Why your digital games could vanish in a heartbeat

News that GOG.com has delisted 29 games this month is a sobering reminder that at any moment the games you own could vanish from your PC game libraries at any time and there’s not much you can do about it. Admittedly, GOG’s games include titles that many gamers may not have heard about. But history has shown that this happens to well-known titles too and on platforms with millions of users like Steam and Origin. So how is it that something you’ve legitimately bought can be whipped away in a heartbeat? Don’t we have consumer protection laws against that? Personally, I’d like to see protections in place to keep games from disappearing for purely licensing reasons if they still have legions of fans and are being played by many… How is it that my games can just vanish? The laws around your digital assets will differ depending on where in the world you live, but in most jurisdictions there are no clear laws stating that you unequivocally own and have the right to your digital games in perpetuity. In the U.S. the Federal Trade Commission outlines some of the reasons why this is the case. By far the main reason has to do with the terms of the agreement you make when you create an account on a gaming platform or when you click purchase. When you buy a game on a digital platform, you’re essentially just paying to access the content — in other words, you own a license but not the actual game. Accessing content is not the same as owning it. It means that... Continue reading at 'PC World'

[ PC World | 2024-09-26 10:30:00 UTC ]

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Take a look at this gorgeous, see-through “book house.”

Because you can never have enough gorgeous libraries to imagine yourself visiting: Condition_Lab’s new Pingtan Book House library in Pingtan, China, built by working closely with local carpenters and CUHK architecture students, is a luminous, organic structure with a matrix of bookshelves in the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-02-10 19:05:38 UTC ]
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Rising book bans: Grounds for moral panic?

Books in schools and libraries increasingly have targets on their spines. The more partisan the battle has become, the more it manifests as a power struggle, rather than an effort to best serve children. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2022-02-09 18:11:00 UTC ]
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Valve Steam Deck wows reviewers: ‘The most innovative gaming PC in 20 years’

The Steam Deck, Valve’s take on a Switch-style portable PC gaming machine, is perhaps the most anticipated piece of portable hardware since…well, since the Nintendo Switch. So it’s understandable that the technology press is champing at the bit to devour every detail about it, even well before... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2022-02-09 18:09:04 UTC ]
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Valve’s Steam Deck wows reviewers: ‘The most innovative gaming PC in 20 years’

The Steam Deck, Valve’s take on a Switch-style portable PC gaming machine, is perhaps the most anticipated piece of portable hardware since…well, since the Nintendo Switch. So it’s understandable that the technology press is champing at the bit to devour every detail about it, even well before... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2022-02-08 14:47:24 UTC ]
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UK film and TV industry bounces back from Covid with record £5.6bn spend

Annual investment doubles as production industry races to replenish libraries depleted by the pandemicThe UK film and TV industry has bounced back spectacularly from the pandemic with a record £5.6bn spent making blockbusters such as Mission: Impossible 7 and big-budget dramas including... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-02-04 13:52:58 UTC ]
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How Are Libraries Recognizing Black History Month?

Libraries can celebrate BHM with displays, events, and more — but it won't mean much if the library isn't a safe place for Black people. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2022-02-03 11:31:00 UTC ]
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Our Love for Libraries Told in Photographs

Robert Dawson’s The Public Library: A Photographic Essay is a visual love letter to libraries and a testament to the power of reading. The post Our Love for Libraries Told in Photographs appeared first on The Millions. Continue reading at The Millions

[ The Millions | 2022-01-28 21:30:33 UTC ]
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A Mississippi mayor is withholding $110,000 from libraries until they ban ‘homosexual materials.’

A new, highly concerning entry in the wave of classroom book bans sweeping the nation: Gene McGee, mayor of Ridgeland, Mississippi, is withholding $110,000 of funding from the Madison County Library System—funding already approved by the board of aldermen—until librarians remove “homosexual... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-01-28 17:52:29 UTC ]
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Arts Council England launches Green Libraries programme

Arts Council England (ACE) has partnered with groups across the country to launch the Green Libraries programme to help libraries address their environmental impact. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2022-01-27 00:42:39 UTC ]
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Public Libraries Aren’t Essential Services

The pandemic is showing the holes in social safety nets across the U.S., but public libraries aren't the answer to those problems. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2022-01-12 11:42:00 UTC ]
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OverDrive: Record Number of Libraries Hit Million Digital Lend Mark

Leading library service provider OverDrive this week reported that a total of 121 public libraries and consortia across seven countries and from 37 U.S. states surpassed one million digital lends in 2021, a significant jump from 2020, when 102 libraries hit the mark. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-01-12 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Join the #FReadom Letter Writing Campaign to Combat Censorship!

The #FReadom campaign is asking you to write your school board with provided templates to support school libraries and access to information. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2022-01-04 11:39:00 UTC ]
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New York's library e-book licensing bill vetoed as Maryland challenge looms

The Association of American Publishers (AAP) has welcomed the decision by New York Governor Kathy Hochul to veto a bill that would have forced publishers and authors to grant e-book licences to libraries under state-imposed terms. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-31 06:31:54 UTC ]
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8 of the Most Unique Little Free Libraries

Free Little Libraries are delightful to find but some creators take them to a new level. Here are eight unique free little libraries. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2021-12-30 11:31:00 UTC ]
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Hitting the Books: Amiga and the birth of 256-color gaming

With modern consoles offering gamers graphics so photorealistic that they blur the line between CGI and reality, it's easy forget just how cartoonishly blocky they were in the 8-bit era. In his new book, Creating Q*Bert and Other Classic Arcade Games, legendary game designer and programmer... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2021-12-25 16:30:11 UTC ]
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XPG's concept mouse has an SSD so you can store your games in it

Have you ever looked at your mouse and thought "it's fine, but kind of a big fat waste of space?" Gaming accessory company XPG apparently did, because it's just unveiled a concept mouse for CES 2022 with a built-in high-speed SSD drive stuffed inside, Digital Trends has reported. The XPG Vault... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2021-12-24 21:00:55 UTC ]
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The Most Popular Books in U.S. Libraries in 2021

Here are the titles most frequently checked out from U.S. libraries in 2021, including fiction, nonfiction, and children's books. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2021-12-22 14:45:40 UTC ]
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How cooperative gig economy companies managed to flourish during the pandemic

‘What is the hope for gig workers who are underpaid and exploited? Cities, in a way. Cities can have a chance to intervene and actually get things done.’ In the Italian city of Bologna, bicycle couriers delivery bread, freshly baked at local bakeries, to nearby businesses every morning. The same... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2021-12-12 05:00:34 UTC ]
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AAP Sues to Block Maryland, New York Library E-book Laws

The AAP filed a lawsuit Thursday seeking to stop Maryland's library e-book law for taking effect January 1 and also disclosed that it was one of more than 20 organizations to sign a letter to New York governor Kathy Hochul urging her to veto a similar bill. Both pieces of legislation require... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-12-09 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Malcolm X’s Prison Cell Is Transformed Into a Freedom Library

This is the first of 1,000 of Reginald Dwayne Betts's planned Freedom Libraries to be installed in prisons across the U.S. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2021-12-08 15:07:32 UTC ]
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