Poll: What piracy is actually doing

[littlewilly91]

I think the majority of piracy is done by people who spend the same amount of cash per month on films/games/music/digital culture as they would if they weren't pirating. I don't think anyone is really losing out. It's effect on the industry is as fear-inspiring and ineffectual as recording off the radio on to tapes was for the music industry in the 80s.

Impeded demand in people who can't afford the nice boxed games and wait through 5 days of downloads and viruses and do fiddly cracking to play what they love, does not translate into lost sales. Many piraters will still buy into what actually entertains them to feel like a proper part of it, and for the flexibility/convenience that often comes with it (steam etc). Also when you own the pirated version, playing it feels like an illegitimate hobby.

The nuts pirates who pirate everything because they know it's a low risk crime and it makes them feel cool, who don't spend anything on digital culture even though they have disposable income are parasites I concede.

But that group is only growing because companies keep complaining about piracy on the audience's time and lowering the value of their products by having DRM hoops for you to jump through, thereby painting themselves as the corporate enemy and the crime to look edgy. To dumb pirates anyway. And my generation is the dawn of the dumb.


My 2 cents. What's urs?

 

[herpaderphurr]

It's hardly a threat. Most of the time when games are pirated people wouldn't buy them anyway if piracy didn't exist. When they would buy the game but decide to pirate it instead - that's the only time it does real harm.

 

[delet]

...Or people pirate because it's more convenient and they don't have to pay, regardless of whether or not they support the company. It hurts companies because that's one more sale that company is making and last I checked, loosing money on a sale isn't good for a company.

 

[Cody211282]

I think it is because as long as there are pirates there will be DRM, and I hate DRM.

 

[Marter]

I don't think it's doing all that much damage. Most of the people I know who pirate the games would not be buying them anyway, and the company is not losing a sale. It isn't doing any damage to the companies in this case.

 

[notsosavagemessiah]

what pirates are actually doing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99a6DaheLqs

watch this for a good laugh.

 

[SultanP]

Piracy isn't much of a threat, especially not compared to the new DRM schemes that Ubisoft and EA are using. Those do mean lost sales. I really, really want to play Settlers 7, but there's no way those dicks are getting my money when they screw paying customers like that.

I have pirated before, it has lead me to buy games that I wouldn't have bought, had I not tried them beforehand, so sometimes pirating leads to sales instead.

 

[gigastrike]

The game industry is massive. It would take a lot of piracy to significantly dent it. That doesn't mean that it's okay, though. It's still something that would need to be watched.

 

[oppp7]

I think the UN should get together a group of nations and from a force from their navies to combat piracy. Or hire some ninjas.

 

[Serioli]

I don't think it's doing all that much damage. Most of the people I know who pirate the games would not be buying them anyway, and the company is not losing a sale. It isn't doing any damage to the companies in this case.

I've heard the logic of 'wouldn't buy it anyway' a few times (not picking on you) and am intrigued about it.

If [John Smith] wouldn't buy game X anyway, why waste the time and bandwidth downloading it and however much time (minutes, hours, days or more) playing it?

Anyone?

 

[Marter]

I don't think it's doing all that much damage. Most of the people I know who pirate the games would not be buying them anyway, and the company is not losing a sale. It isn't doing any damage to the companies in this case.

I've heard the logic of 'wouldn't buy it anyway' a few times (not picking on you) and am intrigued about it.

If [John Smith] wouldn't buy game X anyway, why waste the time and bandwidth downloading it and however much time (minutes, hours, days or more) playing it?

Anyone?

Because they still want to play it, but have absolutely no intention of buying it. This is either due to limited funds, or just being cheap, but that is their logic.

 

[Drakmeire]

The best thing about piracy is that the FBI warning on all movies in not on anything pirated... ironic in a way.

 

[SnootyEnglishman]

Currently it's actually kind of a solution with all these developers putting the DRM within games for the PC. But in a legal sense of thinking it is illegal because it can be considered a form of theft.

 

[littlewilly91]

The one problem with this picture is probably the PSP, which is crippled because barely anyone buys games for it. This is a rare example of where piracy is easier and cheaper (one card with it all on as oppose to ten or so clumsy UMDs) however.

@Aby_Z- that's the thing. It isn't a game stolen off a shelf that has printing costs etc, it's a super clone made using a few electrons. The initial expensive game development is connected distantly, but it's not a direct theft.

 

[littlewilly91]

I don't think people without enough income should be locked out of entertainment if free copies of it can be made anyway.

 

[chozo_hybrid]

It's hardly a threat. Most of the time when games are pirated people wouldn't buy them anyway if piracy didn't exist. When they would buy the game but decide to pirate it instead - that's the only time it does real harm.

I dare you to say that to the face of someone who develops games, like my brother.

I really hate that argument, I get it, but it doesn't justify the theft.

I don't think people without enough income should be locked out of entertainment if free copies of it can be made anyway.

If they can't afford games, perhaps they should just get books from a library or whatever. There are other cheaper and legal forms of entertainment.

 

[Sronpop]

For games? Yes piracy is hurting it hugely. For Music/Movies? Not to the same degree. It has been proven time and again, that the biggest pirates of music are also the biggest buyer of music. In other words, the people that are still buying cd's are also the ones doing the most downloading. They don't do this because they are inconsistent or because they want to steal, they do it because they are huge music fans. And when they run out of music to buy cd's with of course they are gonna download. I should know, I have 100gbs of music. Alot of it is pirated yes, but then I just point you to my wardrobe which contains thousands of legitimate cd's. Hell I spent over 100 euro just last week on cd's. Yet today I downloaded 3 albums. Why? I am broke.

Its not killing the industry, bands etc. Need to embrace piracy. Free music is a great promotional tool. I have found so many bands(and bought their cds/t-shirt/saw them live) due to finding them via piracy. I don't regret a single download, because I know it exposed me to the band, and if I happen to really like them, I am more than happy to support them.

I know its frustrating as an artist to see so many people steal your work, but the growth you get from that, maybe your saving grace.

 

[Mcupobob]

I only pirate games that cannot be bought anymore unless you dig through e-bay or amazon, I say if I buy this game from here then the money is not going to reach back to the devlopers anyways and since they stoped selling this game to realtors and are no longer making money off it then its open for takesys.

 

[Serioli]

I don't think it's doing all that much damage. Most of the people I know who pirate the games would not be buying them anyway, and the company is not losing a sale. It isn't doing any damage to the companies in this case.

I've heard the logic of 'wouldn't buy it anyway' a few times (not picking on you) and am intrigued about it.

If [John Smith] wouldn't buy game X anyway, why waste the time and bandwidth downloading it and however much time (minutes, hours, days or more) playing it?

Anyone?

Because they still want to play it, but have absolutely no intention of buying it. This is either due to limited funds, or just being cheap, but that is their logic.

Then why not just say 'I want to play it without paying for it'? We're on the internet, it's not like anyone's going to track them down. Why go with 'I wouldn't buy it anyway' (But I will spend hours or days downloading and cracking it...)?