So what if I pirate games, why should you care?

[gunner1905]

First and foremost, I do not pirate games. This is a purely a hypothetical question.

I play my games mostly on the PC and know how prevalent piracy on the PC is, no matter how much I try to deny it. I also have to admit that piracy on the PC, no matter how big or small, affects a developers decision in making a game (DRM, how much effort they put into it, marketing, etc), or is used as a scape goat for their failures. So I know the hatred that PC players have for pirates is based somewhat on the fact that their piracy lessens the gaming experience for PC players.

But console players, why should you care if someone pirate games on the console. Your choice of platform is still the lead platform in most games, piracy or not, so they would still put all of their effort into your game. Also no matter how rampant piracy on a console, they cannot put any DRM that's comparable to the ones on the PC. And the excuse that it spreads cheating cannot be used because most console that are used for pirated copy are either used offline or banned from online services (cheating caused by hacks is not related to piracy, because it can and mostly is done by people who owns the game but just wants to grief other people).
Lastly, the idea that people who pirate would stifle the development of the next game from the pirated developer does not make sense because most games that are pirated are the popular ones and they still sell boatloads of copy, and pirates on the console is even less likely to buy a copy of the game they pirate (because even most pirates on the PC platform, which has a higher entry fee (hardware and such), is not likely to buy their games it would be easy to think that on the console it would be more so).

So why do you care (or hate) if other people pirate games on the console?

Edit: I should also add,
yes there's rarely any justification for piracy (See: extra credits, piracy episode or someting). But that's not the question, the question is -see above-

 

[Radeonx]

No one should care in the slightest, but people love to be moral asshats and spew their opinions onto others.

And before anyone says that they lose money from pirating; they don't, so don't say "Because it directly harms the industry blah blah blah", because it doesn't. It just causes a loss of a sale that may not have even been a sale to begin with.

The only reason to care is DRM, and honestly, it isn't that big a deal to handle with it.
DRM isn't that annoying.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Because there's no justifiable reason to do so, being a self entitled douchebag has no excuse.

Hint: "I don't have enough money so I'll pirate the game" is not a valid justification.

 

[ScoopMeister]

I shouldn't, and I don't. One of my best friends, a PC gamer, rarely, if ever, buys a game.

 

[gunner1905]

Because there's no justifiable reason to do so, being a self entitled douchebag has no excuse.

Hint: "I don't have enough money so I'll pirate the game" is not a valid justification.

Of course there's usually no excuse (See: Extra Credits). But why should you care?

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

Three reasons:

1.

They can, will, and have tightened DRM belts before.

I can't even play most of my XBLA titles with my Xbox offline. The only ones I can play are the recently played ones, too. Thankfully, all of my PS3 titles are playable offline, even Trine. Which I got and last played the same week I bought it, 8 months ago. And the Wii? I can only play games on my memory stick, on the Wii I bought it on. And I see no way to transfer ownership rights to a new system.

2.

It DOES hurt the industry. Just because they are making a lot of money already, doesn't mean that they deserve to lose potential profits. Those potential profits could fund a riskier less-main stream title, too.

3.

Because hacking makes me update my shit pointlessly. PS3 isn't the only offender in anti-piracy updating. Just the biggest. >_>

 

[b3nn3tt]

And before anyone says that they lose money from pirating; they don't, so don't say "Because it directly harms the industry blah blah blah", because it doesn't. It just causes a loss of a sale that may not have even been a sale to begin with.

The fact is, it might have been a sale. If the person would have bought a game if they hadn't pirated it, it's a lost sale

But that's besides the point. Why should pirates have to pay for something that a team has put a lot of time and effort into creating? Regardless of whether or not they would have bought it, they did not buy it, and therefore are getting a product for free that should have cost them money

A think that a lot of the reason that people dislike pirates is the sense of entitlement. Why should anyone get something for free that others have had to pay for, and that a team has spent a lot of time and effort creating?

 

[The Woolly One]

Its the fact that pirates feel they are entitled to the game/movie/music etc despite providing nothing in exchange for it. Right or wrong, that is not how our society works: someone works to create something, and you get it if you exchange money for it. No one deserves it for free or is entitled to it for free. That is why piracy is wrong.

Regardless of platform, pirating a game makes the statement that you feel the work put into it is worthless and that you deserve to own it when you do not. No person is entitled to that game for free - it is a luxury, not a necessity.

 

[manythings]

No one should care in the slightest, but people love to be moral asshats and spew their opinions onto others.

And before anyone says that they lose money from pirating; they don't, so don't say "Because it directly harms the industry blah blah blah", because it doesn't. It just causes a loss of a sale that may not have even been a sale to begin with.

The only reason to care is DRM, and honestly, it isn't that big a deal to handle with it.
DRM isn't that annoying.

