How does Steam employ DRM?

[TehCookie]

- You can't use Steam (Login into your Account) at once on more than one computer, this means that if you have a sibling or a child and want him to play any specific game while you play something else this isn't possible

Not really a problem if you use multiple accounts for multiple people. Only a problem if both want to play the same game at the same time, but still not a very realistic problem for most since most households aren't likely to have multiple gaming PC's anyway. So sure, it's a problem for a very small subsection of people, but not a major one, unless you consider two people not being able to play the same game on consoles at the same time from one copy to also be a major issue.

- While it provides an Offline-Mode, you have to Login every now and then to Update and Reauthenticate, I've heard every two weeks from people

Is this a recent thing, because I have Steam on my netbook to play games like Doom on the go. I haven't connected it to the internet in at least four years and it has never asked me to login and re-authenticate.

- If Steam is not available because it is down out of whatever reason you aren't able to access, download or play your games

*cough* Offline mode. *cough*

Oh boy a "Well I never had that problem so it doesn't exist/I don't care!"

I despise Steam for getting in between me and playing my games with no reward. I never had it work without internet, it automatically updates even when I turned it off which ruins any game I have modded or patched, I have games on there that just plain don't work but the cracked version runs fine which I don't understand at all. Steam sales aren't any cheaper than used games. The only pro I see of Steam is if you can't take care of your games yourself so you have the downloads, though with my internet it's faster for me to grab a CD out of my closet than wait for the download.

 

[Lilani]

As others have explained, Steam is essentially DRM that functions like a video game store. It functions basically the same as iTunes or Amazon, and within its most basic functions are the regulatory features. You have to launch the games through Steam, you purchase them in the Steam store or register them with Steam, all that jazz. But the reason people don't mind Steam's DRM is because it requires no additional effort on their part. From the user's point of view, they are simply buying a game, installing, and playing. They aren't required to take any actions that aren't already required for the most basic functions of an online marketplace.

 

[Doom972]

The games you own are tied to your account, Steam must be running in the background for the games to work, and you must be online when playing a game for the first time after downloading it.

I think it's worth it because of the large-discount sales and easy to manage library of games (which don't take space on my shelf).

 

[Zeh Don]

The issue stems from the fact that no one has "digital rights" that require managing. The "rights" they're referring to are simply what the Publisher wants or doesn't want you to be able to do, and the DRM Software attempts to enforce that upon you. However, it's only as effective as their ability to enforce it within a court of law. And, the vast majority are basically worthless.

A great example of where DRM falls down is when a company alters their TOS or EULA AFTER you've purchased or bought the game/software. As a legally binding document, it can only be enforced if you actually agree to allow the changes - otherwise the original agreement remains, and the alterations are ignored.
However, as we all know, if you decline to agree with the amended TOS or EULA, such as the rubbish pushed out on Steam, Xbox Live and the Playstation network to prevent class action lawsuits, you're software is entirely disabled. That's actually illegal, and invalidates the altered agreement due to the fact that they've amended the original agreement without both parties agreeing to allow those specific changes. They can't just up and change the terms and conditions of an agreement in a "like it or lump it" situation. The law doesn't work that way. In fact, in a court, at least within Australia, the case would be thrown out and the original TOS or EULA would remain in effect.

The beautiful thing is that you can actually mail a new EULA to the Publisher, as it's an agreement, and give them seven (7) business days to decline the changes or the agreement is said to be agreed upon and now in effect. The difference is in how it's presented. The Publisher forcing a new EULA upon you provides no avenue for negotiation or discussion with regards to the amended terms and conditions, whereas mailing the EULA out does.
Of course, they don't tell you that

 

[Auron]

snip

I disagree with about 98% of this post, if Steam was truly that inconvenient it would be dead, The offline mode works much better now even though I rarely use it. Trading the games is not gonna fly, their bases are pretty covered and speaking of Germany if games are censored there and you can't get the decent versions you shouldn't blame Steam or even the publishers, they're not making the laws. Valve, actually Gabe Newell has made a statement about making all the titles available via patch if Steam ever closes and Steam will never close, it might be bought out by another company but dying is impossible, lucrative business don't die they mutate, that said we haven't been able to rent or borrow PC games for a decade and a half now with cd keys and online multiplayer dependant on them.

