# Game DRM Questionnaire, please fill in if you have a opinion on DRM.



## ADF (Apr 11, 2009)

Questionnaire Closed, do not fill in.

I'm doing a assignment on the impact of digital rights management on the games industry, namely PC games that have DRM restrictions in place. I need to do a questionnaire on this to get some consumer opinion; so please fill in the below.

I need to get at least 30 responses so a big thanks to anyone who takes part, once filled in either post your response here or send it via PM.

---------------------------------

Note DRM refers to Digital Rights Management, which includes applications such as Securom and Starforce.

1) Do you hold a negative, positive or neutral opinion of digital rights management?

(a) Negative
(b) Positive
(c) Neutral

2) Have you ever played a game containing digital rights management?

(a) Yes
(b) No 

3) Does the presence of DRM affect your purchase decisions?

(a) Yes
(b) No
(c) Depends on the DRM

4) Did the experience live up to your impression of DRM?

(a) Yes
(b) No
(c) Never played a game with DRM

5) Have you ever boycotted a game because of DRM?

(a) Yes
(b) No

6) Does the use of DRM affect your opinion of a game publisher or developer?

(a) Yes
(b) No

7) If so how did this affect your opinion of a developer or publisher?

(a) Damage
(b) Improve
(c) Neither 

8 ) Have you ever boycotted a developer or publisher because of their use of DRM?

(a) Yes
(b) No

9) On a scale of 1-5, with 5 being very negative and 1 being very positive, how do you feel about the following DRM measures.

CD check (disk in drive requirement)

Steam online activation (online download/retail product online activation before play)

Serial key (number/letter entry before play)

Limited activations (can only activate the game a limited number of times)

Software threat check (refusal to run when certain software is installed)

10) Do you prefer to purchase games by physical copy or digital distribution?

(a) Physical (hard copy)
(b) Digital (downloaded)
(c) A mixture of both

11) Have you ever pirated/illegally acquired a game? (if no finish questionnaire here)

(a) Yes
(b) No

12) What were your reasons for doing so? You may select multiple answers for this question.

(a) Lack of a demo to try before you buy
(b) The DRM in the legal version put me off
(c) The legal version is too expensive
(d) I just wanted it.
(e) Other (please explain)

13) If your reasons were addressed; would you acquire the game legally?

(a) Yes
(b) No

Thank you for taking the time to answer this questionnaire.


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## lilEmber (Apr 11, 2009)

ADF said:


> 1) Do you hold a negative, positive or neutral opinion of digital rights management?
> 
> (a) Negative
> (b) Positive
> (c) Neutral


A, negative.



ADF said:


> 2) Have you ever played a game containing digital rights management?
> 
> (a) Yes
> (b) No


A, yes.



ADF said:


> 3) Does the presence of DRM affect your purchase decisions?
> 
> (a) Yes
> (b) No
> (c) Depends on the DRM


B, no.



ADF said:


> 4) Did the experience live up to your impression of DRM?
> 
> (a) Yes
> (b) No
> (c) Never played a game with DRM


B, no.



ADF said:


> 5) Have you ever boycotted a game because of DRM?
> 
> (a) Yes
> (b) No


B, no.



ADF said:


> 6) Does the use of DRM affect your opinion of a game publisher or developer?
> 
> (a) Yes
> (b) No


B, no.



ADF said:


> 7) If so how did this affect your opinion of a developer or publisher?
> 
> (a) Damage
> (b) Improve
> (c) Neither


N/A - C



ADF said:


> 8) Have you ever boycotted a developer or publisher because of their use of DRM?
> 
> (a) Yes
> (b) No


B, no.



ADF said:


> 9 ) On a scale of 1-5, with 5 being very negative and 1 being very positive, how do you feel about the following DRM measures.






> CD check (disk in drive requirement)


         Four (4).



> Steam online activation (online download/retail product online activation before play)


         One (1).



> Serial key (number/letter entry before play)


         One (1).



> Limited activations (can only activate the game a limited number of times)


         One (1), only if this means taking them off gets you them back.



> Software threat check (refusal to run when certain software is installed)


         Five (5).



ADF said:


> 10) Do you prefer to purchase games by physical copy or digital distribution?
> 
> (a) Physical (hard copy)
> (b) Digital (downloaded)
> (c) A mixture of both


C, a mixture of both.



ADF said:


> 11) Have you ever pirated/illegally acquired a game? (if no finish questionnaire here)
> 
> (a) Yes
> (b) No


A, yes.



ADF said:


> 12) What were your reasons for doing so? You may select multiple answers for this question.
> 
> (a) Lack of a demo to try before you buy
> (b) The DRM in the legal version put me off
> ...


A, C, D, E; other, not possible to purchase and/or not worth purchase and/or older.



ADF said:


> 13) If your reasons were addressed; would you acquire the game legally?
> 
> (a) Yes
> (b) No


A, yes.


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## Tycho (Apr 11, 2009)

ADF said:


> 1) Do you hold a negative, positive or neutral opinion of digital rights management?
> 
> (a) Negative
> 
> ...



Good enough?

EDIT: I overlooked the "all that apply" bit on question 12.


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## Grimfang (Apr 11, 2009)

1) Do you hold a negative, positive or neutral opinion of digital rights management?

*(a) Negative*
(b) Positive
(c) Neutral

2) Have you ever played a game containing digital rights management?

*(a) Yes*
(b) No 

3) Does the presence of DRM affect your purchase decisions?

(a) Yes
(b) No
*(c) Depends on the DRM*

4) Did the experience live up to your impression of DRM?

*(a) Yes*
(b) No
(c) Never played a game with DRM

5) Have you ever boycotted a game because of DRM?

*(a) Yes*
(b) No

6) Does the use of DRM affect your opinion of a game publisher or developer?

*(a) Yes*
(b) No

7) If so how did this affect your opinion of a developer or publisher?

*(a) Damage*
(b) Improve
(c) Neither 

8 ) Have you ever boycotted a developer or publisher because of their use of DRM?

(a) Yes
*(b) No*

9) On a scale of 1-5, with 5 being very negative and 1 being very positive, how do you feel about the following DRM measures.

CD check (disk in drive requirement)
*4*

Steam online activation (online download/retail product online activation before play)
*1*

Serial key (number/letter entry before play)
*3* (I just hate the issues that come up with buying these games used)

Limited activations (can only activate the game a limited number of times)
*5*

Software threat check (refusal to run when certain software is installed)
*5*

10) Do you prefer to purchase games by physical copy or digital distribution?

(a) Physical (hard copy)
(b) Digital (downloaded)
*(c) A mixture of both*

11) Have you ever pirated/illegally acquired a game? (if no finish questionnaire here)

*(a) Yes*
(b) No

12) What were your reasons for doing so? You may select multiple answers for this question.

