as awful as it is, I always get a genuine kick when companies say the quiet part out loud
"One of the things we saw is that gamers are used to, a little bit like DVD, having and owning their games. That's the consumer shift that needs to happen. They got comfortable not owning their CD collection or DVD collection. That's a transformation that's been a bit slower to happen [in games]. As gamers grow comfortable in that aspect… you don't lose your progress. If you resume your game at another time, your progress file is still there. That's not been deleted. You don't lose what you've built in the game or your engagement with the game. So it's about feeling comfortable with not owning your game.
"I still have two boxes of DVDs. I definitely understand the gamers perspective with that. But as people embrace that model, they will see that these games will exist, the service will continue, and you'll be able to access them when you feel like. That's reassuring.
The services have, in fact, not continued, and that was even before HBO began investing in the idea of simply not offering their own products. There's quite a few games that aren't available online due to licensing, or simply because the publishers don't care. That's very worrying.
Actually Chris, gamers ARE used to not owning their games. We've BEEN used to not owning our games for a couple of decades now and will CONTINUE to be used to not owning our games, likely getting even MORE used to it as time goes on and game publishers move their business practices further in line with the idea of the consumer BUYING games that they do not OWN. Also known as RENTING games at exorbitant prices.
OWNING something isn't what gamers/consumers in general are concerned with. What we're all concerned with is having continued ACCESS to the thing that we've spent scarce capitalism tokens on to gain access to it in the first place. When we, the gamer/consumer, has control over the storage of game files and maintenance of a device to play those games on, we don't have to worry at all! When the storage of game files is controlled by publishers who can and HAVE decided to wipe purchasers access to said games, and when our ability to continue to have access to said games is limited to aging hardware that will invariably stop working at some point rendering the games unplayable or proprietary software from a company that may go bankrupt someday and cease to exist, or just decide they want to stop maintaining the servers those games are stored upon, rendering the games, again, no longer playable, THAT'S the problem.
So no Chris we as gamers and consumers at large don't have any issue with not OWNING games. We will all continue to not OWN games as long as we exist. We just aren't going to PAY for access to those games with the knowledge that access WILL be removed at some point and our payment to the publisher or service will NOT returned as it should be at that time.
Have a good day Chris and have a good day to the industry that wants something for nothing. We'll act in kind and continue to receive something for nothing as well! It's only fair right?