The RPG Duelling League
Social Forums => Discussion => Topic started by: TranceHime on November 04, 2011, 11:25:52 AM
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Survey here (https://docs.google.com/a/dlsu.ph/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFczSVk3T0JxTGdZZXc0WnRqMVBvdXc6MQ)
Good day everybody, I have here this survey which I would like to be answered for a research paper I am doing for uni. I admit it's a bit of a juvenile way to go about things, but I would appreciate it if I could collect the opinions of as many consumers/users as possible, I have already disseminated this in quite a few places.
But in particular I would also like to see what your own thoughts are on DRM; basically I am trying to get evidence that DRM is sort of this bad thing, and I would like to see just who out of you are quite passionate about the topic in question! It would be great to get some discussion on this going. Cheers!
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I'd take the survey, but it feels designed for people who are much more knowledgeable about the subject than I am (which is to say, knowledgeable at all).
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Done and done.
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On the whole, I appreciate what DRM is trying to accomplish, but I think it defeats the purpose far more often than it serves it.
For a graphic version of my feelings on DRM and rights management in general, see:
(http://s-ec-sm.buzzfeed.com/static/imagebuzz/web03/2010/2/18/15/legal-dvd-vs-pirated-copy-25361-1266526187-121.jpg)
A textual version of my feelings: "Goddamnit, iTunes!"
To be fair, I have mixed feelings about copyright in general. I'm not such a fan of the way it functions. So a system which was built explicitly to protect copyright, well...
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This survey asks about DRM as a whole, but not all DRM are created the same. The biggest fear for DRM for me is if the source of authentication goes dead - are you *renting* music or *buying* music for example? Do I need a constant connection to the Internet? These kinds of fears help nuke any source I don't trust, but probably would not be a big deal with old iTunes, for example.
Also, something like Steam is perfectly fine for DRM. I'm only going to be playing games on Internet-connected desktops and laptops, and Steam's DRM saves me a trip to the store and offers pretty big discounts on older games. The only problem is, say, booting a laptop on a plane, but Steam lets you keep old authenticated sessions, so it's not a big deal.
DRM is plainly a "disadvantage" when looked at alone, but you have to ask what the DRM is getting you. In the case of Steam, it's obvious - cheap digital download games. For old iTunes, it's moderate - you don't get THAT big a discount off store prices. For random other small things, it's probably not contributing enough and is actually bad. So yeah, not really a one-size-fits-all answer.
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The problem with digital-delivery and digital-control DRM is that the trend is now to license the material. It may always have been that way, but there didn't used to be a way to revoke licensing privileges. Now there is: someone can pull back your DRM product, take away the thing you paid money for, because THEY control the access, and they get to decide that.
See: Amazon pulling versions of Kindle books, EA/Origin killing online access accounts and thus preventing access to newly purchased games, etc.