Exactly. And since they are not DRM-free they aren't free enough, even if you would get them for free. I won't install any client on my computer, no matter if it is called Steam or Twitch or anything else.

No, that's your personal decision. If you buy something but never pick it up, it's your own fault. But if you acquire something but aren't allowed to pick it up, then that's not buying. You can download any GOG game and play them on any machine able to run the software, no matter what happens to GOG. So these games are bought. The same is true for those games on Steam that are actually DRM-free - yes, I am aware that they exist.

But those games that need a running client that connects to some server, like those discussed here, can only be rented. Not bought. It doesn't matter whether the client is Steam or Twitch or anything else. As soon as the server that the client wants to connect to is down, you can't play 'your' game anymore.

Short version: there is a big difference between 'I didn't bother to backup the game' and 'The game cannot be backuped'.

aye, but it is still not rental. and there are other forces out of my control that can remove my access, such as my house burning down or a thief stealing my backups or my computer and disk getting repossessed while I was out.

the main thing here is that sooner or later you will lose everything, nothing is forever, but it does not mean everything is 'long term rentals' - it just makes the concept of rental meaningless.

The problem with Steam are problems inherent in DRM and should be dealt as such, without confusing it with other terms ("rental") making the whole thing pointless.

I disagree. 'Rental' is a graphic term in this context pointing out the fact that you don't own what you 'buy'. It may not be a perfect term but it is definitely better than the term 'buying' when referring to DRM-ed games. Sure, you can nitpick all you like and always find points why any previously existing term doesn't apply. But if you stop trying to be right at any cost and start trying to understand what people mean when they complain about the DRM business model, then semantics suddenly become less important. I think we agree that DRM is bad and in that context it isn't important if the 'correct' term would be rental or leasing or customerfucking. The central problem is, that a client-bound game is subject to the arbitrariness of the company that owns the client and not only to the usual ravages of time and the finity of the universe. But you have to admit that the term 'software-that-is-subject-to-the-arbitrariness-of-the-company-that-owns-the-client-used-for-DRM-purposes' is a tad bit unwieldy!

I do appreciate clarity of thought. But I maintain that anything needing a SCHEME client is long-term rental. The user is at the whim of the company rather than having their own control to do things like back up (or not back up) the product.

I would be fine adopting that term if amok and everyone else is cool with it ! :D

I found your elite team. It was a mess. They all had expired DRM, and it looks like the GOG monster ate them and shat them out.

This month is a pleasant surprise, includes two high quality games that i did not have. I'm starting to really like these free games every month for Amazon Prime members. The game selection and quality is improving.

Banner Saga
Banner Saga 2
Strafe
Treadnauts
Tumblestone

Claim yours before the end of the month. Use your browser to log into your twitch account and click on your messages in the top right corner (left of your name and avatar), then just click claim on each game. The games will then appear in your Twitch client (may take a few seconds after refresh). You can't claim the games from your client, only through your browser. It took me awhile to figure this out.

So it's another DRM client? Ugh. Not worth it IMO, not even for "free."

It's not really a "benefit" when it requires you to install a DRM client, which IMO is borderline malware because it removes control of the user's property from the user. That's a detriment.

Steam is definitely a rental service. Case in point: the big thread on here from a few weeks ago where a guy explained how Steam banned his account and thus stole all of his games. In cases like that, "rental service" is being overly nice to Steam...more accurate to say "thieving service."

Yeah the Banner Saga games have been on my "one of these sales..." list forever. Neat to get them for free, though annoying to have to use the Twitch client. That's the point though of course, to have me use their client more and more.

I'm pretty psyched about getting Banner Saga for pc. I have had it for Android for quite a while - don't remember how/when i got it. But it's just too damn small on my phone. I've tried a few times to get into it. But every time... too small.

Now chances are very high that I'll actually progress in the game!

Another client... meh. I crossed that bridge a long time ago. A minor annoyance. That's all it turns out to be for me. I thought it would be a bigger deal, but I have 5 or 6 clients installed now. And each one is worth it, because of a good game or few that I want to play. Banner Saga is the one that made me install Twitch. Dragon Age Origins gave me Origin. Diablo II -> battle.net...

Amusingly, I installed Galaxy because I tired of having to build my own folder/file system for all my GOG games. And then the updates! Gah!

Yeah, it's become so normal at this point I don't bat an eye. My annoyance has a lot less to do with using the client than it does wondering how long it sticks around and managing the account. With Amazon backing it though I doubt it just vanishes like Dotemu did.

Oh my, so many semantics here. Why so few talk about the substance of things?
I'll talk as a man owning a degree in Law.
Legally, rental and subscription models are different, but that difference comes in action only when controversies between parties arise; materially speaking, assuming nobody is suing anybody, there is absolutely no practical difference.
Let's stop with analogies and quibbles, facts are facts.

Edit: also, Amazon is heavily indebted with Italy for unpaid taxes and multiple frauds. I won't ever give a cent to them until they clean up their status. Which will never happen, of course.

I used to feel the same way, but now i'm more careful about which client i use. I'm only using Twitch to play these free games, otherwise i would never buy games directly from there. I might pick up a cheap Twitch bundle on Humble, but thats it. I recently started having problems with Origin( slow downloads, extra drm on their old games on top of Origin that prevents games installing, all kinds of errors that prevent new games from installing and launching). I had to do extensive research just to get ANY game to install and launch...ridiculous!!! EA is too busy making lucrative loot boxes instead of making sure that their client is working properly. Origin is the first client that im boycotting. I refuse to buy anything from them. I will only buy from Steam and GOG from now on, both have good reliable service.

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I went through the thread, assuming each month games will be mentioned,
But there was only the initial march group of games, and now June. that's like 3 months apart, should it be 5 per month?