Buying a digital game, movie, or book feels like owning it, but what happens when a platform shuts down, removes the content, or takes away your access? Unlike physical copies, digital purchases can come with restrictions that many people don't think about until something goes wrong.

Do you think paying for digital content should mean owning it permanently, or is it fair for companies to sell access under certain conditions Z's, e,w?

I mean I get Gamepass and PS+ for example being online rental stores but if you pay £80 for a game it should be yours.

Buying digital games on all of the platforms such as PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo, and steam aren't purchasing the actual software, it's purchasing a license to play it. You don't own the software. Same goes for digital movies on Amazon for example, just a license to watch it.

I thi k that companies that sell books, movies, games, and other digital items should have a clear policy about this so that customers never get confused about this. They should have different pricing when it comes to renting a digital product or buying a digital product. Both of them are two different things. Customers should also play their role and read the policy involving the digital products. It is that simple.

I care about ownership. If I have paid money, I need to own it. When I bought physical game, I owned it. I could play it as long as the disc was in working condition. I like the same thing with digital games. I like to own it, save it locally in my computer, and play whenever I want.

Buying anything digital comes with the risk of potentially losing access to it for one reason or another. If you're worried about losing access to something, physical copies are generally the safer option because you're not relying on a digital platform to keep it available. Of course, physical items can be lost or damaged too. You could even lose them in a tornado on your way to Oz... 😛

On Oct 18, 2026, Jigsaw said:

I mean I get Gamepass and PS+ for example being online rental stores but if you pay £80 for a game it should be yours.

100% this. And there have been games on Xbox Game Pass that I’ve fallen for and have bought the full version because I love them enough to. You shouldn’t be entitled to those unless you pay the larger price. If they’re ever removed from Game Pass, then they are not yours.

Nowadays, it feels like we are only paying for temporary access to digital items rather than actually buying them. When you spend your hard-earned money on a game, movie, or book, you should have permanent ownership of that content, plain and simple. Having companies pull licenses or shut down services without offering real backup options or refunds is just wrong. If we buy it, we should own it permanently.

I thi k that buying gaming CDs and movies might give me the right to resell them. This is one of the major advantages of buying a CD. Moreover, rentinga CD might now be that easily inmany counties. In my own country shops that rent movies and games have closed down, as many people prefer to use online option.