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#Gaming

Edited by Spinager: 6/15/2013 2:13:02 AM
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DRM, Hate it or tolerate it, it's not going away. - A friends view of this gen Consoles

This what a friend of mine posted on FB. It brings a new perspective in what Microsoft may be trying to attempt. It is a long read, I know. He pretty much tried to explain why Microsoft is trying this approach and how it can become the "Steam" of consoles. Starts here: Hate it, or tolerate it, DRM is here to stay. First things first, if you don't know me well, you might not know that I am a gamer. I love games, I make games, and I work for a major mobile games developer (GREE Inc. And no, my opinions do not in any way reflect theirs. I don't even know what GREE's opinion on DRM is...). With the massive, raging hate getting pile on Microsoft for their DRM in the X1, and all the calls that "Sony won" because the PS4 doesn't implement any, I figured I'd give a little in-industry perspective for people who care to read. I'll admit, a lot of this is "everybody knows, but doesn't think about" kind of info, but I think it's important to step back and look at the bigger picture. I know it's a long read, so I really appreciate your time, and would love any feedback you want to give. DRM is a nasty little phrase. It's rife with emotion, and evokes a feeling of being denied because essentially, that's what it's all about. Players despise it because they feel like their rights are being taken away. They bought the thing, they should have control, right? So, if gamers HATE DRM so much, why does it persist? Is it just greed? Well, sort of in a round about way. I haven't been in the industry all that long, but motivations become very apparent pretty quickly. Everyone complains, oh they're just being greedy, DRM isn't necessary and doesn't do anything. Then you hear about games like Crysis 2 getting leaked early and it gets downloaded almost 4 million times. A simple google search comes up with results like these: http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/10-pirated-games-time/ Now, as gamers we know a fair amount of this is files getting bounced back and forth, or people who could never afford to pay for the game in the first place, or even people intending to buy but who want to check out the game first, or finally people who paid for the game but for some reason need another copy (disc broke or some-such). However, I guarentee you that an executive or a shareholder seeing those numbers would shit a brick. That's important. It's more important than most gamers realize. I've seen managers shut down and lay off entire teams simply because a game doesn't seem to be selling well enough, so they put it on the back burner. For companies that only have one major franchise, they can't do that, so seeing things like this are very alarming to them. I feel confident in saying we've all pirated a game or two (or possibly more :D) over the years, and I know I've met a few people who exclusively pirate. It's something people do, and it's not going to stop by whining about it. The general gaming community despises DRM, and has a tendency to bash on any company trying to implement it (Read: EA). So why is it still growing? Why do companies, especially big ones, insist on it, despite the bad press? Well, the consensus is money, but the reality is security. Executives want to KNOW that they have control over the product their company is producing, and honestly that's not unreasonable. We're not dealing with traditional goods here, but digital media. And digital media (movies, games, some other software) naturally incentivizes sharing. If someone buys a $60 game, then lends it to a friend, the company received effectively half value for that product. And to them, there is no difference between a consumer selling their game to GameStop, and just giving it away to someone. If it happens a couple of times, no big deal. When half the games sales are used, that is a big deal. Sure, it won't sink EA, but it can really impact a medium or small studio. So what to do? Well, there are three prevailing strategies in the industry right now. First is Free To Play (F2P). It started on mobile, and is becoming more main-stream every day. The new Command & Conquer is implementing it, and we all know how successful it's been for League of Legends. This model ensures the developer gets full value, since the pirate would have to pirate every little micro-transaction to steal the full value. Considering how much more difficult that is than just downloading a cracked version of a game, it's pretty rare. Second strategy is in game DRM. Login accounts, server syncs, only online play, things of that nature. These are the things that piss gamers off the most. We feel like we're being punished for someone else's jack-assery. On top of that, none of these DRM schemes have really been proven to work. Pirates pretty universally find a way around it, remove it, or spoof it. Anyone who's pirated games has seen DRM heavy games up for download, so what was the point? These schemes rarely work, and most developers implement them reluctantly, hoping for some kind of control. Third is to use a DRM locked platform to host the game. Now, there are good and bad examples of this. We have platforms like the iOS marketplace, which offers pretty restricted access. It has a single point of entry (their app store), it checks the device itself for content you don't have rights to, and can sync and wipe your pirated (, or even home-brew) apps. We have services like Origin and Games for Windows Live that allow direct download of apps, but are generally disliked because they're clunky and they get in the way of the games. And finally we have Steam, which sits in an interesting place in the market. Steam offers extremely restricted DRM. You have to be logged in to your account, you cannot share games in any way, you cannot sell games, you even have restrictions on refunds. So, I was thinking about this, why is Steam so beloved, while Origin is so hated. Especially considering that when Steam first launched, people raged at how restrictive it was. No one that the service could last with how DRM heavy it was. And it comes down to a couple things. Firstly, ease of use. Steam is very, very easy to use. It handles most things for you, and is simple and unobtrusive. Origin is none of those things. Second, is library. The Steam library is massive. Origin understandably is just EA games. And finally, sales. Steam is constantly giving away deals. The first and last are the critical ones. If developers are so worried about getting their monies worth, why are they so willing to host on a platform that is likely to sell their games for less? Well, to be honest, it's because there IS drm. A developer who sells a copy of his game on Steam knows that it's not going to get lent out. If he sells his normally $60 game for $45, but knows only the payer is playing for it, he feels a lot better than selling it for $60 when that copy could go to several people. It puts the developer in control, he can manage everything. Executives know where game sales are going, and they know that they can actually sell to their market. They feel safe because they KNOW each game sale is going just to the intended party. This shouldn't come as a surprise, developers like DRM. If they didn't, it wouldn't exist. DRM makes a developer feel secure. Sure, small devs often don't care, since they don't expect their game to sell enough to warrant DRM. That or they use a service like Steam while ironically decrying DRM. For big developers though, it means the difference between feeling secure in being able to pay your employees next month or not (and we all know how those fickle engineers, artists, and designers like getting paid). Within this mercurial industry that bucks and shifts at mere rumors, any stability is a haven. I feel that the X1 platform has the chance to offer that. To be the Steam of the console industry. Now, we all know how gamers hate change, so a bad reaction was expected, and in some cases fairly deserved. The 24 hour sign in thing? Dumb, unnecessary, over-bearing, and it sets a bad precedent. That's an Origin style move (and no doubt something like it was lobbied for by EA…). The licensing policies though are fairly broad and allow for quite a bit. It gives developers security. They know where their used games are going. They can choose to shut that channel off (that's on the devs head, not MS). You can read more on those policies here: http://news.xbox.com/2013/06/license.

