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By: scott posted Jan 23rd, 2011 - 8:35 pm
I know that the internet is buzzing with nerd-rage posts like this one about the recent and controversial rumors that Sony will be employing PC Game style CD keys to "combat piracy" on the PS3. This would be, of course, a knee-jerk reaction by a bunch of empty suits to the recent discovery of the PS3 root key.
Even though I had already written a scathing blog post about this rumor, I decided to re-write it from scratch. Why? I brought this up on the podcast today and nobody else seemed to really give a damn. Are we so beaten down as consumers that we can't find even a little outrage at being treated like criminals anymore?
I mean, how much is it going to take before the average consumer starts voting with their wallets about how much it sucks to be treated this way? Let's break it down again in simple language so that the idiots who endorse these tactics can understand.
1. If you sell a virtual product, it is going to be pirated.
2. No, you can't do anything to stop it.
3. By imposing DRM and other such tactics on your consumers, you are making it more difficult for them to buy and enjoy your product.
4. The pirates are not inconvenienced by your DRM.
5. The pirates get a better product and enjoy a better experience than your customers.
6. Instead of punishing your customers, you should be rewarding them. Try using the carrot instead of the stick.
7. You should be fired if you are too stupid to figure this out.
It really is that simple. Unfortunately, piracy is a fact of life. I don't condone piracy. It hurts real people who are trying to make a living creating the content that we know and love. I haven't always felt this way. Like many people, I grew up thinking "What's the big deal?"
I now know that it is an ugly thing and I would never defend it under any circumstances. In fact, people who pirate as some sort of protest need to wake up and realize that the only true way to protest is to not use the content at all.
Boycotting is the only solution and I would encourage you to do it when a game publisher decides to employ DRM of any kind.
So this is my statement. If Sony decides to go this route with the PS3 I will never buy a single game that requires a key to play. It will become a glorified Blu-Ray player to me. I went to console gaming to escape this crap. Please reward your customers instead of punishing them. Is that really so unreasonable?
