At the tail end of last year, my lovely friend Blair wrote a series of articles titled ‘Disconnected’ about his experiences without network access since he started university. He wasn’t the only one of us on the staff suffering though – I also started university in York last September, and in doing so lost access to the PSN amongst others. On Thursday, a (hopefully) lovely man from BT is coming to install a phone line so that I can get the internet all set up at my new house, unlimited downloads and all.
Not having access to online multiplayer wasn’t actually too much of an issue to me – the last three games I really got dug into online were Uncharted 2, Killzone 2 and MAG, and most of my friends had moved on from those by the time September rolled around – but I did get a pretty rare perspective for a relatively heavy gamer in this day and age; what it’s like to be a gamer without access to online passes, day-one patches and on-disk DLC.
Although I’m not a particularly heavy online gamer, recent trends have made it very difficult to avoid the network completely. I can’t play most of my Ubisoft PC games because they won’t launch without querying their DRM servers, even though they’ve all been purchased through Steam. Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit tells me twice when I launch, and on every loading and menu screen, that it can’t connect to Autolog. StarCraft II helpfully offers me the option to play as a guest and start from the beginning again every time I boot it up.
I can’t even play any of my PlayStation Plus downloads on my PSP because I can’t set the console’s time and date via the internet. In trying to integrate social networks left, right and center, and lock down their games as much as possible, the people who make the games we play are making it more infuriating to do so by the day.
[drop2]Here at TSA, I can be pretty sure that most of the staff and membership have a decent internet connection, a good number likely have a PSN or Xbox Live account, with a fair amount of those on Plus or Gold. However, in the rest of the world (those happy with their SingStar and Dance Central when friends are over, or who only boot up their consoles once or twice a year), that’s not the norm.The longer I spent offline, and the more games that were metaphorically punching me in the face for god forbid trying to play my legally-owned, purchased-as-new games. Because its not just people like me with restrictive firewalls that get treated this way, but a good amount of the new-to-gaming population that the platform holders love to brag about recruiting to their particular sides of the fence too.
There’s no other industry that treats its users this way. No one that buys a new Blu-ray on release has to make sure their player is connected to the internet, validate their disk, then enter a twelve-digit passcode to unlock the second half of the movie. Even people that download their music from iTunes can play it offline or even on another company’s device!
But its not just the anti-DRM measures that you notice when you’re offline for a while. Not long before coming away to university I upgraded my PS3’s internal hard drive so I could keep more installs and PSN games on there at the same time, but I didn’t bother to transfer over installs and patches. This turned out to be not such a great idea when I realised just how many of the games in my collection ship in a half-complete or buggy state with a patch being released in the first week or so to deal with any issues that crop up.
Sure, that’s great for us and the always-connected hardcore, but not for those who pop down to GAME once in a while for something to play on a rainy weekend. Heavy Rain froze up on me so many times that I gave up trying to play through it again, and don’t even get me started on the hellhole that is a non-patched version of Fallout 3.
The fact is Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, EA and the others are all to quick to celebrate massive sales figures, expansions into new territories, and having finally conquered that crucial casual market. But the game that a lot of those people are playing – a game they’ve played the same (if not more in the case of our GAME-visiting metaphor man) for as we have – could be buggy beyond belief, missing half its features, and might not even activate in the first place. If developers, publishers and platform holders really want to celebrate how inclusive this new golden age of gaming is, they need to take a long hard look at exactly what state their games ship in.
cc_star
Great stuff, pretty sure some developers aren’t entirely happy with this situation either, but whilst the money men; Sony, EA etc are driving gaming in this direction then nothing will change.
Grabacr
Funny that you do the xbox fanboyish thing (as usual) and say sony and EA. Why not MS and Activision? Afterall, Live and CoD are driving games towards being online first or online only.
yogdog
Wouldn’t have worded it like that, but he has a point. You always put the hate onto Sony and EA, CC, when the other companies are just the same.
Mind you, at least Activision haven’t turned to online passes yet, big respect to them for that. Off topic though.
cc_star
WTF dude????
I don’t even own an Xbox, get over youself.
Did you really want me to detail every single publisher whilst on my phone, that’s what the ‘ect.’ is for, seriously???
nemesisND1derboy
I think his wording is a bit strong, but in fairness you can be a bit contrarian mate. It’s not fanboyism, that’s too strong a word, but I would say you are a tad contrarian.
yogdog
I am over myself, all I’m saying is, you’ve been quick to criticise Sony or EA for something on other articles, MS and Activision are just the same.
Btw dude, I never called you an xbox fanboy or anything, hence me adding that I wouldn’t have worded my reply like the person before me.
Sorry if I offended you, just wanted to point that out :)
teflon
@nemesis: Is it contrarian of him to agree with the article? :P
nemesisND1derboy
I’m not talking about this situation specifically, I’m merely wording what Grabacr said in a less confrontational way, because I know what he is trying to say, although he could have worded it less offensively.
cc_star
@yd, my reply wasn’t too you, but too the original reply, and as for anything else you or anyone else is going to chime in with…
I was on my phone at the time so made a quick comment, listed a couple of publishers with short names, because I’m lazy like that & put an etc to signify “and the rest”
If you really want to hear me smacktalk publishers than you should check out any of my comments on Rockstar, Bethesda & plenty others including but not limited to (for fear of offending the incredibly sensitive souls that reside in comments sections) Acti, MS, Ubi, Capcom & Disney
Still, people read what they want to read… good luck one & all
C_S15
Funny you should suggest Microsoft and Activision when they’re pretty much the last 2 publishers NOT using online passes. Also, just because you don’t agree with someone’s PoV, doesn’t mean they’re a fanboy. Nob.
