Valve boss Gabe Newell has always been an outspoken supporter of PC gaming, which is likely one of the reasons Valve created Steam, a program that actually makes it possible for the business to succeed in a PC-focused, piracy-filled market. In a recent e-mail, Gabe replied to a fan's question when asked his opinion on current DRM in PC games. The reply shouldn't be surprising, but it's still nice to hear someone in the industry speak out against the pseudo-draconian software bundled with games.

"As far as DRM goes, most DRM strategies are just dumb. The goal should be to create greater value for customers through service value (make it easy for me to play my games whenever and wherever I want to), not by decreasing the value of a product (maybe I'll be able to play my game and maybe I won't)."

He name names, most likely to avoid burning any EA-constructed bridges (who helps them with worldwide retail distribution), but it's obvious SecuROM is the DRM in question. Gabe taking an active stance against it is the closest thing the PC industry has right now to an actual leader, and hopefully others will follow in suite and stop bundling games with unnecessary and malicious security crap.

[Image Source]

Related Articles:

Valve Teases Counter-Strike 2

Play Team Fortress 2 Early

Next Generation Interview With Valve's Gabe Newell