I would love to interview as much of you as possible for my research paper

[placebooooo]

Hello gbatemp,
I am currently working on a research paper on gamers for one of my classes at my university. To tell you more, I am researching how piracy plays a significant role in the gamer subculture (hurts it, benefits it…etc). I would greatly appreciate it if you could answer the following interview questions below.

I want to do online interviews here specifically since these forums are open to piracy, well sorta. I really love the forums and regret not joining them earlier from before. Most people are very friendly and are open to help every time I have a question to ask. So, I came with my questions here first.
I am counting on these forums as well as reddit (not sure how helpful reddit will be). So I really do appreciate the time taken in answering these. I will take every response with deep thought and consideration in meaning.
Thanks!

1. How do you describe a gamer?
2. What exactly do you consider as gaming piracy/who do you consider as a pirate?
3. Why do you think some gamers pirate/turn to piracy? Why is that the reason?
4. Do you consider a pirate an authentic gamer? Why should this pirate belong or not belong to the gamer subculture?
6. Are there any beliefs or ideologies about gaming that differ from gamers and pirate gamers?
7. Could piracy affect gamers as a whole?
8. Do you dislike or like gaming piracy? Explain.
9. What connotations have gamers been associated with as a result of gamer pirates’ practices?
10. Has piracy ever played a role in building a relationship/bond with another gamer in your lifetime? Could you tell us about the experience? If not, do you think it’s possible? Why?
11. Does piracy play a role in gamer relationships? How?
12. Are your bonds stronger with gamers than they are with others in your life? Why? What is the foundation of this gamer-gamer relationship? Are any of these gamers pirates?
13. Who do you believe shapes a bigger percentage of gamer population: pirates or gamers?

 

[yusuo]

1. How do you describe a gamer?

Someone who enjoys gaming as a leisure activity.

2. What exactly do you consider as gaming piracy/who do you consider as a pirate?

Someone who bypasses a acquiring a license to pay said game legally.

3. Why do you think some gamers pirate/turn to piracy? Why is that the reason?

For myself it initially started off cause I couldn't afford to buy legit software now I have a job and I earn decent enough money I have started to purchase games but still pirate alot cause there is so much crap out there that isn't worth the price tag on it. Bigger titles I know I like Pokémon, Zelda etc I buy straight out of the box though.

4. Do you consider a pirate an authentic gamer? Why should this pirate belong or not belong to the gamer subculture?

Of course it doesn't matter how you procure the game a game is a gamer, that definition is all dependant on whether or not that individual considers gaming a hobby or just a way to fill a bus journey.

6. Are there any beliefs or ideologies about gaming that differ from gamers and pirate gamers?

Not that I can think of, some people are just cheap I guess but from my point of view, no.

7. Could piracy affect gamers as a whole?
I doubt it, when you take into consideration the people who know how to pirate compared to the people who don't the people who don't vastly out number the ones who do and it is because of this I don't think it will ever get to the point where it's a detrimental problem.

8. Do you dislike or like gaming piracy? Explain.

I think its a valid way of doing things now when it's so simple to chuck a lot of crap games out and charge £10 a pop for it. Without it I think that we will experience a video game crash the same as in the 80s,over saturation of the market led to people having to soft for the gems led to public distrust as a whole. I think that's still going to happen but piracy for myself prolongs that.

9. What connotations have gamers been associated with as a result of gamer pirates’ practices?

Cheap, dirty scoundrels. I don't know I don't think a label has been placed directly.

10. Has piracy ever played a role in building a relationship/bond with another gamer in your lifetime?
Could you tell us about the experience? If not, do you think it’s possible? Why?

I've shared games with individuals through piracy, I've helped friends pirate, and introduced them to what I considered to be great games, all through piracy which obviously ultimately led to social conversation about said games we jointly pirated.

11. Does piracy play a role in gamer relationships? How?

I don't think so other then what I mentioned in number 10.

12. Are your bonds stronger with gamers than they are with others in your life? Why? What is the foundation of this gamer-gamer relationship? Are any of these gamers pirates?

No not really, I share a common passion with a few people, the same I could say about basketball or films or any other subject, games haven't increased that more than any other media source.

13. Who do you believe shapes a bigger percentage of gamer population: pirates or gamers?
Gamers without a doubt

 

[Orcastraw]

1. How do you describe a gamer?
I describe a gamer as someone who plays real legitimate, non iPhone puzzle shit games, frequently.
2. What exactly do you consider as gaming piracy/who do you consider as a pirate?
A pirate is not your average 12 year old who downloads pokemon rom hacks and old mario games over the internet. A pirate is anyone who has downloaded more than a small sum of illegally downloaded games to their hard drive. Someone who downloads 10 roms in one swoop, and knows it is illegal, is it a pirate.
3. Why do you think some gamers pirate/turn to piracy? Why is that the reason?
Price. I am a student and enjoy Nintendo games, but don't have much money. So I pirate.
4. Do you consider a pirate an authentic gamer? Why should this pirate belong or not belong to the gamer subculture?
Yes, as despite them not supporting developers directly, they are impossible to rule out of the gaming subculture.
6. Are there any beliefs or ideologies about gaming that differ from gamers and pirate gamers?
I would say before modern consoles as we know it, such as the Wii and Xbox 360, yes. However now, there are few to no differences. Before the Wii and such, pirates were alone in their ability to be desensitized to the value of games. The nature of piracy allows one to download many games in few time, and one naturally feels less inclined to complete and see games the same as someone who bought the same number of games in real life, at a store, and had that experience. However now, with you being able to download large sums of games, rapidly and legally, on mediums like the eShop and such, the same effect can be had.
7. Could piracy affect gamers as a whole?
Perhaps.
8. Do you dislike or like gaming piracy? Explain.
I enjoy being able to play games at any time, and without having to worry about money.
9. What connotations have gamers been associated with as a result of gamer pirates’ practices?
No idea.
10. Has piracy ever played a role in building a relationship/bond with another gamer in your lifetime? Could you tell us about the experience? If not, do you think it’s possible? Why?
I guess? I have played pirated games with people online and in real life, and such technologies as Netplay for emulators allows a lot of multiplayer fun with old nintendo games online. Playing Smash 64 on Netplay is pretty fun in my opinion, and that pirate experience is very much bond building.
11. Does piracy play a role in gamer relationships? How?
No.
12. Are your bonds stronger with gamers than they are with others in your life? Why? What is the foundation of this gamer-gamer relationship? Are any of these gamers pirates?
I am not very social and only really talk to people who game, so yes, my bonds are stronger with them.
13. Who do you believe shapes a bigger percentage of gamer population: pirates or gamers?
Gamers.