Crocadillian
Why are you guys trying to convict cc of something? He just made a comment and you tried to find some malevolent intent. Don’t find a problem unless there actually is one and not judge someome please :l
Origami Killer
I really don’t see what this argument is about…it’s tedious. CC_Star says Sony, EA *etc*, they are the two with online passes so I understand why he has said those two first
BIGAL-1992
I have to agree with origami about this, the above argument is pointless to an extent. CC put in the ect to list other publishers. I don’t see why it was taken as a pot shot at just EA and sony.
yogdog
I have a point, but not gonna explain it because, as you guys say, the arguments a bit pointless.
Apologies CC.
skibadee
but Activision charge 44.99 for cod but that is ok lol rather a online pass any day.
Radiitz
Ever noticed how these days people always use the “I was typing this through my phone!!!” excuse whenever they get pulled for something they said?
Sad Panda
Bravo. This is an incredibly accurate account of the way I feel about the worrying trend of current gen gaming.
I detest the enforced social networking crap, pushed into our faces at every turn. The trend of releasing unfinished games to meet release targets is plain wrong. Most games nowadays have day one patches. If the game isn’t ready, it shouldn’t be released, simple as.
It really enrages me that people who buy games new are punished if they need to be used on more than one profile, or short changed if they can’t get online. People on a budget are vilified for buying pre owned games by perfectly legal means. Meanwhile pirates can get round DRM anyway and they aren’t paying for a game so an online pass is peanuts.
People will only put up with so much and I cannot see the business sense in alienating a significant percentage of your customer base, especially those that are actually contributing to your bottom line.
bunimomike
Same here, SP. I think I’ve managed to catch nearly all of Josh’s articles and, for me, it’s his finest. It’s a succinct observation of a trend that’s really starting to harm us enjoying our games. This isn’t about prices going up or hardware being phased in or out. This is about control to such a degree that it’s having a detrimental affect on the gamers themselves. We saw this when Sony’s PSN went down. We see it when Steam is buckling under the load. Ultimate control will be when they have everything digitally distributed but until they can provide something that actually looks after the consumer too, then I will be here, vocal and thoroughly pissed off with how they think they can do this. If you break my hobby, I’ll go elsewhere. It’s already started to happen (for me).
Publishers, devs, console manufacturers – take note. We’re in the infancy of this problem and it can be nipped in the bud quite easily but only if you look to a more consumer-focussed solution.
themanlikedave
Couldn’t agree more, in fact is go further and say its a bloody liberty. I’m fed up with putting a game in my deck on please day and having to wait for an update, I work in the car trade and we couldn’t dream of telling a customer ‘your cars outside, we’ll send the brakes on in a months time okay?’.
No other industry does this. It’s not on and it needs to stop.
themanlikedave
*release day
TSBonyman
Great article Josh. couldn’t have said it any better.
Crocadillian
This lack of respect and thought for the consumer is what has completely driven me away from console games and certain publishers. I don’t trust that MY purchase will be secure, so to speak if I buy a game. I feel I am now solely a PC gamer because of this, i’m just buying content from Good Old Games and Steam now (while avoiding all games from EA and Ubisoft of course).
This is just going to make honest customers more willing to pirate out of frustration, as a game might be made more accessible through pirating then buying it. This tactic I am sure will fail on them eventually, as with the many game developers and platforms that exist, there are enough alternatives for people to avoid these systems in the future.
And publishers LOVE their profit margins, sales figures and financial forecasts… :l
Darth Newdar
Great article, I totally agree with you.
Also, my eagle-proofreading-eye spotted this: “a game they’ve played the same (if not more in the case of our GAME-visiting metaphor man) for as we have…” I think you mean “paid”, not “played” (fourth word).
Foxhound_Solid
Great read, gaming is evolving. Keep the faith as in the end it will all come good. Im sure of it…..
OneShotWook
Have to agree Foxhound and it’s not like i can shoot my neighbor in the face anywhere else.
Geffdof23
“god forbid trying to play my legally-owned, purchased-as-new games.”
It really annoys me when legal content is so difficult. Its like the ads you get on a DVD that you often cant skip telling you not to buy illegal films. I didnt. They dont need to tell me.
The irony is that pirate copies dont show those adverts either. So stupid.
jayjay119
I know! Off the main topic but, whilst we’re meandering: the adverts that they put on in the cinema, during the previews telling you to go to the cinema to watch movies and not watch online really annoy me. They’re only on in the cinema, how else do you think people are gonna see them? And the people seeing them clearly aren’t your intended audience anyway! So irritating. Anyway, carry on.
wonkey-willy
if it helps guys ..i’ve got a wonkey willy?
OneShotWook
Left,right or a Clinton?