Protection or simply inconvenience to buyers

Are PC games protection systems really protection systems or simply an inconvenience to buyers? We will explore that in this post.

What does a protection system really mean

Here we list a number of inconvenient steps that one has to play a game on a PC

1. Install a game
2. Enter a CD-key (most effective and one time effort)
3. - Insert a CD/DVD everytime you play to verify the CD (needs changing CDs often)
4. - Verify your copy on the internet (game throws out invalid authentication and you are screwed, user has max the number of activations allowed)
5. - Perodically check whether your copy is a original one (You have already paid and you are still treated like a criminal)
6. -- Content protection system does not work in new OS (You can kiss the game bye-bye)
   

Whereas what a pirate needs to do

1. Install a game
2. Enter a CD-key
3. + Use CD-images or cracks to play the game (a few clicks and your game is completely free to play)
   
4. ++ Plays on newer OS without issues without the protection system (the person with the original is screwed as compared to the pirate)
   

Availability of cracks (does it even stop real pirates?)

When most game protections are cracked within days of the game's release (or even before the game is released), it will bring the point that protection systems does not really help deter the pirates.

At this point, the user of the original copy can either opt to continue to be inconvenient by the protection or to simply join the pirated group in using a cracked copy with the ease-of-access, which at this point the protection system is simply a dummy software.

Worse is that when legitimate customers are the ones that fail to play the games whereas the pirates can simply play it. This happened multiple times in the past, one prime example is the PC version of Bioshock where people face offlined activation servers to activation problems, which plagued the game so much that sales of the game was hampered.

Stops casual copying

There is the arguement that such protections stop casual copying for your friend, but the truth is that there is at least a purchase involved as compared to the people who did not even purchase a copy of the game at all. This means that a greater importance is placed on restricting your rights as compared to the ones who simply gets a better copy.

Fend off copiers for the first month

There is also the arguement that protection systems is to try and fend pirates off through as much as possible of the all-important first month, where the longer the pirates cannot access is the higher the chances that they will buy the game. However, history to date indicates that such protection typically do not last and many people are simply turned away from the game totally.

Removal of content protection systems

There are only a few games that have removed the protection system with patches after a certain length of time has passed (also at a point in which the protection system typically serves no more useful purpose). However, games that do this are few and far-in-between.

Types of people

• People who buys the game
• People who try out a game before buying
• People who will buy the game if it is convenient
• People who will not buy the game and plays on a pirate copy
• People who will not buy the game and thus not play

The first 3 groups are the real customers that companies should be targetting, however it is these 3 groups that are hurt most by the protection system.

A better system

Should one restrict their customers (treat customers as criminals) or reward their customers for their purchases (treat customers as valued people)?

I think the answer is clear for the customers...

History of PC gaming protections

From shareware

The early PC games on DOS (and even some preceding ones) are typically shareware programs released with a demo. If a person likes the game, he will order or buy the game with the full content. Some of such games are released with a manual and an "interactive mini-game" that requires you to locate the symbol or word on line X of page Y before the game can be played.

For pirates, effort is spent on reproducing the manual which is typically more carefully protected by means of special ink or features that reduce the ability to duplicate the manual, and thus the game.

Towards CD-ROMs

As the dawn of CD-ROMs with higher capacity also comes with a new way of approaching content protection. Typically, the disc will need to be inserted and verified before the game can be played. While it might be more convenient, it also causes problems of hardware and disc problems that is caused by the early hardware issues. Due to the costs of early burners (CD writers), the ability to reproduce the game is limited. It is also in these times that shareware compilations of games are the bigger sellers.

Software based protections

The next evolving steps of CD protection are the ones that try to prevent copying actively (due to the falling price of CD burners). These employ the use of software like Safedisc, SecuROM, Starforce, Tages which through the use of various uncopyable or difficult-to-copy features to prevent the average CD readers and burners to copy these. In addition, these copy protections typically do not go well till the advert of RAW-mode CD copying.

This type of protection is also the ones that starts to go wrong by using closed and proprietary channels to verify the CD. Problems start appearing when new Operating Systems are used that does not allow such operations and thus lock out the entire game.

• Vista's UAC will cause compatiblity issues with certain CD protections
• Invalid system calls might cause BSOD (blue screen of death)
• Effectively locks out your game if developer does not release updates, or if there is no crack
  

Online authenication

CD-keys are the most effective way of copy-protection ever used, and is especially effective when paired with online components which verifies the validity of the key. Even till today, this remains the most effective way of protecting a game from playing online and is still actively used in PC games.

Activation systems

Games that attempt to have to activate to play the game are the ones that everyone faces problems with. With mandatory activations per X days, games have taken activations to whole new levels that will lock out a PC without access to the internet. In addition, such DRM systems can limit activations to Y number of installs and thus render your new system incapable of operating the game that you own.

External link

There is a article about PC game's history at 1Up, where you can also see the stages of PC gaming and also a little bit about gaming protection systems.