(a) Lack of a demo to try before you buy
(b) The DRM in the legal version put me off
(c) The legal version is too expensive
*(d) I just wanted it.*
*(e) Other (please explain) - Years ago, I used to pirate games like pokemon, excite bike, etc. I've never pirated a game because of DRM. If the DRM sucks, I just won't buy or pirate it.*

13) If your reasons were addressed; would you acquire the game legally?

*(a) Yes*
(b) No

-----

I figured I'd fill this out before moving it over to Three Frags Left.


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## Doubler (Apr 11, 2009)

1) Do you hold a negative, positive or neutral opinion of digital rights management?

*(a) Negative*
(b) Positive
(c) Neutral

2) Have you ever played a game containing digital rights management?

*(a) Yes*
(b) No 

3) Does the presence of DRM affect your purchase decisions?

(a) Yes
(b) No
*(c) Depends on the DRM*

4) Did the experience live up to your impression of DRM?

(a) Yes
*(b) No*
(c) Never played a game with DRM

5) Have you ever boycotted a game because of DRM?

*(a) Yes*
(b) No

6) Does the use of DRM affect your opinion of a game publisher or developer?

*(a) Yes*
(b) No

7) If so how did this affect your opinion of a developer or publisher?

*(a) Damage*
(b) Improve
(c) Neither 

8 ) Have you ever boycotted a developer or publisher because of their use of DRM?

(a) Yes
*(b) No*

9) On a scale of 1-5, with 5 being very negative and 1 being very positive, how do you feel about the following DRM measures.

*Note: I consider 3 to be 'I don't care'. I don't really hold positive opinions on DRM since I don't believe it helps the slightest against piracy (although some of it, like limited activations, has been effective at damaging the completely legal second hand market. Something I consider a very bad consequence, intended or not) and almost universally harms my user experience.*

CD check (disk in drive requirement) *3*

Steam online activation (online download/retail product online activation before play) *4*

Serial key (number/letter entry before play) *3*

Limited activations (can only activate the game a limited number of times) *5*

Software threat check (refusal to run when certain software is installed) *5*

10) Do you prefer to purchase games by physical copy or digital distribution?

*(a) Physical (hard copy)*
(b) Digital (downloaded)
(c) A mixture of both

11) Have you ever pirated/illegally acquired a game? (if no finish questionnaire here)

*(a) Yes*
(b) No

12) What were your reasons for doing so? You may select multiple answers for this question.

(a) Lack of a demo to try before you buy
(b) The DRM in the legal version put me off
(c) The legal version is too expensive
(d) I just wanted it.
*(e) Other (please explain)* *- Lack of availability (mostly in the past) and to avoid wear on my legal copy.*

13) If your reasons were addressed; would you acquire the game legally?

*(a) Yes -* *Nowadays I can buy next to everything legally, and do so. The other reason is mostly in relation to old/rare software and can't really be addressed.*
(b) No


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## Captain Howdy (Apr 11, 2009)

ADF said:


> 1) Do you hold a negative, positive or neutral opinion of digital rights management?
> 
> _*(a) Negative*_
> (b) Positive
> ...


_- Addressing the issue is merely acknowledging it, and probably not fixing, let alone to peoples liking, so addressing the reasons would not be sufficient._

Most of the time, if I'm illegally downloading something, it's to demo it so I can determine whether to buy the real thing or not, same as I do with music. I don't have any ill will, I just want to try something out so I can buy it.


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## Furlop (Apr 11, 2009)

1)(a) Negative

2) (a) Yes

3) (b) No

4) (a) Yes

5) (b) No

6) (a) Yes

7) (a) Damage

8 ) (b) No

9) CD check (disk in drive requirement) *5*

Steam online activation (online download/retail product online activation before play)* 2*

Serial key (number/letter entry before play) *3*

Limited activations (can only activate the game a limited number of times) *5*

Software threat check (refusal to run when certain software is installed) *5*

10) (b) Digital (downloaded)

11) (a) Yes

12) (e) Other (please explain) Hard copy either is lost or damaged.

13) N/A


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## xjrfang (Apr 11, 2009)

1) Do you hold a negative, positive or neutral opinion of digital rights management?

(b) Positive

2) Have you ever played a game containing digital rights management?

(a) Yes

3) Does the presence of DRM affect your purchase decisions?

(b) No, Because if the DRM pisses me off i usually just get a crack online

4) Did the experience live up to your impression of DRM?

(a) Yes

5) Have you ever boycotted a game because of DRM?

(b) No

6) Does the use of DRM affect your opinion of a game publisher or developer?

(b) No, they are just trying to stop game piracy

7) If so how did this affect your opinion of a developer or publisher?

(c) Neither 

8 ) Have you ever boycotted a developer or publisher because of their use of DRM?

(b) No

9) On a scale of 1-5, with 5 being very negative and 1 being very positive, how do you feel about the following DRM measures.

CD check (disk in drive requirement) 5, i never play with games with discs in the drive, i either make a backup or get a crack online.

Steam online activation (online download/retail product online activation before play) 3 This is annoying i prefer to have stuff stored locally, and incase i dont have an internet connection.

Serial key (number/letter entry before play) 1 Used to i by now, its the norm

Limited activations (can only activate the game a limited number of times)
5 Very annoying, i have multiple pcs at home and i like to play lan games with friends sometimes.

Software threat check (refusal to run when certain software is installed)

 5 They have no business knowing whats running on my pc and whats not

10) Do you prefer to purchase games by physical copy or digital distribution?

(a) Physical (hard copy), i then make a digital backup and store on HD


11) Have you ever pirated/illegally acquired a game? (if no finish questionnaire here)

(a) Yes

12) What were your reasons for doing so? You may select multiple answers for this question.

(b) The DRM in the legal version put me off
(c) The legal version is too expensive
(d) I just wanted it.

13) If your reasons were addressed; would you acquire the game legally?

(a) Yes, if the game is worth it.


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## Carenath (Apr 11, 2009)

ADF said:


> 1) Do you hold a negative, positive or neutral opinion of digital rights management?


Negative


> 2) Have you ever played a game containing digital rights management?


Yes



> 3) Does the presence of DRM affect your purchase decisions?


Depends on the DRM



> Did the experience live up to your impression of DRM?


  No



> 5) Have you ever boycotted a game because of DRM?


No



> 6) Does the use of DRM affect your opinion of a game publisher or developer?


Yes



> 7) If so how did this affect your opinion of a developer or publisher?


Damage



> 8 ) Have you ever boycotted a developer or publisher because of their use of DRM?


No



> 9) On a scale of 1-5, with 5 being very negative and 1 being very positive, how do you feel about the following DRM measures.



 CD check (disk in drive requirement)
3
 Steam online activation (online download/retail product online activation before play)
4
 Serial key (number/letter entry before play)
1
 Limited activations (can only activate the game a limited number of times)
5 (Destroys the ability to sell on old games and activation systems can be lost if you cannot, or forget to deactivate a copy before upgrading or reinstalling the OS)
 Software threat check (refusal to run when certain software is installed)
5 (I wont play a game that dictates what software I can have on my computer, its none of the game developers business).
 


