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.
Jordan Devore is Destructoid's PC gaming manager and founding ginger editor. He is said to be easy to love but difficult to know. When Samit inquired about his curious bio photo Jordan simply replied:
"bitches love sandcastles" ... yet, there is no sandcastle in that photo. We may never truly understand his ways.
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Contest:
2:40 PM on 05.14.2009
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I whole-heartedly agree. Plus it had bonus Dennis Reynolds for like 10 minutes!
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.
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.
i dont understand why they are even saying, piracy is gonna be everywhere. best option, watch out where is been release?
I remember loads of people downloaded Metallica tracks from napter when they attacked it, just out of spite. those were the days!...kinda
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.
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.