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Game developers talk DRM and why it shouldn't be used photo

The opinion that digital rights management doesn't prevent videogame piracy but instead harms paying customers through limits on things like number of installations and provides an overall worse user experience is not new, but it seems more developers are finally starting to jump onboard with the idea.

As detailed in an article by Toms Hardware, Stardock CEO Brad Wardell and 2D Boy co-founder Ron Carmel have been saying that the people who illegally download games -- in most cases -- wouldn't have bought the product anyway, so restrictions would only be hurting the actual consumers who did end up paying.

Carmel also brings up a very good point, saying publishers "know that DRM doesn't work against piracy," but use install limits in order to harm the used PC game market.

It's encouraging to see some companies (even EA, to some extent) warm up to the idea that crappy, intrusive DRM is not the answer, and it seems like much of the change in attitudes has been the result of the grassroots movement that's happening on the Internet.


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22 comments | showing # 1 to 22

Phantom Spaceman's Avatar
Phantom Spaceman at 05/14/2009 14:49
Most suspenseful movie ever btw.
Chronic Logic's Avatar
Chronic Logic at 05/14/2009 14:53
And yet millions of people download illegal copies of video games. Kind of hard to NOT use DRM considering the amount of illegal torrenting and stuff. I think what people want is a DRM that is not obtrusive but does the job of preventing illegal usage of video games. But that's not gonna happen any time soon is it? Plus, I thought that Steam's DRM was a pretty good DRM that does a satisfactory job against piracy?
Magnalon's Avatar
Magnalon at 05/14/2009 14:54
@Phantom
I whole-heartedly agree. Plus it had bonus Dennis Reynolds for like 10 minutes!
John B's Avatar
John B at 05/14/2009 14:56
I love Stardock, except that I don't buy their games because they make games that I don't want to play! I hate RTS! Come on, Stardock! Release an RPG with the same quality as your RTS games!
foolishwolf's Avatar
foolishwolf at 05/14/2009 14:58
best fucking picture ever.
Dimly's Avatar
Dimly at 05/14/2009 15:00
I don't care about DRM, now I want to see The Strangers again. That movie unnerved me.
Tino's Avatar
Tino at 05/14/2009 15:02
Yet look at the 3:1 piracy ratio with Demigod. If the broad generalization of gamers have had a consistent quality to them, it's they cannot be trusted.
hbl's Avatar
hbl at 05/14/2009 15:04
I bought World of Goo for £4 on Steam. It was awesome, but there was no way I would have paid £20 for it. Perhaps indie developers could take a Trent Reznor approach to selling games? I'm far more likely to spend £5 or so on a game than £20, and who knows, they might sell more, and won't pee off the people who paid full whack for the game on day one (or the day before the price drop, which has gotta be more annoying). It's the whole '1000 true fans' thing, and I know it's easier for Trent Reznor to be doing this kind of thing, cos if it tanks and he makes no money, he's still a millionnaire.
Naim Master's Avatar
Naim Master at 05/14/2009 15:07
You sneaky bastard , The Stranger didn't suck (for clarifications , try to sabe the image) ...
HiddenAHB's Avatar
HiddenAHB at 05/14/2009 15:15
Hahhah, one of the best blog pics ever!!!
I can't talk much since i don't play much on the PC but DRM is such a bitch, it's innafective and retarded.
brainderailment's Avatar
brainderailment at 05/14/2009 15:19
The Strangers was good because they didn't try to make up some bullshit backstory for the bad people, instead they isolated some people and scared the shit out of them all night. I'd rather have a (scary) movie with almost no story than some Jason X fucknobbery. It's the same reason I loved Vacancy.
grasslunatic's Avatar
grasslunatic at 05/14/2009 15:23
DRM causes piracy.
Kaspar's Avatar
Kaspar at 05/14/2009 16:06
@ Chronic Logic

Pirates don't give a rats arse about DRM. They get the cracked material and don't need to deal with install limits etc. Only if the company tacks on a really mean and harsh DRM system will they moan a bit, but it takes like one month tops to break even the most advanced protection and then it's all good.
joe asylo's Avatar
joe asylo at 05/14/2009 16:13
right now the drm is what keeping most game active from the gta to fallout.
i dont understand why they are even saying, piracy is gonna be everywhere. best option, watch out where is been release?
Doomsday Forte's Avatar
Doomsday Forte at 05/14/2009 16:39
Lots of people downloaded Spore out of spite, you know. :3
brainderailment's Avatar
brainderailment at 05/14/2009 17:12
@Doomsday, IDK if there is any proof of that, but I wouldn't be surprised if people did it simply to piss off EA.
Kohlstream's Avatar
Kohlstream at 05/14/2009 18:36
@brainderailment & Doomsday
I remember loads of people downloaded Metallica tracks from napter when they attacked it, just out of spite. those were the days!...kinda
whormongr's Avatar
whormongr at 05/14/2009 18:41
"so restrictions would only be hurting the actual consumers who did end up paying."
or those that would have paid- I for one have pretty much stopped PC gaming since so much of it is drm (steam, securom, etc) and I don't want to deal with any of it- I like to buy the games that I want to play but DRM has really killed the whole scene for me and rather than pirating more or buying more I am doing both less (well actually not at all) which helps the companies less than if I were to at least be pirating and backdoor promoting for them.
I did pirate spore out of spite, I have never played it but I pirated 4 copies of it just to get the numbers up.
Doomsday Forte's Avatar
Doomsday Forte at 05/14/2009 18:43
@brainderailment: Of course there's not much proof, but hanging around certain forums certainly gave me that impression. I understand it was heavily-hyped and became the most-pirated game of 2008 (and probably ranks highly on the "of all time" list too). People on said certain forums took EA's DRM idea revealed some time before the game launch as a big "fuck you" and decided to stick it to EA/Maxis. Shame they didn't pirate an actually good game, though.

There are people who download just to spite the people who use DRM. I believe Sins of a Solar Empire was one of the lesser-pirated games and DRM-free, but that was a good while back so I can't say if that's true today.
B-Radicate's Avatar
B-Radicate at 05/14/2009 19:51
God, I loved The Strangers. It was sad that Dennis bit the big one, though.
F Whipple's Avatar
F Whipple at 05/14/2009 22:50
I hate all you people who are saying that the strangers was good. Movie was bloody awful.
Spartan's Avatar
Spartan at 05/15/2009 19:46
I'm glad to hear things are starting to change regarding DRM and all the evil it brings with it. Speaking as a person deeply involved in the battle against DRM for many years, the recent turn of events makes all the and effort invested in fighting it seem almost worth it but sadly we still have a long way to go before the scourge is eradicated.
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