> 10) Do you prefer to purchase games by physical copy or digital distribution?


A mixture of both



> 11) Have you ever pirated/illegally acquired a game? (if no finish questionnaire here)


Yes



> 12) What were your reasons for doing so? You may select multiple answers for this question.


Other (please explain):
The game I wanted was no longer available for sale, it was released 10 years ago. If I could buy a copy I would have.



> 13) If your reasons were addressed; would you acquire the game legally?


 Yes



> Thank you for taking the time to answer this questionnaire.


Welcome


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## Elv02 (Apr 11, 2009)

And... My answers are:

1) Do you hold a negative, positive or neutral opinion of digital rights management?

(a) Negative

2) Have you ever played a game containing digital rights management?

(a) Yes

3) Does the presence of DRM affect your purchase decisions?

(c) Depends on the DRM

4) Did the experience live up to your impression of DRM?

(a) Yes

5) Have you ever boycotted a game because of DRM?

(a) Yes

6) Does the use of DRM affect your opinion of a game publisher or developer?

(a) Yes

7) If so how did this affect your opinion of a developer or publisher?

(a) Damage

8 ) Have you ever boycotted a developer or publisher because of their use of DRM?

(b) No

9) On a scale of 1-5, with 5 being very negative and 1 being very positive, how do you feel about the following DRM measures.

(2) CD check (disk in drive requirement)

(1) Steam online activation (online download/retail product online activation before play)

(1) Serial key (number/letter entry before play)

(5) Limited activations (can only activate the game a limited number of times)

(5) Software threat check (refusal to run when certain software is installed)

10) Do you prefer to purchase games by physical copy or digital distribution?

(c) A mixture of both

11) Have you ever pirated/illegally acquired a game? (if no finish questionnaire here)

(a) Yes

12) What were your reasons for doing so? You may select multiple answers for this question.

(c) The legal version is too expensive
(d) I just wanted it.

13) If your reasons were addressed; would you acquire the game legally?

(a) Yes

There's my answers. The only DRM I like is Steam, which I don't even think of as DRM but as a _platform_ for an online gaming community... Yes, it's that awesome.


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## Aurali (Apr 11, 2009)

Note DRM refers to Digital Rights Management, which includes applications such as Securom and Starforce.

1) Do you hold a negative, positive or neutral opinion of digital rights management?

(a) Negative
*(b) Positive* as a game developer.. I want my money >.>
(c) Neutral

2) Have you ever played a game containing digital rights management?
*
(a) Yes*
(b) No 

3) Does the presence of DRM affect your purchase decisions?

(a) Yes
(b) No*
(c) Depends on the DRM*

4) Did the experience live up to your impression of DRM?

*(a) Yes*
(b) No
(c) Never played a game with DRM

5) Have you ever boycotted a game because of DRM?

(a) Yes*
(b) No* I loooove Spore.

6) Does the use of DRM affect your opinion of a game publisher or developer?

(a) Yes*
(b) No* They want their money.. filthy pirates.

7) If so how did this affect your opinion of a developer or publisher?

(a) Damage
(b) Improve*
(c) Neither *

8 ) Have you ever boycotted a developer or publisher because of their use of DRM?

(a) Yes*
(b) No*

9) On a scale of 1-5, with 5 being very negative and 1 being very positive, how do you feel about the following DRM measures.

CD check (disk in drive requirement)*2*

Steam online activation (online download/retail product online activation before play)*1*

Serial key (number/letter entry before play)
*3*
Limited activations (can only activate the game a limited number of times)
*5*  I bought the game.. fuck you.
Software threat check (refusal to run when certain software is installed)
*5* Why... Seriously.. this is worse than Rootkitting.
10) Do you prefer to purchase games by physical copy or digital distribution?

(a) Physical (hard copy)*
(b) Digital (downloaded)* :3
(c) A mixture of both

11) Have you ever pirated/illegally acquired a game? (if no finish questionnaire here)
*
(a) Yes*
(b) No

12) What were your reasons for doing so? You may select multiple answers for this question.

(a) Lack of a demo to try before you buy
(b) The DRM in the legal version put me off
(c) The legal version is too expensive
(d) I just wanted it.*
(e) Other (please explain)* I ran out of licensed activations.. I BOUGHT YOUR GAME! I WAS A GOOD GIRL! STOP PUNISHING ME!

13) If your reasons were addressed; would you acquire the game legally?

(a) Yes
(b) No

*I DID BUY THE GAME!!*


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## Holsety (Apr 12, 2009)

1) Do you hold a negative, positive or neutral opinion of digital rights management?
*
(a) Negative*
(b) Positive
(c) Neutral

2) Have you ever played a game containing digital rights management?
*
(a) Yes*
(b) No 

3) Does the presence of DRM affect your purchase decisions?

(a) Yes
(b) No*
(c) Depends on the DRM*

4) Did the experience live up to your impression of DRM?
*
(a) Yes*
(b) No
(c) Never played a game with DRM

5) Have you ever boycotted a game because of DRM?

(a) Yes*
(b) No*

6) Does the use of DRM affect your opinion of a game publisher or developer?
*
(a) Yes*
(b) No

7) If so how did this affect your opinion of a developer or publisher?
*
(a) Damage*
(b) Improve
(c) Neither 

8 ) Have you ever boycotted a developer or publisher because of their use of DRM?

(a) Yes*
(b) No*

9) On a scale of 1-5, with 5 being very negative and 1 being very positive, how do you feel about the following DRM measures.

CD check: *1*

Steam online activation: *3*

Serial key: *1*

Limited activations: *5*

Software threat check: *5*

10) Do you prefer to purchase games by physical copy or digital distribution?

(a) Physical (hard copy)
(b) Digital (downloaded)*
(c) A mixture of both*

11) Have you ever pirated/illegally acquired a game? (if no finish questionnaire here)

(a) Yes*
(b) No*


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## Runefox (Apr 12, 2009)

Note DRM refers to Digital Rights Management, which includes applications such as Securom and Starforce.

1) Do you hold a negative, positive or neutral opinion of digital rights management?

*(a) Negative*
(b) Positive
(c) Neutral

2) Have you ever played a game containing digital rights management?

*(a) Yes*
(b) No 

3) Does the presence of DRM affect your purchase decisions?

*(a) Yes*
(b) No
(c) Depends on the DRM

4) Did the experience live up to your impression of DRM?

*(a) Yes* (several occasions)
(b) No
(c) Never played a game with DRM

5) Have you ever boycotted a game because of DRM?

(a) Yes
*(b) No* (not specifically, but I happen to stay away from games containing DRM anyway)

6) Does the use of DRM affect your opinion of a game publisher or developer?

*(a) Yes* (highly)
(b) No

7) If so how did this affect your opinion of a developer or publisher?

