Jimquisition: You Should Be Mad at Diablo III's Always Online DRM

[Jimothy Sterling]

You Should Be Mad at Diablo III's Always Online DRM

If you're paying upwards of $60 dollars for a game that you can't play when you choose to play it and you aren't complaining, you're contributing to the biggest problems that faces the game industry. This week, the Jimquisition explains why you should be upset about Diablo III's always online DRM.

Watch Video

 

[Qitz]

OBVIOUSLY, it's a necessary evil to keep that there evil chinamen, pinko commie, evil gold out of our upright just games. Or you're just Entitled.

I will say it's a neat idea to have a "one click join" style multiplayer but still pretty shit to shut down everything about the game because of something out of our control. Surprised you didn't bring up the whole "Well it works fine for me so it's on you're end obviously" response people like to trot out.

Though really, that was just Blizzard making you face down an epic ass boss known simply as Error 37.

 

[Something Amyss]

Yes, thank you Jim. I hate people saying that entitlement is a problem in these cases. When you buy a game, you are entitled to play it.

 

[Racecarlock]

You're right, jim, as always. I don't have to be online to play any of my xbox 360 games. Or any of my PS2 games. Or most of my PC games for that matter. I'm not a diablo fan, so I haven't played any diablo games, nor do I have 3. But if I did, you bet your ass I would be pissed.

 

[RatRace123]

I found it kind of unintentionally funny that the ad I saw before this video was one for Diablo 3.

And yes, people should indeed be pissed off about this. Hell, I don't even own the game and I'm pissed off about it because it sets a precedent, if people are willing to put up with the publishers pulling this crap then it means that they're just gonna keep doing it.

And this type of DRM doesn't work. It doesn't stop cheaters and pirates who will circumvent every obstacle put in their path, the only thing it does is screw over the paying consumers who may decide to join the crowd of cheaters and pirates just because they might not have to deal with that stuff.

 

[templar1138a]

I'm mostly in agreement.

However, some of the "You're Allowed to Be Entitled" argument loses its merit when the players KNEW that being connected - even for single player - was a requirement WELL in advance of the game's release.

A bigger message would have been sent if the people who are complaining now hadn't bought the game in the first place. That's really the root of the "Just eat the shit" argument. They paid for it knowingly. They made their bed, so they have to lie in it.

That's part of why I didn't buy the game at all. Mostly I didn't buy it because I don't care about the Diablo games anymore (wasn't really a big fan to begin with). But if the same DRM were to be put in place for, say, the next Mass Effect or Dragon Age game (both are series I friggin' love to the shut-up-and-take-my-money extent), then I'd boycott those games too. It'd pain me, but I wouldn't want the developers to kick me around, and if enough people boycotted the games, it'd send more of a message to the developer than complaining that you're entitled to not have to put up with a DRM you KNEW about when you bought the game ever will.

Because at the end of the day, they still have YOUR money, which is all they wanted in the first place. Companies pay attention to money flow, not blogs.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

I kept expecting the Facehugger to play into all that somehow.

 

[loa]

OT: Looking forward to the arguments used to justify why you can't use a game you paid for when you bought it. Should be good.

The "it's an online game, not an offline game because it requires you to be online" argument is quite popular to justify this.
It is also circular logic at its finest.

 

[jehk]

D3 doesn't have anymore DRM than WoW. Calling it DRM is either dishonest or ignorant on your part.

 

[Finalz]

Always Online DRM is the only reason I did not buy Diablo 3. And I am proud of my stance before I even watched this.

 

[getoffmycloud]

I'm mostly in agreement.

However, some of the "You're Allowed to Be Entitled" argument loses its merit when the players KNEW that being connected - even for single player - was a requirement WELL in advance of the game's release.

A bigger message would have been sent if the people who are complaining now hadn't bought the game in the first place. That's really the root of the "Just eat the shit" argument. They paid for it knowingly. They made their bed, so they have to lie in it.

That's part of why I didn't buy the game at all. Mostly I didn't buy it because I don't care about the Diablo games anymore (wasn't really a big fan to begin with). But if the same DRM were to be put in place for, say, the next Mass Effect or Dragon Age game (both are series I friggin' love to the shut-up-and-take-my-money extent), then I'd boycott those games too. It'd pain me, but I wouldn't want the developers to kick me around, and if enough people boycotted the games, it'd send more of a message to the developer than complaining that you're entitled to not have to put up with a DRM you KNEW about when you bought the game ever will.

Because at the end of the day, they still have YOUR money, which is all they wanted in the first place. Companies pay attention to money flow, not blogs.

As much I as agree this situation is complete bullshit I can't help but agree with this Blizzard pretty much showed us the shit before release and people still went ahead and ate it.

If they hadn't said that being always on is a requirement then this would be a fair enough argument that I would support but I don't even care about Diablo 3 and I knew the servers would fail at launch.

 

[Fearzone]

Between this and the Dragon's Dogma review, you made my morning.

 

[TheScottishFella]

D3 doesn't have anymore DRM than WoW. Calling it DRM is either dishonest or ignorant on your part.

Actually it is, here's a quote of what DRM is:

"Typically, a DRM system protects intellectual property by either encrypting the data so that it can only be accessed by authorized users or marking the content with a digital watermark or similar method so that the content can not be freely distributed."

Thank you for spreading your ignorance on this forum.

 

[Aircross]

This is an age where companies have more power than the consumers.

It should be the other way around.

Blizzard created their own problem with the real money auction house and the players are paying for it.

Yo dawgs, I heard Activision Blizzard likes to make money, so they're putting in a policy where they get a percentage of sales from the auction house so they can make money off the auction house while their consumers make money off the auction house.