**The Power of Consumers: How Gamers Can Influence Corporate Decisions**

As a PC gamer, I've always been passionate about exploring new gaming consoles and staying up-to-date with the latest trends in the industry. However, my experiences with console DRM policies have led me to speak out against them, and I'm thrilled to say that our collective voice has made a significant impact on corporate decisions.

In recent months, gamers like myself have been vocal about their discontent with console DRM policies, particularly those implemented by Xbox and PlayStation. While some may think that consoles are separate entities from PC gaming, the reality is that we're all connected through our love of gaming. And as consumers, we hold the power to shape the direction of these companies.

Microsoft's recent decision to reconsider its DRM policy is a prime example of this power in action. The company initially implemented strict DRM measures on its Xbox One console, which sparked widespread criticism from gamers and critics alike. However, when faced with a united front of consumer dissatisfaction, Microsoft was forced to reevaluate its approach. This outcome may seem insignificant to some, but it's a testament to the impact that our collective voice can have on corporate decision-making.

**The Reality of Console DRM Policies**

As a PC gamer, I'm all too familiar with the restrictive nature of console DRM policies. On my Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles, I've experienced firsthand the frustration of having games locked to specific accounts or region-locked to prevent sharing. These policies are designed to prevent piracy, but they often have the opposite effect, limiting our ability to play games we purchase.

While these restrictions may seem minor compared to the more egregious examples of DRM seen in PC gaming (such as the infamous Steam's "Anti-Cheat" system), they still represent a significant infringement on our consumer rights. As gamers, we expect to be able to share and play games we've purchased with friends and family, without restriction.

**The Impact of Consumer Pressure**

Microsoft's decision to reconsider its DRM policy is a direct result of the pressure from consumers like myself. By speaking out against these policies and sharing our experiences on social media, we've created a vocal minority that couldn't be ignored. This phenomenon is not unique to Microsoft; Sony also faced significant backlash after initiating its own DRM policy for the PlayStation 4.

The outcome of this consumer-driven movement has been nothing short of remarkable. Not only did Microsoft reverse its initial stance on console DRM policies, but we've also seen a ripple effect in the gaming industry as a whole. Companies like Valve have taken note of our concerns and are now exploring ways to introduce more flexible and user-friendly DRM systems.

**The Future of Gaming: A More Consumer-Friendly Approach**

As gamers, we're not just demanding changes to existing policies; we're pushing for a new approach to game development that prioritizes consumer freedom. The emergence of open-source gaming platforms like Steam Workshop and the rise of indie developers who prioritize player choice are testaments to this shift.

Valve's recent announcement that they'll be introducing more flexible DRM policies on their platform is a significant step in the right direction. By allowing users to share games between Steam libraries, Valve is acknowledging the importance of consumer freedom and giving us the power to choose how we play our games.

This movement isn't limited to just console gaming; it's a broader reflection of our desire for more control over the games we play. As gamers, we're not just demanding changes to existing policies; we're pushing for a new approach to game development that prioritizes player choice and freedom.

**The Real Impact of Consumer Power**

Don Matrick, Microsoft's head of corporate affairs, acknowledged in an interview that his company considered the impact of its DRM policy on a global scale. However, it was the collective voice of gamers like ourselves that ultimately led to this change. This outcome is a testament to the power of consumer pressure and demonstrates that we, as gamers, are not just passive consumers but active participants in shaping the gaming industry.

