The History of DRM & Copy Protection in Computer Games
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Date: 2022-04-14
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Comments and reviews: 10
fanjoy
I don't mind DRM in the current state (most games have you create an account with the software developer, such as EA or Rockstar Games) and you enter your code, and then that code is tied to your account, which is the preferred method out of all the others I can think of -- for example requiring the physical disc to play, challenge questions or code sheets that are printed (on purpose) on paper that is virtually impossible to read, or limited activations, etc. I mean people have to realize that companies (game developers) have a right to protect their work, just as a writer or artist has a right to protect their work against unauthorized duplication thus leading to potential loss of sales/profits. This is also why people who use cracked software are actaully costing the rest of us more money (us who choose to pay for a legit game or software program. While it might be -saving- the individual money (although not really) it's increasing the price as a whole for everyone else. This is why I sort of like the model that Rockstar games uses, where (as mentioned above) you create an account and your product key is tied to that account and you simply log-in to your account (or the game does) when you play. It's also nice because you don't have to worry about losing code sheets or if you lose the disc/box, you can download the game again via the Internet. But at the same time, it makes it harder for people to crack and play unauthorized copies of the game. Unfortunately, this also probably means that game developers can track your status and collect information about you and your game play experience, but IMIO, it's a small price to pay versus other measures that were around (and piracy is not something new -- it's been around since the early days before Microsoft and other large softwre companies came into the industry) and possibly before that.
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I don't mind DRM in the current state (most games have you create an account with the software developer, such as EA or Rockstar Games) and you enter your code, and then that code is tied to your account, which is the preferred method out of all the others I can think of -- for example requiring the physical disc to play, challenge questions or code sheets that are printed (on purpose) on paper that is virtually impossible to read, or limited activations, etc. I mean people have to realize that companies (game developers) have a right to protect their work, just as a writer or artist has a right to protect their work against unauthorized duplication thus leading to potential loss of sales/profits. This is also why people who use cracked software are actaully costing the rest of us more money (us who choose to pay for a legit game or software program. While it might be -saving- the individual money (although not really) it's increasing the price as a whole for everyone else. This is why I sort of like the model that Rockstar games uses, where (as mentioned above) you create an account and your product key is tied to that account and you simply log-in to your account (or the game does) when you play. It's also nice because you don't have to worry about losing code sheets or if you lose the disc/box, you can download the game again via the Internet. But at the same time, it makes it harder for people to crack and play unauthorized copies of the game. Unfortunately, this also probably means that game developers can track your status and collect information about you and your game play experience, but IMIO, it's a small price to pay versus other measures that were around (and piracy is not something new -- it's been around since the early days before Microsoft and other large softwre companies came into the industry) and possibly before that.
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fanjoy
The most annoying (that didn't require activation like they do today) is the random quiz at the end of a lvel. For example, in Carmen Sandiego, you would be asked random questions about words found in the Fodor's book, which obviously was meant to make it difficult to copy the game as these books were huge (of course these days you can probably just find a copy online in a digital format. The other was the code sheets, that were usually printed on dark maroon paper so they couldn't be copied (obviously scanners proved to usually circumvent this but not many people had them back then. As much as I hate activation, it is sort of nice though, and for example the way MS is with Windows 10 (as much as I don't care for Windows) but at least once you activate the software, it's tied to that machine, so if you have to re-install you don't have to worry about finding your CD key. Their system will recognize that it's been installed previously and activate once you connect to the Internet. So while DRM and copy protection has and somewhat still is a PITA, there are some advantages to the methods used now, such as automatic reactivation with Windows 10. And then there's also the floating licenses which are also nice. This isn't so much a DRM or copy protection mechanism, but it does prevent you from install the programs on more than one computer (of course, that's not to say you can't install a copy on your computer and another on your friend's computer--although that would violate the EULA, but many require you to use the same account on both computers. Regardless, this is nice because you can install it on as many computers as you wish, you can only run it on up to two computers at the same time in many cases (for example.
