Why do people think it's ok to pirate games?

[Quiet Stranger]

I have been thinking about this for a while now and can't seem to come up with a good reason why someone would pirate a game. My line of thinking is since you didn't pay for it your stealing, and well stealing is wrong and a criminal action thus don't pirate game. But there has to be a reason so many people pirate games, maybe I just don't get it or haven't heard the right reason, "Because I can" "I don't have the money to spend on games/don't want to spend money on games" are the ones I hear most and they are not even that good of reasons to do it.
So I was wondering if anyone else had an incite or have heard a good argument for it?

OH HERRO AGAIN! And I'm just gonna say this once more (okay I will say it many more times) but there's no such thing as good and evil, everything is opinion, so there ya go

Yes there is stealing something that is not yours is evil, killing in cold blood is evil, saying that there is nothing that is evil is just an excuse to make it so you sleep better at night.

Lawl, my friend you make me smile, looks like the got to you too, too funny, just cause something says something doesn't make it so, like for example, Let's say someone says a flower smells nice (roses) and the next person says the roses smell awful, who's right or wrong? Neither, it's all based on opinion, to person A he is right and the flowers smell nice, to person B he is right and that the flowers smell bad, it's the exact same thing with this, for another (more extreme example) lets look at 9/11, to you and all other people (mainly those who aren't terrorists) thought it was awful and terrible, to the terrorists it was one of the best things to ever happen, but again who is right or wrong? Neither because it's all based on opinion also a reason you only believe things are evil is because you've been told they're evil for so long you probably wouldn't believe otherwise.

I also sleep so well at night because I don't think much at all (when I go to bed) my bed is also very cozy and I'm usually VERY tired so when I go to bed I usually hit the pillow pretty hard

Well considering I rate the 9/11 terrorist as evil as Stalin and Hitler your not making a good point and your making me think your morally bankrupt, there is a set of things that are right and wrong, stealing is wrong, killing is wrong, rape is wrong. You sir should have known this by know.

I have no morals because there are no need for them, I mean sure I wouldn't go around killing people but when I view something, either be it "good" or "bad" I think of it as something that just happen also you poor foolish person I feel so sorry for you, a man once said "If you are lied to enough you can believe heaven is hell and hell is heaven" he got that right except it's not lying, it's just telling someone over and over again

 

[Quiet Stranger]

Steam makes buying games so easy there's no excuse for pirating anymore.

Not when you don't have a way to pay for those games on Steam (credit cards)

 

[Cody211282]

I have been thinking about this for a while now and can't seem to come up with a good reason why someone would pirate a game. My line of thinking is since you didn't pay for it your stealing, and well stealing is wrong and a criminal action thus don't pirate game. But there has to be a reason so many people pirate games, maybe I just don't get it or haven't heard the right reason, "Because I can" "I don't have the money to spend on games/don't want to spend money on games" are the ones I hear most and they are not even that good of reasons to do it.
So I was wondering if anyone else had an incite or have heard a good argument for it?

A good argument? Well, simply put, it isn't stealing. If I go out and steal a car, then I am taking a car away from someone else. If, however, I pirate a game/movie/song, the company that made it isn't losing anything, I'm just not giving them my money.

Sure, if you have the money to pay for the game, go ahead and pay for it and support the company that made it. But in a situation like mine, where your choices are either spend your food money on video games, don't buy any new games, or download a copy of it for free, then (I hate using this term) it's a victimless crime.

Once I have the time to get a full time job, and can afford more than the very basic necessities, I will go back to paying for my games in an effort to ensure those companies will keep making games, but until then I will pirate without regret because of the knowledge that I'm not hurting anyone or anything in doing so.

Well as i stated before it is stealing, you taking something you didn't pay for I know your not physically taking something from the company but the idea is the same, you think you deserve something you can't pay for and take it upon yourself to commit a theft and take the game you want. I don't have much money now, so I don't buy games ether, what I do is look for a job and wait until I have the money to buy what I want.

Yeah, but it isn't really "taking something you didn't pay for", it's taking a copy of something you didn't pay for. If you go out to a museum and snap a photo of the Mona Lisa, you now have a copy of the Mona Lisa which you didn't pay for, but would you consider that stealing?

Personally, I'm curious as to why you are so against pirating at all. Specifically in the situation I mentioned where someone is only pirating because they just can't afford to buy a copy.

I understand being opposed to pirating if you can easily afford to pay for it, or if you want to support a developer, but what is so wrong about taking a copy of something you wouldn't have paid money for in the first place? Even if you were to consider this stealing, surely you can admit that in this situation there is no actual negative impact on anyone?

Yes it's a copy, it is also something you didn't pay for that you should have thus stealing.

