The last few weeks, I've been buying tons of games off of GOG instead of Steam. One reason is just because I like older games which they specialize in, but another is because the service provides DRM-free copies for almost all of their games that you purchase. I've been spreading the word about GOG as someone who's had an account for like 10 years on there so more people are aware of the positives of their service, but I've hit a major roadblock: nobody knows what DRM is!
This was pretty shocking to me. I know I live in a bit of a bubble, using GNU/Linux all the time and talking about tiling window managers and whatnot, but I thought DRM was a pretty common idea. Apparently not so much.
DRM, for those that don't know, is Digital Rights Management. It's anything that tries to control how you use, distribute, or modify a copy of software on a computer. In essence, it's the antithesis to libre software, and the Free Software Foundation has had a campaign for years called Defective by Design trying to get people to fight back against DRM. Some common examples of DRM are single-player games requiring your purchase to be authenticated over the internet in order to play every time you start it, encryption used on Blu-ray discs that keeps you from copying the movie or TV show to a computer or another disc, or the Netflix app giving a black window whenever you try to take a screenshot or record the screen. DRM is literally everywhere, and especially in games it's a rarity for modern games to be released without DRM. It's so ubiquitous, in fact, that I think most people don't even consider that there could be an alternative.
But why does this matter to Joe Schmoe who just wants to play video games? Because DRM rots. All these systems that require authentication with a server on the internet stop working if the company goes under or they just don't want to support the game anymore. In fact, it can be more profitable for companies to make their older games inaccessible so you pay premium for their DLC-laden new games that are basically the same as their older ones, just with more monetization. There's an initiative across the globe right now called Stop Killing Games with the sole goal of making sure this doesn't happen, and it's garnered widespread support. The situation is getting so bad that games bought 15 years ago on physical media aren't even playable anymore, like PC copies of Fable III.
And that's what's great about GOG. Every game you purchase on GOG, you can download a copy of the game as an offline installer that you can move between computers, share with friends, or archive on a hard drive. Whenever you want to play the game, you just copy the installer onto a new computer and run it. No updates, internet connection, account activation, or CD key required. In the world of always-online validated Steam games everywhere, it's a surprisingly freeing experience to be able to just install and play a game without having to worry about forgetting a password or whatever other roadblocks are put in place between you and the game. GOG has a launcher called GOG Galaxy, but this complements the offline installers instead of trying to replace or control them; if you install a game with the offline installer, GOG Galaxy will detect your installation and update it if there are updates available, otherwise it just works as a nice frontend to access your installed games without rooting around in your Program Files folder or searching a sea of desktop shortcuts.
I won't get into these other topics in too much depth (as I'm not an expert here), but DRM has had impacts not just for people's entertainment but also for their jobs. DRM crosses over into the world of Right to Repair often, which is a movement to allow people the right to replacement parts and technical manuals required to make repairs to purchased equipment, such as farming equipment like John Deere tractors. Right now, if you for instance have an issue with your Tesla car, you can only get service from Tesla themselves because of multiple layers of "protection" against outside repairs. These affect real people trying to live normal lives, not just Linux dudes with too much time on their hands trying to get a good copy of Heroes of Might and Magic III.
So, DRM is a real thing, and it's something you should consider when you purchase or subscribe to a digital product. Ask yourself this: if you wanted to use this software 10 years from now, would you be able to? With libre software, the answer is always yes. With proprietary software like modern AAA videogames, the answer is often no.
Do your part, and buy the games you can from GOG to show that you want more games with less DRM. That's all I have to say.
February 13, 2025.