What's your stance on piracy (please vote, do not argue)

[flame1234]

Nintendo sucks. I'm done buying anyway, regardless of anything, have been for awhile. They need to be more consumer friendly. I don't even pirate their stuff, I'm just done with it.
Different ways Nintendo sucks:
http://www.polygon.com/2016/12/16/13982004/nintendo-problems
http://www.polygon.com/2016/12/21/14039220/super-mario-run-nintendo-apple-sales-failure
http://www.polygon.com/2016/12/9/13899618/nintendo-super-mario-run-online-requirement-bad-no-stop
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2016/09/nintendos-dmca-backed-quest-against-online-fangames
Region locking (their competitors do not)
Online services
High / premium pricing

You can count on Nintendo to be anti-customer, and I don't need to do business with such a company.

For music, the best customers are the pirates in terms of $ per person, but I don't know if that's true for videogames. I wouldn't be surprised if it were true.

 

[osaka35]

Why do you feel piracy is wrong? What is the basis for your logic? Curious about how many different threads of logic there may be.

 

[flame1234]

There's the law, but "unjust law" is a trope. (A lot of laws, maybe even most of them, are unjust)

The reason TO pirate: https://xkcd.com/488/
You're a criminal anyway, might as well act like it.

 

[sarkwalvein]

Why do you feel piracy is wrong? What is the basis for your logic? Curious about how many different threads of logic there may be.

Let’s suppose you are a site manager, and you have a company and a set of workers/employees that do work on a construction site (you don’t provide any type of supplies, just your working time and hand work).

Let’s say you expect the people that want to get their construction done (clients) to pay you in monthly instalments after the construction is complete.

But in the meanwhile the workers under you need to eat, live, pay their rents and so on, so you have to pay them.

Because of this you take a loan from the bank, that you will be able to pay as your clients pay you for the construction.

But then let’s suppose the clients decide to use the finished construction and not pay you, and for a given reason*1 it becomes very difficult for you to go after them and get the payment.

After all what you provided (just your working time) is not a physical material good, so what are you asking for? You gave something that is not physical and want money for that? (excuses)

Now, Mr. site manager, just go figure how to pay the bank the loan, as for your workers sure you will not be able to contract them anymore as you are broke, so figure it will be difficult for them too keep working as construction workers if this behaviour was commonplace.

Now, let’s suppose that instead of a site manager you are a game company manager or owner.

Is all of this right or wrong? I don't think you are killing somebody, but IMHO it is as wrong as it can be.

*1 e.g. perhaps there are millions of clients that would use the construction, each of them should only pay a small amount of the cost, but chasing millions of clients will kill you because of lawyer costs.

 

[osaka35]

Let’s suppose you are a site manager, and you have a company and a set of workers that do work on a construction site (you don’t provide any type of supplies, just your working time and hand work).

Let’s say you expect the people that want to get their construction done (clients) to pay you in monthly instalments after the construction is complete.

But in the meanwhile the workers under you need to eat, live, pay their rents and so on, so you have to pay them.

Because of this you take a loan from the bank, that you will be able to pay as your clients pay you for the construction.

But then let’s suppose the clients decide to use the finished construction and not pay you, and for a reason it becomes very difficult for you to go after them and get the payment.

After all what you provided (just your working time) is not a physical material good, so what are you asking for? You gave something that is not physical and want money for that? (excuses)

Now, Mr. site manager, just go figure how to pay the bank the loan, as for your workers sure you will not be able to contract them anymore as you are broke, so figure it will be difficult for them too keep working as construction workers if this behaviour was commonplace.

Now, let’s suppose that instead of a site manager you are a game company manager.

Is all of this right of wrong? I don't think you are killing somebody, but IMHO it is as wrong as it can be.

What if you're purchasing from the client rather than the site manager? Aren't you just as culpable for not paying, as it doesn't help the site manager pay back the loans?

 

[the_randomizer]

Here's how I see it, a lot of games either belong to companies that go under, are out of print, or are not sold digitally via services like PSN, eShop, XBL/ Xbox Arcade, Steam, Origin, etc. If that is the case, who earns money from sales, and who benefits from people buying the games? Certainly not the companies who made and published them. Really, the only people who benefit are secondhand retailers/sellers, who often jack up the price for exorbitant amounts, I download such games that are not available by any other means other than eBay or the likes, as I don't want to spend $200 for a copy of an Snes game that doesn't have a manual, cover or nonworking save battery that I can't be arsed to replace. The other topic in which I'm all too happy to pirate or at least, circumvent is restrictive DRM. Ubisoft is notorious for its Starforce DRM on older games like Splinter Cell Chaos Theory, this DRM forces you to install a rootkit on any OS, and has no Windows 7 support, so what did I do? I downloaded a patch that completely removes the DRM and requirement to use a DVD to launch the game. I paid for the game legally, why on earth should I have to install a POS DRM/rootkit to play a ten year old game on Windows 7?


