While there are very few things that gamers can agree on, a universal hate for DRM seems to be one of the few issues wherein players can reach a mutual understanding. Paradox Interactive CEO Fred Wester feels the same way, and has labelled the system as a complete waste of cash that doesn’t work, while also being a decidedly retro method of copyright protection.

“I’m so surprised that people still use DRM. We haven’t done that for seven or eight years, and the reason is that it doesn’t make sense,” Wester told Gamespy.

The executive said DRM is poor “from a gamer perspective” and provides a “terrible” experience, citing his own difficulties with Civilization III as an example.

No one should have to purchase a product that they’re unable to install because of the DRM. People who purchase a game should have just as easy a time as those who pirate the game, otherwise it’s a negative incentive to buy a legal copy.

The executive then went on to describe the copyright protection method as poor “from a gamer perspective” and that it provided a “terrible” experience, using his own difficulties on Civilization 3 as an example.

And it’s not only the negative side-effect that DRM has on gamers that Wester is against, but the waste of resources from a business side as well that has the CEO questioning it’s validity. “I just can’t see why people are using DRM still. If you take something like Sony’s DRM, SecuROM – it’s a waste of money,” Wester said.

It will keep you protected for three days, it will create a lot of technical support, and it will not increase sales. And I know this for a fact, because we tried it eight years ago, and it never worked for us.

Wester also then went on to speculate that one of the reasons why DRM was still being implemented was because that it provided an easy way out for publishers to show investors how the product was being protected, but he felt that it was a poor reason to still do so.

“Now, I see no reasonable explanation for why people keep on adding it,” Wester said. “Especially the kind where you have to be online all the time, like Ubisoft. I think that’s, to me that’s 2003. ”

The man has a point, as we’re seeing more and more people in the gaming industry, who have their bread and butter stolen by those no good software pirates, speak out against the system.

Considering all the creative types working in the world of gaming, you’d have thought that by now, someone would have come up with a better, more fool-proof system to protect games.