2.1 We give you and other GOG users the personal right (known legally as a ālicenseā) to use GOG services and to download, access and/or stream (depending on the content) and use GOG content. This license is for your personal use. We can stop or suspend this license in some situations, which are explained later on.
https://support.gog.com/hc/en-us/articles/212632089-GOG-User-Agreement?product=gog
You do not own games purchased on GOG. Same as Steam, EGS, Ubisoft Connectā¦ GOG shills like to spread the lie that you own GOG games, thus justifying the use of their garbage platform, but when asked to explain how, they just say you can download the EXE so itās functionally the same as owning (omitting, of course, that you can run most Steam or EGS games without having their respective clients installed, as that would go against their narrative).
Okay, I see your point, but Iād still say itās a better license than Steamās/Epicās, because the games are DRM free (unless theyāve changed that and Iām not aware of it) and so once Iāve downloaded them, I can then play them whether or not GOG still exists or my ālicense to use GOG servicesā was revoked.
you can run most Steam or EGS games without having their respective clients installed
This is not consistent with my personal experience (though admittedly itās been a while since Iāve tried ā maybe a lot of games on Steam are now DRM free).
EGS doesnāt require the client, you can simply run the EXE.
Steam games most commonly use Steamworks DRM, which is so easy to bypass it might as well not exist.
Thatās beside the point, however. GOG doesnāt sell you games, but licenses. Playing the game after your license has been revoked is copyright infringement, and no different than using a cracked version. DRM is another topic entirely.
What matters is I can put that exe on a harddrive/usb stick, plug it into any PC, and play it. Does that work with epic and steam? If I copy the game folder onto a usb stick and buy a new pc, can I plug it in and play it without ever installing the launchers? Or having to do some other workaround like download software I donāt know if I can trust that I wouldnāt have to do with GOG?
I donāt care about whether itās technically illegal or not, I only care about how easily I can play the game using nothing but the game, exactly like a cartridge.
No offense but license infringement is such a weak argument because there isnāt anything to really enforce these licenses. They arenāt watching us in our homes, they canāt forcefully remove it from our computers. It is gatekeeping that people choose to feed into. They talk big and act small, youāre not supposed to play the game if your account is deleted or the service closes, but there isnāt anything stopping you from doing it, theyāre just trying to gatekeep you. No real point in listening to them.
