Can someone from GOG clarify their stance on owning 1 copy of a game but letting a family member (brother, sister) install it on a laptop/desktop in the same household to play with them through LAN or Online?

I read the FAQ:

9. Can I install one game both on my laptop and desktop computer at home?
Yes. We do not limit the number of installations or reinstallations, as long as you install your purchased games on computers in your household. So yeah, if you've got a render-farm in the basement, you might actually break the world record for the number of legal Fallout installations in one household. However, if you think about installing your game on a friend's machine or sharing it with others then please don't do it, okay?


I just want to be clear on the wording so i don't do something that will make me feel guilty. Does that say that i can't share it with friends and other people OUTSIDE the household? Since it says it's okay to install on the computers in the household, can i assume it's okay to share 1 copy between my family that lives in the same household, with all the computers also being in the same household? And just to clarify even further, if a family member in the future moves out of the household and into their own, is it still okay to share a copy with them?

It's just that it would feel wrong telling my own brother "Sorry, go get your own copy", when i can just share my copy with him. Especially considering how tight money is now. I can understand with friends, but family members... :(. But if GOG doesn't approve, it ends up feeling wrong either way.

Sorry about all the questions. I'd just like to clarify this once and for all. I have yet to install any of my games on any computer other then my own, even in my household. So ya... it would be great to get an official response from GOG about their stance on this. Thanks! :)

I think they mentioned in the past to just pretend it is a book. When you lend it to your brother to read, you cannot read the book yourself. Meaning, if your brother (even if he does not stay at the same house with you) is currently playing the game, pretend you cannot play the same game at the same time until he finishes. And when your brother returns the book, he does not have it in his possession any longer, which is rather difficult with a digital DRM-free copy of the game, but I hope you get the idea :-)

Here is an explanation from TET:
http://www.gog.com/forum/general/a_few_licencing_questions/post11
See the answer to question #2

Thanks, i guess that explains GOGs stance on the matter :(. Maybe one day the rules will change and we'll be able to share a game with our own families while simultaneously playing said game together.

They trust you to make the decision you feel is best. Unlike most everywhere else, GOG and those who sell their games via GOG won't put you in DRM shackles, throw a DRM hannibal mask on you, tie you to a DRM gurney and start yelling "filthy pirate customer!" the second you lay money down for a game. Your response seems to indicate they're right not to bother with all that. :P

Can't remember the game(s), but there were 1 or a few in the 90s which allowed LAN-playing if 1 player used CD1 (side A) and the other player used CD2 (side B).
IIRC it was specifically limited to LAN.

IMO if GOG would sell such a game it would be okay if the original license accepted it, even if the new (GOG) license doesn't. As long as you stick to that original license, so no simultanious singleplayer and no multiplayer over WAN or internet.

The earlier Command & Conquer games acted that way.

Diablo, and I think other Blizzard games allowed you to install a "spawn" that could play multiplayer (but not single) without the disc.

If you worry about morals or laws just abide by the single rule that one license is used for one person, games here aren't expensive so let your family member try the game then ask them to buy their own copy (or whenever they can afford it if money is really the issue)

If technicalities don't matter then use your own judgement e.g don't lend your entire catalogue to people in the same household, but I doubt GOG cares if you lend one or two copies to a family member that lives in the same house.

As for feeling wrong either way try to use reasoning rather than emotions and act with sound judgement (see above) and use Ocham's Razor: It seems the DRM isn't the issue here at all, more like you feel you should be entitled to share games with family members but in the end money is the root of the problem. (see above about paying when they can)

Seriously guys. Let's be reasonable. There is NOTHNIG wrong in playing the same copy of GOG with your family member in the same household. It won't hurt GOG business. I would have to be mentally ill if I would buy two copies of game to play over LAN with my son or wife. It’s the same as listening to the CD together or reading loudly.
Jeez…

DRM was never an issue here since there is no DRM on the site. The problem is a moral one. Not supporting the site you love, or telling your family member to GTFO when they want to play a game you have. Neither is a very nice solution :(. But i guess i'll have to live with not sharing for now, until something changes :/. I won't lie, i've been to private trackers before, like 2 years ago (about when i started PC gaming), and i've seen things like a download for the ENTIRE GOG catalog in one go. Even at the time when i was downloading things, it still bothered me to see downloads of games available DRM free. Of course i've never downloaded anything that was available DRM free, and i don't download anything at all now. Since becoming more aware of what i was doing, about a half a year ago. Give me a break, i was new to PC gaming and never pirated a game before in my life. I didn't think about the consequences. Half a year ago i actually took all the pirated games i had burned onto disc and tossed them in the trash haha.


Edit: That private tracker is gone though, so one less place to pirate DRM free games in the world :).

Confession.
I have pirated a game in my life time, a couple of years ago. I felt so bad about it that when I joined up here and saw it on the catalogue I IMMEDIATELY bought it even though I didn't really want it. I still feel like shit for doing it in the first place but hopefully that guilt makes me a better person.

Think about this: A shared copy is free advertisement for them. Whoever gets will be happy about how well this gog thing runs and may become a real customer in the future.

Just install the game on your PC/Laptop and let your family member play there when you don't.
I like the comparison with a book.

And yes, for the reason hubby and me had to buy the same DRM-free games each. Once for my computer and once for his. And if he wants to try out one of my games, he's free to do so on my computer but if he wants to play it on his computer he'll have to buy his own copy.
Strange, but it works for us. :-) (And for GOG as well, I'd think.)

We must remember though that it is not only GOG who decides it. In the end, it is the publishers (IP rights holders) who you should be asking what exactly you may do with that EA, Ubisoft, Nordic Games etc. game that you bought from GOG.

Even that is still just their opinion too, naturally what really matters is what the legal system in your country says.

But, I think using common sense helps. I keep saying that at least don't spread around the installers outside your household, because then you are willingly granting the control over that license to someone else, which is something you shouldn't do. That is, if you share the installers to others, they can then further share it to others, etc. You are not controlling the usage then anymore.

So, if you feel obliged to let someone outside the household play the game, don't hand them the game installer, but instead go to their home and install it there yourself, and delete the installer from their computer. And naturally you shouldn't play that game on your PC either at that point. :)

I shared a game with a friend and she seemed to like so I bought it for her as a bday gift and had her set up an account to use the key. As far as I'm concerned no harm done in that exchange. If you are going to share, find an excuse to eventually buy them the game and maybe add another game on top of it. Gog gets their money and your friend gets a legal copy of the game.