This Spore debacle is genuinely fascinating if you're interested in the consumer side of the games industry. After the Amazon backlash and the ridiculously high piracy levels, you'd think that customers angry over Spore's "draconian" DRM would have made their point, but no. Now it would seem that gamers are using the title's own content creation tools against it -- creating creatures that are designed to protest against EA's use of SecuROM!
From the simple design of a creature (?) known only as EA Sux to the more detailed Veroflraptor, who lives on the planet "EAdisappointsME," it would seem that design-savvy Spore fans have strung Electronic Arts up with its own rope. Such sweet irony.
As I say, this is fascinating stuff and it's interesting to observe how gamers have united in protest over DRM. We so very often as gamers seem to just suck up and accept whatever bullsh*t a publisher feels like dishing out, so it's somewhat refreshing to see consumers continue to take Electronic Arts to task over something they feel strongly about, even if some of the methods of protest are questionable.
Check out more Spore protest creations here.
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Contest:
9:23 PM on 09.15.2008
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That's pretty good. It would be "LULZ" if they were made by pirates.
"EA made the DRM far more draconian than it needed to be. Three activations and you’re out and one account per CD key (something that EA seems to have misled customers about initially) is really just squezing the buyer too much. These are limitations that even basic users can hit up against pretty quickly so it’s something that every buyer should care about."
Source:
http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=2617
Read Free Culture. It's a very comprehensive case against it.
I love it DRM, is amazing. It gives people a reason to do piracy xD.
As you know in order to get to the DRM information you have to remove the disc from the package, once you do this you can no longer return it. However I believe that there is a return to EA procedure, which ultimately nets you another copy of the exact same game.
Attitudes like this annoy me. This right there is the apathetic 'sit back and take it' attitude that has allowed publishers to run roughshod over consumer rights for years. Continue to get over it by all means, just don't be surprised when publishers are able to get a complete lockdown on the industry and exert as much control as they wish over the "rights" you have paid top dollar for.
Actually none of the above comments are defending DRM.
I am more than happy to oblige. The release of a game that is this boring and had soooo much potential deserves to be held up, and ridiculed at every opportunity.
to be long winded about it, no bad press, nobody asking me those questions.
That said, Spore's middle chapters and specific DRM seem to be hurting them and their customers. Much like my experience with books.
Why, it's the subject of my first Blog post. I have a blog!
Bloggggggg!
I find it funny how much time was devoted to creating the Spore creature on the left, yet they didn't get a good grasp on English first. The initials for Donald Ronald Sop are D.R.M.? Really?