Always-on-DRM - why buy games with it?

[Nazulu]

God dammit, I feel like I need to bring this up again and basically shout it.

*clears throat*YOUR WALLET IS NOT THE ONLY WAY YOU CAN CHANGE THE INDUSTRY. GAMES ARE AN ART FORM, AND THUS YOU CAN MAKE THEM TOO. MAKE YOUR STAND, BUT DON'T DEMONIZE THE OTHERS AS OPPRESSORS OF FREEDOM. IF YOU WANT A CHANGE, DO ALL YOU CAN DO, NOT JUST NOT BUY SOMETHING. YOU'RE NOT A HERO FOR NOT SPENDING MONEY. GET IN THE INDUSTRY AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND STOP ACTING LIKE AAA COMPANIES CONTROL IT ALL. IT DOESN'T. MAKE A DIFFERENCE, AND STOP BEING A DICK TO THOSE THAT ARE SIMPLY WANTING TO PLAY GAMES.

Seriously, come down off your high horse and realize that you really aren't saving the gaming world because you didn't buy something. I'll treat you like a hero the moment you make a company greater than Valve. Until then, you're just another consumer making a decision. The big companies don't control everything, this is more so true in the PC gaming market, but will soon be true also with the Ouya, Gamestick, and all these different "Steambox" type gadgets.

I can understand the dislike for always-on DRM, and I understand your boycotts, and I myself have yet to buy a game with always-on DRM, but I am damn sick of you people acting so...upity...just because you made this decision and treating anyone that doesn't totally agree with you with the utmost contempt.

This doesn't make any sense what so ever.

Are you telling people who are not artists to also spend their life making games? Do have any idea how ridiculous that is? Voicing your opinion is the easiest and fastest way to be heard. Going to the effort of challenging these giants is a very difficult task to accomplish, most people I meet dream of it. Of course there are other ways, like the people who make videos expressing themselves and what not, but it's just never enough it seems.

Also, these people who throw money at these games with DRM, they support it. Whether you believe it or not, they are part of the source. In fact, you could even say they fuel the entire thing. Holding down the caps while expressing your beliefs isn't going to change that, neither others beliefs as well.

And one more thing. Every one has a difficult time expressing themselves on these controversial issues, of course it's going to get fucking ugly.

 

[Nazulu]

Bullshit

Meaningless repetitiveness

What ever, Guild Wars. I mention the sequel by accident and it makes you believe you have a point. How cute. Oh you just ignored all the other stuff I wrote so that's how you got your answer? No wonder.

Your analogies are absolutely crap. Trying to change "you support for DRM with your wallet" to "I should stop eating meat because you dont like that they kill animals for it" is retarded.

And your paranoid story of Bob is just another repeat of what you said before. So I want you to just read what I wrote last time and that will be my answer for every single new post you make here.

I just wanted you to get it in your head that you are supporting DRM and we disagree with it, and that's it. So you are aware what you're capable of doing. But you keep spinning bullshit because you want it both ways and that's never ever going to happen.

 

[Flames66]

People buy because they want to play the game more than the always on puts them off simple.

No, it's not that simple. There's also the underlying reason for why it doesn't put them off. It doesn't put them off because they didn't think it through, and they don't care about the potential long term consequences. What if suddenly EVERYONE starts making games with always-on DRM? What are you gonna do when every new game you buy can be shut down permanently? That's why people need to stop buying games with always-on DRM. Stop thinking about short-term enjoyment of the game and start thinking about what it could do to you in the future. If enough people simply refuse to buy a game with always-on DRM, the company will absolutely have to remove it. The reality that most people don't seem to realize is that we, the consumers, still have that power. Why would we be so stupid to give it to a corporation and thank them for it?

I agree with you entirely apart from this part: "we, the consumers". I am not a "consumer" and am offended by the implications of the word.

I personally will not buy games with always on DRM. I do not count Steam as always on DRM as it can be set to offline mode, but I admit that it does have a lot of the other issues associated with it.

