The first game containing Ubisoft's massively controversial new digital rights system, which kicks players out of the game if they lose their internet connection for any reason, shipped last week.
Silent Hunter V is just the first of many planned titles to include this 'feature', though a recent revelation that it's already been cracked may throw a spanner in the works. Nonetheless, gamers hate it with righteous passion, while the publisher thinks it's safeguarding PC gaming. So who's right? Well, everyone.
For DRM in games
1. It makes publishers prepared to invest in the PC
Retail PC game sales are declining, bar massive exceptions such as World of Warcraft, Football Manager and The Sims, but there's too much disagreement and self-interest on both sides of the argument to have presented a sole indisputable reason for that.
It might be piracy, or it might be PC gamers' move to digital distribution channels such as Steam and a growing interest in indie games. It's a question that needs an answer badly, but at the same time, it almost doesn't matter.
What matters is that the big publishers look at the number of torrent leeches, blame piracy for the reduced bottom line and act accordingly. If employing silly DRM means they keep on investing in PC gaming rather than giving up on it, maybe it's worth the minor suffering of limited installs and one-off activations. What's unacceptable is when the DRM crosses the line into actively complicating playing the game.
2. It combats day-one piracy
There's piracy and then there's piracy. The bulk of a game's sales often occur in the first week of release. It's critical, to publishers' minds, that the only way to get hold of a game during this all-important period is from a shop (or a digital download service).
If you can snag it on release day without leaving your house, piracy becomes doubly appealing. Even worse - from a publisher point of view - games can be leaked from mastering plants or distributors ahead of release.
Along the same lines is the idiot habit of staggered US and European release dates. Gamers saving money doesn't even come into it then: it's about playing the thing as soon as possible. Stringent DRM, especially when it requires a server-side activation, can delay the inevitable ripping of a game for just long enough to safeguard those vital initial sales.
LESS DRM: 2K Games relaxed the DRM in Bioshock after fan complaint about the installation restrictions
3. Needing the disc in the drive is a thing of the past
In an age of terabyte hard drives and always-on internet connections, having to scrabble around in the plastic filth of your CD collection to find the right game disc whenever you want to play has become increasingly absurd.
It's also something that's very easily cracked with replacement exes available on easily-found sites. These are frequented by paying gamers at least as much, if not more than, piratical gamers, purely to remove the hassle (see also, disabling the hateful barrage of publisher and hardware corp logo videos that load at startup). The point being a disc-check is a ridiculously archaic form of DRM. Whatever else you want to say about Ubisoft's system, at least it's done away with that relic.
4. By making online a requirement, the games evolve
Ubisoft's approach to constant-connection DRM is a big mistake in a lot of ways, most especially because it's insulting and annoying to people who've legitimately bought the games shackled to it.
However, if it had gone about things in a slightly different way, it wouldn't feel like that. Its key error is to employ the internet as handcuffs rather than a spine - a restriction rather than improvement.
We don't grumble about MMOs like World of Warcraft requiring a login, nor do we about digital download systems such as Steam. In this case, Ubi is forcing the internet onto games that aren't intrinsically of the internet- being online adds nothing to Assassin's Creed 2, for instance.
But once we're at a point where games are created with the internet in mind from the very start, we'll reap the benefits. Look at EA's streaming browser version of Tiger Woods, which does away with installation, or the way Valve have just this week turned Portal into a real-time treasure hunt for details on the sequel. Give it time, and DRM might evolve into tiny marvels of rolling new content.
NEW ENDING: Valve's Portal now has a new ending, automatically inserted into the game to tease the upcoming sequel. No one complained about having to login to get that...
Your comments (10) Click to add a new comment
pavlovskitchen
March 16th 2010
10. Unfortunately, DRM does not work well and it punishes the legitimate customers. Much of the music production software I use includes a dongle and an encryption program that has never cost me less than 2 weeks of lost productivity with every upgrade. I have upgraded three times, which means the company should love me.
My company uses online games with simple login, so we don't need DRM. For us, this allows us to treat our customers the way we would like to be treated: easy access and customization. Otherwise, it is like how Dennis Miller described opening a new DVD, its easier to break into movies than it is to break into their packaging. For me, like DRM this is a sign of an industry that hates its customers.
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rowie4life
March 15th 2010
9. I’ve stopped buying PC games because of DRM. It just adds an unnecessary hassle to the process of playing games.
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tech89
March 13th 2010
8. Maybe DRM could be in a form of an activation code for a game to be installed? Keep activation code and game disc separate during production. Only have to worry about thieving employees then.
