Software piracy; is it theft, does it harm the industry etc?

TheShaggyDA · Repost Police Joined: 14 Jun 2004 Karma :

Out of interest, how much of each £40 that PGR3 gets sold for actually ends up in your pocket? If you are salaried, then someone making a copy doesn't affect your pocket. Supermarkets have the concept of "shrinkage" - an expected amount of shoplifting - and price their goods accordingly. If, however, you are paid a percentage of sales, then you should have 6 figure bank accounts and drive Ferraris.
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innominate · Brolly Dolly Joined: 18 Nov 2004 Karma :

Copying is theft in my eyes.

But then they charge too much for the games anyway.
So even though its stealing, its totally morally justifyable.

(anyhoo I bought all my x-box games, just not very many of them)
Now stick to the PC as the games are more realistically priced £25ish for most.
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I, as a responsible adult human being, will never concede the power to anyone to regulate my choice of what I put into my body, or where I go with my mind. From the skin inwards is my jurisdiction, is it not? I choose what may or may not cross that border. Here I am the customs agent. I am the coast-guard. I am the sole legal and spiritual government of this territory, and only the laws I choose to enact within myself are applicable.

TheBoyChris · Scooby Slapper Joined: 29 Mar 2004 Karma :

Rob · World Chat Champion Joined: 16 Mar 2002 Karma :

I agree with what is being said here. Everyone that 'copies' a game thinks that their one copy won't make a huge difference, but everyone thinks that!!

Most people that play games are always wanting better and better games but if the companies that design these games don't make money then they will just go out of business and there will be no games to be copied anyway!

I agree, £50 can be a bit steep for a game but then hey, the price of everything in this country seems a bit steep! I would love a £1,000,000 house but I can't afford one, doesn't mean I can just go and squat in an empty one as it was empty anyway!
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0ddball · World Chat Champion Joined: 15 Jul 2005 Karma :

You wouldn't pay £15 for a genuine shop bought dvd if the picture quality was as bad as mobile phone footage.

And i won't pay £30-50 for a shite game that i'll literly play for 10 mins the never use again. Out of the 100+ games i've got there's only about 10 i've played for more than an hour.

I never have and never will steal anything from an individual but i've no qualms about stealing from a big corporation. They have none about stealing from me. I'd have that CBR600 for free too if i could. And so would the rest of you.

G · The Voice of Reason Joined: 02 Feb 2002 Karma :

veeeffarr · Super Spammer Joined: 22 Jul 2004 Karma :

G · The Voice of Reason Joined: 02 Feb 2002 Karma :

Wanna give me some free games so that I don't have to pirate them Smile

. (Not that I have any time to play them these days Sad

).

veeeffarr · Super Spammer Joined: 22 Jul 2004 Karma :

LewisD · Crazy Courier Joined: 30 Oct 2005 Karma :

Well having worked in the games industry (Kuju Entertainment - 3d and 2d texture artist) some years back, you can believe me when i say i understand your anger towards game piracy.

I remember when Team apache, KA52 Team alligator and Microsoft train sim sold amazingly well we got give a relativly small cash bonus in our next pay packet. That was about it. But this has nothing to do with my arguement.

I do buy all my games, ps2, PC, Etc.
But the launch line up - and recent titles - on the 360 are, and i'm sure you'll agree with this.. Are overpriced and below par quality.. (apart from PGR3, that game was awesome, kudos for that - I have a retail copy of that, so don't lose any sleep over worries that i've ripped your game)

As such i can't find anyway for them to justify their £45/50 pricetag.. not for the quality of the games at this moment in time anyway.. Games like mass effect and Gears of war, they are £50 quality titles.

Plus the fact i'm on my 3rd 360 after they keep breaking, despite the fact i treat it like a fabergé egg.

So i've decided to rebel against microsoft at the moment, until the games' quality justifies their pricetag and the machine justifies the £280 i spent on it (good example being my ps2 which I've had from launch, it's survived all manner of ill treatment and is still going strong after hundreds of hours of use)

Anyway, I shall stop ranting..

veeeffarr · Super Spammer Joined: 22 Jul 2004 Karma :

Well hopefully there will be more titles out there soon on the 360 that everyone enjoys.