*(a) Damage* (Maxis will never look the same; Bethesda is also on my shit list)
(b) Improve
(c) Neither 

8 ) Have you ever boycotted a developer or publisher because of their use of DRM?

(a) Yes
*(b) No* (not specifically)

9) On a scale of 1-5, with 5 being very negative and 1 being very positive, how do you feel about the following DRM measures.

CD check (disk in drive requirement)
*4* - it's annoying, but somewhat acceptable. However, if the disc breaks, then... Well, you're SOL. So it's not good, either.

Steam online activation (online download/retail product online activation before play)
*3* - Only so long as the Steam servers stay online. As it stands RIGHT NOW, it's fine.

Serial key (number/letter entry before play)
*1* - The most effective, least intrusive method, even if it _does_ require user input.

Limited activations (can only activate the game a limited number of times)
*5* - The ultimate in failed DRM. Spore did this - Huge issues there. I'm glad I never got into it. Especially terrible since the activation servers, like Steam, could go offline in a rather permanent way, and they are under no obligation to provide a workaround.

Software threat check (refusal to run when certain software is installed)
*5* - This annoys the hell out of me. What business is it if I have certain software installed? Nothing in installed software necessarily has anything to do with piracy.

10) Do you prefer to purchase games by physical copy or digital distribution?

*(a) Physical (hard copy)* (I do like some digital distribution, but I wouldn't recommend it with a straight face)
(b) Digital (downloaded)
(c) A mixture of both

11) Have you ever pirated/illegally acquired a game? (if no finish questionnaire here)

*(a) Yes* (Typically abandonware. Sometimes, I will pirate a game if no demo exists.)
(b) No

12) What were your reasons for doing so? You may select multiple answers for this question.

*(a) Lack of a demo to try before you buy* (I would like to point out that any DRM-equipped games that I HAVE pirated this way were relatively simple to get working, and the DRM tended to do little to nothing to stop it)
(b) The DRM in the legal version put me off
(c) The legal version is too expensive
(d) I just wanted it.
(e) Other (please explain)

13) If your reasons were addressed; would you acquire the game legally?

*(a) Yes* (NOTE: Only if the game actually interested me past the demo)
(b) No

Thank you for taking the time to answer this questionnaire.

I like venting.


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## CyberFoxx (Apr 12, 2009)

1) Do you hold a negative, positive or neutral opinion of digital rights management?

*(a) Negative*
(b) Positive
(c) Neutral

2) Have you ever played a game containing digital rights management?

*(a) Yes*
(b) No 

3) Does the presence of DRM affect your purchase decisions?

(a) Yes
(b) No
*(c) Depends on the DRM* (eg, if it's bypass-able)

4) Did the experience live up to your impression of DRM?

(I'm taking this to mean that DRM was a pain in th ass)

*(a) Yes* (I'm unable to install my copy of the Sims from the stamped discs, I have to use images and a virtual drive that fakes the DRM checks.)
(b) No
(c) Never played a game with DRM

5) Have you ever boycotted a game because of DRM?

(a) Yes
*(b) No*

6) Does the use of DRM affect your opinion of a game publisher or developer?

*(a) Yes*
(b) No

7) If so how did this affect your opinion of a developer or publisher?

*(a) Damage* (Way back when, I actually used to like EA...)
(b) Improve
(c) Neither 

8 ) Have you ever boycotted a developer or publisher because of their use of DRM?

(a) Yes
*(b) No*

9) On a scale of 1-5, with 5 being very negative and 1 being very positive, how do you feel about the following DRM measures.

CD check (disk in drive requirement)
*3* (Annoying, but easy to live with)

Steam online activation (online download/retail product online activation before play)
*4* (I plan on getting a laptop some day, and 99% of the time, it won't have a network connection)

Serial key (number/letter entry before play)
*1* (I may have lost cd-keys in the past, but I still love this method)

Limited activations (can only activate the game a limited number of times)
*5* (Don't make me laugh...)

Software threat check (refusal to run when certain software is installed)
*5* (... SecuROM thinks Process Explorer is evil... *Busts a gut laughing*)

10) Do you prefer to purchase games by physical copy or digital distribution?

*(a) Physical (hard copy)* (I think I got a box fetish...)
(b) Digital (downloaded)
(c) A mixture of both

11) Have you ever pirated/illegally acquired a game? (if no finish questionnaire here)

*(a) Yes*
(b) No

12) What were your reasons for doing so? You may select multiple answers for this question.

*(a) Lack of a demo to try before you buy*
*(b) The DRM in the legal version put me off* (eg, I bought the game, but grabbed DRM-stripped version off the net. Sure, legal loophole gray-area in Canada, but the people with the money say that's still 100% illegal)
(c) The legal version is too expensive
(d) I just wanted it.
*(e) Other (please explain)* (Not available in my region of the world.)

13) If your reasons were addressed; would you acquire the game legally?

*(a) Yes*
(b) No


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## lilEmber (Apr 12, 2009)

> There's my answers. The only DRM I like is Steam, which I don't even think of as DRM but as a _platform_ for an online gaming community... Yes, it's that awesome.



What about XBOX, PS3, and other game consoles? They all have DRM.


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## ADF (Apr 12, 2009)

Thanks to everyone who has responded so far, nearly approaching half way.

It's a shame this got moved to the games section as there isn't much activity in here compared to off topic. 

If you are looking at this thread *please* take a moment to do the questionnaire, the sooner I get 30 responses the sooner I can use them in my work.


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## Verin Asper (Apr 12, 2009)

1) Do you hold a negative, positive or neutral opinion of digital rights management?

(c) Neutral

2) Have you ever played a game containing digital rights management?

(a) Yes

3) Does the presence of DRM affect your purchase decisions?

(c) Depends on the DRM

4) Did the experience live up to your impression of DRM?

(b) No


5) Have you ever boycotted a game because of DRM?

(b) No

6) Does the use of DRM affect your opinion of a game publisher or developer?

(b) No

7) If so how did this affect your opinion of a developer or publisher?

(c) Neither 

8 ) Have you ever boycotted a developer or publisher because of their use of DRM?

(b) No

9) On a scale of 1-5, with 5 being very negative and 1 being very positive, how do you feel about the following DRM measures.

CD check (disk in drive requirement)
3
Steam online activation (online download/retail product online activation before play)
4
Serial key (number/letter entry before play)
3
Limited activations (can only activate the game a limited number of times)
1
Software threat check (refusal to run when certain software is installed)
1
10) Do you prefer to purchase games by physical copy or digital distribution?

(c) A mixture of both

11) Have you ever pirated/illegally acquired a game? (if no finish questionnaire here)

(a) Yes

12) What were your reasons for doing so? You may select multiple answers for this question.

(a) Lack of a demo to try before you buy

13) If your reasons were addressed; would you acquire the game legally?

(a) Yes

and yes I am a Pirate, I often play a ripped/cracked/pirated full version of the game, if its worth it I would then buy it, but keep the pirated version.