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The most annoying (that didn't require activation like they do today) is the random quiz at the end of a lvel. For example, in Carmen Sandiego, you would be asked random questions about words found in the Fodor's book, which obviously was meant to make it difficult to copy the game as these books were huge (of course these days you can probably just find a copy online in a digital format. The other was the code sheets, that were usually printed on dark maroon paper so they couldn't be copied (obviously scanners proved to usually circumvent this but not many people had them back then. As much as I hate activation, it is sort of nice though, and for example the way MS is with Windows 10 (as much as I don't care for Windows) but at least once you activate the software, it's tied to that machine, so if you have to re-install you don't have to worry about finding your CD key. Their system will recognize that it's been installed previously and activate once you connect to the Internet. So while DRM and copy protection has and somewhat still is a PITA, there are some advantages to the methods used now, such as automatic reactivation with Windows 10. And then there's also the floating licenses which are also nice. This isn't so much a DRM or copy protection mechanism, but it does prevent you from install the programs on more than one computer (of course, that's not to say you can't install a copy on your computer and another on your friend's computer--although that would violate the EULA, but many require you to use the same account on both computers. Regardless, this is nice because you can install it on as many computers as you wish, you can only run it on up to two computers at the same time in many cases (for example.
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Jude
I'm a hardcore Sims 3 player. As much as I generally hate EA these days, they actually had a decent multi-system install format. I was notorious years ago for building and rebuilding my systems. It only ever took a phone call back then for them to unlock more installs.
BUT, as the game aged and support withered, using the launcher became buggy at best, and often kept me from getting the game to load. I'm also a dual system guy. I have Mac and Windows. One day I noticed that when installing a pack through Origin, the Mac made a virtual disc to work from!
So, I would pause the installation, and burn that disc image to a physical disc. This new -install- disc worked on either system, even though it could only be created on the Mac.
I made disc copies of all my packs (all paid for) that allowed me to do a disc only install and use a hack to bypass the launcher.
I want to make clear, I do not condone piracy. People work hard to develop software (well, maybe not so hard on Sims 4) It is absolutely appropriate to pay them for their work. But, having paid that price, I want to be able to play those games without a bunch of jumping through hoops.
Oh, I've also made disc copies of all my Sims 3 Store DLC to insulate me from the eventual time when EA stops selling a game they no longer support (yup, still charging full price for a game with unresolved bugs and no tech support)
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I'm a hardcore Sims 3 player. As much as I generally hate EA these days, they actually had a decent multi-system install format. I was notorious years ago for building and rebuilding my systems. It only ever took a phone call back then for them to unlock more installs.
BUT, as the game aged and support withered, using the launcher became buggy at best, and often kept me from getting the game to load. I'm also a dual system guy. I have Mac and Windows. One day I noticed that when installing a pack through Origin, the Mac made a virtual disc to work from!
So, I would pause the installation, and burn that disc image to a physical disc. This new -install- disc worked on either system, even though it could only be created on the Mac.
I made disc copies of all my packs (all paid for) that allowed me to do a disc only install and use a hack to bypass the launcher.
I want to make clear, I do not condone piracy. People work hard to develop software (well, maybe not so hard on Sims 4) It is absolutely appropriate to pay them for their work. But, having paid that price, I want to be able to play those games without a bunch of jumping through hoops.
Oh, I've also made disc copies of all my Sims 3 Store DLC to insulate me from the eventual time when EA stops selling a game they no longer support (yup, still charging full price for a game with unresolved bugs and no tech support)
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Just
drm like Securom and starforce is EXACTLY the reason i either buy games from GOG or pirate them instead: /
it's genuinely frustrating to find a game that looks fun and i would like to buy it to support the developers, but the DRM is one known to screw up one's computer. sorry, but I don't want to support the devs so badly that I'd install what's basically malware on my system.
(like Spore for example. I've seen it on sale on Steam quite a few times now. i will never purchase it through Steam or EA because the DRM is ABYSMAL. i got it through GOG and it works wonderfully, no crashes or DRM that will mess up my computer or files. if I'm ever a game developer, if I wanted to put some kind of anti-piracy protection in my game, I'd do something like Spyro or Earthbound did, if I could. Something that would provide a challenge to pirates while not actively encouraging people to pirate my game since the legal copy wouldn't be annoying to deal with!