For the Mona Lisa picture, it would be more accurate to say an exact replica, and they are very expensive, the picture analogy is sorta how Arcane Asylums DRM worked, you got the game but you are missing a few thing(like jumping).

I'm against pirating for the simple reason of it's wrong, it's illegal and it makes people think they are entitled for things they don't work for. I am probably one of a very small amount of people who think if something is wrong then you shouldn't do it, and it's as simple as that.

Fine, you didn't like my Mona Lisa example, how about this: I see a nice wooden table at a furniture store. Since I have no money, all I do is examine the table, then go home and build an identical table. They are both exactly the same in every way, except that one was very expensive and one was free. What is 'wrong' with building a replica/duplicating/copying something else?

Also, you say you are "against pirating for the simple reason of it's wrong, it's illegal and it makes people think they are entitled for things they don't work for." Why, exactly, is it wrong? Are you only against it for the reason that it's illegal, or do you actually have a personal, well thought out reason for thinking it is wrong? Honestly, if the only reason you are against it is because someone decided to make it illegal, don't you think you should have a better reason than that?

For the table example if you go home and buy the supplys(or get the wood from a stockpile you had from going out into the woods and cutting it down) and spend the time making it from scratch then it's your you have spent the time and resources to make it. This is different because you are stealing the code to use for yourself, you didn't work on it you didn't pay for it, thus stealing.

No it's wrong because you are taking something that belongs to someone else they made it and you are taking it from them even if it is a copy you are taking the code they spent a lot of time and money on and not compensating them for it and you are doing it for personal gain thus wrong.

 

[jasoncyrus]

snip

Actually if its not upto my standard I dont finish it. I ditch it and inform my associates its not worth paying for.

If your home sucks MOVE. If Gears of War 3 sucks I cant go and get a better version of it from someone else. Only one company makes GoW3 thus making your analogy flawed.

And actually yes it does cost him money since he has to pay various taxes on the property unless hes passing *everything* onto you, land tax, property tax, maintainence costs, etc.

So yeah, failed argument.

 

[Quiet Stranger]

snip

Ooo ethics debate.

Lets counter that "save the majority" argument with this old dillemma. 100 innocents trapped in a cave, a very fat man is unfortunately stuck in the only way out. It's not his fault, he slipped down a hill and got stuck there on his way home from serving soup at the homeless shelter and giving free computers to terminally ill children. But he is truely stuck.

Now the 100 can either wait it out and hope help comes, which is a it unlikely due to its sheltered location, or they can kill the fat guy, chop him up and escape.

Is the latter really the better solution?

I would rip that guy limb for limb to save the people stuck behind him, but that's different from stealing something for personal gain as I have said before.

In all honesty, gaming these days is hardly a personal gain. Games that are actually a gain are few and far between. Red Steel for example. Not a personal gain, Fable 2, not a personal gain, Spore, not a personal gain, most mario games of late, not a personal gain since they're the same shit repackaged. The list goes on.

EDIT: as for ripping our theoretical saint apart to save the people of unnown morals behind him, makes you a bit of a monster.

I'm gonna save Cody here and say just one of those people could be a super hero (as I dont believe in god I'm gonna give very far fetched examples, but then again you never said the fictional "incident" happens in our world soooo yeah anyways) or some kind of almighty being (a god) or they could all be priests or they could all be part of the Save a life foundation (dont know if thats an actual thing but I mean the kind of people who help other people in third world countries)

 

[jasoncyrus]

snip

Indeed morals are for people who dont know how to make full use of people. People are only nasty to other because they can't see how others can be used to their own gain through kindness.

 

[Cody211282]

I have been thinking about this for a while now and can't seem to come up with a good reason why someone would pirate a game. My line of thinking is since you didn't pay for it your stealing, and well stealing is wrong and a criminal action thus don't pirate game. But there has to be a reason so many people pirate games, maybe I just don't get it or haven't heard the right reason, "Because I can" "I don't have the money to spend on games/don't want to spend money on games" are the ones I hear most and they are not even that good of reasons to do it.
So I was wondering if anyone else had an incite or have heard a good argument for it?

OH HERRO AGAIN! And I'm just gonna say this once more (okay I will say it many more times) but there's no such thing as good and evil, everything is opinion, so there ya go

Yes there is stealing something that is not yours is evil, killing in cold blood is evil, saying that there is nothing that is evil is just an excuse to make it so you sleep better at night.

Lawl, my friend you make me smile, looks like the got to you too, too funny, just cause something says something doesn't make it so, like for example, Let's say someone says a flower smells nice (roses) and the next person says the roses smell awful, who's right or wrong? Neither, it's all based on opinion, to person A he is right and the flowers smell nice, to person B he is right and that the flowers smell bad, it's the exact same thing with this, for another (more extreme example) lets look at 9/11, to you and all other people (mainly those who aren't terrorists) thought it was awful and terrible, to the terrorists it was one of the best things to ever happen, but again who is right or wrong? Neither because it's all based on opinion also a reason you only believe things are evil is because you've been told they're evil for so long you probably wouldn't believe otherwise.

