RIPPED-OFF BY THE VIDEO GAME INDUSTRY
by Bryan Punyon

About a year ago, I had a Mod chip installed in my Playstation. A mod chip allows one to play import and backup copies of one's valuable games. The original media can be stored away for safekeeping. We all know how easily it is to scratch a CD. I do not sell, pirate, or redistribute games.

I rented a new game called "The Legend of the Dragoon." Now, I have always been a fan of Square's games, but that may change quickly. You see, when I tried to boot up the game, I got an error message, stating that the game WOULD NOT WORK ON MY PLAYSTATION! The reason? You guessed it; my Playstation had been "modified", and therefore the game wouldn't work. The error screen gave me a phone number, which I called (it turned out to be Sony's Customer Service line), and I learned that the newer Playstation games had programming to DETECT MODIFICATIONS TO YOUR PLAYSTATION! I'm just glad I had only rented the game. For Square and Sony to be doing this is extremely unfair to those of us who have a modification for ethical reasons.

Had I actually bought this game (and believe me, from the screen shots, I was tempted to!), I would have wasted 50 bucks for a game that will not work on my Playstation anyway! Now I either have to get a newer mod chip, called a Stealth Chip (undetectable by games with the programming), or a cutoff switch for my current chip (flip the switch, the chip turns off). Or I could just get my chip removed and be a happy little drone of the Electronics industry, but that's not gonna happen.

Now I know that one argument against mod chips is that no matter what you use them for, they're illegal. I fully understand this. However, this programming also detects another kind of chip, a LEGAL kind. Some people don't want to wait for a game to come out in the US. Some people want to be able to play IMPORTED JAPANESE games on their Playstations! For this they need another kind of chip. One that is still detected by the new programming (according to the guy at Sony I talked to). If these people are paying full price (or possibly even MORE) for their import games, is it really fair to limit the American games they can buy? My other main issue with this new programming is the 'buyer beware' aspect of it. At the moment, if somebody purchases a game with this programming and they have a modified Playstation, they have no idea that this game will not work for them. Because you see, the makers of these games have neglected to post ANY kind of warning about the new programming!

So Mr. Likes-To-Play-Import-Games has essentially bought a disc of useless plastic that was advertised as a game. Somebody call the Better Business Bureau; we have a case of FALSE ADVERTISING! Sony either needs to put a warning label of some kind on their games, or take out the programming.

Comments? Tiptonium or Bryan Punyon