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  • Edited by Spinager: 6/19/2013 8:23:36 PM
    Continuation: On the flip side we have the PS4 offering an open platform. As consumers, that's great. I can lend out my games, I can sell them off. No worries. For me that is. However this leaves developers in the exact same position they've been trying to get away from. To feel secure they now have to implement one of the other two options, and since F2P is difficult to pull off with console games, they have to implement their own drm. That, or feel just as insecure as they did before. And I know how much we'd all hate the idea of logging in to Origin on your PS4 to play your EA games! For those who think it's a coincidence that long standing Playstation franchises Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, and Metal Gear Solid have suddenly decided to share with Microsoft, don't fool yourselves. They're testing the waters. They want to see how their sales analytics react to a DRM platform. I don't know about console so much, but in mobile we track every single button press, so trust me the analytics are there. What I predict is that once they feel safe, we'll see effectively Steam for console. We'll see developers far more willing to put up sales and deals. We'll see indie devs who are gonna jump at the opportunity to sell on a safe platform. As long as the X1 isn't dead in the water on launch from all the bad press (unlikely considering most pre-orders are sold out already), we'll see more and more devs wanting to use the platform. In the android vs iOS war, Android has for many months now outsold iPhone. Conversely, the iOS app store grows faster, and most developers will choose to release for iPhone first. Apple is a pain in the ass for a developer to deal with, so it isn't their charming nature. It's because the platform is SAFE. It's because Android is still rife with pirating, due to its open nature. I expect the same behavior in this console war. I expect a rush of people swarming to the PS4 because it's open, but developers preferring the X1 because it's safe. Take that as you want, I'm not saying one is better than the other. I still haven't decided on which I'm going to get yet myself. DRM is crappy, and I would love that it wasn't necessary, but what it does to the mindset of a development studio can't be denied. I spent a couple lunch hours writing this, so please no "X1 sux, you suck" comments. I tried to be thoughtful and articulate (though I may have come away convoluted), so please try to be the same. If it seems I'm biased towards the X1 because I talked about it more, simply keep in mind that the PS4 policy is to do nothing, so there isn't much to discuss there. If they had their own DRM, I would have brought that up more. I think this console war is far, far away from "won" on either side. Both have their advantages. One plays nicer with the consumer, the other with the developer, only time will tell which wins. I want your feedback. Tell me what you think of DRM policies across the board, and how you think they shape consumer and developer actions! EDIT: Thanks -name snip- for showing me this, it lays out the family thing great: http://i.imgur.com/Ayguitt.png End here: Going to mall, will be back later to reply back. He brings up some pretty good points imo. Hope you enjoyed the read. And if you wanna read the original and if you can see it, go ahead: https://www.facebook.com/notes/douglas-wood/drm-hate-it-or-tolerate-it-its-not-going-away/10200094314216709 As mentioned by IxAtreusAzai, it's up on Kotaku. http://ixadias.kinja.com/drm-hate-it-or-tolerate-it-its-not-going-away-514169886

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    • Thank you, your friend is one of a few people in the gaming community with common sense. DRM is a pain, but we need it to stop people ripping off developers; just like security checks at airports are a pain, but we need them to stop terrorists and other criminals.