 

[DinohScene]

1. How do you describe a gamer?
Someone that doesn't play facebook/android games.

2. What exactly do you consider as gaming piracy/who do you consider as a pirate?
People that download illegal copies of the web.

3. Why do you think some gamers pirate/turn to piracy? Why is that the reason?
Lack of funds, lack of availability, playing pre-release

4. Do you consider a pirate an authentic gamer? Why should this pirate belong or not belong to the gamer subculture?
Piracy pretty much belongs to videogaming, however it should be undergroud, like it was in the GBA days.

6. Are there any beliefs or ideologies about gaming that differ from gamers and pirate gamers?
Sharing is caring? idk, somethig like that.

7. Could piracy affect gamers as a whole?
Not entirely, cheaters are a bigger problem.

8. Do you dislike or like gaming piracy? Explain.
I can't be bothered by piracy much, I do highly dislike pirates whining about console modchips/ODE's/flashcards being expensive.
Or pirates that whine about ROMs not loading, or having a HDD crash and all their pirated games are gone.

9. What connotations have gamers been associated with as a result of gamer pirates’ practices?
Idk mate, dun copy that floppy!

10. Has piracy ever played a role in building a relationship/bond with another gamer in your lifetime? Could you tell us about the experience? If not, do you think it’s possible? Why?
Mates of mine pirate, I installed Xkeys in their consoles.
I also mod consoles for others c:
I dun give out instructions where or how to pirate tho.

11. Does piracy play a role in gamer relationships? How?
I guess so?

12. Are your bonds stronger with gamers than they are with others in your life? Why? What is the foundation of this gamer-gamer relationship? Are any of these gamers pirates?
Eh yes, normal people are shite cause they think gamers are ruining their eyes and old people think their the reincarnation of the devil ._.

13. Who do you believe shapes a bigger percentage of gamer population: pirates or gamers?
For Ninty consoles, pirates.
Sony and MS, gamers.

 

[Vipera]

1. How do you describe a gamer?
A gamer is either a word to simplify "Dude/Chick who likes gaming" or an over the top adjective from people who think they need to stay in a different category because they play games.

2. What exactly do you consider as gaming piracy/who do you consider as a pirate?
Piracy = downloading non-free software for free illegally. Pirate = whoever does that. It's not exclusive to gaming.

3. Why do you think some gamers pirate/turn to piracy? Why is that the reason?
Who doesn't like free stuff? That's the reason. They either don't care about hurting the industry or they invented some farfetched ideas to sleep better at night, even though the motto is always "I don't work for free, neither should you".

4. Do you consider a pirate an authentic gamer? Why should this pirate belong or not belong to the gamer subculture?
I do consider pirates as people who play games. I do not consider pirates as people who can criticize the game they are playing for free.

6. Are there any beliefs or ideologies about gaming that differ from gamers and pirate gamers?
I don't think so.

7. Could piracy affect gamers as a whole?
Nah.

8. Do you dislike or like gaming piracy? Explain.
I like gaming piracy when it's about saving something that's going to disappear one day. I hate gaming piracy when it's about money.

9. What connotations have gamers been associated with as a result of gamer pirates’ practices?
I don't know.

10. Has piracy ever played a role in building a relationship/bond with another gamer in your lifetime? Could you tell us about the experience? If not, do you think it’s possible? Why?
It mostly destroyed them. Some people really believe that rubbing to someone's face that they pirate shit is a sign of their superiority. It doesn't.
Fun story: I knew a mother who would talk to other mums for 2-3 days straight at the bus stop about how is son is playing with his "magic Nintendo card" and that she gets every game for only 1€ and everyone who buys games is an asshole. You don't really want to build any relationship with that kind of person. Ever.

11. Does piracy play a role in gamer relationships? How?
I don't know.

12. Are your bonds stronger with gamers than they are with others in your life? Why? What is the foundation of this gamer-gamer relationship? Are any of these gamers pirates?
I'm more of a single-player person. Nowadays everything is about "competitive" MMOGA stuff. It's not my world.

13. Who do you believe shapes a bigger percentage of gamer population: pirates or gamers?
If we are talking as a whole, gamers. If we are talking as "once you pirate once, it counts" I'd say there are no people who play games that can say they have NEVER pirated a game once. Nowadays it's so easy to pirate something that you might do it accidentally. There's some idiot on the Windows Phone store who sold emulators with pre-loaded roms full of ads. And people thought it was legit. It wasn't.

 

[Tom Bombadildo]

1. How do you describe a gamer?

Somebody who enjoys + plays games as a past time.

2. What exactly do you consider as gaming piracy/who do you consider as a pirate?

Someone who acquires a game by bypassing traditional licenses.

