My feelings towards gamers with "Better" conditions AND opinion on piracy

[runtheplacered]

Edit: oh yeah computers are responseble for me not sleeping well

Where's your parents during all this?

 

[Slycne]

Just to add. There's an episode of South Park (named "Christian Rock Hard") where The boys all form a band and download some music from the internet for inspiration. They get busted instantly (SWAT teams through the windows) and the cop takes them to some musician's houses to see how they're now living a life of SEMI-luxury because of people downloading their tunes.

You can look at this with the video game industry in mind. EA will make a ridiculous amount of money from their recent SPORE releases even though people aren't just downloading it due to being broke, but are MAKING A POINT of downloading it (and happily telling people they downloaded - instead of the typical smaller number of people admitting to it).

I'm not saying everyone should download everything all of the time, just in moderation. They're still going to make ultra dollar, just not ultra-mega-super dollar!

(PS: If you haven't seen that South Park, check it out - Season 7 episode 9, ENJOY!)

So if I give you my pay pal information and you make more money then I do. Will you send me 10 cents on the dollar or the euro equivalent?

You are either comfortable pirating content or you are not. Don't try to pass it off for something else to make yourself feel better. It's easy to see EA as a giant faceless corporation, but they employ thousands of people who are trying to put a roof over their heads and feed their families. If you cut into EAs profits guess who gets hurt? Certainly not the big shot CEO like you would like to think. They are going to fire junior assistant level designer number 2, rather then eat the pay cut themselves. Also where does the line get drawn? Is it ok to make a 999,999 dollars from a product sale but not a million?

Wow I can't believe I just defended EA. Just wanted to add that I don't support the EA DRMs in any way shape or form. They hurt only one person and it isn't the people who are pirating.

 

[nikomas1]

Edit: oh yeah computers are responseble for me not sleeping well

Where's your parents during all this?

Asleep? The clock was 3 After midnight at the time i wrote that. I fell asleep soon thereafter and sleept for 5 hours. Its strange how much energy i have ATM.

 

[DannyDamage]

So if I give you my pay pal information and you make more money then I do. Will you send me 10 cents on the dollar or the euro equivalent?

You are either comfortable pirating content or you are not. Don't try to pass it off for something else to make yourself feel better. It's easy to see EA as a giant faceless corporation, but they employ thousands of people who are trying to put a roof over their heads and feed their families. If you cut into EAs profits guess who gets hurt? Certainly not the big shot CEO like you would like to think. They are going to fire junior assistant level designer number 2, rather then eat the pay cut themselves. Also where does the line get drawn? Is it ok to make a 999,999 dollars from a product sale but not a million?

Wow I can't believe I just defended EA. Just wanted to add that I don't support the EA DRMs in any way shape or form. They hurt only one person and it isn't the people who are pirating.

It's ok, you've been feeding out of their hand for a while now by the sound of it and it's no surprise there are those who would still stand up for the poor out of pocket games company. God I bet it's hard working for one of those, I'm sure they get much less than minimum wage and have to sell body parts and/or their children. I think it's nice that all of us on here are ALL much better off than them. Maybe that's why you don't see many in these forums, they can't afford a PC of their own.

 

[Logan Keller]

I should also mention im a complete game addict and it's MY LIFE. So if i took it away it would leave me completly empty.

You're a student and have the time to be addicted by games? Impressive.

 

[Slycne]

...

It's ok, you've been feeding out of their hand for a while now by the sound of it and it's no surprise there are those who would still stand up for the poor out of pocket games company. God I bet it's hard working for one of those, I'm sure they get much less than minimum wage and have to sell body parts and/or their children. I think it's nice that all of us on here are ALL much better off than them. Maybe that's why you don't see many in these forums, they can't afford a PC of their own.

Nice dodge, you still didn't answer any of my questions. Your logic is deeply flawed and if brought to it's conclusion would result of the collapse of any economic system. You cling to it because it makes you feel justified in what you do, which is why you went on the defensive rather then answering me. I already said that you are either comfortable with pirating or not. There is no security blanket middle ground.

 

[Dommyboy]

Oh I love this topic. I myself, aren't rolling in money, at all. When I had my Xbox360 I only ever bought 3 games for it because the campaign lasted a reasonable amount of time and they were worth the money.
Later on, I sold my Xbox360 to get a better computer and I haven't regretted that action since. So much cost for keeping a 360, I only ever went on Xboxlive gold when I got free samples of it. For me, the reason for the new computer was that I use it more and I can get many games for free.
Some games are worth buying though, ones actually worth it like the Dawn of War anthology or Garry's Mod. That's been about it for me. Though online play is a high point of purchasing sometimes.
I realize that I am hurting the industry but if prices were reasonable (especially in Australia) than I would be more keen on spending some cash. I just don't have the cash to buy lots of games to satisfy me, though I do borrow a fair few from my friends I am not a uber l33t haxor pirat0r, I try to support the video game industry in some ways like I made a video on video gaming. Though bluntly, I pirate things and I am not better than any other... or maybe I am.

