Quote: "but what about large families, like mine, where more then three people want Spore installed on their computers? Do we have to share computers?"
Most game licenses don't allow that anyways. Technically you're not supposed to buy a game and install it on 3 computers. That argument is moot.
Quote: "From a legal point of view, would it not possible that EA is breaking the law?"
No, it is not illegal because it's spelled out in the EULA. Do you know how many software products call home? This is not a new technology. Because it's EA, everyone assumes it's big brother.
Quote: "But what's to say they won't extract your name? your age? your location? your telephone number? financial information?"
The "law" is to say they won't extract your financial information (which I'm not sure how they will get it). Most people will have no problem swiping their credit card when they pay the pizza delivery guy--- a game determining its legitimacy is something completely different. In fact if somebody claims EA is doing something illegal, that individual could get slapped with a libel lawsuit if there's no proof.
A game "phoning home" is nothing new. Those of us who buy games on Steam and/or Impulse have been comfortable with this for years.
Quote: "Suddenly those basement hackers don't really seem that bad considering there are whole corporations doing the same thing with nobody asking any questions."
You jumped from "who's to stop them?" to "there are whole corporations doing this". This is like that Chinese whisper game where one person rightly objects to the possibility, to thousands of gamers stating it as fact. Until a company like EA gets sued for stealing your financial details then SELLING them to third parties, I'd take off the tinfoil hat.
Quote: "I don't think it says much about the method of pirate protection"
I highly doubt a company like EA doesn't know the game is pirated from day one, but obviously it makes financial sense to use some method of copy protection because they've been doing it for YEARS. Wake up.
Quote: " but I just don't like limitations being placed on something I buy where there wouldn't normally be any and from the sounds of it"
I could compare this to locking your car door before going in the mall. Professionals will know how to jimmy the lock, but most common thieves will just try 100 doors before getting into an unlocked vehicle. If everyone thought like you there would be no reason to have door locks as anyone can just smash a window to get in.
Quote: "I don't think SecuRom has really benefitted anyone here."
Well it's obviously benefiting the industry to some extent as disc-checking and phoning home has been commonplace for software apps for years.
Spore has been in development for what--- 6 or 7 years? The shareholders would hang them out to dry if they just released it without some kind of protection. A private company like Stardock can do what it pleases, and they don't have copy protection. However their games call home in order to get a patch or an update. Public companies have to answer to the public, period.
