A very specific kind of piracy.

[008Zulu_v1legacy]

Firstly, I don't want this to be a standard anti/pro piracy thing. Just looking for some outside feedback regarding a situation I am in.

I have a certain P.C game made by a well known games producer. The game itself is approximately 12 years old and no longer in production or for sale on the P.C format at any level. One of the game's discs is badly damaged and thus I am unable to play the game. After an email exchange with the Company detailing all this. They stated that the game was no longer for sale, and then they suggested to try to find a second hand copy of the game.

Since I love the game, my logic process is biased, but can this be interpreted as an "O.K" to get it from one of the many torrent sites on the net?

 

[tippy2k2]

We all know how this is going to go...it will start with people answering your questions for about half a page until everyone goes nutter butters with one side calling their opponents thieves that are worse than Nazis and the other side saying that the opponents should get off their high horse because "everyone's doing it maaaaan".

All well, here's my canned answer I give every-time:

No. If you can find a second hand copy at a reasonable price (or another format), you buy it (this price will vary but my rule has always been $200ish; never ran into a game where I couldn't get it for less but then again, I don't go old/obscure very often). Piracy is wrong, slippery slope, blah blah blah, cliche cliche cliche.

IF you can't find a second hand copy at all, this might be one of the only times where I may possibly say that it's OK...actually, scratch that, Plan B: Email the company and ask! They obviously are responding to inquiries and I think that if you can get one of them to give you the green light, being their product, then have at it.

Also, maybe you kept it out on purpose to not influence the thread but can I ask what game it is you are after?

EDIT: Final Fantasy 8? Then I'm going right back to no.

Amazon.com: Final Fantasy 8 for the PC: $80
Playstation Network (if you have a PS3): $10
Amazon.com: Playstation 1 and Final Fantasy 8: $20 (PS1 after shipping) and $12 (FFVIII after shipping); $32 total

This is available in so many different formats for a minimal price that it doesn't pass the one exception I make to the rule.

 

[Mariakko]

I've been in this situation before. My friend lost my copy of TESIII: Morrowind GOTY and I was very annoyed (never lent him anything again) and went to try find a replacement for it but all I could find was vanilla Morrowind. I feel bad for pirating it because I'm a Bethesda fanboy but I had paid for it.

The game itself is approximately 12 years old and no longer in production or for sale on the P.C format at any level.

I'm curious as to what game this is. If you can't find it for sale, even second hand sale, It wouldn't be too bad pirate it.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

This is one of those places where the whole license thing bites companies in the butt. If they want to call it a license, you have every right to re-download it and play the game, since your license is to access of the data. Contract law is funny that way: it can be a sale or a license, not a license when it's better for the company and a sale when it's not.

Also, I'd say morally you're good whether it's a sale or not. You already paid for it once. Legally, though, it's something of a grey area. I would say it's illegal but, you know, licensing.

 

[008Zulu_v1legacy]

I'm curious as to what game this is. If you can't find it for sale, even second hand sale, It wouldn't be too bad pirate it.

Final Fantasy 8. Only been able to find PlayStation versions, and I don't have a PlayStation.

Yeah, will have to email them back. Get their input on it.

 

[bluepanda 492]

Go to Garage sales some time, people sell old consoles alot and there generally cheap as hell.
Just a thought.

 

[008Zulu_v1legacy]

The probability of someone in my area selling an old PlayStation and that exact game are so close to zero it might as well be zero.

 

[008Zulu_v1legacy]

Amazon.com: Final Fantasy 8 for the PC: $80
Playstation Network (if you have a PS3): $10
Amazon.com: Playstation 1 and Final Fantasy 8: $20 (PS1 after shipping) and $12 (FFVIII after shipping); $32 total

This is available in so many different formats for a minimal price that it doesn't pass the one exception I make to the rule.

PlayStation options are out, the Amazon ones (despite being used) don't specify if they will ship to an international location.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

If it's that big of a deal to you, you can get a playstation emulator for the PC. They'll run games off of the actual discs, and it may actually be easier to run an emulated PSX version than a PC native version, if you're running a computer made in the last three or four years. Mid to late 90's PC games are the current weak spot in PC backwards compatibility, where native compatibility isn't guaranteed, but emulated compatibility isn't yet mature.

 

[Sexy Devil]

Personally I'd say you're good. You literally cannot attain it through legal means anymore. The "lost sale" argument was already pretty flawed but that's as far from a lost sale as you can get. Wondering why you're looking for justification on here though, I would have just done it.

And before anyone calls me a petty thief, I've never pirated anything; I tend to hoard crap like games. I'm just saying that if I was in this situation I wouldn't give it a second thought.

 

[KefkaCultist]

Well, (and someone correct me if I'm wrong on this) emulators and ROMs are not illegal if you have a physical copy of the game. If I'm correct on that law, then emulation of FF8 would be fine since you do physically have the game and you just can't play it.

Again, I'm not 100% on the laws, but I'm pretty sure I've heard that somewhere before.

 

[ThriKreen]

Huh, I have a PC version of FF8 that is barely used if you want it. Still has the box and everything AFAIK.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

I just thought of something. OP, have you tried burning an exact copy of the disc in question? I mean, if the data layer is where the scratch is, this won't help, but if it's just the plastic that's damaged, a CD burner utility might be able to get a usable copy out of it. Also, as long as the data layer is undamaged, you can save the disc. A lot of record shops will resurface a disc for a nominal fee, usually something like $5 a disc. It all depends on what kind of damage we're looking at, though.

 

[Sandjube]

I was going to say something, but you know what, fuck it. Everyone here either hates/loves piracy and there is no middle ground and I'll just get yelled at and I can't be bothered.

 

[Dryk]

What game is it? How rare is it? Will the person selling it to you give anything back to the publisher?

 

[Phlakes]

Well, it really just comes down to your morals since piracy has probably some of the lowest risk of any crime. And since you already own the game, it might even be legal depending on where you live.

 

[Lunar Templar]

Firstly, I don't want this to be a standard anti/pro piracy thing. Just looking for some outside feedback regarding a situation I am in.

I have a certain P.C game made by a well known games producer. The game itself is approximately 12 years old and no longer in production or for sale on the P.C format at any level. One of the game's discs is badly damaged and thus I am unable to play the game. After an email exchange with the Company detailing all this. They stated that the game was no longer for sale, and then they suggested to try to find a second hand copy of the game.

Since I love the game, my logic process is biased, but can this be interpreted as an "O.K" to get it from one of the many torrent sites on the net?

I'm going to say yes. go for it.

its 12 years old, and out of print, so unless you have some, other, legal means to get it, i say go for it

 

[Rabid Toilet]

I was going to say go ahead and download it, but then you mentioned the game in question is Final Fantasy VIII.

This isn't the hardest game to come across. You can buy it on PSN, and even the original disks are pretty common in stores that still sell PS games. If you don't have a PS3, perhaps you should purchase an original Playstation? I imagine you could pick one up, as well as the game, for quite cheap.

 

[NightHawk21]

Honestly here is your answer. If you want to be a good law abiding citizen of whatever country you're from you have to buy second hand. Even if you reasonably can't piracy is illegal. Now if you want to be a normal person I would say that you are morally within the right to download a game you already bought. As for what you should do, there's the information ^ do with it what you will. If I might make a suggestion however, if you do choose to follow the second option don't admit it on these forums as its a sure way to a ban.