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## Rayne (Apr 12, 2009)

1) A - Negative
2) A - Yes
3) C - Depends on the DRM
4) A - Yes
5) A - Yes
6) A - Yes
7) A - Damage
8) A - Yes
9) 
 1 - CD check
 3 - Steam online activation
 1 - Serial key
 5 - Limited activations
 5 - Software threat check
10) C - A mixture of both
11) A - Yes
12)
 A - Lack of a demo to try before you buy
 E - Other: lost CD and/or serial.
13) A - Yes


----------



## ZentratheFox (Apr 13, 2009)

1) Do you hold a negative, positive or neutral opinion of digital rights management?

*(a) Negative*
(b) Positive
(c) Neutral

2) Have you ever played a game containing digital rights management?

*(a) Yes*
(b) No

3) Does the presence of DRM affect your purchase decisions?

*(a) Yes*
(b) No
(c) Depends on the DRM

4) Did the experience live up to your impression of DRM?

*(a) Yes*
(b) No
(c) Never played a game with DRM

5) Have you ever boycotted a game because of DRM?

*(a) Yes*
(b) No

6) Does the use of DRM affect your opinion of a game publisher or developer?

*(a) Yes*
(b) No

7) If so how did this affect your opinion of a developer or publisher?

*(a) Damage*
(b) Improve
(c) Neither

8 ) Have you ever boycotted a developer or publisher because of their use of DRM?

*(a) Yes* (am doing so now, EA)
(b) No

9) On a scale of 1-5, with 5 being very negative and 1 being very positive, how do you feel about the following DRM measures.

CD check (disk in drive requirement) *2*

Steam online activation (online download/retail product online activation before play) *2*

Serial key (number/letter entry before play) *2*

Limited activations (can only activate the game a limited number of times) *5*

Software threat check (refusal to run when certain software is installed) *5*

10) Do you prefer to purchase games by physical copy or digital distribution?

(a) Physical (hard copy)
(b) Digital (downloaded)
*(c) A mixture of both*

11) Have you ever pirated/illegally acquired a game? (if no finish questionnaire here)

*(a) Yes*
(b) No

12) What were your reasons for doing so? You may select multiple answers for this question.

(a) Lack of a demo to try before you buy
*(b) The DRM in the legal version put me off*
(c) The legal version is too expensive
(d) I just wanted it.
(e) Other (please explain)

13) If your reasons were addressed; would you acquire the game legally?

*(a) Yes*
(b) No


----------



## lilEmber (Apr 13, 2009)

So many people have boycotted games because of DRM, what the fuck.
Your deciding factor of getting a game or not...was the DRM. That's hilarious.


----------



## SnowFox (Apr 13, 2009)

NewfDraggie said:


> So many people have boycotted games because of DRM, what the fuck.
> Your deciding factor of getting a game or not...was the DRM. That's hilarious.



I would boycott them too if I actually played any games made after 1995. I'd probably fill in the questionnaire too.


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## Verin Asper (Apr 13, 2009)

NewfDraggie said:


> So many people have boycotted games because of DRM, what the fuck.
> Your deciding factor of getting a game or not...was the DRM. That's hilarious.


I say the nintendo Earthbound one is the god of the DRM, having a pirated version plays normally...till the last boss where the game deletes your save files and freezes


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## ADF (Apr 13, 2009)

Aww I thought I had a load of new responses then .

I've counted around 16 so far, just over half way.


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## lilEmber (Apr 13, 2009)

Desume Crysis Kaiser said:


> I say the nintendo Earthbound one is the god of the DRM, having a pirated version plays normally...till the last boss where the game deletes your save files and freezes



What's that have to do with not purchasing a game that has DRM.


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## Aurali (Apr 13, 2009)

NewfDraggie said:


> What's that have to do with not purchasing a game that has DRM.



I love people who are anti DRM... There ARE legitimate reasons to not buy because of DRM.. but it always comes down to " I can't play the game for free.."


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## Rayne (Apr 13, 2009)

Eli said:


> but it always comes down to " I can't play the game for free.."



No, that has no effect on my views whatsoever, due in part because every form of DRM I have ever been exposed to can be easily circumvented. No, I just don't care for additional software that I find intrusive or outright annoying to be installed on my machine. There are numerous exceptions, of course, but that's largely dependant on the DRM involved. That is really all I'm going to say on the matter, at least in this venue.


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## Armaetus (Apr 13, 2009)

I will bold my answers below...

_1) Do you hold a negative, positive or neutral opinion of digital rights management?_

*(a) Negative*
(b) Positive
(c) Neutral

_2) Have you ever played a game containing digital rights management?_

*(a) Yes*
(b) No

_3) Does the presence of DRM affect your purchase decisions?_

(a) Yes
(b) No
*(c) Depends on the DRM*

_4) Did the experience live up to your impression of DRM?_

*(a) Yes*
(b) No
(c) Never played a game with DRM

_5) Have you ever boycotted a game because of DRM?_

*(a) Yes*
(b) No

_6) Does the use of DRM affect your opinion of a game publisher or developer?_

*(a) Yes*
(b) No

_7) If so how did this affect your opinion of a developer or publisher?_

*(a) Damage*
(b) Improve
(c) Neither

_8 ) Have you ever boycotted a developer or publisher because of their use of DRM?_

*(a) Yes*
(b) No

_9) On a scale of 1-5, with 5 being very negative and 1 being very positive, how do you feel about the following DRM measures.
_
CD check (disk in drive requirement) - *2*

Steam online activation (online download/retail product online activation before play) - *2*

Serial key (number/letter entry before play) - *1*

Limited activations (can only activate the game a limited number of times) - *5*

Software threat check (refusal to run when certain software is installed) - *4*

_10) Do you prefer to purchase games by physical copy or digital distribution?_

*(a) Physical (hard copy)*
(b) Digital (downloaded)
(c) A mixture of both

_11) Have you ever pirated/illegally acquired a game? (if no finish questionnaire here)_

*(a) Yes*
(b) No

_12) What were your reasons for doing so? You may select multiple answers for this question._

(a) Lack of a demo to try before you buy
(b) The DRM in the legal version put me off
(c) The legal version is too expensive
(d) I just wanted it.
*(e) Other (please explain)*

*@12: Sometimes it is money issues, sometimes it's DRM, etc*

_13) If your reasons were addressed; would you acquire the game legally?_

*(a) Yes*
(b) No


----------



## Doubler (Apr 13, 2009)

> I love people who are anti DRM... There ARE legitimate reasons to not buy because of DRM.. but it always comes down to " I can't play the game for free.."


People don't buy a game because they can't play it for free? They don't *buy* it because they can't play it *for free*... I fail to see the logic.

