DRM is an issue near and dear to many gamers’ hearts. Many gamers will refuse to buy titles based solely upon the method of copy protection the publisher decides to use for that particular game. I fall into that category. There are several games I’ve refused to even install a preview copy on my machines due to DRM on the disk. Spore comes to mind, as does the latest Riddick title, Assault on Dark Athena. It was my decision that the DRM employed in these titles was too obtrusive for my comfort, so I simply didn’t pick them up. I’m sure they’re great games. That’s not my point.
It isn’t a matter of me being pro-piracy. I’m not. I’ve seen comments all over the Web insinuating that if I don’t like certain methods of DRM, I’m a filthy software pirate. Nothing could be further from the truth. The only time you’ll be able to slap the pirate moniker on me is if you see me in EVE Online.
Most comment threads on the issue mirror the one here found on ShackNews. The PC gaming community is usually very vocal about what they find unacceptable from publishers with regards to DRM . That list includes, but isn’t limited to:
· Activation schemes that limit the number of times a game can be installed
· Third party programs which interfere with other software installed on the user’s system
· Software which reports hardware/software information to the game publisher or distributor
· Software that installs itself without full disclosure
· Software that runs in the background using system resources without user’s permission
If you’ve taken the time to check out the comments to the article I linked, you’ll notice that the discussions surrounding DRM get pretty heated. It’s a hot button for sure. Are gaming publishers and distributors listening?
For a while, the common response from gaming companies was to brush the complaints aside. If anyone complained about the DRM a game used, the official responses ranged from “they represent a vast minority of gamers” to “people who complain about anti-piracy measures must be software pirates.” Though most game companies are very tight lipped about the issue, there is hope that things are changing. EA, for instance, recently announced that Sims 3 will be DRM free upon release. I think this shows that things are progressing.
Fallout 3 is another title that points towards progress. While it does use DRM to protect itself against theft, the DRM amounts to a good old-fashioned “disc check.” I didn’t mind installing the game on every machine I use.
While progress is being made, I feel that DRM as it has been employed has singled out the PC platform and has done it a disservice. In today’s cross-platform market, many titles published for console are also being published for PC, though the console versions don’t limit gamer behavior as much as their PC counterparts. The effect this (among other things) has had on PC gaming has been pretty remarkable. PC game software sales have plummeted in the past few years, while console game sales have soared.
While DRM isn’t the only thing contributing to this trend, it certainly isn’t helping. If you buy a game for your console, for instance, you can bring the game over to a friend’s house to share. You don’t have to worry about installing the game, or that the game won’t work if you have to buy a new console. When you’re done with the game, you can sell it to a used game shop. You can even rent the game before you buy it. None of these are things you can do currently with PC titles, largely due to DRM restrictions. Normal gamer behavior is being discouraged.
It isn’t just being discouraged on a few PC titles. The list is huge and growing.
With the future of PC games in question, I personally feel it’s time that gaming publishers and distributors take a long hard look at the ways they’re limiting their customers with DRM. Public outcries like the one mentioned in ShackNews should be relegated to history. What do you think?
April 17th, 2009 at 9:51 pm
Of course they are. It`s the money game.
June 26th, 2009 at 5:35 am
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September 10th, 2009 at 8:15 am
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