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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Today in late capitalism: Here is a coloring book that teaches children about credit.

Can you think of a single feel-good news story from the past five years that isn’t, at its core, an indictment of the society in which we live? Here at Lit Hub, one of our most-read stories last year was “Big-hearted strangers turn Little Free Libraries into Little Free Pantries.” While I don’t... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-02-23 16:10:35 UTC ]
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8 Wonderful Libraries to Visit Post-Pandemic

If you're planning some bookish trips for the future, don't miss adding these gorgeous libraries to visit post-pandemic to the list. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2021-02-22 11:30:00 UTC ]
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Canadian libraries increasingly scrapping late fees to boost access to services

Long considered a tool to encourage patrons to return materials on time, in the past few years hundreds of public libraries have decided late fees do more harm than good by keeping away low-income and disadvantaged readers.  Continue reading at CBC

[ CBC | 2021-02-21 09:00:00 UTC ]
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Getting Lost in the Libraries of Paris Researching WWII

The American Library in Paris sits in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. Its collection of 100,000 books is spread over three stories. Members from 60 countries can work at long tables or whisper at the coffee machine. As the programs manager, I oversaw the ALP’s weekly Evening with an Author... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-02-19 09:48:59 UTC ]
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Academic Libraries Aren’t Just for Writing Papers

Cast aside your assumptions about academic libraries. You'd be surprised what absolute gems of nerdery you can find in a college library. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2021-02-08 11:30:00 UTC ]
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Tired of buying airport books? These airports are installing Little Free Libraries.

A great idea! Marshall University students in Bret Masters’s building technology class are currently building bookshelves to install Little Free Libraries in Yeager and Huntington Tri-State Airports. The idea for the project was originated by Kelli Johnson, associate librarian at Marshall, when... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-02-02 18:12:16 UTC ]
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10 Tidbits About Libraries for Visually Impaired and Print Disabled People

Get to know the work and services of libraries for the visually impaired and print disabled people around the world. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2021-01-29 11:32:00 UTC ]
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New Nonprofit to Advocate for Digital Content in Libraries

Among the group's priorities will be to advocate for “less restrictive" e-book licenses and new digital licenses that would allow libraries to "own" digital works with the same associated rights as print materials. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-01-27 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Behold these cute phone booth libraries from around the world.

Short of becoming a time machine for well-meaning Gen X slackers, I cannot imagine a grander afterlife for the humble phone booth than to be reincarnated as a cosy wee library. One day you’re a rusted urinal, all-but invisible to the cellphone-clasping masses trundling past, and the next you’ve... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-01-25 17:54:55 UTC ]
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School Libraries and Their Fight Against Fake News

A school librarian talks about how he teaches students to think critically about fake news on the internet. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2021-01-25 11:30:00 UTC ]
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How Libraries Can Help Us Make a More Perfect Union

Throughout our history, we've see that when we come together in civil, honest conversations based on facts and science, history and truth, we find commonality. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-01-22 05:00:00 UTC ]
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If you miss visiting the library, try the Internet Archive’s new virtual browsing tool.

It’s been a bad year for libraries and those who love them. Despite some interesting tech innovations (we could have been cleaning our books with UV rays this whole time!), many temporarily reopened libraries are closing again due to surging COVID numbers and COVID exposures, and many other... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-01-11 18:26:49 UTC ]
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Boats, Bread, and Biblioburros: Unusual Libraries Around the World

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[ Book Riot | 2021-01-11 11:30:00 UTC ]
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2020 was a great year for at least one thing: digital book loans from public libraries.

If you, like me, could really use some nice library-oriented news right about now, you’re in luck. Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the impossibility of going to physical libraries for much of the year, readers borrowed record numbers of ebooks, audiobooks, and digital magazines from public... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-01-07 15:34:02 UTC ]
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New Report Offers Post-Pandemic Outlook for Book Business

In a free 50-page report released this week, three veteran publishing and digital media consultants offer a postmortem on 2020 and a glimpse at what the future holds for publishers, booksellers, libraries and readers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-01-07 05:00:00 UTC ]
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OverDrive Reports Surge in Digital Library Lending in 2020

Readers worldwide borrowed some 430 million e-books, audiobooks and digital magazines in the past 12 months, a hefty 33% increase over 2019, OverDrive officials reported, based on data drawn from some 65,000 libraries and schools worldwide. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-01-07 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Little Free Libraries Across All 7 Continents

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[ Book Riot | 2021-01-04 11:37:00 UTC ]
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Italy’s Fifth ‘Why I Read’ Campaign Generates Broad-Based Response

The results of the AIE's fifth annual #IoLeggoPerché book donation program for schools and libraries surprised organizers with 300,000 books. The post Italy’s Fifth ‘Why I Read’ Campaign Generates Broad-Based Response appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-01-04 09:46:32 UTC ]
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Majority of borrowed books across Ontario libraries in 2020 weren't published this year

In a year dominated by a global pandemic and American politics, some might find it fitting that the library book most likely to be checked out across Ontario was a hopeful memoir written by the former first lady of the United States. Continue reading at CBC

[ CBC | 2020-12-31 09:00:00 UTC ]
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Searching for Little Free Libraries As a Way to Say Goodbye

A reader on saying goodbye not only to the books she can't bring on the next phase of her journey, but to her roomie, her sister. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2020-12-30 11:31:00 UTC ]
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