Basically the The one part I'll completely agree is that their liberal stance towards Publisher enforced third party DRM on top of Steam is terrible, it can often be a hassle even though it affects very few games.

 

[FalloutJack]

Heh

Well naturally, Wolf, we thought it was your doing. You ARE a mad genius at technology, after all.

 

[Anachronism]

SNIP

OK, most of these points were good, except....

- If Steam is not available because it is down out of whatever reason you aren't able to access, download or play your games

BULLSHIT! You can still access any games that you've downloaded to your P.C. by turning on "offline mode" for steam. This'll give you full access to your library. However, you won't be able to play multiplayer or any games which you have in your library which haven't downloaded to your hard drive. Apart from that, though, the servers being down will have no affect on your single-player games.

In theory, this is true. The reality, unfortunately, is that Steam's offline mode is an absolute joke that barely even works at all. Consider this: when my internet went down one time, I tried to open up Steam to play some games. I was told that Steam (obviously) couldn't connect to the network and that I had the choice of quitting or starting in offline mode. But when I clicked to start in offline mode, Steam told me that it couldn't do this because it couldn't connect to the network.

The problem is that you need to plan in advance to use offline mode, telling Steam to restart in offline mode when you have it open and are presumably connected. What is the bloody point in an offline mode which you need to be online in order to be able to use it?

 

[nevarran]

I remember a few months ago Lorin from EpicBattleAxe got his acc hacked. And he wasn't able to play any games (even those bought from a retailer) on his PC for weeks. That sounds pretty bad to me.

And DRM isn't necessarily a bad thing, invasive DRM is.

And generally when we talk about Steam, people are hypocrites. They blame EA for forcing their Origin service on us, and Ubi for UPlay, when Valve did the same with Steam, when HL2 was released.

 

[Auron]

I remember a few months ago Lorin from EpicBattleAxe got his acc hacked. And he wasn't able to play any games (even those bought from a retailer) on his PC for weeks. That sounds pretty bad to me.

And DRM isn't necessarily a bad thing, invasive DRM is.

And generally when we talk about Steam, people are hypocrites. They blame EA for forcing their Origin service on us, and Ubi for UPlay, when Valve did the same with Steam, when HL2 was released.

The thing with Origin is it took games away from Steam to self-promote, it's why it earned a lot of ire at first, I actually think Origin is quite functional but given the option I would have kept all my games in a single client. Uplay at least launches from Steam, arguably also a problem but it doesn't split my games into other clients and it's not something I tend to keep open when not playing Ubisoft games.

Accounts are almost impossible to hack with steamguard unless someone also got your e-mail and then there's probably more serious damages than being locked out of steam.

 

[nevarran]

That would be a good point....if it wasn't completely and utterly untrue

Same here, the offline mode works.
I unplugged my internet cable, with Steam closed. Started the program, clicked "start in offline mode" and it worked. Haven't actually tried to play a game, it may say something about not being able to find my save data, but with it being on the cloud, it's not surprising.
Maybe there was an issue, but it's fixed now.

 

[Anachronism]

In theory, this is true. The reality, unfortunately, is that Steam's offline mode is an absolute joke that barely even works at all. Consider this: when my internet went down one time, I tried to open up Steam to play some games. I was told that Steam (obviously) couldn't connect to the network and that I had the choice of quitting or starting in offline mode. But when I clicked to start in offline mode, Steam told me that it couldn't do this because it couldn't connect to the network.

The problem is that you need to plan in advance to use offline mode, telling Steam to restart in offline mode when you have it open and are presumably connected. What is the bloody point in an offline mode which you need to be online in order to be able to use it?

That would be a good point....if it wasn't completely and utterly untrue.

Just to prove a point, I read your post and then pulled out my USB wireless dongle. My computer then told me that I had no internet connection, as confirmed by the fact that I was cradling the one thing that could connect it in the palm of my hand. I then loaded up steam, clicked "restart in offline mode" and then tried running games. Bioshock, FTL, Spec Ops: The Line and XCOM: Enemy Unknown all ran without a hitch. So your claim that Steam's offline mode is somehow "broken" is absolutely false.

I won't say that you didn't have problems on your own computer; I wouldn't know. But your claim that steam's offline mode is somehow broken entirely is demonstrably false.

