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Indie Game Dev On the Positive Side To DRM

Posted by Soulskill on from the it's-an-excellent-whipping-boy dept.

spidweb writes "The online backlash against DRM has gotten a bit excessive, especially since the purpose of DRM is entirely admirable: to stop thieves and free riders and to help creators actually get paid for their work. This blog entry calls attention to XBox Live, a place where strong DRM is helping to encourage quality games at low prices which make money for their developers. Quoting: 'If I could snap my fingers and give myself the same absolute control over the games I make that XBox Live has over theirs (in return for lower prices), I would. The freedom of the current system is nice, but it comes at too high a cost. Honest people need to pay extra to subsidize thieves. The unfairness is just this side of intolerable, and it's only getting worse. DRM is fair if, for what the corporations take, we get something in return.'"

5 of 440 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Devs should like DRM by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

    My guess is that most people, if they really like something will buy a copy for themselves.

    Well then you are incredibly naive.

  2. Re:Enforcing artificial scarcity is a poor strateg by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

    But it's perfectly fine to pirate software, movies, music, books, proprietary software, etc because when it comes to those things copyright is teh evil!! But don't you dare violate the GPL license (despite the fact that it's only enforceable via copyright) and suddenly you're the spawn of satan.

  3. Re:Enforcing artificial scarcity is a poor strateg by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

    Nothing is developed for $0. Unless you're a worthless piece of shit who can't hold a job ... then sure, maybe your time is worth nothing.

  4. Re:I stopped buying games by Moridineas · · Score: 0, Troll

    I read posts like yours and barely know what to say (beyond a Joe wilsonesque "LIAR!!" moment)

    you don't buy video games now because of the "drm" that requires you to put the DVD in the drive? So I guess you've been similiarly boycotting games for, what. ... The last 30-40 years? Were you enraged when games asked you quesions from the manual--a particularly insidious form of drm if you ask me.

    And punkbuster? What game kicked you improperly? You wouldn't be making that up would you?

    I don't know why I am bothering to respond to someone who thinks putting a $ in windows is clever, but please, if you've got an answer, let's hear it.

  5. Re:I stopped buying games by pcolaman · · Score: 0, Troll

    Do you realize that PunkBuster is a multiplayer anti-cheating system, not DRM, you stupid fuck.