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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mistwell" data-source="post: 7988655" data-attributes="member: 2525">The "rent vs own" issue is frequently one I think is based on principle rather than practical use.I think there are a lot of "rented" services that reasonably last so long that they cover the likely lifetime usage of your average user. The usage someone would want beyond that time frame is typically a "maybe I'd still want to play some day" or "maybe I want to hand it down to my kids some day" type usage, which practically speaking often doesn't happen even if it's owned. Not even accounting for destruction or loss that happens naturally over time to a lot of people.I can understand the principle behind "I want to own it" but I think sometimes people shoot themselves in the foot focusing too much on the principle and took little on the practical use they'd get out of the likely time frame they will have the use.For example, let's take the 4e D&D Insider. It was rented by users, but only ended a few months ago after a 13 year run. Probably 95%+ of the users of that platform were not using it anymore. They had already moved on to other games, and whatever they were going to get out of that platform they already got.You might argue "but I'd have gone back to use them in future games" but...come on. We both know that for most people, that's very rare, and even among those who do get some use for future editions, the usage is pretty low and easily replaced most of the time.And then there is the question of how many people experience theft or destruction of their physical books after that long a period of time? My guess is more than 5%.The remaining 5% or so of the renters did indeed run into the rent vs own issue, but I think a lot more than 5% objected to the model when it was proposed. Most people who objected to the model on principle ended up never experiencing the predicted harm in any practical way - they were finished with it before it was taken down anyway.I think practically speaking, there isn't really much of a rent vs own issue people experience. What issue there is, is often exaggerated based on the principle of the thing.  And I am not sure what value there is to a principle which has so little utility as a practical issue.</blockquote>

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