This is an issue of priorities, and where people believe the priorities belong is in the eyes of the beholder. My priorities will more often than not always be on the side of anti-piracy for video games, because preventing piracy contributes to a bigger cause than a few customers having inconveniences in their game.
When you successfully limit the amount of piracy a game is afflicted with, then you increase the faith people have in making a business in the video game industry, which means more and more people willing to take a chance and make a part of the video game industry their profession, and that means more video games out on the market. You don't have to fully prevent piracy to make this happen, but limiting it will usually do just as good.
This works under the assumption that piracy alone will make people "lose faith" in the business and not join the industry. If it was like that, then video games would have died in the 90s, maybe even the 80s. Look at it this way: yes, pirates can make a dent on sales, but it will never ruin them. Your argument is formulated like this:
Piracy = Low Sales = People aren't inclined to make games = Less Games
... which, with all the respect, makes very little sense. Pirates have existed ever since there were things to pirate, but the industries of music, movies and video games still thrive. Why? Because there will be always honest buyers who will buy the games as long as they're good. Just look at The Witcher 2, it was heavily pirated, but still a massive commercial success.
In short: You claim that pirates make people lose faith in joining the business. If that was true then nobody would have joined it in the last three decades.
This works under the assumption that piracy alone will make people "lose faith" in the business and not join the industry. If it was like that, then video games would have died in the 90s, maybe even the 80s. Look at it this way: yes, pirates can make a dent on sales, but it will never ruin them. Your argument is formulated like this:
Piracy = Low Sales = People aren't inclined to make games = Less Games
... which, with all the respect, makes very little sense. Pirates have existed ever since there were things to pirate, but the industries of music, movies and video games still thrive. Why? Because there will be always honest buyers who will buy the games as long as they're good. Just look at The Witcher 2, it was heavily pirated, but still a massive commercial success.
In short: You claim that pirates make people lose faith in joining the business. If that was true then nobody would have joined it in the last three decades.
No that is not what I'm saying at all. I'm saying there are currently people out there who don't want to participate in the video game industry due to the already existing amount of piracy, and if the option of DRM was given to them they would feel safer and not fear a loss of profit due to thieves.
My argument is more like this.
Limitation of piracy = A minimized fear of loss of profits = People inclined to make more games = Larger selection of games
And before you bring in the fact that DRMs reduce profit because of the fact that consumers don't want to buy them, keep in mind what I said about how not every DRM was good.
I would like to remind you that Mojang has a login server, which is necessary to use if you want to play multiplayer.
I don't remember seeing a Mojang message saying, "Sorry kids, but you can't play your game offline as a single player, because our servers are down."
I also don't remember seeing, "Yeah, you can't play your game anymore. I don't recognize that video card you just put into your computer, so you're obviously pirating, even though the CD key is valid and I've been running online checks that illegally steal your computer's information for the past three months." on any Mojang games.
First, I specifically said to play online multiplayer.
Second, companies are not stealing your computer's information. You agree to sending them information. It's either in the ToS, or an actual message you agree to.
First, I specifically said to play online multiplayer.
Second, companies are not stealing your computer's information. You agree to sending them information. It's either in the ToS, or an actual message you agree to.
That's funny.
I don't remember reading any clauses about allowing rootkit's onto my computer when installing spore.
The case targets SecuROM, a DRM technology meant to prevent PC game piracy. Spore installs the program on users' computers without their explicit knowledge and cannot be easily removed, according to the 36-page document (PDF download) filed by Melissa Thomas and law firm KamberEdelson. In trying to protect its own intellectual property, EA compromises the consumer's own property — their computers, said Scott Kamber, the firm's managing member. EA says it doesn't comment on matters of pending litigation.
Take a guess what SecuROM does? It compromises your computer, steals your computer's information(There is no ToS about SecuROM, that's why people sued,) and locks you out of your own legally bought game if you do anything that it doesn't like. (Like, say, install a brand new motherboard, hard-drive or video card.)
I don't remember seeing a Mojang message saying, "Sorry kids, but you can't play your game offline as a single player, because our servers are down."
I also don't remember seeing, "Yeah, you can't play your game anymore. I don't recognize that video card you just put into your computer, so you're obviously pirating, even though the CD key is valid and I've been running online checks that illegally steal your computer's information for the past three months." on any Mojang games.
... which, with all the respect, makes very little sense. Pirates have existed ever since there were things to pirate, but the industries of music, movies and video games still thrive. Why? Because there will be always honest buyers who will buy the games as long as they're good. Just look at The Witcher 2, it was heavily pirated, but still a massive commercial success.
In short: You claim that pirates make people lose faith in joining the business. If that was true then nobody would have joined it in the last three decades.
My argument is more like this.
And before you bring in the fact that DRMs reduce profit because of the fact that consumers don't want to buy them, keep in mind what I said about how not every DRM was good.
I would like to remind you that Mojang has a login server, which is necessary to use if you want to play multiplayer.
"Programmers never repeat themselves. They loop."
I don't remember seeing a Mojang message saying, "Sorry kids, but you can't play your game offline as a single player, because our servers are down."
I also don't remember seeing, "Yeah, you can't play your game anymore. I don't recognize that video card you just put into your computer, so you're obviously pirating, even though the CD key is valid and I've been running online checks that illegally steal your computer's information for the past three months." on any Mojang games.
Moraterra Single Player Survival - Last Updated: September 16, 4:00 PM PST
First, I specifically said to play online multiplayer.
Second, companies are not stealing your computer's information. You agree to sending them information. It's either in the ToS, or an actual message you agree to.
"Programmers never repeat themselves. They loop."
That's funny.
I don't remember reading any clauses about allowing rootkit's onto my computer when installing spore.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2008/09/spore-securom-d.html
Take a guess what SecuROM does? It compromises your computer, steals your computer's information (There is no ToS about SecuROM, that's why people sued,) and locks you out of your own legally bought game if you do anything that it doesn't like. (Like, say, install a brand new motherboard, hard-drive or video card.)
Moraterra Single Player Survival - Last Updated: September 16, 4:00 PM PST
"Programmers never repeat themselves. They loop."
Indeed, it turns out companies were stealing our information. It was illegal.
Hence the term "illegally steal your computer's information".
They'll try it again if we let them.
Moraterra Single Player Survival - Last Updated: September 16, 4:00 PM PST