The fact that we were able to move a mountain – or at least make Microsoft reconsider its policy – is a significant victory for gamers around the world. It shows us that our collective voice can have a tangible impact on corporate decision-making and that we should never underestimate the power of standing together as consumers.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enso apparently today microsoft has decided to kind of rethink and take a few steps back regarding their internet check-in and drm policies okay okay so on the i mean this really is a good thing i wanted to let some of this information sink in and do a little bit of research before i decided to go ahead and give some comments on this first of all don matric who's the xbox division president we all remember that guy fortunately we have a product for people who aren't able to get some form of connectivity it's called xbox 360. right so stick with 360. that's your message if you don't like it if you have zero access to the internet that is an offline device that was then and he had this to say today the sharing of games will work as it does today you will simply share the disk the downloaded titles cannot be shared or resold he then went on to say that also similar to today playing disk based games will require that the disk be in the tray a little over a week ago i put up this video right here that said i'm gonna buy the ps4 and i want to go ahead and clarify that i'm still more interested in the ps4 than the xbox one for a couple of reasons the xbox one still requires that you have the kinect plugged into the console at all times but he did also address some of those concerns earlier this week about having the kinect always connected especially for a lot of you that are worried about having to connect on and listening and possibly spying on you at all times and not knowing where that data is going a lot of people want to unplug the the connect but you can't do that he did go on to say that you get to control everything that the connect sees and hears and when it's listening and how it responds and the sensitivity and that that data isn't getting recorded and it isn't getting sent anywhere or so they say you you really are just left wondering a camera and a microphone that is always on and a device that up until today was going to be always connected where was that data going to go it's it's still kind of a scary thought i know we live in the digital day and age but i did not like the fact that that connect has to always be connected he did say that you can disable it inside the console but that it still has to be plugged in and that there are games that are going to require the connect be plugged in and active but that just goes you know that's a given you can't play say a connect based game without having to connect on an active but in my last video people really wondered as a pc gamer why i gave two cents or even cared at all about console drm if anything as a pc gamer i am subjected to way stricter drm policies than any console gamer i can't share any game that i buy and play on my pc once i buy it once i download it and install it it's mine there is no way i can give that to anybody else so if anything for years i've been conforming to the very policy that it was that i was speaking out against regarding xbox one and ps4 but there are some good things that came out of this because microsoft this past week has just taken one hell of a beating i mean their pr department must have just been sweating bullets don matrick had to have been losing sleep over the ps4 versus the xbox one especially when six months ago sony is the one who initiated the drm policies that they were looking to implement with the new playstation they kind of got the conversation rolling xbox jumped on board and then playstation backed off after they saw what happened just in the hours between their two keynotes over at e3 but as a pc gamer why does this matter to me because it shows how strong we as consumers really are over the influences of these massive corporations in this world microsoft is one of the largest companies in the world and it took only one week of people like you people like me people who are willing to stand up and say that we don't like this policy and as consumers we hold all of the control microsoft without you buying it without me buying it doesn't matter what it is you and i have the control to change these types of decisions and as unexpected as it was companies like valve are actually jumping on board you should recognize valve from huge titles like counter-strike half-life and valve has now announced that they are looking into allowing you to share their games between steam libraries that would make probably one of pc's first open drm policies or major reversals regarding drm policy in pc gaming it's huge all because of what's been happening over the last week because of the decisions that i've made the decisions that you've made and the fact that we are not going to let large corporations determine what it is we want or what it is we feel we need don matrick actually said that microsoft considered the impact this was going to have on armed forces not just the united states but all around the world and when don matrix said that they'd considered that impact but they found that crowd to be such a minority that they couldn't make decisions based on that small demographic even the us military was getting involved in the microsoft hate over the last week and it's because of the fact that for one of the first times as people as consumers and talking with our pocketbook we were able to move a mountain like microsoft and get them not only to look like complete idiots but to change their mind entirely regarding a policy that they were very very adamant about over 50 000 of you watched my other video i've only got 14 800 subscribers clearly more people were watching that video because people were sharing it people were searching for it and a lot of you really agreed with what it was i had to say and i'm still going to buy the playstation 4. whether or not i buy the xbox one now is really going to depend on what people have to say about it after it comes out i'm not going to completely write off the fact that i would own it now that i know that we were able to make a major change and a huge victory for gamers around the world i might later on down the road ps4 is still where it's at for me when it comes to consoles but the major thing here that i want you to take away from this video is that we as gamers did it as consumers like i said we hold the power without money they are nothing just out just like without your views this video and this channel is nothing it just goes to show how big of a result you can have if you just work together and just come together for a common cause and you don't mess with gamers there is no doubt about that you just don't mess with gamers now if only we could come together as a mass and make a movement against a company like apple because they seem to think they know everything that they know what we want we don't know what we