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Sean's concerns over Diablo III is one reason why I'm exicted that GOG.com (formerally Good Old Games), an online retailer that sells DRM-free releases, has recently shifted focus to include the new as well as the old. At the very least, I know I can play games purchased from there whenever I want.
Before the west coast clock hit midnight on May 15, gamers across the globe flooded social networks in excitement over the launch of Diablo III. Many years and numerous teaser trailers later, this was the grand experience many of us had waited for. And when the moment finally arrived: silence...followed by another social media flood cursing Blizzard's name.
Who could blame everyone? It's pretty ridiculous when you're attempting to start a single-player session and you can't even create a character because you're stuck at the login screen. Sadly, this was (and still is) just one of the problems experienced by players.
Diablo's digital-rights management (DRM) comes in the form of a required persistent Internet connection, and these past few hours with the game feature the worst encounters we've ever faced. It might not say much, but it's still interesting how Metacritic user ratings involve negative feedback because of these login errors. So not only are we unable to play one of the most anticipated games of the year, but we're offered samples of many potential errors that we'll see in the future.
Changes since the last Diablo: All items now replaced with errors.
As for the actual game, well...that's pretty hard to rank when you can't even start the damn thing. This is exactly why DRM harms the industry more than it helps.
But really, we knew this was coming. One of the biggest DRM backlashes occurred when PC users expressed discontent over Assassin's Creed 2 similarly requiring a constant Internet connection. The fact that it was a single-player game requiring users to remain online was enough to detract from the PC version's popularity. What's scary is how most big name titles still require Internet connections and special accounts, with some restrictions being much worse than Ubisoft's back in 2010.
Although consumers are given an option to vote with their dollar, it seems like most are ignoring the privilege. After all, these games are damn good, and we absolutely need them even if we can't play them.
Enough publishers don't realize this yet, but heavily enforced DRM implementations will cost them greater amounts of money over time. If they thought quarterly loss reports were frightening before, just wait until they discover that their pirate-hindering plans were actually thwarting innocent consumers. After all, so many gamers will only put up with so much....
Aside from a much different "Hell" than we expected from Diablo III, what were some of the most horrifying DRM moments you've faced and which games did they involve? Do you personally believe DRM helps combat copyright infringement?