When I refuse to buy a game because of DRM it's either because the DRM in question might be potentially harmful, I feel that the DRM weakens my position or because I feel it invades my privacy, and that buying the game anyway would be taken as an endorsement of that particular DRM with all the consequences. 
Of course my non-purchase has absolutely no effect or meaning. Whatever happens, this stuff will still get pushed down our throats. That's how the industry works 

Sorry for dragging on the off-topic discussion ADF, but I dislike being demonized simply for acting like a responsible consumer.


----------



## Armaetus (Apr 13, 2009)

Most (about 85-90% of the games) of mine were bought legally btw...


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## lilEmber (Apr 13, 2009)

Doubler said:


> People don't buy a game because they can't play it for free? They don't *buy* it because they can't play it *for free*... I fail to see the logic.
> 
> When I refuse to buy a game because of DRM it's either because the DRM in question might be potentially harmful, I feel that the DRM weakens my position or because I feel it invades my privacy, and that buying the game anyway would be taken as an endorsement of that particular DRM with all the consequences.
> Of course my non-purchase has absolutely no effect or meaning. Whatever happens, this stuff will still get pushed down our throats. That's how the industry works
> ...


It's very on-topic, actually.
But no, DRM doesn't install anything, sorry but DRM can't harm your machine. I've never seen a single case in all my years of gaming where I had a issue with DRM, I just think it's pointless because it doesn't stop pirating anyway.


----------



## Aurali (Apr 13, 2009)

Doubler said:


> People don't buy a game because they can't play it for free? They don't *buy* it because they can't play it *for free*... I fail to see the logic..



nawr.. people don't like drm cause it disrupts their free playing.. they try to justify it.. however More often then not it's either lack of money, or lack of wanting to pay.


and on the topic of drm being breakable..

what's a lock than a way to keep honest people honest.


----------



## Doubler (Apr 13, 2009)

> But no, DRM doesn't install anything, sorry but DRM can't harm your machine. I've never seen a single case in all my years of gaming where I had a issue with DRM, I just think it's pointless because it doesn't stop pirating anyway.


I have had trouble with DRM in the sense that I'm having trouble running some of my older games because of the DRM.

But nowadays it's fairly typical for components related to DRM to be installed. The infamous StarForce does this, for example. But also SafeDisc, advanced versions of Tages, SecuRom...



> nawr.. people don't like drm cause it disrupts their free playing.. they try to justify it.. however More often then not it's either lack of money, or lack of wanting to pay.


And yet nearly every game that's protected still gets cracked and pirated. The only ones who have to deal with the DRM are the legitimate costumers; the pirates just use the cracked DRM-free version 
It seems to me there is no reason for the pirates to complain, because for them there's nothing to complain about.

And the lock analogy: If I knew everyone could get their hands on a perfect key to my lock without any skills needed, without any worry or problems, without even having to search very hard and all within a few minutes, I wouldn't bother with locks 
Only fools would. It would be wasteful, annoying and potentially hazardous without offering any advantage.


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## lilEmber (Apr 13, 2009)

They don't touch your settings or files though, from what I can gather here there are people that wouldn't purchase the BEST GAME EVER INVENTED because of DRM. If they boycotted a game solely due to DRM, which means they never purchased it and have no idea what factor DRM in that game will have, I don't understand. How can your deciding factor on getting a game ONLY be DRM.


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## ADF (Apr 14, 2009)

Guys I don't mind your discussion but I really need questionnaire responses, I keep coming back here thinking I have new ones.


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## Tycho (Apr 14, 2009)

ADF said:


> Guys I don't mind your discussion but I really need questionnaire responses, I keep coming back here thinking I have new ones.



This is why it's probably better to ask to have all questionnaire responses sent to you via PM.


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## ADF (Apr 14, 2009)

Tycho said:


> This is why it's probably better to ask to have all questionnaire responses sent to you via PM.



Well I gave the option in the OP, post it here or via PM. I know from the last time I had a thread like this that people don't like certain means; so I left it as a option to maximize response.


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## lilEmber (Apr 14, 2009)

We are bumping though! :3
As well, anybody that will write one will write one regardless of discussion, though I do apologize and will stop.


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## Tomtenizze (Apr 15, 2009)

1) Do you hold a negative, positive or neutral opinion of digital rights management?
*(a) Negative*

2) Have you ever played a game containing digital rights management?
*(a) Yes*

3) Does the presence of DRM affect your purchase decisions?
*(c) Depends on the DRM*

4) Did the experience live up to your impression of DRM?
*(a) Yes*

5) Have you ever boycotted a game because of DRM?
*(a) Yes*

6) Does the use of DRM affect your opinion of a game publisher or developer?
*(a) Yes*

7) If so how did this affect your opinion of a developer or publisher?
*(a) Damage*

8 ) Have you ever boycotted a developer or publisher because of their use of DRM?
*(b) No*

9) On a scale of 1-5, with 5 being very negative and 1 being very positive, how do you feel about the following DRM measures.
CD check: *4* - It's really annoying.
Steam online activation: *3* - If it's a onetime deal (per install).
Serial key: *3* - If I only need to enter it once (per install).
Limited activations: *5* - I'm not buying that crap.
Software threat check: *5* - The software I may or may not use is my business only, I will not pay "you" to snoop around my stuff.

10) Do you prefer to purchase games by physical copy or digital distribution?
*(c) A mixture of both* - A physical copy looks nice on the shelve and such, but "digital distribution" is very convenient.

11) Have you ever pirated/illegally acquired a game? (if no finish questionnaire here)
*(a) Yes*

12) What were your reasons for doing so? You may select multiple answers for this question.
A, B, C, D, E
E - The game may no longer be for sale.

13) If your reasons were addressed; would you acquire the game legally?
*(a) Yes*

Comments: I'll buy a game when I personally find it enjoyable, it isn't full of bugs/compatiblity issue with my computer and the price is reasonable, which means I rarely buy a game at it's release due the high costs and potentionally full of bugs.


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## BakaSaka (Apr 16, 2009)

```
1) Do you hold a negative, positive or neutral opinion of digital rights management?
 
 (a) Negative
 
 2) Have you ever played a game containing digital rights management?
 
 (a) Yes
 
 3) Does the presence of DRM affect your purchase decisions?
 
 (c) Depends on the DRM
 
 4) Did the experience live up to your impression of DRM?
 
 (a) Yes
 
 5) Have you ever boycotted a game because of DRM?
 
 (b) No
 
 6) Does the use of DRM affect your opinion of a game publisher or developer?
 
 (b) No
 
 7) If so how did this affect your opinion of a developer or publisher?
 
 (c) Neither 
 
 8 ) Have you ever boycotted a developer or publisher because of their use of DRM?
 
 (b) No
 
 9) On a scale of 1-5, with 5 being very negative and 1 being very positive, how do you feel about the following DRM measures.
 
 CD check (disk in drive requirement)
 [B]5[/B]
 
Steam online activation (online download/retail product online activation before play)
 [B]4[/B]
 
Serial key (number/letter entry before play)
 [B]5[/B]
 
Limited activations (can only activate the game a limited number of times)
 [B]1[/B]
 
Software threat check (refusal to run when certain software is installed)
 [B]1[/B]
 
10) Do you prefer to purchase games by physical copy or digital distribution?
 
 (a) Physical (hard copy)
 
 11) Have you ever pirated/illegally acquired a game? (if no finish questionnaire here)
 
 (a) Yes
 
 12) What were your reasons for doing so? You may select multiple answers for this question.
 
 (a) Lack of a demo to try before you buy
 (b) The DRM in the legal version put me off
 (e) I have OCD and like keeping my games in their sealed boxes. I know. Crazy. Thus I pirate to avoid having to open boxes of games I buy legitly. Why risk your only copy of a game when you have easy mean to make more?
 Or the game is no longer in print. Why let a lame reseller that bought all the copies at a single store make profit off someone else work.

 13) If your reasons were addressed; would you acquire the game legally?
 
 (a) Yes. But I already buy games legally.
```
tl;dr

