”
• “Multiple thousands”

Regional Pricing:

• Lucas benefits from Argentina pricing
• “Regional prices for countries that don’t have money economy or stability”
• “You have that choice too”
• “You have to pay less than other people”

The Question:

• 500 games owned
• How many bought? All
• How many play now? Different hard question
• “Most sitting there”

The Trap:

• “Steam has really good discounts”
• “Those are traps”
• “Just buy them. Don’t play it”

Lucas’s Journey:

• Had notebook, couldn’t play anything
• Started working, saving money
• Bought first PC (integrated graphics)
• Started buying games in discounts
• “Having them for later”
• Got PC, already had 300 games

The Reality:

• Buy game, play it
• Sits never to be played again
• Digital distribution: same cost whether one or million
• Production cost same
• Distribution negligible

The EU Stop Killing Games Initiative

What It Is:

• EU initiative
• Achieved enough signatures
• Going to EU Parliament for debate
• Could become law

The American Perspective:

• “Don’t give a fuck what EU says”
• But will affect them anyway
• “Shit will roll downhill”

The Precedent:

• Steam’s refund policy
• Two weeks, limited hours
• Don’t like game? Get refund
• No questions asked
• Was EU ruling

The Rollout:

• Steam doing it in EU
• Had to do it everywhere
• Ian in America benefits
• Track record of following suit

The Requirement:

• Release game = must ensure permanent access
• Irrevocable permanent access
• Can’t shut down servers (or provide offline option)
• “Can only be a good thing”

Not Just Steam:

• All developers, publishers, manufacturers
• Any company making games
• Space Marine 2 example

The Space Marine 2 Example:

• When Saber Interactive closes servers
• No longer playable
• “Can’t play online makes sense, servers close”
• “But not being able to play game itself” is different

The Purpose:

• Buy game = persistent permanent access
• Already paid for it
• Industry people rolled out saying bad idea
• Ubisoft: “people need to get used to not owning anything”
• “Fuck Ubisoft”

The Support:

• Should be supported by everybody
• Not just EU
• Al not in EU anymore (Brexit)
• Everyone should support
• “If you see it anywhere, support it”
• Upvote, like, promote
• “Really good thing for us”

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Notable Quotes

On Physical Games:

• “Maybe PS2. That’s perhaps how far back I’m going” – Al
• “I don’t know, man. It’s been so long” – Ian
• “GTA San Andreas. It wasn’t the official version though. Some copy a guy made in a basement” – Lucas
• “I tried to install it and my PC started flying around the room” – Lucas

On Hypocrisy:

• “Are we not kind of a bit hypocritical to be complaining about this when we’re so immersed in the way that it works?”
• “I am hypocrite. Don’t like people can snatch things away. Still a sucker for it”
• “Might be a bad person or just a gullible schmuck” – Al
• “Obviously you’re both” – Ian

On Subscription Services:

• “Benefits far outweigh… well, it screws you in the long run”
• “As soon as you don’t want to pay for that $10 a month, you lose access to all of it”
• “That’s just the way it is. That’s just because I didn’t wanna pay the extra money”

On Game Pass Trap:

• “Forgot to cancel it, and then just charged me 23 quid for the next month”
• “Am I now trapped in this weird situation?”
• “Won’t miss that 23 quid. The only reason I would cancel, it’s because I’m being quite mean”

On Platform Control:

• “Microsoft and Sony control what can and cannot be played. Is that right? Is that fair?”
• “Can only try games Microsoft puts on Game Pass. Missing huge numbers of titles”
• “If you own console is your own fault. Go to PC and just be a man” – Lucas

On Cloud Gaming:

• “Just imagine you just bought a PC. Amazon head decide to make all gaming cloudy. You’re going to cry in your bed at night” – Lucas
• “You don’t have a PC. You don’t have a console. Just have a TV and internet connection”
• “If you don’t have money, you can’t play. If you don’t have internet that day, you can’t play”

On Elitism:

• “Why should we have exclusive access to games? Why can’t the dude in Madagascar have same access?”
• “Having good connection these days not for everyone, mate” – Lucas
• “Would love everyone in world have chance to play games. Not the way world works” – Lucas
• “Who is this elitist motherfucker who’s come on to this podcast? Bring back Tim”

On Ownership:

• “If I buy something, I should own that product. What I decide to do with it is nobody’s business but mine”
• “Once I pay my $60, it’s fuck all to do with them what I do with that game”
• “You can play it as long as they allow you to. You never own that game”
• “You don’t own shit. Hence the title of this episode”