The other thing that bothers me if is people voice their opinions, there are some people who feel it their duty to ridicule those who think and act differently, and people should learn to agree to disagree and let sleeping dogs lie It is what it is.

 

[sarkwalvein]

What if you're purchasing from the client rather than the site manager? Aren't you just as culpable for not paying, as it doesn't help the site manager pay back the loans?

Well, if you buy from the client (that would be getting an used game) I can't feel that as making any wrong, the same way with the site manager if he wasn't able to compensate the costs with the initial sale of the construction site it is his fault as a bad planner.
But for the site manager to cover the costs and make an acceptable profit, you shouldn't avoid paying your initial instalments (e.g. don't pirate new games!)

 

[LittleFlame]

I'm not big on mods, and I don't really pirate all that much I think Freeshop is the worst offender on my part

 

[the_randomizer]

I should note that if a game is still readily available for download or physical purchase, then I hesitate.

 

[InsaneNutter]

Sometimes piracy is simply more convenient, i'm not against it, i'm not for it either. Sometimes it's just the most convenient option, for example you want high quality media with no DRM, or something that's locked to a certain platform in certain regions.

I try use open source solutions where possible, however i'm happy to buy software i perceive it to be better than the free solutions out there, such as Windows 10 (free upgrade anyway) Office 365 and 1Password.

Gaming wise i own more games then I have time to play so its pretty much pointless pirating something unless it leaks early and I want to play before i get my pre-order.

That said i totally understand why people pirate, games are expensive and it can be a struggle to afford a console, never mind the games, especially in certain counties where consoles are not always officially sold. So if people do pirate don't hold it against them, most of us have been though hard times at some point.

 

[osaka35]

Well, if you buy from the client (that would be getting an used game) I can't feel that as making any wrong.
But for the site manager to cover the costs and make an acceptable profit, you shouldn't avoid paying your initial instalments (e.g. don't pirate new games!)

I can get behind that sentiment. I almost always buy used, so the only people who see money from me is re-sellers, and I don't increase any developer's sales numbers. I feel as bad about that as I do about pirating. Not much, but a little "mmmgn" every now and then. I do try and save for the new games I'd like to see more of, but I feel wasteful spending brand-new cost for a game I won't get around to playing until it's closer to the bargain bin.

Not much of an argument, but an explanation of sorts, perhaps.

 

[Futurdreamz]

Here's how I see it, a lot of games either belong to companies that go under, are out of print, or are not sold digitally via services like PSN, eShop, XBL/ Xbox Arcade, Steam, Origin, etc. If that is the case, who earns money from sales, and who benefits from people buying the games? Certainly not the companies who made and published them. Really, the only people who benefit are secondhand retailers/sellers, who often jack up the price for exorbitant amounts, I download such games that are not available by any other means other than eBay or the likes, as I don't want to spend $200 for a copy of an Snes game that doesn't have a manual, cover or nonworking save battery that I can't be arsed to replace. The other topic in which I'm all too happy to pirate or at least, circumvent is restrictive DRM. Ubisoft is notorious for its Starforce DRM on older games like Splinter Cell Chaos Theory, this DRM forces you to install a rootkit on any OS, and has no Windows 7 support, so what did I do? I downloaded a patch that completely removes the DRM and requirement to use a DVD to launch the game. I paid for the game legally, why on earth should I have to install a POS DRM/rootkit to play a ten year old game on Windows 7?


The other thing that bothers me if is people voice their opinions, there are some people who feel it their duty to ridicule those who think and act differently, and people should learn to agree to disagree and let sleeping dogs lie It is what it is.

I have to say this is about what I feel. I have GameCube and Wii games on my SD card, but when a Wii game came out I usually bought the game and deleted the rom.

As for PC games, I generally get all of my games through Steam so I'm not just tracking them all down from whatever site I got them from. I have been warming up to Uplay and Origin, but that's mostly because I will have no choice when South Park fractured butthole comes out. That being said, for Christmas I got my dad Sim City 4 on disk because he wanted it, but I ended up having to download a patched loader because Windows 10 outright disables the DRM because it's such a severe virus risk.

I concede the poll should have a try before you buy option. I added it to the bottom of the poll.