3. Why do you think some gamers pirate/turn to piracy? Why is that the reason?

Most do so because they don't feel like or because they can't pay. Gaming is an expensive hobby, and regardless of how much someone likes that hobby sometimes they just don't have the money to support it. The luxury gaming has over other hobbies, like knitting, is that the "supplies" (in this case, games) are easier to acquire illegally than other hobbies (unless you're a serial thief stealing yarn )

4. Do you consider a pirate an authentic gamer? Why should this pirate belong or not belong to the gamer subculture?

There is literally no reason not to think of a pirate as a "separate subculture" of gamer. They enjoy games, how they acquire them is irrelevant.

6. Are there any beliefs or ideologies about gaming that differ from gamers and pirate gamers?

It depends on the pirate. Gamers who pay for software are doing so to both play the game, obviously, and to help support the developer in order to create more products. A majority of pirates are the ones who tend to "try before I buy" in the sense that they'll pirate a game, play it for a while, and if they enjoy it enough they'll go and purchase the game. The minority are the ones who mindlessly pirate anything to their fancy, and refuse to support whatever developer/publisher. There are also some who only pirate to bypass DRM, but that's a different story.

7. Could piracy affect gamers as a whole?

Absolutely not. Contrary to what the media claims, piracy has an absolutely minuscule effect on all of gaming/gamers. There is the common "piracy syndrome", or the lack of desire to play XYZ games because they were easily acquired and thus lose that special accomplished feeling compared to a game you buy...But as I stated previously, piracy is in such a minority that this phenomenon isn't necessarily common, and there are actually some people who feel the same with those recent bundle sites, or with PS+.

8. Do you dislike or like gaming piracy? Explain.

Personally, I don't care. It has little effect on gaming, and it lets me try out games before I buy.

9. What connotations have gamers been associated with as a result of gamer pirates’ practices?

Lazy thieves I guess? I dunno, don't really hear much about it besides the obvious "PIRATES KILLING GAMING" crap.

10. Has piracy ever played a role in building a relationship/bond with another gamer in your lifetime? Could you tell us about the experience? If not, do you think it’s possible? Why?

Never for myself, and I don't see why not. I've seen stories about an older sibling pirating games for a younger sibling that they couldn't afford, I would assume there are cases such as that around that are meaningful.

11. Does piracy play a role in gamer relationships? How?

There are too many variables to say as a whole, but IMO not at all since how you acquire a game has little to no impact on how you play (not counting online multiplayer on PC games and such, since technically you can still use other means to play online).

12. Are your bonds stronger with gamers than they are with others in your life? Why? What is the foundation of this gamer-gamer relationship? Are any of these gamers
pirates?

Sort of, but it's not so much a "gamer to gamer" thing as it is any hobby to hobby bond people feel with each other. The foundation is obvious, the common interest in a similar subject will always bring people together. Gaming isn't an outlier, it's the same as any other hobby. I know very few true pirates among my own friends, maybe 2 or 3 at most.

13. Who do you believe shapes a bigger percentage of gamer population: pirates or gamers?

As stated above, pirates are a minority in the gaming community, so the obvious answer is "gamers" (even though they're literally the same thing).

 

[FAST6191]

Might as well do one, looks like some interesting questions for once. Potentially a bit leading or requiring specific answers to earlier questions, however I will try somewhere between "other person's shoes" and devil's advocate where necessary. As the mini bio/background I come to this as a hacker and one that aims to understand everything that happens from the ground up -- I might not know every step that goes for every game I play but I would like to believe I could drill down into any one step without having to learn much more in the way of basic theory. Hacking tends to go much smoother if you have a familiarity with the sorts of things pirates and their associates wish to do, indeed I would argue it is all pretty indivisible. Indeed they might have combined to provide a considerable amount of the incentive for me to carry on with both.
Equally I find myself something of an amateur scholar of game design, game theory (as in the mathematical discipline) and the programming side of things, relating it to other areas also comes into this.

1. One that plays games. I find no great use in any deeper meaning and even generally I am not sure there really was one beyond that.
Mind you there is a certain logic in

More generally it kind of reminds me of "Christian", in it being something of an invented term to group a few broadly similar concepts into one that sounds good in a political setting. However said groups may well have somewhat differing thoughts on things -- the thing in Roman Catholicism with transubstantiation sounds like the "call the guy with the fashionable jackets that tie behind the back" grade nonsense to many that would otherwise draw their philosophy from similar sources.

This would possibly put me in an interesting position with regards to that "gamers are dead" stuff from a few weeks back at time of writing. Suffice it to say I thought that series/rehash was of so very little merit as to almost intrigue me by being of such little merit.

2. Do you violate the licensing agreement within the laws of your country? (countries have different case law, contract law and more, with regards to contract law the position is push it as far as you can from every direction so that border can get hazy) If so then congrats you find yourself some kind of pirate I guess. This would also extend to things like unlocking characters in street fighter that we saw a while back (on disc DLC), mainly as I find no practical difference between that and, say, unlocking windows ultimate from your home pro install or something.
Slim exception for hardware licensing, also if it requires licensed code to get there (for the Wii if you installed a modchip, copied a version of twilight princess and then used it to launch the hack before not using the disc again you are "clean" in my book). Emulators and potentially some other homebrew (doom wads for instance) do not make homebrew a completely above board affair though.

3. With the GBA and DS (GBA was 2001 and emulated from day 0). The emulation at the time thing seems to have fallen by the wayside a bit though, to that end some people that got in later might have slightly skewed answers compared to mine.
Free games, easy cheats, easy hacks, multiple games on a card, games from different regions. Downsides, at least as far as Nintendo with its abysmal security and the PC with much the same, are some nebulous concept of morality where you are not even depriving someone of something real. I do have to note I was half around (enough that I could enjoy the perks despite not acting in anything like the capacity that I do today) during DOS and amiga stuff so it was kind of the way all things worked.