 

[Nazulu]

Bullshit

Meaningless repetitiveness

blind repetativeness

And I want to get in your head that this isn't a civil right issue and the attempts to demonise people over how they spend their own money is self righteous bullcrap.

If I am "supporting DRM with my wallet" you are "supporting killing animals with your wallet" (quite literally if it is made of leather). So yeah it fits perfectly.

You just want to get in my head that you judge me for the purchases I make with my money. You just want to get in my head that you judge me for the way I use my time. With all due respect. Mind your own damm business. I dont care what you spend your money on.

Hhahahahahaha

I already said I don't care what you call it, and you demonise yourself. You label it and me, and try to make me look like a bully at every attempt you make, but it doesn't mean any thing since you're just using it as a defence again because you can't get over that you support DRM. That's all I said, the rest you put in my mouth.

So how does DRM liken to eating meat any way? Oh it doesn't? I told you this shit doesn't work on me. Do we have DRM problems? Yes we do. And here is where you get confused. You don't consider it a problem... but I do. Therefore you're helping 'it'. Get it? Probably not.

I'm just telling you what your purchases are causing, you're the one that's judging you. I just said to think about it because of what it does and what it can do. You get all defensive and make up crap on the spot. See the pattern. You can not have it both ways.

If it makes you feel so uncomfortable about what I think, then maybe you should reconsider, because I'm not going to change my beliefs to make you feel comfortable with the things you buy. Vote with your wallet.

 

[EtherealBeaver]

Could someone please point me to where it specifically says: "You must be online at all times while playing this game, even if you are not in an online game" or something similar in this page: http://us.battle.net/d3/en/purchase

Because if you are just a casual gamer, why else would you seek technical information about a game other than the games own site? And yes, it does say "requires a battlenet account" but there is a long way from that to "if you have no internet or your wireless internet in your home is sub-optimal then you cant play this".

As I see it, if the game really doesnt say that (and I dont think it actually warns you before your purchase, and if it does, I cant fint it even though I have been using computers for 20 years) - and if it doesnt say that, the idea what "people know what they get into when buying said games, doesnt really seem to bear merit.

Edit: I would also like to know where a warning for those who are less computer savvy (than what people in this discussion apparantly are) which informes that, if the game doesnt make enough money at some point, Blizzard will close down their option to play the game without them having a chance to object. I know, some here may see it as an inherit part of gaming these days, but since there apparantly still are quite a few of us who dont, I doubt it could be called "something to be expected" and as such, casual computer users would really not have a chance to make an informed purchase anyway.

 

[Nazulu]

"Do we have DRM problems? Yes we do. And here is where you get confused. You don't consider it a problem... but I do"

And that just highlight the whole thing. We have a problem because YOU HAVE HAVE A PROBLEM.

I dont have a problem. Hence why it doesn't affect MY PURCHASES. Your problems affect your purchases. As it should.

And now you come "oh I am just judging myself" when you quite litterally said

You don't like that I don't agree your purchase is good, GOOD!!! That's the whole fucking point! I don't care what you call it but it's no going away because you wish it would.

Yeah that is me judging me right there. Afterall I am trying to get approval from me to have my purchase in peace.

Self righteous bullshit.

I doubt that will stop you on your civil rights crusde for the great battle of DRM. Leave me out of it. I am playing my games. You need to mind your own business.

You can't help yourself can you. It must eat you up inside.

That's not judging by the way. That's guilt. That's the whole point.

This is ridiculous. Your not thinking at all. This is just a competition to you, just like every thing else. I'm pulling the plug right here.

Enjoy your guilty pleasure.

 

[EtherealBeaver]

It doesnt. It says "Broadband Internet connection" but so do many games without Always-online DRM because often times, the game needs to download files on install or update. There is nothing in the requirements that I can find which states that it must always be online.

Did you even go check or do you just assume what you think is also correct without needing to double check?

