It seems to me that the issue is how we consume the web versus games:
We're used to pay to play but not to browse the internet.
Valve is able to make money without relying on affiliations or donations.
There is a dirty bit indicating the disk was not ejected properly. It stays there until you use the "scan and fix" action. It doesn't indicate corruption directly.
Tasmota can help getting rid of the cloud bullshit on most ESP based devices. Of course it requires some tinkering and is not accessible to all users.