4. From 1. Gamer = one that plays games. Getting them for free/considerably less than "normal" makes no difference to that, give or take how people might feel about too much choice/pirate syndrome and that still changes little. Hacks to a game might mean you effectively play a different game than someone else but that is delving into game theory territory. Those that would deny pirates a place at the proverbial table I tend to find use words like contribution, for that I find it again matters little how the game came to be played as it does not trouble anything as far as talking about story, mechanics..... indeed the option to have played more games might even strengthen that. Similarly many a reviewer gets free games, I do not see much practical difference save for when the reviewer decides to play as a reviewer.

5. Do you do rocketry. explosives or something and missed out five/"fire".

6. Seen as there are no differences then by definition... again I tend to find words like contribution appear for those that might argue otherwise. Bodies on servers, word of mouth and more do count for something though, perhaps even a lot. What I might be interested in contrasting is the, quite shocking to me, rise of dislike of second hand games as there would appear to be some overlap in the words and rhetoric I see used. Truly though I find the rise of dislike of second hand games to be bizarre, I saw a few articles and dismissed them as nonsense, somehow it took hold though. Back on contribution and wallets I suppose now is the time for the jab at various game collectors, I find somewhat similar positions between them and those which spend considerable amounts on their cars, only to be unable to fuel and insure them.

7. Could? Has and will. What extent, positive or negative, will be hotly debated for a long time. I will accuse every side of using suspect numbers/maths/base logic and possibly cherry picking results.

8. Free games, easy cheats, easy hacks.... what is not to love? I reckon I deserve nothing, however if I have the skills, time and inclination then taking becomes a distinct possibility.

9. Again "gamer" holds no real concept of identity. Still some of the implications of hacking, which tend to come off the back of such things, have been interesting. My perspective might not be the best though as I do often find myself knee deep in such things, or at the very least be more able to reach out and contact those that find themselves knee deep. The pokemon battle analyser stuff being the best example in recent memory for me.

10. "So I can have games for the price of a burned disc + rental (or borrow), games that are not out in this computer gaming wasteland we call Europe, some cheats and I don't have to worry about games getting scratched up?" A slightly condensed version of many a conversation in my past.

11. Games before release dates, potentially easier multiplayer as networks arose, more options than my broke self could reasonably be expected to have...

12. Again I have to say gamer as a term is nothing all that special to me. At very best it is a facet and not all that interesting of one. I would view myself as a cynical bastard with skills rooted in a few fairly practical fields, most of my friends are cynical bastards with skills rooted in one or more quite practical fields.

13. The notion of pirates as "tastemakers" and pillars of something has been floated before, it may even have some merit. The percentages, what little we have, are such that in a visit to magic fairy land where every pirate got a "legit" day one copy/whatever the current release is are enough that most developers/publishers would take it but ultimately are not that substantial. Such a thing would probably take a trip to magic fairy land though and as such I am not sure what goes. Pure numbers, meh, however it takes just one to change the world.

Further thoughts.
Time was a game came out for a console and may never have been seen again. Today with downloadable games (digital distribution if you must) that is considerably less of an issue, though I do this sort of thing because I can I do wonder how that might change things.
Equally I floated the notion of a "postgaming gamer" (a better term was sought but not found) as something to describe myself a while back, basically a variation on "interested in the lifestyle, less interested in the doing" or "retired, but still active in the various circles".

 

[TecXero]

1. Anyone that plays a Video Game or "Interactive Entertainment".
2. I consider anyone a pirate that has an unlicensed copy of a game without owning the licensed copy it was copied from.
3. Financial limitations, no regional release, or some form of entitlement complex.
4. I don't think piracy prevent the person from enjoying a game. I also believe piracy can allow the person to enjoy a game they wouldn't have otherwise. For example: Earthbound before the Virtual Console release. I doubt many people had the money (or maybe parents willing to pay that much) for a game that expensive these recent years.
6. I think people that try to justify piracy act entitled, other than that, no.
7. Piracy of games that are still being profited from can spur companies to make anti-piracy decisions, which can inadvertently affect legitimate consumers. For example Online-DRM.
8. I think it has a place for older games that are hard to obtain today, but other than that, no.
9. A lot of companies tend to act as if all of us will pirate when given the opportunity. I think it helped create the stigma of gamers being entitled.
10. No. Yes, I think it can allow people to bond over games that aren't easily accessible anymore.
11. Yes, people form prejudices around it, so it colors how they interact with each other from the start.
12. I generally only befriend other gamers as it's the only hobby I have that's interactive. I have a couple of friends that lightly pirate and I'm ornery to them about it.
13. Non-pirates. I'm sure just about every adult gamer has pirated, and may even still pirate older games, but when it comes to modern games, I doubt the majority waits for new games to receive cracks/be dumped.

This is coming from the perspective of a second generation gamer, as my father already had a NES, Atari 7800, and SMS before I was born.

 

[zeello]

research paper on gamers for one of my classes at my university

What would we do without universities? Society would collapse, certainly.

1. How do you describe a gamer?
Gamer is just a word. The meaning is specific to the context and the intention of the word saying the word. To ask me what gamer is in a vacuum is meaningless. Someone who plays games is a gamer. The authenticity level of the gamer depends on the platform(s) and game(s) they play on, and time spent playing, because obviously someone who plays just bejeweled or angry birds from time to time doesn't exactly count.

2. What exactly do you consider as gaming piracy/who do you consider as a pirate?
Someone who downloads a game illegally and for free. Buying a used game or renting from Gamefly is borderline piracy from a practical standpoint, except it's not illegal and therefore doesn't fit the definition.