If DRM has the potential to disrupt gameplay then it shouldn't be implemented.
Or maybe game developers could collaborate with Microsoft and have MS covertly sneak on peoples xboxs' and bar any people who have installed a pirate game from xbox live.
This would work because you have a game developer put in a check for when the game starts up to connect to the internet and check with an register of activation codes or something? (compiled by MS and game developers)
Or deliver tough justice and just disable the players Xbox. Cruel but then life is at times. A lesson well learnt if this was the case.
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funky666
March 11th 2010
7. Games for the PC have been in decline is because most developers release unfinished games. Gas powered games is LEGENDARY for releasing unfinished, unpolished **** on the PC.
See: Supreme commander 1
See: Demigod
See: Supreme commander 2
On release day Supcom 2 required 2 GB patch and there are features entirely missing and not working!
The fact that these guys have the BALLS to blame DRM is disturbing, all gamers buy their favorite games and pirate the rest, we will not buy unfinished **** in a box. Someone needs to sue the industry and get the laws about copyright and DRM changed, and ban the industry from even attempting DRM, this is way out of control, and anyone who sides with publishers needs to die a horrible death.
Case in point: LAN in supcom 2 being tied to steam after I just bought it? By using steam they assure I already paid for it,so why is lan tied to being online using steam? oh yes so the can spy on you and datamine your behaviour.
I would sue these *******s into the ground if I was rich, these ***** are ripe for a class action lawsuit. Products WE OWN we do not rent from the mothership.
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jaded_sunrise
March 11th 2010
6. To me, it's a joke that people blame DRM for increased piracy.
1. Who doesn't have an internet connection these days? Often times people cite the rare "what If I'm 20 ft underground in a secret lab that doesn't carry internet and I want to play my game, well then I can't!" scenario but its just something that becomes a straw man argument.
2. The same people who argue against DRM also argue that the PC is still the king venue for playing video games, but wonder why companies pour more money into the console market. Hmm, maybe because while piracy still occurs with consoles, it is MUCH less prevalent.
People who are going to steal, are just flat out going to steal. There is a very specific reason why technologies preventing stealing are often shunned. There are those who say they download music from torrents because they are outraged music from itunes can't be shared with many other people.
Don't you wish you could use that logic with everything? We have a hard time accepting that companies have the right to protect their investments from being stolen.
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mattswain
March 9th 2010
5. To me the bottom line is that there's quite a number of people out there who won't pay for what they can get for free; It doesn't matter how cheap or expensive the product is; you've just got to look at the piracy of 59p games on the iPhone app store to see that.
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psyfur
March 9th 2010
4. 3 reasons why pirated games are popular
: The DRM is completely removed - no need for net connection, disks and stupidly long keys
: Often cracked games are out weeks before the product is in retail shops
: Price (although I believe pc games offer good value compared to console games)
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anteaus
March 9th 2010
3. When are the publishers going to wise-up to the fact that DRM only hurts the legitimate buyer? It has little effect on pirates.
In fact, in a case like this it is a positive advantage to have a cracked pirate copy which doesn't tie you to the Internet.
I don't buy games anyway these days, having tired of the genre. But if I did, my over-riding concern would be, "What damage is any DRM **** in this game likely to do to my computer?"
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tex
March 8th 2010
2. Who cares about Tiger? Let him join Amway, as they also screw anything that moves, and have ripped off millions of people for several decades, to the tune of 10s of billions of dollars:
Amway is a scam, and here's why: Amway pays out as little money as they can get away with, so they support the higher level IBOs ripping off their downline via the tool scam.
As a result, about 99% of IBOs operate at a net loss, while the top 1% make several TIMES more from their Amway tool scam than from the Amway products. This was made illegal in the UK in 2008, but our FTC is unable to pull their heads out of their butts to stop it here.
Read about it on my blog, I suggest you start here: http://tiny.cc/D5oJh and forward the information to everyone you know, so they don't get scammed.
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rimscar
March 8th 2010
1. nice article.
It is a conundrum, as i`ll happily pay for all the malarkey involved with playing LOTRO but getting wound up by anything similar in playing AvP.
It's getting as bad as all the cr*p i have to put up with when watching a dvd or BD film---oh the joys of being a legitimate customer....
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