I frankly can't see any excuse for not buying, as there are plenty of Demos on Xbox Live Marketplace which give a really good view of the games on offer, so the age old argument of saying "I'll download to try them out" is out of the window.

You say that it's a victimless crime because you weren't going to buy it anyway... But how many games have you justified not buying to yourself by saying "Oh actually I don't think I'll buy that, so I'll download it, no one loses out".

What I'm saying is, how many times has the reason for you not buying a game been that you can download it and no one loses out?

Also, what happens when you tell your friends why and what you do? Do they share your views? Or do they just use your viewpoint to justify their own actions.

G · The Voice of Reason Joined: 02 Feb 2002 Karma :

Ahmato_ · Crazy Courier Joined: 03 Jun 2006 Karma :

I'd just like to add my two pence, for what its worth.

Downloading games is addictive. I don't know if its just me, but once people (me included) know how to download games, it really puts you off buying it. For example, the other day I was in Gamestation looking at Rome: Total War, and its on for about £15, just as I go to pay I think screw this I'll download it and save up for my first bike Rolling Eyes

Which brings me to my second point. When I buy a game, usually as a result of my dad paying or some other circumstance, I enjoy the game more. I'll play it to the end, and beat it to death, go online etc...however when I downloaded Rome Total War, how long did I play it for? 10mins through the training mission, before quitting and loading up Enemy Territory.

Its really bad and I know what I'm doing is wrong, perhaps I'll try going cold turkey, but once you know the means to do somthing like this, and realise how easy it is to get away with it, it really stops you buying the game legally Sad

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veeeffarr · Super Spammer Joined: 22 Jul 2004 Karma :

It's because it's much easier than breaking into a showroom and stealing a car, any person can sit online, download a program, and type in what they want that it's hard to see that it's actually wrong.

Redliner · Spanner Monkey Joined: 07 Apr 2006 Karma :

In the case of people that would actually buy a product, but then choose to instead copy or download it, yeh it's bollocks really, you're not putting back in to whatever kind of industry it is that provides you the entertainment, that you would have purchased if their was no 'free' alternative.

On the other hand, people are downloading because it's there, if it wasn't, they wouldn't have spent the cash on it.

Misc · World Chat Champion Joined: 15 Aug 2005 Karma :

I d/l nfsmw yesterday, that saved me 30 odd quid to spend on my bike, this is why i download. & you think people think twice about those who make/designed them?

When you 'illegally' download the company is losing a potenial customer 'money' the same thing happens when you rent a game/dvd/ or lend off a friend, have you lent off a friend? what's the diffrence between the 3?

I only buy games that last like GTA & Bf2.

lllN30lll · World Chat Champion Joined: 12 Jun 2005 Karma :

innominate · Brolly Dolly Joined: 18 Nov 2004 Karma :

I find copying console games less morally wrong than copying Pc games.

Not the game makers fault, more the business model you get sucked into with consoles, which would be console manufacturers area I am sure. Massive hype, and massivley overpriced on first release (when the online hype is at its most) Tempts you into paying far more than you normally would.

Pc games, due to the nature of the machine, are a bit more steady in price. Still a bit overpriced imho.

/stoned rambling falls apart

Still the only reason I want an x-box360 is PGR3, but can't afford to splash out on that much for jsut one game.
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I, as a responsible adult human being, will never concede the power to anyone to regulate my choice of what I put into my body, or where I go with my mind. From the skin inwards is my jurisdiction, is it not? I choose what may or may not cross that border. Here I am the customs agent. I am the coast-guard. I am the sole legal and spiritual government of this territory, and only the laws I choose to enact within myself are applicable.

daz|n00by · The Internet Joined: 11 May 2004 Karma :

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veeeffarr · Super Spammer Joined: 22 Jul 2004 Karma :

veeeffarr · Super Spammer Joined: 22 Jul 2004 Karma :

daz|n00by · The Internet Joined: 11 May 2004 Karma :

veeeffarr · Super Spammer Joined: 22 Jul 2004 Karma :

Hmm suppose so.

But still.

It makes people who were originallyl going to buy a game, download instead, and this is where it affects the industry.

Anyone that is blind to that fact is kidding themselves.