3. Why do you think some gamers pirate/turn to piracy? Why is that the reason?
I suspect that gamers turn to piracy because they can. When it is possible to download a game for free, it would be stupid of them to buy it instead.

4. Do you consider a pirate an authentic gamer? Why should this pirate belong or not belong to the gamer subculture?
Judging by sites like gbatemp.net and youtube, piracy is a largely accepted behavior by gamers. By playing a game, even if your pirated it, you connect with other people who played the game. The fact you pirated it is of relatively little significance. Both parties view each other as gamers.

7. Could piracy affect gamers as a whole?
Piracy drives down sales of hardcore games, especially games that don't belong to mainstream or blockbuster franchises.
Furthermore, if everyone pirated, there would be no more games, so yes it does affect.

8. Do you dislike or like gaming piracy? Explain.
I probably dislike buyers much more than I do piraters, because buyers buy games I don't like, and they buy new games without playing them first, and they preorder games, and they look at review scores so they always are "in the know" on what game to shell out $60 on.

9. What connotations have gamers been associated with as a result of gamer pirates’ practices?
Being technologically literate.

 

[Pedeadstrian]

1. Someone who plays games for pleasure, versus someone who does it to fight boredom.
2. Playing something you have no intention to buy.
3. Many reasons. Lack of money, disdain for certain publishers, or, like myself, pure apathy.
4. Yes. They may not be contributing to the creation of the content, but they are consuming it.
5. I see no 5.
6. Well, some pirates care less about video games in general because they have access to a lot more of them than the average consumer. Piracy syndrome and whatnot.
7. Sure. If a significant portion (much more than there is currently) of people pirated content, then creators, publishers, etc. would be making less money, and, as it's happened already, may decide not to create aforementioned content because they fear they won't make enough money. I think we're a long ways away from that, though. At least when AAA games are concerned.
8. As a pirate myself, I dislike it. I wish I could care about developers, but often times I find it hard to.
9. Lazy, entitled, leeches, etc. Bunch of bad stuff.
10. No, but I'm sure it could happen. People becoming friends online because they enjoy the same video games could happen regardless of whether or not they paid for them.
11. Sure. Some non-pirates might have disdain for those that do pirate.
12. Yes, because I have few interests outside of gaming, so obviously I'm gonna connect more to gamers than other people. Some are pirates, sure.
13. Gamers. Pirates get a bad rap, but a lot of time they have reasons for doing so. Whether or not they're good reasons is another topic entirely. Piracy is rampant, but I doubt it's as big as some folks say it is (cough MPAA).

 

[Eity]

1. Gamer for whom games a serious hobby. People who just play from time to time should not be called gamers.
2. Who pirate games.
3. Money is most important reason. Also comfort (using flashcart and DL, is a lot better then always change cartridges, and actually go to shop etc...).
4. Pirate is gamer, how that even can be different.
5. Pirate don't deceived by company's manipulations.
6. In which way?
8. Like a lot. Here I probably should explain whole thing, how it is for me. You see I not rich (~200$ month on everything). And in place where I live (no, I'm not from US, don't look at flag) games cost about 1.5-2 times bigger then in US while people mostly receive just 200-500$ month! That's to say, that I can only play thanks to piracy (with that money even I have DS, 3DS, PSP, Wii, PC, Tablet, but it was take me almost a miracle to get my hands on any of them). Companies did not really lost any money on me, there is really no way how I can buy games. If it was not thanks to piracy, I just will be unable to play. With that said, I hope you understand, that for me it is not pirate who is bad. In fact it is companies who are. And I really hate game developers (mostly mangers etc who gets most profits). For me they all is [put up some very rude word here ], who cares only about money. While I only care for actual games, and don't wish to see them related to money at all. I don't think that I should be any grateful to developers. Because if everything will go as they want, I will not be even able to play. They don't do a thing for me, only for money... But I grateful to the ones, who makes piracy possible.

 

[Ashtonx]

1. How do you describe a gamer?

Person who plays games, knows games, and isn't an xbox fanboi or belieces crap on cellphones and facebook is an actual game.

2. What exactly do you consider as gaming piracy/who do you consider as a pirate?

Publishers who sell DLC and Overpriced console games Oh wait that'd be thieves and you were asking about pirates.. umm let's make it something grand like freedom fighters who fight against opressive fascist laws... or something like that... well not really, though it's nice to add ideology.

3. Why do you think some gamers pirate/turn to piracy? Why is that the reason?

No money ? hardware costs a lot, some people need to make choices. Then again i've got hundreds of legit games, on steam, i pay for games when the price is fair and i consider them worthy. Then again dlc, drm, bad publishing(uplay?) are _the_ most likely reasons for pc. For console it's prolly all those crazy prices.

4. Do you consider a pirate an authentic gamer? Why should this pirate belong or not belong to the gamer subculture?

I'd say pirates are more authentic gamers than xbox fanbois or some weekend gamers who feel knowing a few games is enough to satisfy their hunger.

6. Are there any beliefs or ideologies about gaming that differ from gamers and pirate gamers?

Is there a difference ? there are noobs and there are gamers. I don't think i've ever seen a gamer that didn't pirate anything at least once in his lifetime.

7. Could piracy affect gamers as a whole?

Umm dunno no multiplayer in pirate games can prolly affect friendships between gamers ?

8. Do you dislike or like gaming piracy? Explain.

Like. It's great counterbalance to many bad ideas of greedy publishers, for example dlc, in the past it were demos that would show the only good thing about the game hiding the fact that whole rest is crap, etc. Piracy is needed for this market to be healthy. Recently publishers kept whining about piracy on PC. Now after all the humble bundles, steam sales etc they got interested in pc market once again.. well it's not that market was bud, it was their business model that sucked.