If the offline mode doesn't work for me, I think it's only natural that I'd say it doesn't work. The even weirder thing about it is that, if I have an internet connection, open Steam, and then the connection dies, I can still use Steam perfectly fine and restart it in offline mode, which seems to be the scenario you're describing. But if I turn my computer on, there is no internet then, and I try to open Steam in offline mode, it doesn't work.

I'm not denying that it's possible to get it working offline, even if it is much more of a faff than it should be, but I think dismissing my point as "completely and utterly untrue" is a little unfair. If it doesn't work on my computer, then it doesn't work as far as I'm concerned.

 

[DoPo]

Digital Rights Management - that's what it stands for, it's a facility (or set of facilities) for securing and making sure access and restrictions to the use of digital goods as according to the license agreement. How is that automatically bad is beyond me.

The reason its considered bad is because it limits what you are allowed to do as an end user, restricting your rights to first sale doctrine and the like.

But for some reason all and any form of DRM is automatically considered bad. As I said, CD keys - that's DRM. Until a few years ago nobody hated that. Copy protected disks, too - that's DRM, I don't think I've heard people complain of it. I think that some of the stern opponents of DRM don't even know what DRM is only that it's "bad"[footnote]And let me clarify, others know fully well what it is and they still want to have nothing to do with it. I understand and I respect their position, it's ignorance and blind faith that annoys me.[/footnote]. Well, yeah, it can be, but also it can be quite lenient. When you don't notice it, that's when you know it works.

 

[Dragonbums]

Anyway, my question to The Escapist is thus: how does Steam employ DRM, and how/why is that a bad thing?[footnote]I know that DRM is bad. I just want to know specifically about Steam.[/footnote]

You are required to use Steam to launch your games and Steam is responsible for making sure you are authorised to play the game. Pretty simple really. Also, I've got no clue why "DRM IS TEH BADZ" is always thrown around. Digital Rights Management - that's what it stands for, it's a facility (or set of facilities) for securing and making sure access and restrictions to the use of digital goods as according to the license agreement. How is that automatically bad is beyond me. CD key input is also a form of DRM. Quick, hide under the bed now! Because...you...have to type some numbers and letters. Yeah. And that's bad. Definitely bad. Somehow.

Actually...you don't need Steam to launch your games. Because that would mean it would be an "always online" kind of thing. When you purchase a game through Steam, it uploads everything onto your hard drive.
I remember my cousin's internet didn't work for a week, and I was still able to play Skyrim despite Steam not being able to connect to the internet. Once I was able to again, it simply asked me if I wanted to over ride my game save with Steams's files or my computer hard drive files.

 

[DoPo]

Anyway, my question to The Escapist is thus: how does Steam employ DRM, and how/why is that a bad thing?[footnote]I know that DRM is bad. I just want to know specifically about Steam.[/footnote]

You are required to use Steam to launch your games and Steam is responsible for making sure you are authorised to play the game. Pretty simple really. Also, I've got no clue why "DRM IS TEH BADZ" is always thrown around. Digital Rights Management - that's what it stands for, it's a facility (or set of facilities) for securing and making sure access and restrictions to the use of digital goods as according to the license agreement. How is that automatically bad is beyond me. CD key input is also a form of DRM. Quick, hide under the bed now! Because...you...have to type some numbers and letters. Yeah. And that's bad. Definitely bad. Somehow.

Actually...you don't need Steam to launch your games. Because that would mean it would be an "always online" kind of thing. When you purchase a game through Steam, it uploads everything onto your hard drive.
I remember my cousin's internet didn't work for a week, and I was still able to play Skyrim despite Steam not being able to connect to the internet. Once I was able to again, it simply asked me if I wanted to over ride my game save with Steams's files or my computer hard drive files.

You do need Steam. Well, for most games, if we have to be correct, not all (some can be launched from the .exe normally - either through omission or intention), but you need Steam running for the game to launch for the rest. That doesn't mean "always online", though, I don't know where you got that from - "Steam running" means "Steam running", you can have it in offline mode. The credentials and needed user info are encrypted and saved on your machine - in the ClientRegistry.blob file in the main Steam directory, that's what Steam uses to "authenticate" when offline. If you delete/rename, you'd get Steam asking to connect online at which point it's recreated.

CAPTCHA: know your paradoxes