[natmaster]

"In order to counter piracy.... It’s this sort of scheme that forces people to pirate games."

For publishers to understand why restricting rights of their customers is bad for them, they need to understand this. Steam, and other systems like it are the future. Those who do not understand this will (and should) be swept under the rug.

[masklinn]

> For publishers to understand why restricting rights of their customers is bad for them, they need to understand this. Steam, and other systems like it are the future.

Steam does restrict customer rights (can't resell games for instance). The truly important thing is that the rights your DRM scheme restricts should not be rights the user cares for or wants to use.

At the end of the day, experience is king, and Steam's great because the experience is better than piracy's.

[jasonlotito]

I know you aren't arguing against Steam. I just wanted to expand/respond to a part of your comment.

Steam does require giving up certain rights you'd have if you had purchased the game from a store, true. However, it also provides you rights you wouldn't otherwise have. For example, I can reinstall games without having to worry about finding that CD/CD Key. If I lose the game DVD, I can't play it anymore. With Steam, I now have that right.

Steam might take away rights, but in doing so, it rewards me with other rights that are if not equally as valuable, are more valuable then the rights they are removing.

[masklinn]

> However, it also provides you rights you wouldn't otherwise have. For example, I can reinstall games without having to worry about finding that CD/CD Key.

That's not really a right, that's mostly convenience.

> If I lose the game DVD, I can't play it anymore.

Depends on the game.

> With Steam, I now have that right.

unless you lose your Steam password that is.

[jasonlotito]

> That's not really a right, that's mostly convenience.

Call it what you will, it's very valuable. Of course, if I have a right to play the game because I bought it, and lose the CD key, I've now technically lost that right.

> Depends on the game.

I'm sorry, but the majority of games you can't. Yes, their are exceptions. Should I preface everything I said with a paragraph of legalese explaining that their are exceptions.

> unless you lose your Steam password that is.

That's not correct. You have to lose your steam password and choose not to recover it, which is much easier then if you lose your CD Keys.

What was the point of your response?

[masklinn]

> Call it what you will, it's very valuable.

I'll just call it what it is.

> That's not correct.

Of course it is.

> You have to lose your steam password and choose not to recover it, which is much easier then if you lose your CD Keys.

Or be unable to, which is pretty easy

> What was the point of your response?

That not only those are not rights, they're definitely not steam-exclusive either.

[jasonlotito]

> Of course it is.

No, it's not. I've lost my password before. I've been able to recover/change it, and reinstall my games.

> That not only those are not rights, they're definitely not steam-exclusive either.

Then you failed to make your second point.

[teamonkey]

Of course, first there will need to be some evidence (other than anecdotal) that shows that DRM actually reduce more genuine customers than it does force casual pirates to buy the game. Or, specifically, that

cost_of_sales_lost + cost_of_drm_tech > revenue_gained

Sure, DRM is unpopular (among the tiny proportion of users who know what it is), but does it affect the bottom line?

[chc]

I can't imagine the review-bombing on Amazon helps sales.

[teamonkey]

I agree, but that's still an assumption at best.