Buying something and buying a right to use it are two different things.
If somebody told me that they are selling me a house and then I discover that I only got the right to live in it, I would be pissed off.
Now, with software this is usually not a big issue because the mismatch is not huge. When you buy a retail software, you got not the same but at least similar rights that you get when you buy a physical book: you can use it, you can lend it, you can sell it, you cannot make copies. So, when you say "I bought a game", everybody understand what it means, even those that disagree with the term.
Now in case of something like Steam, not only you get a license, but you cannot lend it, you cannot sell it, one day you may not be able to use it anymore because the DRM servers are taken offline (not Steam's fault this), or Steam may decide that you are a "bad guy" and remove access to your whole library.
At this point, the difference between "buying something" and "buying a license to something" becomes more marked, and in my opinion should warrant a different term on the store.
> Buying something and buying a right to use it are two different things. If somebody told me that they are selling me a house and then I discover that I only got the right to live in it, I would be pissed off.
Probably a bad example - lots of property deals are structured as purchasing the 'leasehold' where you only get the right to live in it and do not own the physical property/land.
Most times when people buy an apartment/flat for example, you aren't actually buying an apartment, you are buying a right to rent an apartment.
This is very common in the UK, and does happen in the USA too (e.g. in New York).
This is distinct from buying a freehold property where you are buying the land and structure, rather than just buying a right to rent for a particular term.
Now, with software this is usually not a big issue because the mismatch is not huge. When you buy a retail software, you got not the same but at least similar rights that you get when you buy a physical book: you can use it, you can lend it, you can sell it, you cannot make copies. So, when you say "I bought a game", everybody understand what it means, even those that disagree with the term.
Now in case of something like Steam, not only you get a license, but you cannot lend it, you cannot sell it, one day you may not be able to use it anymore because the DRM servers are taken offline (not Steam's fault this), or Steam may decide that you are a "bad guy" and remove access to your whole library.
At this point, the difference between "buying something" and "buying a license to something" becomes more marked, and in my opinion should warrant a different term on the store.