9. What connotations have gamers been associated with as a result of gamer pirates’ practices?

Umm result? You mean like all gamers are thieves so let's add drm who only affects people who buy legit games cos cracked pirate games had it removed?

10. Has piracy ever played a role in building a relationship/bond with another gamer in your lifetime? Could you tell us about the experience? If not, do you think it’s possible? Why?

Sure, all people bond while bitching about other people, especially when the other person is an evil greedy corporation

11. Does piracy play a role in gamer relationships? How?

Umm yeah it's always awesome fun to troll people about how evil they are by stealing money from developers, seriously though unless you have 'gamer relationship' with a hypocrite or lawfull nazi i don't really see a problem whether a friend pirates the game i bought or not. Well i might be a bit annoyed i can't play in mp with him but that's about it.

12. Are your bonds stronger with gamers than they are with others in your life? Why? What is the foundation of this gamer-gamer relationship? Are any of these gamers pirates?

Once again i guess it relates to who you consider a gamer. And i dunno i'm a nolife who doesn't have irl friends, though if i did they'd be gamers anyway, i don't really understand standard social rituals and discussions about nothing so aside from discussing interests i don't really see why the hell would i interact with another human.

13. Who do you believe shapes a bigger percentage of gamer population: pirates or gamers?

All gamers are pirates, those who claim otherwise either ain't gamers or they lie.


sorry if my response might be difficult to read, i think i'm sleepy and about to pass out.

 

[Apex]

1. How do you describe a gamer?

-Someone considers playing videogames as one of their main hobbies.

2. What exactly do you consider as gaming piracy/who do you consider as a pirate?

-When someone has the means and the ability to purchase a game, but doesn't.

3. Why do you think some gamers pirate/turn to piracy? Why is that the reason?

-Lack of disposable income, or being unable to get the game due to various reasons.

4. Do you consider a pirate an authentic gamer? Why should this pirate belong or not belong to the gamer subculture?

-They play games, don't they?

6. Are there any beliefs or ideologies about gaming that differ from gamers and pirate gamers?

- I don't really think so. It doesn't matter if you're running, swimming, or lifting weights, you're still working out after all.

7. Could piracy affect gamers as a whole?

- Piracy has existed since games have, so, has it?

8. Do you dislike or like gaming piracy? Explain.

- I like gaming piracy. I don't need to do it as much anymore now that I have disposable income, but it shows ingenuity and team work.

9. What connotations have gamers been associated with as a result of gamer pirates’ practices?

- You wouldn't download a car.

10. Has piracy ever played a role in building a relationship/bond with another gamer in your lifetime? Could you tell us about the experience? If not, do you think it’s possible? Why?

- Yes, I have taught my friends how to mod systems in the past. I told them how to pirate things, and make it work on their modded systems. I gave them the tools, and they did what they wanted with them.

11. Does piracy play a role in gamer relationships? How?

- Some people have looked down on me for pirating, but most have asked me how to do it. We've all been broke, and we've all been down on our luck. I put myself through college, and if had spent my money less wisely, I wouldn't have finished. I'm glad I pirated games, and saved my money for text books, and cost of living.

12. Are your bonds stronger with gamers than they are with others in your life? Why? What is the foundation of this gamer-gamer relationship? Are any of these gamers pirates?

- It's a great ice-breaker.

13. Who do you believe shapes a bigger percentage of gamer population: pirates or gamers?

- Gamers. To pirate on a system, you must first buy the system, which is supporting the industry. Good luck playing your Gateway without a 3DS.

 

[FAST6191]

2. What exactly do you consider as gaming piracy/who do you consider as a pirate?
Someone who downloads a game illegally and for free. Buying a used game or renting from Gamefly is borderline piracy from a practical standpoint, except it's not illegal and therefore doesn't fit the definition.

If it is legal (first sale doctrine and whatever rental requirements there might be) then is it the same at a practical level?

2. What exactly do you consider as gaming piracy/who do you consider as a pirate?

-When someone has the means and the ability to purchase a game, but doesn't.

7. Could piracy affect gamers as a whole?

- Piracy has existed since games have, so, has it?

13. Who do you believe shapes a bigger percentage of gamer population: pirates or gamers?

- Gamers. To pirate on a system, you must first buy the system, which is supporting the industry. Good luck playing your Gateway without a 3DS.

What about free to play games? Some of them can still be played for free and be good.

Arguably computer games existed before software became an abstract and copyrightable concept from the machine it ran on. Though board games probably change how that plays out.

What about emulators?

 

[Deleted User]

- Gamers. To pirate on a system, you must first buy the system, which is supporting the industry. Good luck playing your Gateway without a 3DS.

Aren't some consoles sold at a loss and money is made from games which are made after?

 

[Jayro]

1. How do you describe a gamer?
A "gamer" is anyone that dedicates serious time to their games, and has some sort of collection going.

2. What exactly do you consider as gaming piracy/who do you consider as a pirate?
Piracy is running any game (disc, rom, or harddrive-mounted) that you do not own a legal copy of. I consider myself a pirate, as I don't give a damn about copyright laws, and I take whatever I want to play. I only pay for indie titles or very, VERY cheap Steam games.

3. Why do you think some gamers pirate/turn to piracy? Why is that the reason?
DRM is one major reason, and another is cost. Shelling out $60 on average for a new AAA title is absurd, for ANY system. It's even more crazy in Australia... And the reasons for the piracy are that 9/10 times, the DRM typically screws over consumers in the end, more-so than pirates.

Example: I used to pirate a DS emulator on Android called DraStic. It was great, but I got tired of always having to find a pre-patched copy with each release, so I bought it legit. And since my phone is a wi-fi only phone, the emulator expects me to be connected at all times, which I do not have wi-fi 90% of the time. So every time I open the emulator, it tries to phone home to Google Play and check the license verification. It fails, and forces me to exit the emulator. So I have no choice but to pirate the emulator I purchased legit if I want to play it offline, and that's bullshit.

