Wil Wheaton is not simply an actor, he’s a writer, too. He’s got a serious following tracking his blog, his Twitter, and his various columns.

A few years ago, Wheaton started publishing books, mostly collections of his essays on his life that speak to us all.

A few days ago, he decided to make his latest book, Sunken Treasure, available in a DRM-free digital (PDF) version. It was an experiment of sorts. In a post at his blog he wrote that he wasn’t sure it was a good idea.

I admit that I had a brief flash of doubt. “Did I just screw myself? Did I just sell one and end up giving away a hundred?”

Nope. In fact, sales of the printed book have gone up as a result of making a digital version cheaply available (he’s asking for US$5 for the Sunken Treasure PDF).

Feedback from buyers suggested that a lot of people read the PDF, liked it, and wanted a physical copy of their own as a result.

Wheaton has proved the Doctorow Theory, which I’ve named after Cory Doctorow, the Canadian writer and technophile who has long been an advocate of liberal approaches to copyright.

Doctorow has been making DRM-free versions of his books available for years, many (all?) for free (if you’re interested, hit his blog, Craphound.com).

He’s a critic of the protectionist stance that making DRM-free digital versions of content will poach sales of real books. Doctorow has always insisted that letting the content be free, really free, will lead to an increase in sales.

And he continues releasing books with large publishing houses who agree to his contractual terms that permit him to release his books under a Creative Commons license. They wouldn’t do that if they were losing money as a result.

Neil Gaiman proved to his publisher Harper Collins that making one of his books available digitally and for free (although only using a proprietary online reader that was cumbersome) would not hurt his sales.

Gaiman writes about the results at his blog.

Sales of all of Gaiman’s books ticked up some 40% while American Gods was being read for free, and sales returned to pre-promotion levels after the promotion was over.

What Wheaton has proved is that the Doctorow Theory applies to self-publishers as much as it applies to large media conglomerates. Wheaton proved that books are no different than other forms of media and entertainment.

DRM-free digital versions are not candy to pirates. They actually increase sales of retail products.

It’s counter-intuitive to those working in traditional media creation. Believe me, I was there. But this lesson must be learned – and fast – if those media companies are going to survive the rapidly-approaching future.

Direct from BioWare, here are the six origin stories that gamers will select from to begin their game of Dragon Age: Origins, which the Edmonton developer is calling the spiritual successor to Baldur’s Gate.

The release, from BioWare parent company Electronic Arts, states that “The player’s choice of Origin Story lays the foundation for a profound journey based on the character’s past experiences, establishing how they perceive the world and how the world perceives them. The choices you made during an Origin Story will influence the way the game unfolds, including different story elements, dialogue options and even plot branches, providing a wealth of replayability.”

Dalish Elf
As one of the last “true elves”, you were content to spend your life wandering with your clan…until a chance encounter with a relic of your people’s past threatens to tear you away from everything you’ve known.

City Elf
You have always lived under the heavy thumb of your human overlords, but when a local lord claiming his “privilege” with the bride shatters your wedding day, the simmering racial tensions explode in a rain of vengeance.

Dwarf Commoner
Born casteless in a land where rank is everything, bound as the lackey and thug of a local crime lord, you have spent your life invisible…until chance thrusts you into the spotlight, where you can finally prove whether you will be defined by your actions or your birth.

Dwarf Noble
The favored child of the dwarven king, you proudly take up your first military command…only to learn that the deadly intrigues of dwarven politics pose an even greater danger than that faced on the battlefield.

Mage
Gifted with a power considered a dangerous curse by most, you have spent most of your life secluded in the remote tower of the Circle of Magi to be trained and watched closely by the dreaded templars. Now your final test is upon you — succeed and prove your strength, fail and you will perish.

Human Noble
Born to wealth and power second only to royalty, you find your training in both diplomacy and war put to the test when your father’s castle is betrayed from within on the very night your elder brother is to lead the family’s forces to war.

In the edition of Vancouver’s Georgia Straight that published today, is my latest “Trigger Happy” column. In this article I talk to a number of people involved in Vancouver’s game design community about exactly what the B.C. provincial government can do to support their industry. Given the number of layoffs Vancouver’s scene has been dealt in the past couple of months, maybe some help is warranted.

Scores of Vancouver video-game developers have found themselves out of work in the past month. Electronic Arts and Disney’s Propaganda Games laid off employees, and Nexon Publishing North America shut down its Humanature Studio. Jared Shaw, founder of 31337 Recruiters, estimates that 800 people are looking for work as a result of the turmoil in the industry.

Artist Christophe Niemann has a blog at the New York Times, where he shows off incredible, whimsical illustrations. His latest entry is I Lego N.Y. and in it, he represents a variety of aspects of the city using pieces of Lego.

Brilliant.

Also in today’s Straight is news of a new Women in Games scholarship being offered by Vancouver Film School. It’s a full-ride, including tuition, books, and other materials.

A new scholarship aims to encourage women to consider a career in the video-game industry. The $30,000 Women in Games scholarship will be awarded to a student entering the Vancouver Film School’s one-year game-design program.