 

[EtherealBeaver]

Further more the whole idea that less computer savvy people doesn't realize that nothing last forever is kinda insulting to peoples deduction skills.

Ill make sure to tell my brother that who is 35 and never cared for PC games until now when he started looking into games other than Angry Birds. Im sure he will appreciate it that there are people who completely disregard that some people are not as into gaming and technical specs as they themselves are.

Besides all services will eventually shut down. Eventually your Windows XP will stop getting support. Your Warcraft 3 battlenet will shut down. Same as Diablo 2. If you bought the games for those features then you are just as screwed as the always online. Essentially having part functionality when offline is irrelevant if you dont want to use the part functionality.

Yes all servers will be shut down at some point which is the exact reason why they should not be required for things which are not in themselves online experiences.

For the rest of your post:
That is false because Diablo 2 can run on a computer without internet
OS´s can still be installed and used even though some of the updates may not be available, in which case you can still install them from CD
And while BattleNet may be shut down, LAN can be emulated via other means. Diablo 3 has no LAN

 

[EtherealBeaver]

Sorry no you only do that because you know that Diablo 2 didn't require it. Your Tech Savvy is working against you.

Could you then please explain to how you can tell which of these games require always on connection and which does not, based on the information in this picture? Diablo has always been singleplayer but Diablo 3 does never specifically tell you that you have no choice for that (sources: https://us.battle.net/support/en/article/diablo-iii-system-requirements and https://us.battle.net/support/en/article/diablo-ii-minimum-system-requirements )

 

[Signa]

Sorry no you only do that because you know that Diablo 2 didn't require it. Your Tech Savvy is working against you.

Could you then please explain to how you can tell which of these games require always on connection and which does not, based on the information in this picture? (sources: https://us.battle.net/support/en/article/diablo-iii-system-requirements and https://us.battle.net/support/en/article/diablo-ii-minimum-system-requirements )

Oh woah one of them doesn't have a seperate requirements of single player and multiplayer. Wonder what it means....

Maybe the one that says it requires an internet broadband connection requires an internet boardband connection to use and the one that doesn't does not.

Really this is purely because you had the preconceptions from Diablo 2 that you could play this offline.

What's wrong with making it more explicit? They still never flat-out said that the necessary connection is needed at all times without exception. There's plenty of other games that say they need that connection, but only because the game needs to be registered. I mean, $60 are at stake here. Even though it's clear to us what it means, it easily could fool someone who otherwise wouldn't drop that money and then they are stuck with it.

 

[lazyslothboy]

Sorry no you only do that because you know that Diablo 2 didn't require it. Your Tech Savvy is working against you.

Could you then please explain to how you can tell which of these games require always on connection and which does not, based on the information in this picture? (sources: https://us.battle.net/support/en/article/diablo-iii-system-requirements and https://us.battle.net/support/en/article/diablo-ii-minimum-system-requirements )

Oh woah one of them doesn't have a seperate requirements of single player and multiplayer. Wonder what it means....

Maybe the one that says it requires an internet broadband connection requires an internet boardband connection to use and the one that doesn't does not.

Really this is purely because you had the preconceptions from Diablo 2 that you could play this offline.

What's wrong with making it more explicit? They still never flat-out said that the necessary connection is needed at all times without exception. There's plenty of other games that say they need that connection, but only because the game needs to be registered. I mean, $60 are at stake here. Even though it's clear to us what it means, it easily could fool someone who otherwise wouldn't drop that money and then they are stuck with it.

How could you make it more explicit? When I looked at it, when they listed the internet connection requirement under minimum system requirements, that to me would read that in order to play this game i must have access to the internet at a minimum. This might have come off as a tad snarky, but I promise the question is honest.

 

[veloper]

Wow, I've never bookmarked a thread before, but this is just the most beautiful thing I've ever witnessed on the Escapist, so bookmark.
No 10/10 troll has ever caused half so much tension as this honest OP here. Even BloatedGuppy lost his cool.

The magical ingredient: solidarity and the lack thereof.