Wulf:
You're right. There are cracks to get around it. ILLEGAL cracks that you have to DOWNLOAD. IE GET ON LINE TO GET.
Second, it 'kinda-sorta' cuts out the middleman. To me, it isn't worth it, because it destroyed any respect I had for their products. If your pirate protection is strong enough to require me to spend $40/month extra just to play your game, screw it. I won't play.
Third, I hate Big Brother. If you're going to TRACK me, I'm going to EVADE you. It's a classic tenet of geekery, because anyone who TRACKS you KNOWS you, knows where to FIND you, and can horribly abuse that information. Your game does NOT need to know what kind of motherboard I have, or how often I play, or what level I'm stuck on, or who I'm friends with. There should be an 'opt-out' option.
Because otherwise, I'm going to crack it, and there is going to be one regardless.
-Craig