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drm like Securom and starforce is EXACTLY the reason i either buy games from GOG or pirate them instead: /
it's genuinely frustrating to find a game that looks fun and i would like to buy it to support the developers, but the DRM is one known to screw up one's computer. sorry, but I don't want to support the devs so badly that I'd install what's basically malware on my system.
(like Spore for example. I've seen it on sale on Steam quite a few times now. i will never purchase it through Steam or EA because the DRM is ABYSMAL. i got it through GOG and it works wonderfully, no crashes or DRM that will mess up my computer or files. if I'm ever a game developer, if I wanted to put some kind of anti-piracy protection in my game, I'd do something like Spyro or Earthbound did, if I could. Something that would provide a challenge to pirates while not actively encouraging people to pirate my game since the legal copy wouldn't be annoying to deal with!
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Na
Dam, i'm hungry.
No one knew, and arguably still don't know, its designed to protect works created. Most users turn the otherwise, and find it a nuisance. I think the bigger is one side was favorable, mainly just due to pure convenience to bypass and hardware available to do it.
You couldn't make backups- = double standard, as developers encouraged you do t just that. How can you make a backup with DRM? Particularly when laws made in ok like in the U. S where -a backup for personal use is fine-
I don't blame developers from gong to these measures. Anyone waning to protect their works would have done the same. When you think if you offer it for free, or -trust the user to buy- you know that never works in global scale. To this day, people still have a backflip of this and think -if they made it cheap, developers will still get much more-
I fail to understand that theory, and you can't prove the un-provable.
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Dam, i'm hungry.
No one knew, and arguably still don't know, its designed to protect works created. Most users turn the otherwise, and find it a nuisance. I think the bigger is one side was favorable, mainly just due to pure convenience to bypass and hardware available to do it.
You couldn't make backups- = double standard, as developers encouraged you do t just that. How can you make a backup with DRM? Particularly when laws made in ok like in the U. S where -a backup for personal use is fine-
I don't blame developers from gong to these measures. Anyone waning to protect their works would have done the same. When you think if you offer it for free, or -trust the user to buy- you know that never works in global scale. To this day, people still have a backflip of this and think -if they made it cheap, developers will still get much more-
I fail to understand that theory, and you can't prove the un-provable.
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Colin
When I was in third grade, I borrowed the game -Traders- from my classmate, but when he wanted it back he also naturally wanted the DRM sheet back, which meant I wouldn't be able to play it anymore. A color copying machine would have solved the problem, but I was in third grade and either didn't have access to one or (more likely) didn't think of it. So I spent the day in class manually copying the grid of tiny different colored shapes - squares, circles and Xs - using colored pencils. But I only got about 1/3 of the way through copying it before he got impatient and demanded it back. But I had something, at least. So each time I booted up the game, I'd have to hope that the code that it asked for (C3 or A6, or whatever) was included on my incomplete sheet, or reboot the game and try again. I tell ya, these kids nowadays don't know how good they have it.
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When I was in third grade, I borrowed the game -Traders- from my classmate, but when he wanted it back he also naturally wanted the DRM sheet back, which meant I wouldn't be able to play it anymore. A color copying machine would have solved the problem, but I was in third grade and either didn't have access to one or (more likely) didn't think of it. So I spent the day in class manually copying the grid of tiny different colored shapes - squares, circles and Xs - using colored pencils. But I only got about 1/3 of the way through copying it before he got impatient and demanded it back. But I had something, at least. So each time I booted up the game, I'd have to hope that the code that it asked for (C3 or A6, or whatever) was included on my incomplete sheet, or reboot the game and try again. I tell ya, these kids nowadays don't know how good they have it.
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Argo
7: 15 I really enjoyed the King-s Quest 6 copy protection. Since it actually made you read the guide to find the information action, instead of just looking it up, I was interested and I read the whole thing. It provided even more atmosphere and lore, and useful information for much of the game, outside of the Cliffs of Logic and the Labyrinth. (Though I did only play it in the future, and didn-t pay for it at all. I did have a real KQV CD growing up, and that-s probably lost in a box somewhere at my parents- house)
Apparently KQIII-s meticulous typing in of precisely worded spells or you die was just unintentional copy protection, and there was boring copy protection elsewhere in the game? It was just cumbersome because that-s Roberta Williams-s trademark style.
