Since the launch of Spore in early September, there has been a lot of hubbub in certain sticky circles of the World Wide Interweb concerning SecuROM. This latest variety of Digital Rights Management (or DRM) used by computer game publishers and developers, helps protect their product from would-be thieves. Brian Crecente of Kotaku has an interesting take on the subject.

Mr. Crecente addresses an audience made up entirely of gamers, most of whom are between the ages of fourteen and twenty-eight. What are the consequences of such stringent DRM on computer game sales? His point is, DRM will negatively affect product sales because consumers expect to use their purchased product however they’d like. Despite publishers’ attempts at loosening the terms of DRM, users are still paying money for a product that they don’t entirely own. Yes, SecuROM and other devices fill a needed role, but a line has to be drawn somewhere.

Brian’s use of satire is effective: of course we don’t expect a book publisher to watch us, making sure that we don’t share a novel with our friends — why should a game publisher do the same? The comparison is ridiculous enough to make us wonder exactly what the gaming industry is thinking. Contrasting books with software is analogous to comparing apples to oranges, nonetheless. The satire is ridiculous, sure, but isn’t alone enough to sway the audience.

However, he does not go so far as to say that DRM as a concept is misguided, rather that the gaming industry and consumers have to find some middle ground. By offering an example of a working model (Valve’s Steam), he gives the audience an idea, or direction of where they ought to head. Ultimately, his argument is effective, in that we see a way to satiate all parties.

I am going to be working on adding Google Adsense stuff to the site. There may be intermittent ups and downs — I’m not code savvy, yet.

I have hesitated putting this particular comic online. It was one of the first drawings I ever did, well before I had established any sort of regular routine or technique in drawing EW. I had a vision of him visiting various places, the zoo included. I wasn’t doing much in the way of layering at first, and you can really see it here with this panel. The result I did not and still do not especially enjoy. I hate it, to be frank.

Ultimately, I decided that I ought I ought to show everything — not just my favorite drawings. From time to time, I plan to publish scans of my various doodles and sketches, most of which I’ve done during various classes or while I’m at church. I hope you don’t mind.

I’m really enjoying the current presidential storyline over at Ugly Hill. Man, I’m jealous of his coloring.