This is another piece that I first wrote on 1up on April 25th. It was in the early days of the PSN outage, so there was no talk yet of potential credit card loss. That one piece of the puzzle has made the whole situation a bit more dire than I make it out to be here, so keep that in mind as you read it. I'm sticking to my guns on the bulk of the points, but I feel that the outrage is more justified now that it's been over two weeks and we're all watching our bank accounts. Enjoy!
***
How is everyone coping with the PSN outage? I, for one, feel like I'm weathering it with a modicum of dignity. I've only cried twice and wet myself the one time, so I count that as a “win” for the ol' pride! In all honesty though, I'm really not all that put out by the whole situation. I really only have two gripes. First, I can't re-download Parasite Eve. I can't for the life of me remember why I'd deleted it in the first place, but I've recently had a hankering to revisit Aya Brea and her old stomping grounds. Secondly, I can't watch Netflix on my PS3. I think there have been reports of people still having Netflix connectivity, but I am not among that lucky and hallowed few. That would have been a real inconvenience, and I may have joined the teeming masses now clamoring for recompense, if I hadn't had my Xbox360 ready and at hand.
The idea of whether or not Sony owes we PSN users anything for this outage is really the meat of this story, I think. The fact that some Capcom games have been rendered totally unplayable due to this outage is an ultimate “I told you so!” scenario for all the DRM naysayers out there. I can't imagine having the disc in your hand, the physical thing itself, placing it in the system, and then being told that you can't play it. Horrifying. It just would not compute. I can just see myself putting the disc in, staring confusedly at the screen for a few minutes, taking the disc back out, wiping it off, and then putting it back in and starting over again. Though the PSN outage may have created the problem, the real transgressor in this particular scenario isn't Sony; it's Capcom and their draconian methods of copyright protection. I mean, I'm all for people getting paid for what they do, don't get me wrong here. Copyright protection is fine by me, but if it is so strict as to render the disc completely useless unless the stars and moon are aligned ever so perfectly, well then you may want to rethink your protection strategy. I daresay Capcom has lost a few of their faithful this past week. Maybe not many, but I'd bet a few strayed from the fold of the flock.
My frustration at a lack of access to games that I've purchased is in a similar line with the above disenfranchised buyers, but is just a bit out of step. I purchased a piece of digital content with the idea that I would always have access to that content, which seems like a reasonable assertion. Without such an assertion, the purchase is really just some sort of long-term rental program. Indeed, if I was so terrifically afraid that PSN might crap out, I daresay that I would have just sprung for a physical copy of the old PSOne gem. But I didn't. I purchased a digital copy for convenience's sake, and, until now, I've had no complaints. However, the realization of my fears in this recent outage has struck the most neurotic of nerves in my game hoarding heart, and I worry about what happens to my digitally assembled retro-collection if(when?) the PSN breathes its last.
Of course, I'm also speaking from the standpoint of someone for whom the allure of online play is not the sole and salient reason that I may purchase games, and I imagine that the average “online gamer” is having a really hard time being patient right about now. For some, the promise of online content and context is an inseparable and essential part of the package that is paid for when you slap your sixty dollars on the counter. These people will not be easily assuaged by a simple and well-worded apology. For them, this is not a mere issue of connectivity, but rather with a core, functional purpose of their investment.
The people with the real claim to compensation are the Playstation Plus subscribers. Now those individuals have a real gripe. Those guys are paying for a service that extends beyond what the rest of us freeloaders are griping about, and if Sony wants to save any face at all from this debacle, they'll have to pony up some kind of treat to placate their most faithful masses.
There's also the simple matter of not even knowing, at this point, if the outage is truly Sony's fault. If they really were the victim of an online attack, then I can't really work up much rage for Sony themselves. If Sony simply bungled something or some wacky neighbor of SCEA spilled coffee on a keyboard, then yes, I will take the matter up with Sony by way of internet whining. If they were taken down by an outside source, then getting mad at them seems rather like yelling “Why were you not wearing your bullet-proof vest ALL the TIME!” at a man who has just been shot.
I'm sure that the death of PSN is a long way off, and that my purchases are safe and sound. I'm sure business will resume as usual in a few days. I have other games to play in the meantime, and I'm really not all in a lather over the outage. I can see how someone would be. Sony's hurdle in the coming days is to make sure that they appease those with legitimate complaints, such as the Playstation Plus subscribers first and foremost, and then take a reasonable stand in the middle-ground regarding how they handle those who feel entitled, for whatever reason, to some sort of repayment for being denied a service that they aren't paying for.
Log in to comment