At the end of the day, the people who "do stuff" will always have the advantage over the people who "don't do stuff". Pirates are slowly motivating ever increasing levels of DRM and in time, I hate to say it, DRM is going to win. That's because the people motivated to make the DRM work (the people who do stuff) greatly outnumber the motivation of the people who don't do stuff.
One can easily picture a future in 5 years in which the telecoms, the PC makers, the OS makers, and the software makers have teamed up (and you only need any two of them to do so) to eliminate unauthorized usage of a given piece of IP. If you don't think it can be done, then you probably don't have much experience in writing software. The DRM and copy protection of today is piddly 1-party solutions.
The DRM of tomorrow will involve DRM parternships where one piece of protect IP can key itself off another. Thus, if even one item on your system is pirated (whether it be cracked or not) it will get foiled as long as there is one item in the system that you use that isn't cracked (whether it be the OS or something in your hardware or whatever). It will, as a practical matter, make piracy virtually impossible.
Computer games and video will likely be the first two targets because piracy of them is so rampant. A pirated copy of something doesn't mean it's a lost sale. But piracy does cause lost sales. Moreover, it's just incredibly frustrating to see people using the fruits of your labor as if they were somehow entitled to it.
I have long been and continue to be a big proponent of alternative ways to increase sales. I don't like piracy being blamed for the failure of a game because it tends to obscure more relevant issues which prevent us, as an industry, from improving what we do. But at the same time, I don't like pirates trying to rationalize away their behavior because they do cost sales. I've seen people in our forums over the years boldly admit they're pirating our game but that they are willing to buy it if we add X or Y to it -- as if it's a negotiation.
I don't like DRM. But the pirates are ensuring that our future is going to be full of it because at the end of the day, the people who make stuff are going to protect themselves. It's only a question of when and how intensive the DRM will get. And that's something only the pirates can change -- if you're using a pirated piece of software, either stop using it or buy it.
The only thing this will acomplish is making, pirating go under ground, example most people I know do not use there gamming computers on internet in frist place.
computers are getting cheaper and cheaper, you could have mutil computers one for pirated games that stays off internet and one that dose downloading nad one for leigment games.
for most pirates this would probly be cheaper, then buying the games.
also then theres the whole deal with fire walls, if you do not want your DRM going cross itnerent and connecting to micrsfot or some company you would just block the program from connecting to the internet or block company from being able to connect to your interal network.
I mean this is the whole reaosn for network secureity to block unarhutzed attempts to connect to your computer no matter where it is from.
main problem with DRM is fact that it just dose not work, it will always be behind the times no matter what or have faults.
othere probelm with DRM is fact that some countrys vview DRM as illeage in its self.
there are alot of countrys that have diffrent copyright laws where laws we have here in USA do not apply.
which is really way it should be no one country or mutl countrys should have right to froce othere countyrs or people to do things on them.
I am not saying I am condoing anything here.
but then theres also people who download a game find out it sucks and wont buy.
I will say one game where I wish I would done that with dungeon lords, that game was unfinished, quest where not completed, no detail, game was only 45% done.
I bought game I soon gave it away if I would have downloaded it cracked it and tryed it and found out it was pice of crape I would never bought it.
there are alot of people who pirate game to try it full verison find out they dont like it remove it or delet it and then dont buy it.
this type of pirating if you call it that only hurts people who put out crappy games.
the othere issue with most people who pirate is cost, lets face it lord of the rings was a mutil billion dollar production took years, the movie I got frist lord of the rings movie for 29$ in bestbuy all buy its self when it frist came out brand new on day it came out.
a game that in gernal takes less money then a movie like that should not run 3 times as much.
like im not supporting any piracy or anything these are just things that pirates think of and what will happen with DRM if it gose internet checking.
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