Electronic Arts UK Community - View Single Post - DRM Issue

Ratchman · 25-09-2008, 01:04 PM

I have made a vow not to buy an games with DRM like this on. I refuse to even buy the console versions, as this is a matter of principle. Recently, this has meant I have avoided purchasing Spore and Mass Effect, both games that I really wanted to play, and around £50-£60 that EA have lost.

I have nothing against piracy protection, but I refuse to pay full price for what is essentially a rental, not to mention all the little additional bits of software it installs that act as malware and spyware. EA have been pushing their luck for some time now, but now it looks like it is finally costing them.

They even relented with Spore, but it is a bit of a half-assed solution. They upped the count to 5 from 3. It is interesting in itself that they have made any concession to the public, but this is not what they want. They want an end to such a draconian method of combatting piracy.

There is a working anti-piracy solution out there. It is called Steam. You do have to logon, but I have never had a problem with it (no matter how many times I have upgraded), and their piracy level is as close to 100% as it is ever likely to get.

However, I doubt EA will, as a corporation, admit their mistake a change their policy. Companies usually fold before they admit mistakes, and it is starting to look like EA may be on the way. The share price is starting to fall, and the customers are starting to rebel. You can't automatically assume your customers are going to act as criminals and expect them to love you for it.

I urge all people who want EA to change their piracy measures to something a little more user-fiendly, like Steam, not to buy any more EA games that have this DRM. And that means holding off from buying Mass Effect on your consoles too (as this would force them to concentrate on console games as they sell and PC games don't). Stop their income flow, and they will concede. If you relent, they never will.

25-09-2008, 01:04 PM	#29 (permalink)
Ratchman Rookie Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 15	DRM Severely Limiting I have made a vow not to buy an games with DRM like this on. I refuse to even buy the console versions, as this is a matter of principle. Recently, this has meant I have avoided purchasing Spore and Mass Effect, both games that I really wanted to play, and around £50-£60 that EA have lost. I have nothing against piracy protection, but I refuse to pay full price for what is essentially a rental, not to mention all the little additional bits of software it installs that act as malware and spyware. EA have been pushing their luck for some time now, but now it looks like it is finally costing them. They even relented with Spore, but it is a bit of a half-assed solution. They upped the count to 5 from 3. It is interesting in itself that they have made any concession to the public, but this is not what they want. They want an end to such a draconian method of combatting piracy. There is a working anti-piracy solution out there. It is called Steam. You do have to logon, but I have never had a problem with it (no matter how many times I have upgraded), and their piracy level is as close to 100% as it is ever likely to get. However, I doubt EA will, as a corporation, admit their mistake a change their policy. Companies usually fold before they admit mistakes, and it is starting to look like EA may be on the way. The share price is starting to fall, and the customers are starting to rebel. You can't automatically assume your customers are going to act as criminals and expect them to love you for it. I urge all people who want EA to change their piracy measures to something a little more user-fiendly, like Steam, not to buy any more EA games that have this DRM. And that means holding off from buying Mass Effect on your consoles too (as this would force them to concentrate on console games as they sell and PC games don't). Stop their income flow, and they will concede. If you relent, they never will.