I also sleep so well at night because I don't think much at all (when I go to bed) my bed is also very cozy and I'm usually VERY tired so when I go to bed I usually hit the pillow pretty hard

Well considering I rate the 9/11 terrorist as evil as Stalin and Hitler your not making a good point and your making me think your morally bankrupt, there is a set of things that are right and wrong, stealing is wrong, killing is wrong, rape is wrong. You sir should have known this by know.

I have no morals because there are no need for them, I mean sure I wouldn't go around killing people but when I view something, either be it "good" or "bad" I think of it as something that just happen also you poor foolish person I feel so sorry for you, a man once said "If you are lied to enough you can believe heaven is hell and hell is heaven" he got that right except it's not lying, it's just telling someone over and over again

If you want to bring up Plato's The Cave then I get to say there are truth's in this worth, I don't believe in heaven or hell, so that's not a factor in my reasoning. And lets say someone is violently raped you wouldn't say that's a bad thing?

 

[jasoncyrus]

I'm gonna save Cody here and say just one of those people could be a super hero (as I dont believe in god I'm gonna give very far fetched examples, but then again you never said the fictional "incident" happens in our world soooo yeah anyways) or some kind of almighty being (a god) or they could all be priests or they could all be part of the Save a life foundation (dont know if thats an actual thing but I mean the kind of people who help other people in third world countries)

Well then why didn't you simply trim a bit of gut off him then? Sure he'd go into shock if you werent careful but pretty sure he could be saved with today's medical capabilities.

Amazing how people who supposedly have "morals" would kill someone so quickly without exploring all the options.

 

[Crabcakes]

I have pirated 3 games
1. the Sims, i payed for it two times, i don't want to buy the big box set for one game, seeing as how i own the rest, and I've only getting for a girl who is only going to play it for a week.
2. mount and blade, i don't have a card to by online, and no stores sell it.
3. vampire: the masquerade: bloodlines, same as ^

i'm not saying it was right, i would like to buy for the games, if i find them in stores.

 

[Cody211282]

snip

Ooo ethics debate.

Lets counter that "save the majority" argument with this old dillemma. 100 innocents trapped in a cave, a very fat man is unfortunately stuck in the only way out. It's not his fault, he slipped down a hill and got stuck there on his way home from serving soup at the homeless shelter and giving free computers to terminally ill children. But he is truely stuck.

Now the 100 can either wait it out and hope help comes, which is a it unlikely due to its sheltered location, or they can kill the fat guy, chop him up and escape.

Is the latter really the better solution?

I would rip that guy limb for limb to save the people stuck behind him, but that's different from stealing something for personal gain as I have said before.

In all honesty, gaming these days is hardly a personal gain. Games that are actually a gain are few and far between. Red Steel for example. Not a personal gain, Fable 2, not a personal gain, Spore, not a personal gain, most mario games of late, not a personal gain since they're the same shit repackaged. The list goes on.

EDIT: as for ripping our theoretical saint apart to save the people of unnown morals behind him, makes you a bit of a monster.

Yes it does but it helps the most amount of people in the end, I know what I did was evil but I would do it for the good of the people behind him(if I wanted to I could justify he brought it on himself by not watching his weight but I wont because that's a bad reason).

I know a lot of games are not worth it(some plain out suck) but people pirate them to gain amusement for however long they play it, thus still making it personal gain.

 

[jasoncyrus]

snip

Well in most circumstances no since in this day and age in developed countries that arnt in a cultural ark age, its a higher prercentage being prostitutes that are raped. Which gives them a very good incentive to stop bing one, thus not exactly a bad thing.

 

[shemoanscazrex3]

I pirate because I can't afford the game or don't want to spend the money. Also the old systems where the company doesn't make money off the games anymore I'll pirate those. As far as PS3, well you can't and I wouldn't.

 

[jasoncyrus]

snip

As I said before you kill far too easily without considering the full options. Ignoring my previous statement of trimming the guy, you have a tool to chop him up, a tool you could dig him out with.

 

[DoW Lowen]

I buy three CD's a year. The rest I download from torrents?

Am I a bad person? To a lot of you I would be. However I do support the music industry, hence the three CD's a year. But of course I am also an environmentalist and a humanitarian, but I still use plastic bags and I still would rather spend money on new DLC than give it to charity.

You may call me hypocritical, but I say I'm just trying my best.

