To the people who don't pirate: Is life really so bad?
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As to why game studios charge $50-80 when movies don't, well, movies make their money in a different way. Firstly, a game that sells over a million copies is remarkable; a typical summer blockbuster movies gets over a million viewings in the first weekend. Secondly, movies can earn money after their theatre showings are over by going to DVD, or licensing it to cable or broadcast TV. Games don't have that sort of ability; they have to make their money on the first try, before they're consigned to the bargain bins just to get rid of them. Thirdly, movies are better at licensing out their images for merchandising than games.deadlee0b1 said:
It's a lot harder to break even on a $40 million game than it is on a $40 million movie. That's why the price of games is higher.
-- Steve
Frankly, I pirate practically every game I have. The companies aren't really losing anything, because I wouldn't buy it otherwise. Games are prohibitively expensive. The total added cost of all the games on my hard drive easily surpasses the cost of my computer.
Plus, no DRM, SecuROM or anything. Just a serial code and a crack. Perhaps a few more files if I want to play online.
Plus, no DRM, SecuROM or anything. Just a serial code and a crack. Perhaps a few more files if I want to play online.
So in conclusion: Pirates are the new Fifth Column of modern Society, on par with people who drive like maniacs (aww, who am I kidding, they are far worse!) and will usher in a new age of darkness and despair! Send those Enro- I mean, send those Piratebay lunatics to jail for life! Wooo!
Excuse me as I go shed a tear for companies like EA and big record labels. I'm certain Indie developers suffering under piracy get no representation at all, but hey, that's how this world of ours works, eh?
Piracy: Today's Most Critical Crisis!
Excuse me as I go shed a tear for companies like EA and big record labels. I'm certain Indie developers suffering under piracy get no representation at all, but hey, that's how this world of ours works, eh?
Piracy: Today's Most Critical Crisis!
I have to admit I pirate alot of stuff but its mainly tv shows and movies that I want to see but seeing as their is usually a long wait for alot of films to be released in the uk from state side and the fact that i've a brother whos 16 so theirs some films coming out that we cant watch together as he's too young. Do I think its stealing? No. If i didnt download I wouldnt go to the theatres but if a film is good i'll buy it on dvd or blue-ray when it comes out.
I also have been known to download the odd game, mainly in the past to see if it runs on my machine but since building my new one its mainly to see if its any good.. or if im being extremly impatient and a leaked copy has arrived on the net before my legal copy.. Spore for one thing the cracked copy was much better due to having zero drm. I agree with the fact that alot of the time pirates get the better copy unfortunately
I also have been known to download the odd game, mainly in the past to see if it runs on my machine but since building my new one its mainly to see if its any good.. or if im being extremly impatient and a leaked copy has arrived on the net before my legal copy.. Spore for one thing the cracked copy was much better due to having zero drm. I agree with the fact that alot of the time pirates get the better copy unfortunately
Yes, but if I steal your credit card number I am stealing money that was lent to you but a financial institution. That number just gives me access to you property. If I COPY a piece of software, the party that created it has lost nothing, only i have gained something. With a credit card number, I have gained something but you have in turn lost.sirdapfrey said:
I think its still debatable weather piracy is a crime, but it most definitely is NOT stealing.
I pirated for a while(music and movies), but as of late I have finally started buying CDs and DVDs(even HD DVDs 
)
I buy them used on ebay, so basically the original producers of the product are getting NO $.
I download the Howard Stern Show because even though we have Sirius radio, I can't listen WHEN I want, reception isn't great, and this way I can pause/play at will.
)I buy them used on ebay, so basically the original producers of the product are getting NO $.
I download the Howard Stern Show because even though we have Sirius radio, I can't listen WHEN I want, reception isn't great, and this way I can pause/play at will.
I know, I know, I'm quoting myself. But it's just because I feel as if I haven't really answered the question properly. When you ask if my life would be bad if I didn't pirate then no it wouldn't be bad. I'm not going to get depressed because I paid money for games. But what it will be though, and this is the point I guess I was trying to make with the idea of not paying for bad games, is a life full of shitty games, because the companies who make them think that since people spent money on them, then they're actually good. Thus, they will keep making them, and making sequels, and soon we will be seeing Sonic turn into a werewolf even though it has nothing to do with Sonic in the slightest. (oh wait...)xxcloud417xx said:
In the least, it seems like oversimplification to compare piracy to the varied forms of theft depicted in that Anti-Piracy intro I'm certain everyone here has seen. The law distinguishes between, say, breaking into someones home to grab their TV (larceny) and stealing a car (grand theft auto).deadlee0b1 said:
REMEMBER:
Thank you for supporting our argument. I bolded and underlined the important part of the definition. To steal is to take. When you take, the person you take it from loses their property. When you copy, the person you copy from gets to keep their copy. It's really not that difficult.Symp4thy said:
Stealing != Copying. Regardless of if it's morally wrong or not, it's not stealing. Period.
Edit: Added a space between the paragraphs, since it looked as if I was contradicting myself in my screen resolution due to the ! and = ending up at different rows.
What really irks me about this thread is the following (several posters have said it multiple times):
"It's not stealing as I wouldn't have bought it anyway, so the companies don't loose a sale and I get to play the game."
