Software Big Brother

OK I dont know if this belongs here, but if it doesnt then someone can move it right ?

I recently purchased Half Life 2, and I found out that when I went to play it, that you have to register the software, which is fair enough....However until your registation has been checked and sorted, you can not play this game....

Is it me or is this the start of a Big Brother type enviroment for the gaming and software world....I believe that if more games head over to this form of sercurity then companies might start to see a fall in their sales, as people start to become inpatiant of waiting.

Just wondering if anyone has anything to say on the matter ?

It is probably an anti-piracy scheme.

// k

Call me a lil suspicous, but this is very strange. I never give out my personal details online to any website or even store them on my computer, im very carefull about it. This has now put me and a few of my friend off ever buying the game, im not saying theres anthing wrong, but Id rather not have to give my details out to any company I dont know or trust unless for a very good reason. So what is the reason they give for this????????

Originally posted by radiant_obsidian
Call me a lil suspicous, but this is very strange. I never give out my personal details online to any website or even store them on my computer, im very carefull about it. This has now put me and a few of my friend off ever buying the game, im not saying theres anthing wrong, but Id rather not have to give my details out to any company I dont know or trust unless for a very good reason. So what is the reason they give for this????????

He is talking about registering the product, not giving out personal information. It could help stop piracy, but it won't fully stop it. I doubt that even 1% of software piracy will be lowered due to the methods they use.

The gathering of information from registration isn't that bad. Downloading Kaaza is the worst thing you can do if you want privacy.

its just the begining they will control us all soon very very soon

This has nothing to do with "big brother" it has to do with copy rights.

Registration is to prevent pirating the game from the CDs. Plain and simple, its a company protecting thier profits.

The same thing goes for RFID chips. They are both tools to run a company, one if copy right control, one is inventory control. I activly pushed for both before, in two different companies.

I never register any products, because it generates junk mail/email & spam. I suppose if I had too I'd just make up fake data.

They have always used some kind of anti-piracy ever since there were PC games.

I have Halo & I was very annoyed that I had to put the CD in everytime I wanted to play. So, I went to a game site that explained how to defeat that & made it so I don't have to do CD swapping & searching at midnight when I feel like playing. I own the game & I'm not a pirate, I just don't like to jump through hoops everytime I want to play.

In the past when you had 20-30 games to choose from that were all about the same, we would by the ones that didn't have all the copy protection because it became such a hassle to play.

Problem is now there's the super titles that you have to have & so they can get away with all that crap. I don't blame them, hell they have to make a living. It's the guys that go out & make copies for resale that really forces them to do this.

Originally posted by Quest
This has nothing to do with "big brother" it has to do with copy rights.

Yeah, I was kinda of hoping there was some dll that he was going to tell us about that the government made microsoft include with the O/S and records mic/camera/keyboard data or some such conspiracy.

Actually the software companies that really bother me are the ones that add spyware to your PC when you just shelled out a couple hundred bucks for the software.

[edit on 16-11-2004 by outsider]