The Digital Rights Management controversy is a puzzling imbroglio.
Here we are, thriving in the computer-spawned convenience of the
twenty-first century, and there are still dinosaurs out there who think
the only way to handle digital theft is to keep raising the bar of copy
protection schemes.
These game publishers are blindly painting themselves into a
dangerous corner. It's become obvious to most observers of this
ongoing debacle that the revenue-loss motivations of the past have
been replaced by a dig-the-heels-in, vindictive anger against the
crackerz. It's been clearly demonstrated with one hundred percent
consistency that all the money these game publishers spend on copy
protection is completely wasted. How much better would the "protected"
games have been if the publishers had taken those large sums of
squandered cash and instead invested them where they belonged, with
the developers?
The money is wasted because there hasn't been a protection scheme
created that hasn't been cracked, most within a week of release. Only
stubborn pride could possibly spur these publishers to continue
crusading for the Holy Grail of copy protection. Meanwhile, in the
wake of these futile skirmishes stand the growing numbers of
resentment-filled gamers who paid for their games and are forced to
deal with completely unnecessary obstacles to their enjoyment. These
gamers are getting increasingly fed up with each game they purchase
that compels them to jump through more and greater hoops.
"Sins of a Solar Empire" has sold (and is still selling) many, many
units. Why does that matter? This 2008 game is proof positive that
DRM is entirely unnecessary! A full month after release, SoaSE was
selling more than any other PC game, including very popular offerings
from much larger development studios. Read the following BetaNews
article to fully appreciate the unbridled success of a game released
with no DRM on their retail ROM version:
click here
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An open letter to the DRM-crazed Publishers:
I currently own over 500 PC games. I not only possess the original
retail discs of course, but I also still have all the boxes and manuals.
I'm a bit of a collector, you could say. I've bought the majority of
these games at reduced prices or as classic releases, which means I've
paid a fairer sum than the inflated prices you demanded for them
when they first hit the shelves. It's gratifying how much money
gamers can save just by waiting a few months.
With so many games, I possess potentially endless hours of fun.
This means if I never bought another game, I wouldn't regret
it in the least. I already have more than one lifetime's games to
play. And don't think the urge to play the newest game is so great
that most gamers can't say no; that is a foolish miscalculation on
your part. Your impudent disregard of my consumer experience
makes your DRM-laden games superfluous to me.
My unwavering approach to all games old and new is this: before I
purchase, I check the Internet for specific information regarding the
game. If the game carries DRM, and the DRM
- is invasive (like StarForce or SecuROM),
- places restrictions on my personal use, such as installment
maximums or requiring online activation, or
- has blacklisting code that dictates which software(s) I am
allowed to legally purchase and use...
Then I don't buy the game. Period.
Clearly, Publishers, you've lost touch with one very important fact:
We don't need you; you need us.
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