want they know what we want and they're going to give us what they know we want because only douchebags actually buy products from apple as if we aren't good enough to actually know what helloso apparently today microsoft has decided to kind of rethink and take a few steps back regarding their internet check-in and drm policies okay okay so on the i mean this really is a good thing i wanted to let some of this information sink in and do a little bit of research before i decided to go ahead and give some comments on this first of all don matric who's the xbox division president we all remember that guy fortunately we have a product for people who aren't able to get some form of connectivity it's called xbox 360. right so stick with 360. that's your message if you don't like it if you have zero access to the internet that is an offline device that was then and he had this to say today the sharing of games will work as it does today you will simply share the disk the downloaded titles cannot be shared or resold he then went on to say that also similar to today playing disk based games will require that the disk be in the tray a little over a week ago i put up this video right here that said i'm gonna buy the ps4 and i want to go ahead and clarify that i'm still more interested in the ps4 than the xbox one for a couple of reasons the xbox one still requires that you have the kinect plugged into the console at all times but he did also address some of those concerns earlier this week about having the kinect always connected especially for a lot of you that are worried about having to connect on and listening and possibly spying on you at all times and not knowing where that data is going a lot of people want to unplug the the connect but you can't do that he did go on to say that you get to control everything that the connect sees and hears and when it's listening and how it responds and the sensitivity and that that data isn't getting recorded and it isn't getting sent anywhere or so they say you you really are just left wondering a camera and a microphone that is always on and a device that up until today was going to be always connected where was that data going to go it's it's still kind of a scary thought i know we live in the digital day and age but i did not like the fact that that connect has to always be connected he did say that you can disable it inside the console but that it still has to be plugged in and that there are games that are going to require the connect be plugged in and active but that just goes you know that's a given you can't play say a connect based game without having to connect on an active but in my last video people really wondered as a pc gamer why i gave two cents or even cared at all about console drm if anything as a pc gamer i am subjected to way stricter drm policies than any console gamer i can't share any game that i buy and play on my pc once i buy it once i download it and install it it's mine there is no way i can give that to anybody else so if anything for years i've been conforming to the very policy that it was that i was speaking out against regarding xbox one and ps4 but there are some good things that came out of this because microsoft this past week has just taken one hell of a beating i mean their pr department must have just been sweating bullets don matrick had to have been losing sleep over the ps4 versus the xbox one especially when six months ago sony is the one who initiated the drm policies that they were looking to implement with the new playstation they kind of got the conversation rolling xbox jumped on board and then playstation backed off after they saw what happened just in the hours between their two keynotes over at e3 but as a pc gamer why does this matter to me because it shows how strong we as consumers really are over the influences of these massive corporations in this world microsoft is one of the largest companies in the world and it took only one week of people like you people like me people who are willing to stand up and say that we don't like this policy and as consumers we hold all of the control microsoft without you buying it without me buying it doesn't matter what it is you and i have the control to change these types of decisions and as unexpected as it was companies like valve are actually jumping on board you should recognize valve from huge titles like counter-strike half-life and valve has now announced that they are looking into allowing you to share their games between steam libraries that would make probably one of pc's first open drm policies or major reversals regarding drm policy in pc gaming it's huge all because of what's been happening over the last week because of the decisions that i've made the decisions that you've made and the fact that we are not going to let large corporations determine what it is we want or what it is we feel we need don matrick actually said that microsoft considered the impact this was going to have on armed forces not just the united states but all around the world and when don matrix said that they'd considered that impact but they found that crowd to be such a minority that they couldn't make decisions based on that small demographic even the us military was getting involved in the microsoft hate over the last week and it's because of the fact that for one of the first times as people as consumers and talking with our pocketbook we were able to move a mountain like microsoft and get them not only to look like complete idiots but to change their mind entirely regarding a policy that they were very very adamant about over 50 000 of you watched my other video i've only got 14 800 subscribers clearly more people were watching that video because people were sharing it people were searching for it and a lot of you really agreed with what it was i had to say and i'm still going to buy the playstation 4. whether or not i buy the xbox one now is really going to depend on what people have to say about it after it comes out i'm not going to completely write off the fact that i would own it now that i know that we were able to make a major change and a huge victory for gamers around the world i might later on down the road ps4 is still where it's at for me when it comes to consoles but the major thing here that i want you to take away from this video is that we as gamers did it as consumers like i said we hold the power without money they are nothing just out just like without your views this video and this channel is nothing it just goes to show how big of a result you can have if you just work together and just come together for a common cause and you don't mess with gamers there is no doubt about that you just don't mess with gamers now if only we could come together as a mass and make a movement against a company like apple because they seem to think they know everything that they know what we want we don't know what we want they know what we want and they're going to give us what they know we want because only douchebags actually buy products from apple as if we aren't good enough to actually know what hello\n"