VIDEO games are steadily transforming into a digital-only medium, with up to 95% of game purchases made digitally rather than physically.
This has raised the question of how much of our video games we actually own, as digital games can be removed by the publisher at any time.
This rarely happens, but there is a recent case where Ubisoft removed The Crew from people’s libraries after shutting down the game, making it unplayable.
With the price of games rising, many people have game libraries worth thousands of dollars contained in their gaming accounts.
One of the most popular platforms is Steam, and a user contacted support asking if they could pass their account on to a loved one in their will after their death.
Steam’s response posted at Reset says: “Unfortunately, Steam accounts and games are non-transferable.
“Steam Support cannot provide account access to another person or merge content with another account.
“I regret to inform you that your Steam account cannot be transferred via will.”
This is a reiterated statement in the Steam user agreement that says: “You may not reveal, share or otherwise allow others to use your password or account except as specifically authorized by Valve.”
One of the exceptions “specifically authorized by Valve” is part of Steam Family Sharing.
Steam users can share their accounts with up to five people or ten devices, allowing them to play from the same game library.
Despite this, the email highlighted that our digital game libraries are not actually our property and can be taken away from us.
If you want to read more about gaming, see why people think the next FIFA game will be released this year.
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