Point of interjection: you cannot compare the theft of a tangible commodity to downloading bytes off the internet, period. If someone cannot afford to buy a game, then there would be no sale involved in the first place and hence no money lost if that same person were to download the game. If you are downloading things simply to avoid paying for them, that is a different matter entirely. Opting to spend your money predominantly on console titles rather than PC titles simply because pirate copies are so easy to acquire is the point at which software piracy does begin to have a real, negative impact on the industry.

Quite WRONG! Just because he doesn't have the money NOW doesn't mean he won't in the future.

Furthermore, you ARE a whiny little kid. I only had a Super Nintendo when I was younger. I never had a Playstation or a Dreamcast. I got my Nintendo 64 for Christmas from my Financially Secure Father, whom I only saw on Christmas and for two months in the summer. I was raised in a fairly poor family and we NEVER minded only getting a new game every other month or so. YOU are the spoiled one.

The only time we got any help with our gaming habit was when my mom went thirds with my brother and I on the Playstation 2 we got for the house. Other than that, we bought our own games (That started back when I was 10 or so) and accessories. Grow up and realize how good you really have it.

Can I shake your hand Darth Mobius? "I feel you brudda."

 

[DannyDamage]

Nice dodge, you still didn't answer any of my questions. Your logic is deeply flawed and if brought to it's conclusion would result of the collapse of any economic system. You cling to it because it makes you feel justified in what you do, which is why you went on the defensive rather then answering me. I already said that you are either comfortable with pirating or not. There is no security blanket middle ground.

I didn't answer YOUR question because I'd already answered it all in previous posts. So, to repeat myself and answer your ground-breaker:

NO, the economy would not fall - It's only a small %

There IS a middle ground, not everything in this world is black and white, good or bad.

So ok, arrest me for downloading games and music before I buy them. Then look at the 300 or so CDs I have in my collection that I've paid for, about 150 DVDs and the 70 or so multiplatform games.

I've obviously damaged the industry for years buying as much stuff as I have and the things I've downloaded have overshadowed what I haven't.

Sorry to echo myself but you insist for some reason; If the games companies want to rush games and churn them out more often than they change their clothes then what do they expect? If they were to take their time and release fewer games but with more to them, people are going to be more inclined to spend cash on said game.

But when you go into EB or Game or wherever and there are 40 new games out this month all claiming to be 'the shit' you really can't expect anyone to buy all the ones recommended to them. They still make huge amounts of money and NO ONE IS GOING OUT OF BUSINESS because of it, they'll bring a sequel out soon and they'll have another 3 titles lurking round the corner.

Are you going to read it this time or do I have to repeat myself again? - Apologies again to those not wanting to hearing me repeating myself.

 

[Dommyboy]

I didn't answer YOUR question because I'd already answered it all in previous posts. So, to repeat myself and answer your ground-breaker:

NO, the economy would not fall - It's only a small %

There IS a middle ground, not everything in this world is black and white, good or bad.

So ok, arrest me for downloading games and music before I buy them. Then look at the 300 or so CDs I have in my collection that I've paid for, about 150 DVDs and the 70 or so multiplatform games.

I've obviously damaged the industry for years buying as much stuff as I have and the things I've downloaded have overshadowed what I haven't.

Sorry to echo myself but you insist for some reason; If the games companies want to rush games and churn them out more often than they change their clothes then what do they expect? If they were to take their time and release fewer games but with more to them, people are going to be more inclined to spend cash on said game.

But when you go into EB or Game or wherever and there are 40 new games out this month all claiming to be 'the shit' you really can't expect anyone to buy all the ones recommended to them. They still make huge amounts of money and NO ONE IS GOING OUT OF BUSINESS because of it, they'll bring a sequel out soon and they'll have another 3 titles lurking round the corner.

Are you going to read it this time or do I have to repeat myself again? - Apologies again to those not wanting to hearing me repeating myself.

Stop repeating things!

You raise some very good points. Though they may be flawed in some areas like how you still bought a lot of other games and so what, wouldn't change the mind of a law enforcer that much. Though like with all the games being released in October to November this year, it is insane. If you can buy and afford them all, you deserve an achievement award for life.

 

[Slycne]

I didn't answer YOUR question because I'd already answered it all in previous posts. So, to repeat myself and answer your ground-breaker:

...

Are you going to read it this time or do I have to repeat myself again? - Apologies again to those not wanting to hearing me repeating myself.

Sigh, if you couldn't read into my post enough to realize I was trying to open your eyes to expanding your justification to all facets beyond just your situation, then let's just stop here.

Feel free to continue to sugar coat it by thinking you are justified because "they make enough money".

 

[DannyDamage]

Sigh, if you couldn't read into my post enough to realize I was trying to open your eyes to expanding your justification to all facets beyond just your situation, then let's just stop here.

Feel free to continue to sugar coat it by thinking you are justified because "they make enough money".

Sorry, but your opinion doesn't offer anything new to me I'm afraid. I've seen all the anti piracy ads, heard all the "you're killing the industry" bollocks. My eyes ARE open, I've discovered these things for myself and not just pigeon-holing everything into it's either BAD or GOOD, like yourself.

