I was thinking about Torchlight 2 vs Diablo..and I was saying to myself..D3 might end up being a very good game but my values as a gamer are violated by the always on internet and real money auction house. So even if D3 ends up being as good as d2 I'll never play it and no one else should either. Whoa...what was that last part? Thats the question.
If a game violates core values is it ok for other people to play it? Other are enablers of said broken values and thus enemies of gaming?
Thats all good, but do you draw the line somewhere? When comes the point where you go from 'not my business' to 'that should be my business'?
What if you learn that someone is donating to some extremists site? None of your business? I cant believe that.
Maybe i just have a problem with your generalization of the matter. Or do i miss something here?
This.
With all the things going on in the world that deserve our moral outrage and against which we should be taking a stand, whether or not a computer game needs to be connected to the company's servers while you play shouldn't even rate. It's not a moral issue, any more than your local restaurant having a minimum order for free delivery. I don't see people calling for boycotts of restaurants with minimum delivery orders, yet somehow DRM in computer games has achieved the status of one of the greatest moral and ethical threats to our current way of life.
Read the news (no, not the gaming news!), and you'll find plenty of real issues to target with your moral outrage.
I dont have a bucket of indignation, morale and such that goes full if I use it too much. I dont like always online drm, and therefore dont buy such games. That does not mean that I think its a matter of life and death and a huge moral issue.
And that's a reasonable stance to take. If you dislike it, then just avoid it. This thread, however, is asking whether or not you should perceive this as some sort of moral issue so important that you should stop other people from playing these games.
Oh, you are talking about the infidels I just beat them with a stick.
It's amazing to me that people think that there are universal morals. There aren't. They change and fluctuate with time and culture. What is good today may be evil tomorrow. I'm not saying having morals are wrong, I think it's good to have a sense of right and wrong, but it's important to realize that our own morals are just that, our own. If you believe that a game shouldn't force players to play single player games with a online connection, fine, if you think games shouldn't have real money auction houses, also fine. If that is the case then you are perfectly in your rights to not play those games. Those topics in regard to morality are complete and utter bullshit to me, but that's my morality.
Now keeping others from doing something that you find immoral is the real topic at hand. You would have to prove to me that the actions of these gamers playing a game that does things you do not approve of truly causes you harm in a real and meaningful way. And I would have to tell you, i have a keen eye for bullshit and I really doubt you can make a strong case. But, if you were to somehow manage that, then you would have one more person to believe it...only a few more million to go and then you really have something.
My point is ultimately this, your morals are YOUR morals, not ours and in the grand scheme of things, your morals and opinions are worth nothing.
Although opinions become more important the more of them that are similar. But if it was the case that 80-90% were totally against any kind of always-online DRM, there just wouldn't be a market (or as much of a market) for that.
If we can limit the issue to Always Online DRM then we can craft an argument which suggests that AODRM is detrimental to the future of gaming. If said argument can be supported, then we can begin to worry about if it's 'moral' (I'm not so sure that's the right word to use, but if we don't get in a twist about specific meanings for it we can simply apply it generally) to oppose AODRM and to what extent one should champion the cause.
And no, of course the future of gaming is utterly irrelevant in the grand scheme of things, but for those of us who enjoy it as a hobby (to say nothing of those who actually enjoy it as a profession) it is at least as important as any other aspect of how one enjoys their free time.
For example, there are many people who love the outdoors, hiking, camping, sailing, ... now imagine that national parks/recreational areas began to require you to wear a tracking device (oh, and also to pay for the privilege of said device) on your ankle at all times you are in the park. Would people rant and scream about this? Would various civil liberty groups make a stink about it? Would you simple accept it as the price of enjoying your recreational time?
Sure, you can poke holes in the analogy if you want to, but it's the thought that counts
Finally! A reasonable response! +1 karma.
If I learn that someone is donating to a site/forum which is against me in some way, then I would be annoyed.
If some guy donates to a site or forum that is TOTALLY against me and/or my beliefs then I would really dislike him and would like him to leave the sites I frequent.
But ultimately, I can't decide what someone else does.
And just like Lord Xia says, morality changes over time. I can say some things I believe in which you (and maany others) would become "shocked" over but those beliefs were the norm once.
Lord Xia,
I love your frankness Please don't change
I think technology is moving to a new format. This new format places the memory in massive servers and is accessed by wireless internet signals. It is my opinion that always online gaming is just how things are going to be. The more games that do this, the faster technology will be driven in this direction. That means faster internet, wider coverage, and cheaper bills. How is that a bad thing?
I also plan on controlling the servers. Please donate to my Hedge Fund: Watchmen Technology and World Domination.
There are many great features available to you once you register, including:
Sign in or Create Account