On Steam:

• “Locked into the Valve Steam ecosystem”
• “If not on Steam, won’t play it”
• “Steam is still the best store for gaming in all the world” – Lucas
• “They just do it right. They do it better”

On GOG:

• “Beautiful idea someone had. Buy games and actually own them” – Lucas
• “DRM-free means they can’t control your access”
• “If you bought it on GOG, you would own it”

On Stop Killing Games:

• “Really good thing for us. Should be supported by everybody”
• “Buy game = persistent permanent access. Already paid for it”
• “Ubisoft: people need to get used to not owning anything. Fuck Ubisoft”

On Tim:

• “I’m replacing Tim, it seems, uh, don’t tell him” – Lucas
• “Sorry, Tim”
• “#bringbacktim in the comments”
• “They’ve outsourced this job to Argentinian”
• “Fuck Tim” – episode ending

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Memorable Moments

The Piracy Admission:

• Lucas’s first answer: pirated GTA San Andreas
• “Straight into piracy, fucking mint”
• “I’m South American, just letting that fact in the air”
• PC started flying around room
• Setting chaotic tone

The Minecraft Trap:

• Al’s kids wanting Minecraft
• Game Pass Ultimate for £1 trial
• Forgot to cancel
• Charged £23
• Could have bought Minecraft for £16
• Perfect example of subscription trap

The Elitism Debate:

• Lucas’s “bully kids” childhood memory
• Al’s socialist idealist position
• Madagascar gamer example
• “Are you having your period?”
• “I have my paycheck today”
• Mock outrage and reconciliation

The Steam Library Pride:

• Lucas wearing games “like a medal”
• “Look at what I have here”
• 500 games sitting unplayed
• Al challenging ownership claim
• “You can play it as long as they allow you”

The Regional Pricing:

• Lucas benefiting from Argentina pricing
• Al’s jealousy showing
• “Don’t piss me off anymore than you need to”
• Economic advantage acknowledged

The Physical Media Nostalgia:

• None of them remember last physical purchase
• Disc drives don’t exist anymore
• “Probably PS2” going back 15+ years
• Industry moved on completely

The Trade-In Lament:

• CEX and game stores
• Swapping with friends
• “Buy one game each, swap after”
• Can’t do anymore
• Lost consumer practice

The Blockbuster Reference:

• Ian worked at video game store
• Renting games for $6
• Lucas never met Blockbuster
• “This is breaking point for everyone”
• Generational divide

The Subscription = Rental Realization:

• Came full circle
• Miss renting games
• Subscription is renting
• “Taken us back to good old days”
• Ironic conclusion

The GOG Discovery:

• Chronos the New Dawn recent release
• CD Projekt Red ownership
• DRM-free promise
• Alternative exists but unused

The Stop Killing Games Call:

• Passionate support
• EU legislation matters
• “If you see it anywhere, support it”
• Only real consumer protection
• Uplifting ending

The Final Verdict:

• Lucas did great job
• “Sorry, Tim”
• Outsourced to Argentina
• “Fuck Tim”
• Season 2 chaos established

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Technical Details and References

Subscription Services:

• Game Pass (£23/$30/month recently increased)
• Game Pass Ultimate (£1 trial trap)
• PlayStation Plus (tier system)
• EA Play (mentioned integration)
• Spotify (music comparison)
• Netflix, Disney+, Paramount, Hulu, Amazon Prime (video comparison)

Digital Distribution:

• Steam (primary platform, 95% market)
• Epic Games Store
• GOG.com (DRM-free alternative)
• Amazon (not used for games anymore)
• Physical retail (extinct)

Games/Franchises Referenced:

• Minecraft (£16-20, Al’s kids’ obsession)
• Fortnite (on Game Pass)
• GTA 5 (on Game Pass)
• Schedule One (millionaire indie success)
• Space Marine 2 (crossplay example, Lucas rescues Al)
• Battlefleet Gothic Armada 2 (Al’s current obsession)
• Stellaris (DLC subscription suggestion)
• Star Wars Supremacy/Rebellion (GOG preservation example)
• Chronos the New Dawn (recent GOG release, Sept 6, 2025)
• Witcher 3 (on GOG)
• GTA San Andreas (Lucas’s pirated copy)
• Cyberpunk (CD Projekt Red)

Hardware:

• Xbox Series S (Al’s, no disc drive, in box)
• PlayStation 5 (Ian’s, no disc drive)
• PlayStation 4 (last physical game era)
• PlayStation 2 (nostalgia era)
• Gaming PCs (no disc drives)
• Laptops, tablets (cloud gaming devices)
• Steam Deck (cheaper option mentioned)
• Steam Cube (upcoming console)

Companies:

• Microsoft (Game Pass, platform control)
• Sony (PlayStation Plus, tier system)
• Valve/Steam (ecosystem dominance)
• CD Projekt Red (GOG owner, Ukrainian)
• Ubisoft (“Fuck Ubisoft”, ownership comments)
• Epic Games
• EA (Play integration)
• Saber Interactive (Space Marine 2)

Legal/Industry:

• EULA (End User Licensing Agreements)
• DRM (Digital Rights Management)
• DRM-free (GOG model)
• EU Stop Killing Games initiative
• Steam refund policy (EU ruling)
• Regional pricing (Argentina advantage)

Historical References:

• Blockbuster (video game rentals)
• CEX (used game sales)
• Game trade-ins
• Physical big box copies
• Disc drives becoming obsolete
• Dial-up internet era

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Future Episode Teases

Mentioned Topics:

• Steam monopoly deeper dive
• Cloud gaming future
• Console wars continuation
• More subscription service analysis

Ongoing Themes:

• Digital ownership crisis
• Consumer protection
• Platform competition
• Industry evolution

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Contact & Community

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Contact: Website | grumpyoldgamer[at]gog.fm

Special Notes:

• Hit subscribe/follow button
• Boosts visibility
• More people can listen
• “Everybody benefits from our wonderful personalities and bullshit conversations”

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Episode Verdict

The hosts conclude they’re hypocrites swimming in subscription services while complaining about not owning anything—and that’s actually fine because subscription models are just video game rentals rebranded. After examining every angle of gaming’s ownership crisis, they admit digital distribution’s convenience outweighs physical ownership’s security, but the system only works with legislative protection like the EU’s Stop Killing Games initiative.

The discussion exposed uncomfortable truths: none of them remember buying physical games, all rely on Steam’s ecosystem despite owning zero games legally, and subscription services trap gullible idiots who forget to cancel (looking at you, Al’s Minecraft disaster). Microsoft and Sony control what games exist on their platforms, developers lose visibility outside subscription ecosystems, and cloud gaming promises equality while threatening to eliminate PC ownership entirely.

Yet amid the dystopia, hope emerges: GOG.com offers DRM-free alternatives, regional pricing helps developing nations access games, and EU legislation forces publishers to respect ownership. The car analogy crystallized the problem—spend £10,000, recoup £5,000; spend $60 on digital game, recoup $0—but subscription services restore the rental model that let kids enjoy games without buying.

Lucas’s elitism debate revealed gaming’s class warfare: cheap cloud access threatens enthusiast PC culture, but excluding the Madagascar gamer because he can’t afford hardware is worse. The compromise? Harmony between options—cloud while saving for PC, subscriptions for testing, purchases for commitment, and legislation ensuring whatever you choose, you actually own it.

The real mug isn’t the subscriber or the Steam library hoarder—it’s anyone who trusts publishers without legislative protection. Steam’s benevolent monopoly works until Valve changes terms, Game Pass is fine until Microsoft removes games, and physical media matters until consoles eliminate disc drives. The only defense: support Stop Killing Games, use GOG when possible, and never trust Ubisoft’s promise that you’ll “get used to” not owning anything.

Key Takeaway: We don’t own shit anymore, and we’re hypocrites for complaining while using subscription services—but hypocrisy is fine when the alternative is worse. Physical media is dead, disc drives extinct, and Steam legally owns your 500-game library. The only protection is EU legislation forcing publishers to respect ownership, because corporate promises mean nothing. Subscription services are video game rentals reborn, which worked great in the Blockbuster era and works great now, except when you forget to cancel and waste £23 on Minecraft.

The Bottom Line: Tim got outsourced to Argentina, Lucas brought chaos and elitism debates, and nobody owns their games. The future is cloud gaming for the masses, expensive PCs for enthusiasts, subscription services for the forgetful, and EU legislation for anyone who wants insurance against publishers stealing their library. Support Stop Killing Games, fuck Ubisoft, and if you have strong feelings about Tim’s replacement, use #bringbacktim. Also, fuck Tim.