Mass Effect PC – Is Piracy The Better Choice?

FastSilicon.com has published a new article that weighs the pros and cons behind BioWare’s decision to require online activation every ten days in order to play Mass Effect on the PC.

Mass Effect PC will require an online connected activation courtesy of SecureRom servers every ten days. Apparently, for forever. Now, while it’s clear Bioware and EA will go out of it’s way to insure they avoid the activation debacle that hounded releases like Bioshock, it is also clear that when you purchase games these days you’re not actually buying a consumable product that you “own” in the sense that you own a towel or a pair of shoes.

As a result, there is a philosophical firestorm brewing on Bioware’s forums. At least there was, until the forum thread was locked. All in all, we really don’t blame Bioware’s forum moderators for locking the thread. The issues at hand are quite easy to decipher without having to read 13 pages of angry rant.

EA/Bioware’s philosophy is an understandable if flawed one in our view. They have a product that cost significant time, effort, and capital to develop. They have an ethical obligation to their company and it’s shareholders to protect that asset. What seems to have fallen through the cracks here, is customer-centric thinking along with a realistic appraisal of what does and does not work.

The endless debate continues.