The implementation of DRM is an ongoing issue for the gaming industry, with an “always online” requirement being the new and controversial way to achieve that goal. Team Meat developer Tommy Refenes argues, however, that implementing DRM hurts honest customers more than it helps recoup sales.
“As a forward thinking developer who exists in the present, I realize and accept that a pirated copy of a digital game does not equate to money being taken out of my pocket,” Refenes said. “Team Meat shows no loss in our year-end totals due to piracy and neither should any other developer.”
“Companies try to combat piracy of their software with DRM but if loss due to pirated software is not calculable to an accurate amount does the implementation of DRM provide a return on investment It is impossible to say yes to this statement,” he added. “In the retail world, you could potentially put a return back on the shelf, you could find another customer that wants it, sell it to them and there would be virtually no loss. In the digital world, because there is no set amount of goods, you gain nothing back (one plus infinity is still infinity). It’s only a negative experience. A negative frustrating experience for a customer should be considered more damaging than a torrent of your game.”
“The reality is the fight against piracy equates to spending time and money combating a loss that cannot be quantified. Everyone needs to accept that piracy cannot be stopped and loss prevention is not a concept that can be applied to the digital world. Developers should focus on their paying customers and stop wasting time and money on non-paying customers. Respect your customers and they may in turn respect your efforts enough to purchase your game instead of pirating it,” Refenes concluded.
Source: Tumblr.com
