What is your opinion on gaming subscription services?

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Runa216 said:

Game subscriptions are simply game demo/trials with a monthly cost. That's really all they are, since you don't own the game, can't keep it, and don't get to chose which games are on the service.

The reason I said you're not a 'true' gamer if you use them is because...well, it was a poor choice of words. I've never been the gatekeeping type. what I was trying to get at was that it's hard to call yourself a serious gamer if you don't own any games. Everyone who plays games is a gamer, but there are clearly different levels of dedication from the casual to the hardcore, and while there's no absolute formula to decide which is which, I think we can all agree that people who don't buy/own games or keep their games are on the casual end of the spectrum.

Again, doesn't make anyone a real or fake gamer, it doesn't mean your choices are any less valid, but you can't deny you're on the more casual side of the spectrum if you do most of your gaming on a game subscription service instead of on games you've bought. This is not a negative thing, even though some people will see it as an insult, but that's how I see it.

And yes, there are other factors. Factors like how big your TV is, how expensive your PC rig is, how many hours you put in, how many games/genres you play, how you buy your games (Digital vs physical), participation in conventions/cosplay, how many games/consoles you have, if you play professionally/stream, collect paraphernalia, etc. There are so, SO many factors at play that tend to tilt you more towards hardcore or casual, and I'd argue that getting your games through gamepass or PSNow or any other subscription model like that definitely tilts you more towards casual.

And I can't reiterate enough, this doesn't make you less of a gamer, nor does it mean you're having less fun than hardcore gamers (Seriously, in my experience, I find hardcore gamers to be more insufferable than filthy casuals, but that's just me.)

And of course different people have different criteria for how they perceive it in general. I personally feel you're more on the hardcore/serious side if you play a wider variety of games and genres, but it could EASILY be argued that the most hardcore of us ONLY play LoL or Starcraft or whatever. My point is, that's my opinion. And this is a subjective discussion so it is a matter of opinion. I personally feel that subs make you more casual. Buying makes you more serious. You might feel different. I promise not everything is meant as a jab or an insult, I literally chose one wrong word (True rather than serious/hardcore). Replace my instance of 'true gamer' with 'hardcore gamer' and then you'll probably see it wasn't meant as an insult or derogatory at all.

I'm not going to quibble over terminology, but if a demo has all of the non-dlc content of a game and the trial period is at least a month, that's a good fucking demo that I'm fine with paying for. I used to pay five bucks to rent a game from blockbuster for like 3 nights.

You don't get to keep it, but you don't always want to. Perfect example is Day of the Tentacle. Great point and click adventure, but it lasts like 5 hours, and once you know all the puzzle answers there's really no replay value unless you wait long enough to forget them.

So, call it a demo, but my demo of Day of the Tentacle had just as much value to me as if I'd actually purchased the game. I lose out on the ability to replay it ten years in the future, but considering it cost me like a buck (I played for about 2 days of a month of Gamepass), I'm fine with that sacrifice. If I really have the urge to play it in the future, I can buy it then. 

Doesn't always work that way. Probably would have been better off purchasing Tales of Vesperia (forgot how long that game was), but a lot of the times it makes more sense.

Not sure how any of this gets into casual/hardcore. Goes more into how much you replay old games/value having something.