Two thoughts:
If the copy protection is too intrusive and may mess up other games or render the new game unplayable, I won't buy it.
I totally understand companies wanting to protect their hard work, but I also know there are less intrusive ways to keep them from losing vast amounts of sales.
For example, the DVD that came in the box is usually not the end all and be all of the game. Most of the time, there are bugs. Much of the time, there are updates to improve the game (there better be).
The companies that support their games after release are the ones that I support with my money. I've been ripped off a number of times (cough...EA) with incomplete releases that were not properly patched and updated.
I do no think it is too much to ask of the customer that a game's authenticity be validated when it is first installed and then for subsequent updates. Any pirated copy would not be able to be updated and improved. This discourages piracy AND encourages companies to support the products they produce. Any pirated copy would then simply be a "beta" which probably includes all kinds of viruses.
Second thought: verify the authenticity of a game's files for multiplayer modes. I HATE CHEATERS. You want to cheat offline? I have no problem with that, turn on god mode. Don't do it when competing with other humans. I have participated in a few efforts to eliminate cheaters from competition and it's not easy...except for the developers. When game companies did not do enough to protect the online community from cheaters, the leagues had to develop their own special mods and watch like hawks.
If a game has "tighter" authentication for multiplayer, I am ok with that as long as it works. Here again, pirates would not be able to participate which protects both the customers and the developers.
I can't defend software pirates but I do not see the tie in to music piracy. Once you buy a song you should be able to copy that song to any format you wish (legal in the US, btw, under "fair use"). The music and movie industries have cried about piracy issues since magnetic tape became available but I see a lot of really rich artists out there. They must have figured out some way to still make a buck, right?
Youngsters have no idea lol. We used to buy albums for $10 (worth more back then!) that had maybe two or three hit songs and 7 songs you skipped over. We couldn't really buy single songs for a buck. Artists even cried back then that people were recording songs off the radio. But they adapted to the "new ways" and are raking in money hand over fist.
Poor products and anti-piracy attempts that are too intrusive actually lead to piracy. Adapt and overcome, software companies need to do the same.
Splitter
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