What qualifies as DRM (Digital Rights Management) to you?

[Mid-Forever]

To me, regardless of what platform one is referencing (Steam, GOG, Playstation, iTunes, Amazon, EA, Nintendo, MAC, Linux, etc.), loss of ability to access and/or play a game after a company closure, account loss or server shutdown (in the case of MMO's and multiplayer games only) does not qualify as a DRM restriction put in place by said company or service. I don't like it, and it may be a byproduct of DRM, but it's not "DRM"...to me.

For me, DRM is a call (to remote or local location) made to see if I'm allowed to use something, regardless of whether the call is answered or not.

So, if Steam were to shut down and I couldn't play my games purchased from there, I would not blame DRM as some others would that I've spoken to recently.

I admit, I seem to be at odds with even the Wikipedia article on it...which, to me, that article looks to be comprised of more opinions than facts, guidelines or definitions.

(may edit that a few times as I'm not sure I've accurately relayed my feelings, heh)


Anywho, what qualifies as DRM (Digital Rights Management, in relation to video games for this thread) for you?

[just.kamk /idle]

Ursprungligen skrivet av Mid-Forever:

...
For me, DRM is a call (to remote or local location) made to see if I'm allowed to use something, regardless of whether the call is answered or not.

So, if Steam were to shut down and I couldn't play my games purchased from there, I would not blame DRM as some others would that I've spoken to recently...

Similar definition for me:
a form of copy protection that requires a server-client authentification for use.

If Steam would shut down, then plenty of games would still work. This platform just offers DRM, but that isn't the main purpose of it. It's up to the devs / publisher after all to use it or not, and some actually don't.
(i.e.: http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games)
Others use Steams DRM and even more on top of that.

And well, if Valve would go out of business any time soon, i kinda got the feeling i would be worried about different, more serious, problems.

[Jo_Mei]

DRM should mean u must not sell other preoples work (copies of software) and make profit of it

DRM in reality means u are only allowed to use the software as u are told, online only to be observed and studied by scientists , WALKING DEAD for a example, for you its just a game, for them its a online war , behavior simulator to study how you would behave, act in a community breakdown, if you would act and decide as u are told, conditioned by media (sitcoms, trash comedy, music, reality shows, news-propaganda etc)

they couldnt do this if u were not forced to play it online only, its right managment not a copy protection , then it would be callted DCP and not DRM

its like u buying a car and then u are told how, when, who with to use it , and used with satelite tracking only

its sheep management, if they manage your right how to use things, and be watchet all the time you use them

[Spieler]

Games which require an always online connection are DRM and ristrict my way to play the game how I want and that is offline mode

[iCeDrAgOn]

I think what most people don't understand is when you're talking about DRM you're talking abut 3 things that all have the same 3 letter acronym that work together.

Digital Rights Managment -- The underlying through process used by a copyright holder to protect their work. through Digital Restriction Managment the copyright holder can use various tactics to make sure the consumer is using their work in an way that is acceptable to the copyright holder.

Digital Resource Managment -- This is the simplest of the 3 to understand. it's the work in question that is being protected or the resource that needs to be managed.

Digital Restriction Managment -- This is the software and or hardware that actually impliments the protection and can include any number of schemes to protect the underlying works. Something as simple as a serial number could be used to employing more more complex approaches such as locking useage to a specific peice of hardware and or a physical object i.e. a CD/DVD and can go as far as requiering a constatn connection to a server.

[Sanchez]

asd

[Aahzmandias]

It's BS to take away your customer rights. Noting more, nothing less, without any advantage for customers.

It lowers the value of the protected goods to a fraktion of their original price. It only allows you to borrow goods, instead of being able to buy them.

[iCeDrAgOn]

Ursprungligen skrivet av mkess:

It's BS to take away your customer rights. Noting more, nothing less, without any advantage for customers.

It lowers the value of the protected goods to a fraktion of their original price. It only allows you to borrow goods, instead of being able to buy them.

Unfortunatly that's what Copyright law is in most countries, the original copyright holder giving you permission to borrow/use their originaly creative works. it's nothing more, or nothing less.

to really dumb things down for the average person, Copright law is just another term for a rental agreement. when you aquier permission to use the covered materials you are still basically renting it. because at any time the original copright holder can revoke your privialiges to use their material.

[Dakota]

Ursprungligen skrivet av mkess:

It's BS to take away your customer rights. Noting more, nothing less, without any advantage for customers.

It lowers the value of the protected goods to a fraktion of their original price. It only allows you to borrow goods, instead of being able to buy them.

It's BS to spend an enormous amount of time working on something just to have it stolen repeatedly because people don't want to pay you for it, especially if it's how you pay your bills and put food on your table

[Mr. Tex]

For me DRM has become synonymous with 'always online'. That's what I personally associate with DRM. I don't really care wether the software monitors my usage rights, I don't use or distribute pirated games so I feel I have nothing to be worried about.

I think of games as either being 'offline games' or 'online games', with Steam games being the former and GOG games the latter. Of-course there are other places that sell offline games besides GOG; FireFlower, Humble Store, GamesRepublic and so on.

The occasioal issue I have with DRM is the 'always online' part. I play games on both my desktop and my laptop, which in my experience is somewhat of a nuisance if you want to play a Steam game. So if I come across a game that I'm likely to play on my laptop as well as on my desktop I'll buy the offline version of the game, which happens to be the DRM-free version.

[Reported.]

Ursprungligen skrivet av Dakota:

Ursprungligen skrivet av mkess:

It's BS to take away your customer rights. Noting more, nothing less, without any advantage for customers.

It lowers the value of the protected goods to a fraktion of their original price. It only allows you to borrow goods, instead of being able to buy them.

It's BS to spend an enormous amount of time working on something just to have it stolen repeatedly because people don't want to pay you for it, especially if it's how you pay your bills and put food on your table

DRM is good. DRMs such as Securom need to come back.
Seriously.

[Shion]

DRM is a thing made because publishers keep saying stuff like "I'd be a billionare if it weren't for those filthy pirates!".

With DRM you pay for a "right". Not a "thing". And even through it is being sold as a "thing", you have no benefits of "owning a thing" in such transaction and can easilly lose that "right", because "terms of ..." can always be changed with no regard to a customers opinion.

Basically: DRM is a way for publishers to ♥♥♥♥ their customers and get away with it.

[shoopy]

DRM is something that tries to prevent distributed copies from working. Being associated with the Steam client is DRM because it is used as a way of checking your right to play the game.

Always online DRM is just another way to prevent distributed copies from working. This is especially true for games that have a significant single player mode.

Basically if it's more than just an account like you have with MMOGs by their very nature then it is probably DRM if it restricts you by design.