I’ve just watched the video. I find it pretty outrageous. The word about it should spread.
Yeah, this is corporate bullshit. However…
Minecraft is a rare bird that lets you download every single public release (that was archived) all the way back to the original test builds. I recently re-downloaded 1.14 to play a unique seed that only loads all the features correctly on that version.
And when you play Minecraft, you download the entire game as a .jar file to your computer and it stays there, even if you upgrade to a later version. There are third-party launchers that let you load those .jars and play without logging into anything.
So, it’s up to you whether or not you tow the company line and use a Microsoft account and the official launcher or just download some fan-made software and run the old versions forever.
I recommend anyone who lost their Mojang account to just dig out the latest version downloaded to their computer and run it through a custom launcher, or look up instructions on running the game without a launcher.
(This only applies to the Java version of the game, but that’s the best version anyway because of features and custom mods. Playing roms of the console/mobile games requires modding the appropriate system and that’s a lot more involved.)
noodlejetski@lemm.ee 8 months ago
if buying isn’t owning then piracy isn’t stealing
there, upvotes to the left pls
insomniac_lemon@kbin.social 8 months ago
As a fun aside, unauthorized sharing is the only reason I tried and bought the game back in early beta days before there was a demo (friend A owned, friend B didn't, I tried it from friend B's unauthorized copy and got the copy too, later gave friend A $20 and info to activate my account because I didn't have internet at home).
Colonel_Panic_@lemm.ee 8 months ago
Same. I played MC in early Alpha when you could play free in a web browser. And then I used a cracked game for another year or so. Once I had adult money I bought it. I’ve since bought it probably 6+ times over between Java, Bedrock, consoles, mobile and accounts for my kids.
I probably would never have bought it otherwise, or at least not for a long time.
EngineerGaming@feddit.nl 8 months ago
Pirated Minecraft was a staple of my childhood. Basically everyone I know had it pirated too. I thought that, when I am an adult with my own money and my own debit card, I would buy the game since I liked it so much. Well, I guess that isn’t happening.
admin@lemmy.my-box.dev 8 months ago
Piracy is piracy.
But the only one that owns Minecraft is Microsoft, since they bought it for over 2 billion dollars. Everyone else just bought a license to use it.
astronaut_sloth@mander.xyz 8 months ago
You’re getting downvoted, but you’re right. And that is the reason that using proprietary software and SaaS is a problem. If I’m only buying the right to use a copy of something as a company sees fit, then I’m not really buying anything. I’m essentially paying a company a tribute to use their software in their way.
Decades ago, it was the same way, but it felt different. We got physical media, and we could do what we wished with the files: modify them, delete them, etc. Hell, the EULAs for some '90s and early '00s software even said you could use the software in perpetuity, and we could use software in anyway we saw fit. The biggest constraint was on selling copies. Back then, and even now, that seems pretty reasonable. (Though, as an aside, it would have been better to also get access to the source code, but I digress.)
Now, we have to use company’s software exactly how they want us to use it. Personally, I refuse to go along with this (as much as I can), so I have migrated most of my digital life to FLOSS.
smileyhead@discuss.tchncs.de 8 months ago
Yes, BUT…
There is buying a licence to use.
And there is buying a copy you can use.
This is very much different. Maybe buying a copy of music with a tag attached saying you cannot distribute it further is ok, but saying they can take this copy you bought at any time and make terms how you can use it is another level.
tabular@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Some video games are open source; you can modify and redistribute it or even sell it. We need more of those and less fat cats playing a trading card game of copyrights while they erode ownership rights.
IsThisAnAI@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Meanwhile everyone screaming AI is stealing from them.
rutellthesinful@kbin.social 8 months ago
in this case, microsoft just decided that they didn't have to bother supporting legacy accounts because they didn't feel like it, so they pulled them without consent or compensation
in the case of ai generated media, companies just decided that they just had the rights to use existing published media, so they harvested it without consent or compensation
both complaints are the same complaints: that businesses are just deciding on contracts unilaterally and then imposing them on people without the need for consent
Beardedsausag3@kbin.social 8 months ago
I've paid my upvote tax
Clbull@lemmy.world 8 months ago
The only times I’d excuse piracy are if the original product is outright unavailable in your region, or if digital rights management leads to a vastly inferior or unusable product for paying users (i.e. strict installation limits, always-online DRM in a single player game.)
I don’t condone pirating Minecraft, regardless of Microsoft’s anti-consumer bullshit.