No harm?
May I remind you of Sony's root-kit? Granted it's not game DRM but DRM never the less.

Again with a lock analogy;

'A locked door only keeps an honest man away.'

A thief will pick the lock or break a window, and a honest person would knock or ring the doorbell. 

If you get too annoying with the locks, forcing the honest person to jump through many hoops just to get in, at some point, they'd sooner breaker the window.

Spore? With a extensive DRM, it was the most pirated game. It forced players to do so much to play a game they bought, that people just found unlocked copies.

Much like the DVD movie DRMs. They have a unskipable warning before the movie begins telling me not to pirate. 
I just purchased the DVD from a store. Why would I need to be told I might be a thief? 
If I pirate the movie, I don't have to watch that.

I do mostly console gaming, where there's not as much of bothering DRM that make me input serials, register and limit the amount of installs.

DRM is not buying decision for me, since I can always pirate it after I buy it if the DRM gets to pesky. I always take the stand 'why I have to do so much work to play a game I own legally.' 

My honest opinion, DRM does not stop piracy, but fuel it.


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## ADF (Apr 16, 2009)

Taking a turn.


1) Do you hold a negative, positive or neutral opinion of digital rights management?

*(a) Negative*
(b) Positive
(c) Neutral

2) Have you ever played a game containing digital rights management?

*(a) Yes*
(b) No

3) Does the presence of DRM affect your purchase decisions?

(a) Yes
(b) No
*(c) Depends on the DRM*

4) Did the experience live up to your impression of DRM?

*(a) Yes*
(b) No
(c) Never played a game with DRM

5) Have you ever boycotted a game because of DRM?

(a) Yes
*(b) No*

6) Does the use of DRM affect your opinion of a game publisher or developer?

*(a) Yes*
(b) No

7) If so how did this affect your opinion of a developer or publisher?

*(a) Damage*
(b) Improve
(c) Neither

8 ) Have you ever boycotted a developer or publisher because of their use of DRM?

(a) Yes
*(b) No*

9) On a scale of 1-5, with 5 being very negative and 1 being very positive, how do you feel about the following DRM measures.

CD check (disk in drive requirement) 3

Steam online activation (online download/retail product online activation before play) 2

Serial key (number/letter entry before play) 3

Limited activations (can only activate the game a limited number of times) 5

Software threat check (refusal to run when certain software is installed) 5

10) Do you prefer to purchase games by physical copy or digital distribution?

(a) Physical (hard copy)
(b) Digital (downloaded)
*(c) A mixture of both*

11) Have you ever pirated/illegally acquired a game? (if no finish questionnaire here)

*(a) Yes*
(b) No

12) What were your reasons for doing so? You may select multiple answers for this question.

*(a) Lack of a demo to try before you buy*
(b) The DRM in the legal version put me off
(c) The legal version is too expensive
(d) I just wanted it.
(e) Other (please explain)

13) If your reasons were addressed; would you acquire the game legally?

*(a) Yes*
(b) No


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## ADF (Apr 19, 2009)

I'm currently implementing the figures into my assignment so no need for additional responses, I had this running on multiple sites so I reached my target goal. Thanks to everyone who took part as I couldn't be doing the work I'm doing right now without your participation.

Just something interesting to note.

Of the 80.6% who admitted to piracy in the questionnaire; only 25.8% couldn't be convinced not to pirate in the future. The vast majority of people wouldn't have committed piracy if their complaints were addressed, which looking at the piracy justifications the majority would have been reasonable for the developer/publisher to address.

Of the 48.4% that selected the other option in question 12; the majority of them pirated to replace lost or damaged disks.

This is interesting as this is something that the Steam online distribution service actually addresses. Even if someone prefers the physical copy of a game (which 45.2% did) it still has to be activated on Steam, should it get lost of damaged the game can be re-downloaded and burned to disk for no cost rather than adding to piracy figures. If there was a universal way of offering this that isn't reliant on a specific service like Steam then loss and damage would be less of a problem.

Others that selected the other option complained about games no longer being available for purchase, having no choice but to acquire them illegally. I think this is actually quite stupid of publishers, why remove an old game from sale entirely when you can extend its profitability for years by offering it as a digital download in the oldies section of your website? As long as there is a little demand it makes no sense to remove its availability entirely, shops/online retailers may have to worry about storage space for new games but publishers do not.


----------



## Carenath (Apr 19, 2009)

NewfDraggie said:


> So many people have boycotted games because of DRM, what the fuck.
> Your deciding factor of getting a game or not...was the DRM. That's hilarious.


How so? Consider this: A game is released for the PS3 and the PC.. they are priced the same.. but the PC version has horrendous DRM restrictions... limited activation.. Macrovision-powered digital restrictions that bawl if it detects a copy of Nero Burning ROM or CloneCD on my hard drive.. and the activation servers required EACH time I load the game.. are flakey at best.. meaning some times I cant play the game at all. Give me one good reason why I should buy the PC copy of that game, when the PS3 version is a nicer alternative. If the PS3 version didnt exist and said game was only available on the PC.. I would not buy it. Because I would not support the companies choice to produce such a bastard version that treats ordinary consumers as potential criminals.
Failing the lack of a good alternative that I can legitimatly buy, I wont buy it at all and I wont pirate it. Its called having principles and being willing to live by them.



Eli said:


> I love people who are anti DRM... There ARE legitimate reasons to not buy because of DRM.. but it always comes down to " I can't play the game for free.."


That makes no sense at all.. it is the people who buy the game legitimatly that get hurt by DRM, not those who want to play it for free. I have more issues with DRM taking away my rights and the freedom to do what I please with what is mine (i.e. my physical copy of the game, and my licence to play it).

DRM that prevents me from producing a backup copy in the absense of the publishing company issuing me with a replacement disc in the event of the old one being lost or destroyed... is irksome. In the rare events that a game disc becomes unreadable or lost.. I will download a pirate copy to play, preferably using my existing serial number. I consider that legal as I own the licence to play the game, regardless of how I obtain the game itself, provided I payed for the licence to play it.