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    • Well, looks like its gone now.

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      • Hey all, I'm the one who wrote the original piece. Thanks for all the awesome feedback and opinions. This got a lot more traction than I was expecting. Also thanks to the guy who posted it to the XBox forums. I've transferred it from FB to a Kotaku blog for anyone who wants a more general discussion. Again, thanks all!

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        • This seems like as good a place as any to put an intelligent discussion on DRM down. If anyone couldn't tell from other posts, I dislike DRM. Why? Because it shackles the bond of trust between consumer and developer that's existed pretty much since the games market came about. I feel like I'm put under an interrogation light and asked my entire gaming schedule every time I'm asked to verify my identity to play a title I've legitimately purchased. That's bad DRM. Now the author does make a great point: [quote]So, I was thinking about this, why is Steam so beloved, while Origin is so hated. Especially considering that when Steam first launched, people raged at how restrictive it was. No one that the service could last with how DRM heavy it was. And it comes down to a couple things. Firstly, ease of use. Steam is very, very easy to use.[/quote] Valve's very smart to make it feel like the customer is getting the best of the deal. They also construct their DRM in a fashion that doesn't criminalize or punish the consumer. You can play your games offline. You can buy games for cheap. You only get one license because that's how downloads work. It makes sense. I'm not opposed to this type of DRM. But what M$ is doing with the One is just plain clunky. It's the exact opposite of every smooth move Valve has pulled.

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        • Application of the DRM is key (as you pointed out). Xbox One would not be facing so much criticism if it applied the DRM in a less draconian manner.

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        • PS+ has already been offering deals and free games much like Steam. You can't trade them in or let people borrow them (actually you can kinda). I think it's the fact that the hardware manufacturer it's self is forcing it on people with Xbox One that is causing the negative response to it. On the PC and PS4 we have the choice of whether or not to get games digitally and loaded with DRM or physical copies that you can trade.

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        • [quote] I haven't been in the industry all that long, [/quote] Stopped reading right there. If MS gets pimp slapped in the wallet for what they are doing, DRM will not be here to stay.

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          • It's not true though, DRM on physical digital media still sits in the balance and might be overcome by micro-transactions. This is a long article that doesn't hold water as far as it goes as a factual assertion and indeed Microsoft might lose out over this but certainly their statement about selling one billion ONE consoles is marketeering. I personally feel that DRM will not take hold fully and think Microsoft might have to step back on that demand for publishers who will want the same choices that Sony offer while additional content fees fill the hole for producers.

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          • What Is DRM?

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            • Edited by Lord Commissar: 6/15/2013 2:27:52 AM
              Pretty much along the lines of what other developers have been saying. Other than Jonathan Blow, but all he did was make an indie Mario ripoff and started believing that he was some great visionary.

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              • I've actually thought about this as well, and although I'd love to be able to borrow and share games with friends (although Xbox Circle makes it 20x better) but at the same time I feel like we are 80% responsible for most of these game studios being shut down...the 20% being that they probably made a crappy game. I'll take X1's DRM with pride knowing that the money is going to the developers pockets, keeping their families fed, their houses paid, and their employees happy...so long as they produce quality content. On another note I except Microsoft to give us some perks for having to use this system, and while the Xbox Friend Circle is one of the greatest ideas I've ever heard of there's still the matter of game pricing, I'm hoping that if they feel secure that their games are being sold they'll start having Steam-like sales every day. After all, if they want to copy Steam and make it for consoles, they need to copy ALL of the good parts as well.

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              • So you can actually play a game you own at the same time your friend's playing it? Wow, that's another clarification for me today. Thanks OP. Let's see the PS4 do that.

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              • Great read. Makes me feel even more confident with my decision to purchase an XB1

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              • Edited by Kkgit r done: 6/15/2013 2:58:57 PM
                this guy (your friend) should write a blog not fill someone's feed with bs

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              • The guy definately knows what he's talking about i'll give him that. Im glad finally said it without saying it in some obviously pro MS annoying way.

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              • Posted to the Xbox forums, gave you credit for it

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