It's funny, I distinctly remember when Steam became a thing as a prerequisite for playing for Half-Life 2, all my pc gamer friends were pissed off at having to be online all the time. They sort of intuited the own-nothing-and-be-happy rental model of software and the obligatory constant connection to the main server way back in the day. Then WoW came around later and being online was now logical and even desired so that forever changed the perception of gamers.
Wish my friends had been so adamant about their convictions in other areas of life but eventually they just "went with the times" on pretty much all other issues.
One could argue that Steam and Battle.Net were instrumental in establishing these "modern" models of software operation. Get the nerds to moan but eventually adopt an artificial and manufactured new trend - and you will have set a precept for an entire generation.
I shall make efforts to always have one computer somewhere where I can run fully operational offline software, in case the "always-online" is forced on everyone.
It is one of the best points against ICP.