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DRM-Free Classic Games Store Opens To Public

Posted by Soulskill on from the give-the-people-what-they-want dept.

arcticstoat writes "With all the controversy surrounding DRM in games at the moment, one games store has decided to buck the trend, proudly proclaiming that all its games are DRM-free. First announced back in July, Good Old Games is now in the public beta stage, which means that anyone can now access the site's archive of classic PC games, and you can do what you want with your game when you've bought it, too. 'You won't find any intrusive copy protection in our games; we hate draconian DRM schemes just as much as you do,' says the site. 'Once you download a game, you can install it on any PC and re-download it whenever you want, as many times as you need, and you can play it without an internet connection.'" In related news, Stardock, the company responsible for the Gamer's Bill of Rights, is apparently working on a new copy-protection solution that will be friendlier to consumers than current schemes.

3 of 122 comments (clear)

  1. Whoa by Xtense · · Score: 5, Informative

    I'm pretty surprised that they managed to get all these out on the start. I expected one or two good games, but whoa, Descent? Earthworm Jim? Fallout? Gothic? MDK? Operation Flashpoint? Shogo?

    It's like I died and got zombified in the better part of the 90's!

    --
    "We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams [...]."
    1. Re:Whoa by Haeleth · · Score: 5, Insightful

      if your rationale for paying for games is supporting the devs

      Since when did one need a rationale for paying for things that cost money?

      It's pirates who have to go to extra lengths to justify their behaviour, not purchasers.

  2. Re:No DRM? by jonaskoelker · · Score: 5, Insightful

    No DRM? Good news for pirates!

    No, good news for honest buyers.

    Let's divide people into three groups: those who buy, those who make the pirated (DRM-free) version, and those who pirate.

    Those who buy will now get a better product.

    Those who pirate never see the DRM in the first place.

    Those who make the pirated version will have an easier time; this benefits the pirates ever so slightly, but DRM is often defeated faster than you can say Yo-Ho, so the benefit is ever so slight.

    The real winners, whenever DRM is removed, are the honest consumers.