#ownership

[black-in-kansas]

[scribeofmorpheus]

Repost from my substack:

With Play Station revealing that they plan to discontinue disc production in 2028, and with the lack of affordable RAM that made the Steam Deck next to unaffordable, not to mention XBOX axing their 2TB console version, there is a very sinister, very disenfranchising power taking hold of the gaming community. It’s becoming a class status symbol.

Capitalism has turned unto itself now, for infinite growth was always a fallacy, and consumer rights are continually being limited or infringed upon. “Debt is accrued from borrowing from the future,” but there is very little left of our future as was promised to us in youth to borrow from. (We are running out of water, clean air, job prospects, natural wildlife, reliable news sources and the right to preserve and showcase the arts to future generations.) Right to ownership is conservation of art and culture; it is the only way we survive as a species after the inevitable fall of late-stage (or technofeudalist) capitalism. The library of Alexandria is still heralded as one of the greatest losses to art, history and culture—yet we are now being told to trust in the [im]permanence of cloud technologies that could easily be wiped out by natural disasters, by hurricanes, by extreme heatwaves, by drought, by failing infrastructure, by greed and out-pricing consumers.

I am heartened to see many people reacting to this loss of autonomy and choice and ownership in the gaming community, but few are extending the ramifications beyond their own subjective experiences. If games, as an art form, as a medium, become exclusively digital, they become exclusively homogenous as a result. Primarily, they become occidental in architectural framework and accessibility—less diverse, less of a reflection of our world as it is, not as it is presupposed to be. As a result, games (and other works of art) become weapons of ostracisation and symbols of status—thus they can easily become overpriced and exclusive, later on further alienating those customers who already had access to them, had the infrastructure, but didn’t have the means to keep up with rising costs. Without discs, much of the global south will suffer. Much of our ability to foster inspiration, talent and diversity within the youth located in these spaces will wane, and we will hinder the future’s ability to be creative, to be collaborative and to be curious and welcoming of diverse voices in these spaces. This is a form of censorship. Protest as loudly as you can. Buy physical where you can, and avoid digital game sales in the coming future—do not incentivise these companies to further strip you of your rights to ownership.

[agent0tter]

Sony is having a banger week bro

"Piracy is not a pricing issue. It’s a service issue": Sony just proved why digital storefronts are broken

Sony is erasing over 550 movies from PlayStation libraries without offering a single refund. If clicking "Buy" only grants access until a co

Just one shot in their own foot after another.

We don't need a PS6, the PS5 is still plenty powerful and only recently started feeling like it has an install base after these boneheads launched a new platform in the middle of a global crisis. Its been 6 years and I barely know anyone that owns one of these things still and the constant price increases aren't helping.

Video games and consoles used to get cheaper as time went on, that's how they made install bases grow. This is what killed VR headsets and it is what will kill consoles. No one is going to buy a damn $1000 PS6.

We don't want a fucking rental agreement when we buy digital goods. If buying isn't ownership then piracy isn't stealing. Period. We don't want discless systems we want to own a product. The big brain having folks over at Sony corporate all graduated from empty head university I swear.

[needy0bun]

a little bit of ‘we shouldn’t be doing this’ would hit just right..

[needy0bun]

we could have a disgusting thing going on but you’re playing

[rwatimes]

How tokenization is reshaping ownership: A Mugglehead roundup

This edition of the Mugglehead roundup surrounds how tokenization is busy reshaping ownership in multiple industries.

➤ Tokenization is transforming ownership across various industries by converting real-world assets into blockchain-based digital tokens, enhancing efficiency, liquidity, and accessibility. ➤ Companies like Robinhood (tokenized equities), RedSwan CRE (commercial real estate), ComTech Gold (gold-backed tokens), and Centrifuge (private credit) are leading this transformation. ➤ This trend signifies a broader shift towards modernizing capital markets, making traditionally illiquid or exclusive assets more accessible to a wider range of investors.

[needy0bun]

sometimes I fantasise about the huge black guys I see on the metro.. but that’s a secret