The world doesn't work that way I'm afraid and you can't sit and wait to be told what's good and what's bad by the people who gain from it financially. Read my older posts and you'll see I used more than my own situation to discuss the matter.

Peace.

 

[Aries_Split]

I'm getting kind of sick of all the "Your killing the industry!"

"The industry is dying because of you!"

Seriously people, get off the High Horse and think for a moment.

I really, really, really doubt that the mutli billion dollar industry is going to come crashing down because a 16 year old pirates games.

I understand it's the principal of the matter, but still.

 

[mbv-]

maybe u should earn more money to buy more games. piracy is justified when companys like EA put DRM systems which effectively means u are renting ur game like lets use spore as the most obvious example and the always destined to fail Red alert 3

 

[Wewt]

Meh i only have a PC, yet i had no issues with buying games. Ask your teachers for a summer job, it's a lot easier to get it here since it's provided by schools. Don't know about your country though..
Oh and i don't buy games regularly, Usually one each half of a year. (TF2 C: )

 

[Wewt]

maybe u should earn more money to buy more games. piracy is justified when companys like EA put DRM systems which effectively means u are renting ur game like lets use spore as the most obvious example and the always destined to fail Red alert 3

Yea i've been wondering about this 'DRM' of which people speak, what exactly is this?

 

[wolfwood_is_here]

piracy is justified when _______________

No, piracy is never "justified." It is rationalized. Big difference.

The kid seems like the kind who, if he could afford the stuff, would buy it. His comments on his supposed addiction send up red flags though.

I have known 4~5 people who dropped out of college because they were "addicted" to videogames. They now work in retail or food service, and can't afford to buy games often if ever. It is only a side note that they were heavy into pirating before and after dropping out, in that they supersaturated their life with videogames and never learned the skills needed to be successful in life.

If he has to depend on his computer to be his connection to the rest of society, he will struggle when it comes time to finding a job or a date. You can't do interviews over IM. You can't kiss someone through an email. (Yeah you can type w/e but that isn't actually kissing).

I could care less about the piracy so much as I don't want to see a addiction of any kind ruin his opportunities and rest of his life. If the piracy is enabling the addiction, then and only then do I see it as a real problem that needs addressing.

Yea i've been wondering about this 'DRM' of which people speak, what exactly is this?

DRM, or "Digital Rights Management", is used to prevent you from reselling or sharing the game by binding the CD key to you specifically, through emails or usernames, and sometimes only allowing a certain number of installs. Often you are also required to have internet connection either to initially install or to continue playing the game. DRM is a way of the compny forcing you to always be 100% accountable to them with the software, regardless of your intent.

This is in contrast to the late-mid 90's when you bought a game and needed none of this, could reinstall as many times as you wanted on as many computers as you wanted. CD keys were the first generation of DRM, but could be easily worked around once the algorithm was cracked, because everything was handled "offline".

 

[goodman528]

I'm currently more than £400 in debt, so far I'm concerned pirating some games off the net would be justifiable, because I can't actually afford it even if I wanted to buy it. (Unfortunately my college is very strict on restricting p2p, so I can't actually do that either.)

My point is, if it's much better for a games developer to have 10k more people play his game illegally than to have 1k more people play the game legally. The more people know about a game, the more people that play a game, the money the developers will get from their games, and in the long run, for a game series, it really doesn't matter whether or not people are playing it legally or illegally. Companies need to take a line from Stardock, paying for support, multiplayer, and patching makes a lot more sense than paying for the game content itself.

 

[retro himself]

But as someone once said in a previous piracy thread, you can't justify stealing a car because you can't afford one, and game's shouldn't be treated any differently. If you can't afford them, then boo. Trust me, I know how hard it is in some areas to get a job without having friends in high places, but life sucks, and that's how it is. On that note, though, I have nothing against complaining that it does.

God I hate this metaphore. It's NOT like stealing a car. It would actually be like copying the car with no extra costs to no-one and owning that copied car. The developers and customers who bought the games still HAVE the games, so I don't see why it's called stealing. It's more like taking a picture of an expensive painting in a fancy gallery and then hanging the picture at your own home. Or something along those lines.

You can't say something about people who pirate games because they can't afford them (or they can afford them, but I don't really see it logical to put video games in a higher place than more important stuff like a driver's licence). If I worked my ass off and spent all my money on all those games that I wanted to give a try, my parents would've killed me. Infact they make a lot of fuss about me spending 40? over a single game. So that kinda makes some people unable to buy larger quantities of games (at that current time only though, one can still decide to buy games he liked in the past in order to pay tribute to the developers, that's what I did with most of the games I own now and that's what I do with music (in the past, getting ahold of some albums was a lot more difficult than today, there were no online shops)). And developers don't really care about those people. They wouldn't buy the game in the first place. So I don't see how it's hurting the economy. It is hurting the economy if you can afford it, but just choose to pirate it anyway. That's a very bad trait.

 

[Ixus Illwrath]

Good old piracy.
<img src=http://imagechan.org/img/images/blockbuster.jpg>
lol

I so wish I could say I was the one that did that