Well to say it will never lose the industry money is a bit suspect in it's reasoning. You can't declare a sale that was going to happen lost if you don't know about it and I have no doubt people have often pirated a game and never bought it. That's like saying no one who drinks beer ever gets drunk just because you've never met a drunk person.

OT: Nothing happens in a vacuum: Does piracy hurt the industry? I imagine it does but I could never say how much damage is caused. Do I believe it is cool to pirate? No and if anything pirating good games from companies you like will basically ensure similar games don't get made in the future and good companies will go under.

It's not free to make games so why should it be free to play them?

 

[gigastrike]

No one should care in the slightest, but people love to be moral asshats and spew their opinions onto others.

And before anyone says that they lose money from pirating; they don't, so don't say "Because it directly harms the industry blah blah blah", because it doesn't. It just causes a loss of a sale that may not have even been a sale to begin with.

The only reason to care is DRM, and honestly, it isn't that big a deal to handle with it.
DRM isn't that annoying.

Quoted for emphasis.

 

[Innegativeion]

moral asshats

Wait, what? Thinking outright theft is wrong makes you an asshat now?

 

[dkyros]

Yeah, if you like the game enough to play it you should show support to the company that developed it so they can make more. Simple logic isnt it?

 

[kebab4you]

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/extra-credits/2653-Piracy
Say it better then I ever could.

 

[Kpt._Rob]

Well, I would say that the big argument I, as a console gamer, could make against this hypothetical person who is pirating on the PC is that even if they don't do any wrong to me, they have wronged the people who made the game. I could then argue that much like I dislike Hitler even though he never did anything to me personally, I can also find this hypothetical pirate's actions morally objectionable even though I'm not the one they wronged.

That said, if we take the case of a game that I like, but which didn't do too well, and say that if it weren't for piracy it might have sold better, and as such they could've released a sequel, that actually does affect me. The company's decision to make or not to make a sequel may be based on sales across all platforms, as opposed to just being based on sales on one.

These are just two arguments I could make as a console gamer against a hypothetical pirate for reasons why I do care that they have pirated.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Because there's no justifiable reason to do so, being a self entitled douchebag has no excuse.

Hint: "I don't have enough money so I'll pirate the game" is not a valid justification.

Of course there's usually no excuse (See: Extra Credits). But why should you care?

Because out of all of the things that are in my interest to see profit, the game industry is one of them. Saying piracy doesn't harm the industry is ridiculous, because it does. It may not do any massive harm, but it still does enough to warrant being a concern.

Captcha: return irotte (I didn't even now i had him/her/it).

 

[gunner1905]

Three reasons:

1.

They can, will, and have tightened DRM belts before.

I can't even play most of my XBLA titles with my Xbox offline. The only ones I can play are the recently played ones, too. Thankfully, all of my PS3 titles are playable offline, even Trine. Which I got and last played the week I bought it. And the Wii? I can only play games on my memory stick, on the Wii I bought it on. And I see no way to transfer ownership right to a new system.

2.

It DOES hurt the industry. Just because they are making a lot of money already, doesn't mean that they deserve to lose potential profits. Those potential profits could fund a riskier less-main stream title, too.

3.

Because hacking makes me update my shit pointlessly. PS3 isn't the only offender in anti-piracy updating. Just the biggest. >_>

1. I don't think XBLA games can be pirated? correct me if i'm wrong
2. potential profit =/= profit
3. most pirated consoles are hardware base mod, so updates usually have no link to piracy. I know Sony have been a-holes with their updates but before PS3 was cracked they've been pushing updates like crack

 

[Drdiggit42]

I don't care too much if you pirate a game because most of the time u wouldn't buy it otherwise. I also think if you pirated a game you should do what i do when i download music, if you really like it then why not buy it to show your support. it doesn't really matter if you do or not its a purely sentimental gesture that wouldn't be received.

 

[The Wonder of the net]

the more you pirate the more horrible games get made. period. forever. they will rehash bad games or know what they will make more gameshow games. the only reason you should pirate is if your like me and is "stupid" and buys games after i pirate them and half the games i pirate are old games that you cant buy like sega cds "PANIC!".

 

[ramboondiea]

i dont care per-say. my issue comes from the shaky legal aspect attached to it, im currently at uni studying law, and touched upon the like of intellectual property copy right law ect. so i care as i believe there should be more laws focused upon pirating (in fact i think internet use in genera should have more legal constraints).

 

[Kinokohatake]

And before anyone says that they lose money from pirating; they don't, so don't say "Because it directly harms the industry blah blah blah", because it doesn't. It just causes a loss of a sale that may not have even been a sale to begin with.
DRM isn't that annoying.

So walking into a store and taking all the games I want and walk out without paying is "Causing a loss of a sale that may not have even been a sale to begin with"? Oh and in legal terms, THAT'S STEALING!

You want to see an industry that is dealing with people who aren't buying the official copies and instead go with a form of pirated, look at the anime industry. Nearly all but two or three companies have shut down because of the prevalence of scans, and watching the japanese version.