Now as for pirating because of expense, I work hard for my money, and after paying rent and bills, i have nothing left to spend on entertainment. So I have no other choice but to resort to piracy to fulfill my entertainment needs, and not be bored.

4. Do you consider a pirate an authentic gamer? Why should this pirate belong or not belong to the gamer subculture?
I do see myself as a gamer, because as I explained in the first question's answer, anyone who collects games and plays them a lot is technically a "gamer", pirated OR legit. They're still playing games, and that's what matters.

6. Are there any beliefs or ideologies about gaming that differ from gamers and pirate gamers?
Nope. I see them as equals.

7. Could piracy affect gamers as a whole?
The Wii is a prime example of how piracy killed the potential of a great system. If the Wii wasn't pirated so early in it's lifetime, we would have had much better developer support, and developers would have had more confidence in the system that their games would have SOLD, rather than ripped and downloaded. The PSP however, was a great example of piracy helping sell hardware, because of how much the system had going for it's homebrew scene towards the system's end-of-life. Thanks to the Vita and the vWii, both systems from the last-gen era are still getting a fair bit of homebrew support as well, and that's always awesome.

8. Do you dislike or like gaming piracy? Explain.
I like it, because it still gets gamers playing games, and that's the overall goal.

9. What connotations have gamers been associated with as a result of gamer pirates’ practices?
All PC gamers are thieves unless they use a download client like Steam, Origin, or Uplay. At least, that's how it seems.

10. Has piracy ever played a role in building a relationship/bond with another gamer in your lifetime? Could you tell us about the experience? If not, do you think it’s possible? Why?
Yes, I have had many people ask me to mod their Wiis for them, and I've made a lot of friends in the process.

11. Does piracy play a role in gamer relationships? How?
Yeah, I have a physical Mario Kart DS, and the rom on my R4i Gold 3DS cart, so I have played Mario Kart DS with complete strangers before, and made a few friends, thanks to my pirated copy. That's an example of how sharing pirated copies can make friendships among gamers.

12. Are your bonds stronger with gamers than they are with others in your life? Why? What is the foundation of this gamer-gamer relationship? Are any of these gamers pirates?
Not really, they are about the same I guess. But yes, many of my gamer friends also pirate content they cannot afford. But as they and I come across money, we eventually buy the games we want legit on Steam during sales, and then delete the pirated copies. Feels good in the end.

13. Who do you believe shapes a bigger percentage of gamer population: pirates or gamers?
I'd definitely say gamers that buy legit, because without people buying games, the devs wouldn't make a profit, and the industry would collapse as a whole.

 

[JoostinOnline]

1. How do you describe a gamer?
One who enjoys video games enough to buy a console and/or a PC with the intent to play video games.

2. What exactly do you consider as gaming piracy/who do you consider as a pirate?
Piracy is when you download or copy a game (which would normally cost money), or any component of one, without paying the proper person.
3. Why do you think some gamers pirate/turn to piracy? Why is that the reason?
People turn to piracy primarily because they don't want to pay for the game. People give a number of excuses, but at the root it's that they don't want to pay for a game.
4. Do you consider a pirate an authentic gamer? Why should this pirate belong or not belong to the gamer subculture?
Yes. The definition of a gamer isn't related to how you get those games.
6. Are there any beliefs or ideologies about gaming that differ from gamers and pirate gamers?
Other than the morality of piracy, no.
7. Could piracy affect gamers as a whole?
Yes. Piracy DOES hurt sales, and that drives up prices.
8. Do you dislike or like gaming piracy? Explain.
I dislike it. Many people use excuses like "I wasn't going to buy the game anyway", but it doesn't matter. You should pay for what you play. Another reason is because I am a developer. I don't develop games specifically, but understand how much work can go into writing code.
9. What connotations have gamers been associated with as a result of gamer pirates’ practices?
I can't think of any.
10. Has piracy ever played a role in building a relationship/bond with another gamer in your lifetime? Could you tell us about the experience? If not, do you think it’s possible? Why?
Yes. I am good friends with someone who came to HacksDen asking for recommendations on a DS flash cart. The the fact that she pirated some games didn't prevent us from being friends though.
11. Does piracy play a role in gamer relationships? How?
Yes. Just like any differing beliefs (religion, politics, etc.), the morality (or lack thereof) of piracy can result in arguments.
12. Are your bonds stronger with gamers than they are with others in your life? Why? What is the foundation of this gamer-gamer relationship? Are any of these gamers pirates?
Yes, in one case. It's not primarily because she is a gamer, but it adds to something we have in common. She is a pirate.
13. Who do you believe shapes a bigger percentage of gamer population: pirates or gamers?
As stated before, I don't believe there is a difference between a gamer and a pirate.

 

[FAST6191]

Edit. I will put this at the start because it is more related to my original post.

When I said I deserve nothing I probably should have mentioned a concept in security. The concept runs along the lines of "keeping honest people honest" -- Your little desk lock is not going to stand up to my hacksaw, boltcutters or crowbar, however it will keep the person with slightly sticky fingers when nobody is looking and there are others to blame from depriving you of the burden of ownership of lunch money, stationary...

7. Could piracy affect gamers as a whole?
The Wii is a prime example of how piracy killed the potential of a great system. If the Wii wasn't pirated so early in it's lifetime, we would have had much better developer support, and developers would have had more confidence in the system that their games would have SOLD, rather than ripped and downloaded. The PSP however, was a great example of piracy helping sell hardware, because of how much the system had going for it's homebrew scene towards the system's end-of-life. Thanks to the Vita and the vWii, both systems from the last-gen era are still getting a fair bit of homebrew support as well, and that's always awesome.