 

[Quiet Stranger]

I'm gonna save Cody here and say just one of those people could be a super hero (as I dont believe in god I'm gonna give very far fetched examples, but then again you never said the fictional "incident" happens in our world soooo yeah anyways) or some kind of almighty being (a god) or they could all be priests or they could all be part of the Save a life foundation (dont know if thats an actual thing but I mean the kind of people who help other people in third world countries)

Well then why didn't you simply trim a bit of gut off him then? Sure he'd go into shock if you werent careful but pretty sure he could be saved with today's medical capabilities.

Amazing how people who supposedly have "morals" would kill someone so quickly without exploring all the options.

Actually you know what, instead of "trimming" why not just liposuction?

 

[jasoncyrus]

I'm gonna save Cody here and say just one of those people could be a super hero (as I dont believe in god I'm gonna give very far fetched examples, but then again you never said the fictional "incident" happens in our world soooo yeah anyways) or some kind of almighty being (a god) or they could all be priests or they could all be part of the Save a life foundation (dont know if thats an actual thing but I mean the kind of people who help other people in third world countries)

Well then why didn't you simply trim a bit of gut off him then? Sure he'd go into shock if you werent careful but pretty sure he could be saved with today's medical capabilities.

Amazing how people who supposedly have "morals" would kill someone so quickly without exploring all the options.

Actually you know what, instead of "trimming" why not just liposuction?

Unfortunately I don't think most caves come with liposuction machines...I think thats an optional extra.

 

[Quiet Stranger]

I have been thinking about this for a while now and can't seem to come up with a good reason why someone would pirate a game. My line of thinking is since you didn't pay for it your stealing, and well stealing is wrong and a criminal action thus don't pirate game. But there has to be a reason so many people pirate games, maybe I just don't get it or haven't heard the right reason, "Because I can" "I don't have the money to spend on games/don't want to spend money on games" are the ones I hear most and they are not even that good of reasons to do it.
So I was wondering if anyone else had an incite or have heard a good argument for it?

OH HERRO AGAIN! And I'm just gonna say this once more (okay I will say it many more times) but there's no such thing as good and evil, everything is opinion, so there ya go

Yes there is stealing something that is not yours is evil, killing in cold blood is evil, saying that there is nothing that is evil is just an excuse to make it so you sleep better at night.

Lawl, my friend you make me smile, looks like the got to you too, too funny, just cause something says something doesn't make it so, like for example, Let's say someone says a flower smells nice (roses) and the next person says the roses smell awful, who's right or wrong? Neither, it's all based on opinion, to person A he is right and the flowers smell nice, to person B he is right and that the flowers smell bad, it's the exact same thing with this, for another (more extreme example) lets look at 9/11, to you and all other people (mainly those who aren't terrorists) thought it was awful and terrible, to the terrorists it was one of the best things to ever happen, but again who is right or wrong? Neither because it's all based on opinion also a reason you only believe things are evil is because you've been told they're evil for so long you probably wouldn't believe otherwise.

I also sleep so well at night because I don't think much at all (when I go to bed) my bed is also very cozy and I'm usually VERY tired so when I go to bed I usually hit the pillow pretty hard

Well considering I rate the 9/11 terrorist as evil as Stalin and Hitler your not making a good point and your making me think your morally bankrupt, there is a set of things that are right and wrong, stealing is wrong, killing is wrong, rape is wrong. You sir should have known this by know.

I have no morals because there are no need for them, I mean sure I wouldn't go around killing people but when I view something, either be it "good" or "bad" I think of it as something that just happen also you poor foolish person I feel so sorry for you, a man once said "If you are lied to enough you can believe heaven is hell and hell is heaven" he got that right except it's not lying, it's just telling someone over and over again

If you want to bring up Plato's The Cave then I get to say there are truth's in this worth, I don't believe in heaven or hell, so that's not a factor in my reasoning. And lets say someone is violently raped you wouldn't say that's a bad thing?

Nope, just something that happens, "1 death is a tragedy (no it isn't, I'm just quoting here) a million deaths is a statistic" though I'd probably go aaaawwww, cause you know, it probably hurt or something

 

[Quiet Stranger]

I'm gonna save Cody here and say just one of those people could be a super hero (as I dont believe in god I'm gonna give very far fetched examples, but then again you never said the fictional "incident" happens in our world soooo yeah anyways) or some kind of almighty being (a god) or they could all be priests or they could all be part of the Save a life foundation (dont know if thats an actual thing but I mean the kind of people who help other people in third world countries)

Well then why didn't you simply trim a bit of gut off him then? Sure he'd go into shock if you werent careful but pretty sure he could be saved with today's medical capabilities.

Amazing how people who supposedly have "morals" would kill someone so quickly without exploring all the options.

Actually you know what, instead of "trimming" why not just liposuction?

Unfortunately I don't think most caves come with liposuction machines...I think thats an optional extra.

you'd bring one in, call for help or go get help