If Only Ignoring Pirates Made Them Go Away

I’m sure they’re not unique in their philosophy, but StarDock games is a terrific example of a company which has taken the high road in the battle against software piracy. In principal, the company believes that if someone would steal/pirate their software, that person would not have likely bought it anyway if piracy wasn’t an option. To that end, the company stands against putting DRM measures - which they feel only serve to detract from the experience of legitimate customers - into its products.

The bet seems to have worked. Their newest title, Demigod, was last week’s #3 top selling PC game. [http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=23381] I haven’t tried Demigod, but I have a (legally purchased) copy of their Galactic Civilizations 2 title. It is refreshing to play a game whose developers have obviously focused on the software rather than on its protection.

As a software developer, I understand why companies would want to take steps to prevent piracy. It is a lot of work to develop software (and a lot MORE work to develop good software). $60 for a title that cost thousands of dollars to produce doesn’t sound like a bad deal to me.

As a software end-user, I hate EULAs, dongles and CD verification. After spending my hard-earned money on a game or application I don’t want to be made to feel like a thief; just let me use the thing. Let me install my game to my hard drive and put the CD somewhere safe.