We could try for numbers, I would argue there is something better to contemplate at this point though.

Was the Wii pirated that early? I suppose we also have to ponder what stages there might have been. Mod chips, cable chips and trucha bug, maybe also the later development of braindead simple USB loaders.
December 2006 was the Wii launch, the trucha stuff went public in February 2008 ( https://gbatemp.net/threads/modify-and-re-sign-wii-isos.76509/ ), DVD softmod launchers did not happen for a few more months ( http://gbatemp.net/threads/wii-backup-loader-leaked.105657/ ) and was it 2009 by the point USB stuff really took off ( http://hackmii.com/2009/03/my-6-hour-trip-to-the-dark-side/ )? The main question would be mod chips which did come reasonably early one, mind you it was not braindead simple (flatmii was 2009, I am not sure what I want to call the clip on mod chips as far as ease of install) and Nintendo did manage to frustrate a few efforts before then (cut pins d2b, the whole d2c stuff).


The GBA had a perfectly functioning emulator on basically day 0 (hardware docs got leaked beforehand). The 360 DVD mods also happened reasonably early on (2007 had some decent stuff, 2008 saw it get pretty good) and banwaves aside it only got easier (until around the liteon era, though even that was not so bad after a while).

Also might it also have been that the Wii was both underpowered and perhaps not the easiest to code for when compared to the competition, especially in the multiplayer department, that contributed to things? By most accounts Nintendo had also not entirely let go of the idea that it was in the NES/SNES power position either.

 

[Elrinth]

1. How do you describe a gamer?
Someone who enjoys playing console or pc games and also enjoys talking about them. People only playing tablet or phone games I consider casual gamers or phone addicts. Gamers play a wide variety of games, while casual gamers only play the simpler, less impressive games.
2. What exactly do you consider as gaming piracy/who do you consider as a pirate?
Piracy is when you retrieve an ITEM at no cost without permission from the creator/publisher/developer of the ITEM.
People who download/stream the latest movies, programs & games without permission from the creators.
3. Why do you think some gamers pirate/turn to piracy? Why is that the reason?
Accessability & no cost. Some games cost way too much, some games aren't available (yet/anymore) or take too long to actually get rather than just download and play instantly.
Sometimes games require internet connection to work while a pirated version doesn't, this gives people without stable internet an option to still be able to play that game.
4. Do you consider a pirate an authentic gamer? Why should this pirate belong or not belong to the gamer subculture?
Definitely. Pirating games have existed since the C64 era maybe even longer. Pirates have been able to share & get unusual games usually not available in their countries actually making pirates the most knowledgable of gamers.
As long as people cannot afford and as long as games aren't released in all countries I think the ability to pirate should still exist.
6. Are there any beliefs or ideologies about gaming that differ from gamers and pirate gamers?
I don't really believe there's any difference.
7. Could piracy affect gamers as a whole?
Obviously it could. If a developer scrambles everything he/she/it's got into a single game and every single person pirates it rather than purchase it, gamers will not be able to enjoy anything more from this developer.
But as far as I see it, people have morale and understanding of other people so I don't see this happening very often.
8. Do you dislike or like gaming piracy? Explain.
As some prices are insane for some games, it allows us for try before buy. Also it's great if really poor people also can get to game. Gaming isn't only for the rich. Although most gamers atleast have SOME kind of budget, else they wouldn't be able to get the gaming system (PC, console or whatever) in the first place.
9. What connotations have gamers been associated with as a result of gamer pirates’ practices?
Thief. The results have been the DRM-protection-systems which I think really work well.
10. Has piracy ever played a role in building a relationship/bond with another gamer in your lifetime? Could you tell us about the experience? If not, do you think it’s possible? Why?
Definitely, without piracy I wouldn't know about tons of games which I've been able to talk with friends and strangers who have become friends. I've been able to enjoy Counter-Strike, Starsiege: Tribes with an online community because of piracy. I wouldn't ever have known about Tribes nor would some of my friends have known about it.
11. Does piracy play a role in gamer relationships? How?
Among my friends we'd rather buy than pirate games. But at some times we have less money then at other times, that's when we resort to piracy. We don't really dislike the person who doesn't buy the game, because we know he just doesn't have the money for it right now. We really want to support game companies who have reasonable prices and games. But yeah I guess there could be arguments with other people who don't like piracy.
12. Are your bonds stronger with gamers than they are with others in your life? Why? What is the foundation of this gamer-gamer relationship? Are any of these gamers pirates?
Bonds are built between people who stick together and communicate, it doesn't matter what they do really. I consider my bond stronger to people who have had similar experiences that I have had. They can understand me better and I can understand them better. These days, barely anyone of my friends pirate games as we've all got jobs and can afford to buy games. But those without jobs still have to pirate games.
13. Who do you believe shapes a bigger percentage of gamer population: pirates or gamers?
This question should have been formed: pirates/non-pirates rather than pirates/gamers. As the pirates are the most knowledgable of all gamers.
I'm going to say gamers definitely tho. As people would need a system in the first place to become a gamer.

 

[FAST6191]

1. How do you describe a gamer?
Someone who enjoys playing console or pc games and also enjoys talking about them. People only playing tablet or phone games I consider casual gamers or phone addicts. Gamers play a wide variety of games, while casual gamers only play the simpler, less impressive games.

When I can play a full native version of final fantasy 6 on my phone/tablet
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.square_enix.android_googleplay.FFVI&hl=en
ditto an entry in the broken sword series
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.revolution.BSII

(this could go on for a while)
Plus emulators that can run games from consoles and PC

Given that how does a phone/tablet represent a "weaker" option in this?