So, uh, why did you find the need to obtain a pirate copy? Why didn't you just go without (since you didn't want it)?
Yes, pirating a copy of a game IS stealing (theft of intellectual property, it's still "stealing" even if not the view of stealing some people [whom apparently aren't too hot on the law] hold). You obtained a game, which has copyrights and licensing fees made by people who need to get paid, for free. The excuse that you didn't actually want it holds no water because you went out of your way to get it, the computer didn't open the downloads by itself, therefore you had the intention of obtaining the product without paying for it.
That last sentence is one of a myriad of definitions of theft.
Ie, had you bought the copy from a shop, you would have sent money to the developer. By not purchasing the product, you are taking the money away from the company. And because you had to download it you were intending to do this.
Not purchasing a product doesn't make the company any money too. But then you shouldn't be able to play it (since you don't want it). I'm sure they'd prefer that you went without than obtaining a copy that can then potentially be passed on to other people (like the "pay it forwards" scheme, only more nefarious. You obtain a copy from one bloke who bought the game. You send your copy to 2 mates. They send their copy to 3 mates each, who send it to 4 mates each. Now the company made £50 off the first bloke. Had you not obtained a copy, your 2 mates would have bought the game, and perhaps the 9 after then, or the 36 after that - meaning the company has lost out on a possible £1400 (not £1450 since you didn't want the game so you wouldn't pay the first £50). That's how piracy can easily damage companies. Companies like EA etc can probably absorb the losses, but they might cut departments etc depending on how much of their total profit goes back into creating more games, purchasing the legal licenses and so forth.
I don't really despair at any individual pirate, or the group as a whole. But to assume that what you're doing isn't stealing as you "aren't taking something as you wouldn't have bought it, so where's the harm in it?" is not only ignorant but short-sighted. And my true worry is that now society feels that it is totally justified in stealing something it can't afford just because they want it. Gaming is not vital for life. It's not even vital for a good life (I game very little, ironically since this is a gaming forum, but simply because I can't afford a PS3 or 360 and don't have much time to play the games - because I'm either working to pay for food or I'm down the pub with real mates). Why DO you have the right to play a game without paying for it?
"It's not stealing as I wouldn't have bought it anyway, so the companies don't loose a sale and I get to play the game."
So, uh, why did you find the need to obtain a pirate copy? Why didn't you just go without (since you didn't want it)?
Yes, pirating a copy of a game IS stealing (theft of intellectual property, it's still "stealing" even if not the view of stealing some people [whom apparently aren't too hot on the law] hold). You obtained a game, which has copyrights and licensing fees made by people who need to get paid, for free. The excuse that you didn't actually want it holds no water because you went out of your way to get it, the computer didn't open the downloads by itself, therefore you had the intention of obtaining the product without paying for it.
That last sentence is one of a myriad of definitions of theft.
Ie, had you bought the copy from a shop, you would have sent money to the developer. By not purchasing the product, you are taking the money away from the company. And because you had to download it you were intending to do this.
Not purchasing a product doesn't make the company any money too. But then you shouldn't be able to play it (since you don't want it). I'm sure they'd prefer that you went without than obtaining a copy that can then potentially be passed on to other people (like the "pay it forwards" scheme, only more nefarious. You obtain a copy from one bloke who bought the game. You send your copy to 2 mates. They send their copy to 3 mates each, who send it to 4 mates each. Now the company made £50 off the first bloke. Had you not obtained a copy, your 2 mates would have bought the game, and perhaps the 9 after then, or the 36 after that - meaning the company has lost out on a possible £1400 (not £1450 since you didn't want the game so you wouldn't pay the first £50). That's how piracy can easily damage companies. Companies like EA etc can probably absorb the losses, but they might cut departments etc depending on how much of their total profit goes back into creating more games, purchasing the legal licenses and so forth.
I don't really despair at any individual pirate, or the group as a whole. But to assume that what you're doing isn't stealing as you "aren't taking something as you wouldn't have bought it, so where's the harm in it?" is not only ignorant but short-sighted. And my true worry is that now society feels that it is totally justified in stealing something it can't afford just because they want it. Gaming is not vital for life. It's not even vital for a good life (I game very little, ironically since this is a gaming forum, but simply because I can't afford a PS3 or 360 and don't have much time to play the games - because I'm either working to pay for food or I'm down the pub with real mates). Why DO you have the right to play a game without paying for it?
Thats why you read reviews before you make your decision, its not like you are entitled to make up your decision on the box art or demo.
I seriously doubt that the average consumer does, though. Also, as I've mentioned before, it's not just finding the reviews, but finding unbiased, untainted reviews that is hard...L33tsauce_Marty said:
Also, I kinda hate that line of reasoning: In order to avoid bad games, one most read of the experiences of others playing them. How about the industry shapes up a bit and stops putting out drivel instead? That is why I personally dislike piracy, not because of what it does to say, EA, but for what it does to developers of games like Ricochet. Developers who, I guaranty, never see a dime from copy-protection trials and the like (and never will).
I've never stolen a game from anybody. However, people have made copies and given them to me via the internet, to which I am very grateful.