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7: 15 I really enjoyed the King-s Quest 6 copy protection. Since it actually made you read the guide to find the information action, instead of just looking it up, I was interested and I read the whole thing. It provided even more atmosphere and lore, and useful information for much of the game, outside of the Cliffs of Logic and the Labyrinth. (Though I did only play it in the future, and didn-t pay for it at all. I did have a real KQV CD growing up, and that-s probably lost in a box somewhere at my parents- house)
Apparently KQIII-s meticulous typing in of precisely worded spells or you die was just unintentional copy protection, and there was boring copy protection elsewhere in the game? It was just cumbersome because that-s Roberta Williams-s trademark style.
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Captain
The comments on using the manual in copy protection reminded me of the worst DRM ever. I think it was White Lightning Forth on the Commodore 64 that came up with the bright idea of printing the manual on red paper. Yes, red text on black paper. While it made it practically impossible to photocopy, it had the unfortunate side-effect of being deeply unpleasant to read. Still, it's a better DRM than always-online DRM for single-player gameplay. I largely stopped buying games in part because this nonsense. The moment of realisation came when I was on a long trip, with no access to the Internet. I fired up StarCraft II to find that it had decided it was no-longer activated. I resent paying money for a product inferior to what I could find on the high seas.
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The comments on using the manual in copy protection reminded me of the worst DRM ever. I think it was White Lightning Forth on the Commodore 64 that came up with the bright idea of printing the manual on red paper. Yes, red text on black paper. While it made it practically impossible to photocopy, it had the unfortunate side-effect of being deeply unpleasant to read. Still, it's a better DRM than always-online DRM for single-player gameplay. I largely stopped buying games in part because this nonsense. The moment of realisation came when I was on a long trip, with no access to the Internet. I fired up StarCraft II to find that it had decided it was no-longer activated. I resent paying money for a product inferior to what I could find on the high seas.
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fanjoy
I much preferred the older style CD/disc type DRM though because usually you didn't have to be connected to the Internet to use the product (maybe initially during install, wheras today DRM usually requires you to be connected to the Internet to verify legitimacy and to ensure you actually own the product. Almost every game is like this (and even Microsoft Office operates much the same way, where it's tied to an account. So in a way, you're getting the convenience of immediate delivery/download (versus buying a disc or waiting to have it shipped to you) but at the same time, you usually have to have Internet to use the product. Some apps only check at startup while some require a constant connection to the Internet.
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I much preferred the older style CD/disc type DRM though because usually you didn't have to be connected to the Internet to use the product (maybe initially during install, wheras today DRM usually requires you to be connected to the Internet to verify legitimacy and to ensure you actually own the product. Almost every game is like this (and even Microsoft Office operates much the same way, where it's tied to an account. So in a way, you're getting the convenience of immediate delivery/download (versus buying a disc or waiting to have it shipped to you) but at the same time, you usually have to have Internet to use the product. Some apps only check at startup while some require a constant connection to the Internet.
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First
it's wild to comparing software DRM to the almost complete lack of DRM in printed books. if i own a book, i can read it as many times as i want or lend it to as many people as i like so they can read the complete book. libraries exist so anyone can read that book whenever they want. you can copy pages or, hell, the entire book, if you like. there's no culture of -everyone who reads it must pay full price for it-, even though the authors put just as much skill and work into its creation as any video game.
but video games, as much as the community loves to talk about how it's art, don't enjoy nearly the same value of sharing that single-player art experience with its audience.
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it's wild to comparing software DRM to the almost complete lack of DRM in printed books. if i own a book, i can read it as many times as i want or lend it to as many people as i like so they can read the complete book. libraries exist so anyone can read that book whenever they want. you can copy pages or, hell, the entire book, if you like. there's no culture of -everyone who reads it must pay full price for it-, even though the authors put just as much skill and work into its creation as any video game.
but video games, as much as the community loves to talk about how it's art, don't enjoy nearly the same value of sharing that single-player art experience with its audience.
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