DRM that feels its absofuckinglutely necessary to write data outside the hard disc partition.. do other non-standard things with my hard drive.. or load arbitrary drivers and services into the system (e.g. Macromedia's SafeCast, SecuROM or FlexNET).. also pisses me off because that kind of DRM causes more problems than its worth and I have had untold issues with it.. particularly conflicts with CloneCD, VirtualDrive and Nero Burning ROM.

DRM in the form of software activation systems that depend on internet access and external servers.. is NOT something I will support.. I dont like programmes arbitrarily phoning home each time I go to play them.. and possibly snooping and reporting what's installed on my system or sitting on my hard drive.. I dont support these programmes, and generally take measures to prevent them from connecting to the internet with a firewall.

Perhaps game publishers should look at the game-console market and the ACSS/BD+ protection system used for BluRay video discs.. and try and adapt that technology for the games market. Such that so long as you own a physical copy of the game disc, you can play the game on any computer, but only on one computer at any given time.. a similar method to what Steam does, only without the online activation and steam account requirements.



Eli said:


> what's a lock than a way to keep honest people honest.


A way of pissing off honest people when the locks become so rediculously compicated they become more of a hinderance than a help, treating even the honest people like pirates and criminals.
"Ooh.. I see you have a copy of CloneCD, you must be a dirty pirate"


----------



## Verin Asper (Apr 19, 2009)

actually some games I play are now Abandonware that you can either download straight from the owners website (Rockstar)
but a good I say...20% are no longer around and only way to obtain them is online but they go for like...fucking expensive, so I pirate them


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## Aden (Apr 19, 2009)

1) Do you hold a negative, positive or neutral opinion of digital rights management?

*(c) Neutral*

2) Have you ever played a game containing digital rights management?

*(a) Yes*

3) Does the presence of DRM affect your purchase decisions?

*(c) Depends on the DRM*

4) Did the experience live up to your impression of DRM?

*(a) Yes*

5) Have you ever boycotted a game because of DRM?

*(a) Yes*

6) Does the use of DRM affect your opinion of a game publisher or developer?

*(a) Yes*

7) If so how did this affect your opinion of a developer or publisher?

*(a) Damage*

8 ) Have you ever boycotted a developer or publisher because of their use of DRM?

*(b) No*

9) On a scale of 1-5, with 5 being very negative and 1 being very positive, how do you feel about the following DRM measures.

CD check (disk in drive requirement)  *4*

Steam online activation (online download/retail product online activation before play)  *1*

Serial key (number/letter entry before play)  *2*

Limited activations (can only activate the game a limited number of times)  *3*

Software threat check (refusal to run when certain software is installed)  *4*

10) Do you prefer to purchase games by physical copy or digital distribution?

*(c) A mixture of both*

11) Have you ever pirated/illegally acquired a game? (if no finish questionnaire here)

*(a) Yes*

12) What were your reasons for doing so? You may select multiple answers for this question.

*(a) Lack of a demo to try before you buy
(b) The DRM in the legal version put me off
(c) The legal version is too expensive
(e) Other (please explain)*: Along the same vein as (c) - I wanted to play the game, but the price was too high for me at the time due to budget issues or the like. Either that, or the price didn't seem to reflect my amount of desire to play the game.

13) If your reasons were addressed; would you acquire the game legally?

*(a) Yes*


----------



## ADF (Apr 19, 2009)

Thanks Aden, but as I said in my previous post the questionnaire has closed. So unless I want to go through and modify 3000 words of questionnaire analysis I cannot add any new ones.


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## Ashkihyena (Apr 19, 2009)

"But no, DRM doesn't install anything, sorry but DRM can't harm your machine. I've never seen a single case in all my years of gaming where I had a issue with DRM, I just think it's pointless because it doesn't stop pirating anyway."

SecuRom would like to have a word with you, now to post to make this not off topic.

1) Do you hold a negative, positive or neutral opinion of digital rights management?

(a) Negative

2) Have you ever played a game containing digital rights management?

(a) Yes

3) Does the presence of DRM affect your purchase decisions?

(c) Depends on the DRM

4) Did the experience live up to your impression of DRM?

(a) Yes

5) Have you ever boycotted a game because of DRM?

(b) No

6) Does the use of DRM affect your opinion of a game publisher or developer?

(a) Yes

7) If so how did this affect your opinion of a developer or publisher?

(a) Damage

8 ) Have you ever boycotted a developer or publisher because of their use of DRM?

(a) Yes

9) On a scale of 1-5, with 5 being very negative and 1 being very positive, how do you feel about the following DRM measures.

CD check (disk in drive requirement)

1

Steam online activation (online download/retail product online activation before play)

1

Serial key (number/letter entry before play)

1

Limited activations (can only activate the game a limited number of times)

5

Software threat check (refusal to run when certain software is installed)

5

10) Do you prefer to purchase games by physical copy or digital distribution?

(c) A mixture of both

11) Have you ever pirated/illegally acquired a game? (if no finish questionnaire here)

(b) No


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## Aden (Apr 19, 2009)

ADF said:


> Thanks Aden, but as I said in my previous post the questionnaire has closed. So unless I want to go through and modify 3000 words of questionnaire analysis I cannot add any new ones.



Ah, I see. I would suggest editing the original post, because I just read that and then scrolled to the bottom to give my response.


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## ADF (Apr 20, 2009)

I've just come to a significant realization  games are too expensive, that may seem obvious but think about it for a moment.

The price of games has mostly remained the same for a long time, only really going up to compensate for licensing fees on consoles, even people in the games industry will admit to this when talking about game prices. They use this as a argument for increasing the price of games as in their eyes gamers have been having it easy for a long time.

A very long time, as in when the games market was much smaller. 

When the games market was smaller it was mostly populated by hardcore and niche market gamers, people willing to pay out for their games and spend hours every day playing them. The games industry has grown significantly since then; now equally consisting of hardcore, mainstream and casual gamers with the niche market practically disappeared.

The market mostly consists of people who play games a lot more casually compared to back in 1995, people who find less value in games compared to the hardcore and niche markets, *yet we are still charging prices that the enthusiasts were willing to pay for.*

http://www.edge-online.com/features/valve-are-games-too-expensive



> Discounting games does not only increase unit sales--it increases actual revenues. During the 16-day sale window over the holidays, third-parties were given a choice as to how severely they would discount their games. Those that discounted their games by 10 percent saw a 35% uptick in sales--that's dollars, not units. A 25 percent discount meant a 245 percent increase in sales. Dropping the price by 50 percent meant a sales increase of 320 percent. And a 75 percent decrease in the price point generated a 1,470 percent increase in sales.



So apparently Valve/Steam was right, games today are far too expensive and sales are suffering for it. Companies think charging more or using alternative means of getting money are the solutions, it's possible they just need a price drop.


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