Gaming & Film

EA Games DRM

As I started working years ago and earning my buck, I started looking into buying PC games online and at stores like Future Shop and Best Buy. I’m not a hardcore gamer, but I do love games from time to time.

EA Games introduced DRM into some of their games and will continue to do so in all of their future titles. Now, there are two types of DRM. 1) Code-based, unlimited installations and 2) Online registration based, up to 3 or 5 installations.

Many games I’ve played in the past required a code-based installation. I owned one game that allowed up to 3 installations. That was Bioshock which I didn’t know beforehand.

According to EA Games, somehow they did a poll and found out that a very limited number of people install their games more than once and most gamers, install their games only once. I don’t know how many people they polled, but I am sure if it’s not at least 100 million gamers, then the poll is too inaccurate and biased.

For as long as I’ve owned a copy of Fallout 2 on CD, I’ve installed it more than half a dozen times over five computers I’ve owned in the last ten years. That obviously goes against EA Games’ poll on game installations.

I used to own The Sims 2 Deluxe until I saw an ad in 2008 that The Sims 3 would be in the works. So I sold that along with a few expansions on EBay.

Today, I read on various forums that EA Games may integrate their limited installation DRM system on The Sims 3. That is disappointing.

What these gaming companies don’t understand, is that gamers like me would rather fork out $50 to buy an awesome game and own the originals, than to go download 8 gigs off a pirated link. Since limited installation based DRM will be integrated into future titles, this turn off buyers from buying their games. If I had the patience to download a pirated version, I probably would, instead of spending $50 on a game that I can play only up to 3 times.

I don’t know how many times my prior computer have crashed on me, but I had to re-install The Sims 2 on it at least twice. Since buying my new Quad Core, that would have been a third time. I wouldn’t be happy if now I have to go spend another $50, just to play one of my favorite games that I already own.

DRM doesn’t stop pirating, but you know what? DRM DOES promote pirating. However, according to Gamasutra, The Sims 3 is going to be limited-installation DRM free and only code-based. That is great news. I’m also hoping Bioshock 2 would be LI-DRM free, but I doubt it. Too bad, cuz I would have pre-ordered Bioshock 2 for such a fantastic Bioshock 1.

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Leemanism is about my views, my thoughts, and my feelings with as little filtering as possible. These concepts are not reflected in the people I value and are associated with. People who accept me, adhere to the parts where we are compatible and tolerate the parts where we are not. So however people perceive me to be, ultimately it obviously doesn't mean the friends I mention in this blog are the same as me. It means it's possible they are similar or the same, as well as different than me. It is highly unusual for people to be completely compatible with each other.

With that out of the way, and to make things clear, I never said I am a good person, nor am I trying to be one, though I would rather live with the empathetic than with the cruel. I would not deliberately do harm. I rather stand up against injustice than to pretend it doesn't exist. However, I understand consequences. The police is there to enforce the law, but not deter crimes from happening. Which means people must do what they must do to protect themselves, before the law of the land takes over and even then, the law of the land isn't there to protect you. It's there to protect the general consensus. Even if you may be right, society may deem you wrong - even most of your friends may side with society, than protect you. The law will almost always side with society.

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