Hacking Piracy and Guilt

darksavior · Feb 11, 2007

Nintendo's VC sells roms. Now that's a ripoff.

Anyways, I'll go ahead and say the "it's too expensive" excuse like all of us vagabonds. Most games aren't worth a dime. And for the one that says it'll lead to more stealing? hah. Maybe it gets you educated on how easy most of this stuff can be downloaded. It's not like i'll go rob a liquor store.My morals go out the window when Vista is $400 and it's free to download.

I wish i could download Ferrari's

Deleted User · Feb 11, 2007

As mentioned already, my main concern is that I won't be supporting more unusual games (Phoenix Wright, Hotel Dusk). I want more games like these so I'll probably buy them.

Rayder · Feb 11, 2007

The only thing I feel guilty about is not having bought a flashcart long ago.

FuManChuu · Feb 11, 2007

QUOTE(Rayder @ Feb 11 2007 said:
The only thing I feel guilty about is not having bought a flashcart long ago.

Damn straight. Yar matie

2cb2ct7 · Feb 11, 2007

I think the major problem with the video game industry is the same as that with the music and film industry... Do you think the devleopers actually most of the money spent on video games?

I remember seeing an article in a video games magazines many moons ago with a complete breakdown of exactly where the retail costs of a video game end up. Most of it goes to retail, followed by advertising, etc.. with the smallest fraction going back to the game developers... If any game is that shit hot most gamers will here about it by their other favourite medium... the internet!

If avenues were available that made the game available at a reasonable price whilst still generating a healthy profit for the developing company, I think more people would buy them. The fact is that what you pay does not reflect the value of the product (see pop music, hollywood films, designer clothes, ad infinitum).

That said, I understand that nothing speaks louder than sales. For this very reason I spend a fair amount of money on indie/world cinema screenings and DVD's, music produced on smaller labels, and high-quality video games. If you want to see material goods that you enjoy continue to be produced then support the right channels by buying the goods.

This "selective spending" philosophy may not be for everyone but it allows me to feel that I am supporting the things that I enjoy without getting "ripped off".

As I do with movies and music; if you have played a game you really enjoyed (regardless of the source or format in which you played it) then go out and buy it!

jalaneme · Feb 11, 2007

QUOTE(adgloride @ Feb 10 2007 said:
I don't feel guilty.Â I have a few original games and I've had a supercard since the beginning when it first started playing DS games.Â I'm not one of those people that think, I can copy the games now and go down to GAME and sell all my originals.Â I do think they ask too much for the games £25 each in the UK.Â So if you buy a few as well as copying a few your not hurting anyone.

£25 each time adds up after a while...and most high street stores sell them for the full £30 so that adds up to even more.

rest0re · Feb 11, 2007

i buy used games sometimes.. but yea. piracy is not cool!-)

Hadrian · Feb 11, 2007

QUOTE(jalaneme @ Feb 11 2007 said:
QUOTE(adgloride @ Feb 10 2007 said:

I don't feel guilty.Â I have a few original games and I've had a supercard since the beginning when it first started playing DS games.Â I'm not one of those people that think, I can copy the games now and go down to GAME and sell all my originals.Â I do think they ask too much for the games £25 each in the UK.Â So if you buy a few as well as copying a few your not hurting anyone.

£25 each time adds up after a while...and most high street stores sell them for the full £30 so that adds up to even more.

Click to expand...

I agree, no idea why some games are £20 and others are more! What's worse is places like Game & Gamestation are selling pre-owned games that are only a few quid cheaper than new games (pre-owned Mario Kart DS is £27.99!!), which is why I mostly buy imported games which turns out to be the cheaper option!

Most games at Play-asia.com are 39.90 USD which is £21.50, and then chuck £1.34 for postage and still its a better deal and you don't have to wait months for a UK release.

Psyfira · Feb 11, 2007

QUOTE(mthrnite @ Feb 11 2007 said:
wouldn't it be nice if Nintendo put out demo roms you could download. Y'know, hook your DS to your Wii and download something you could play for a few times before it kablooeyed.

It would be good, just have it go down the DS's online connection instead of through the Wii. Doesn't even have to be much, just a single level or quick segment as a download play demo, lose it when you turn the console off. I don't understand why they haven't done this already.

Opium's right, the games industry does have to change to combat piracy. Remember when MP3 piracy got really rampant a few years back? The music industry listened, and created legal download services. Just look at how popular iTunes is now. And CD sales sites like Amazon started posting 30 second soundclips of tracks on their pages, circumventing the need for "try before you buy" illegal downloads.

It's harder with consoles, but with the number that contain online connectivity now it's not impossible anymore. In an ideal world, every game released would have an online demo. (which would also dissuade developers from making utter shit, which can't be a bad thing)

TPi: I'm not saying it's right because it isn't. But by having a better understanding of why we download we're brainstorming solutions to the problem. It doesn't justify what we do.

Rabbi Nevins · Feb 11, 2007

QUOTE(rest0re @ Feb 11 2007 said:
i buy used games sometimes.. but yea. piracy is not cool!-)

what is the difference between buying a used game and pirating a game...either way you arent supporting the developer. If you feel bad pirating then you should feel bad when you buy a used game. I dont know about you peoples but i always buy used games as they are cheaper. I dont feel bad.

pristinemog · Feb 11, 2007

Since I started this whole piracy thing beginning with the PSX (when I was like 9), then going to the Dreamcast, GB/GBC/GBA, PS2 and now the DS, I'm pretty much numbed to the whole feeling of guilt.

Psyfira · Feb 11, 2007

QUOTE(mwingboy @ Feb 11 2007 said:
what is the difference between buying a used game and pirating a game...either way you arent supporting the developer.

Buying used games is better than piracy, because you are still actually paying for what you get. It's just where that money goes that changes.

... actually that's a good point. I've never felt bad about buying a preowned game or DVD. So the whole "doesn't support the developer" argument goes out of the window in that case, only leaving the feeling better because you've paid for what you've got. I suppose it's supporting your supplier.

digital_sin · Feb 11, 2007

Piracy is the only option for me here as far as i'm concerned.

I live in Egypt, and it's almost impossible to get good and newly released DS games here (or any system's games for that matter except the PS2). Original DS games cost about 40$ here, and the average respectable salary here is nearly 300$ a month (and that's the respectable salary). If you plan on making a living on what you earn here in Egypt, original is not an option.

However; I do buy original games from time to time, like PC games for online multiplayer, or console games if they are unmodded or if they are really that great.

nice topic by the way.

Bowser128 · Feb 11, 2007

QUOTE(mwingboy @ Feb 11 2007 said:
QUOTE(rest0re @ Feb 11 2007 said:

i buy used games sometimes.. but yea. piracy is not cool!-)

what is the difference between buying a used game and pirating a game...either way you arent supporting the developer. If you feel bad pirating then you should feel bad when you buy a used game. I dont know about you peoples but i always buy used games as they are cheaper. I dont feel bad.

Click to expand...

You just hit the nail on the head. As much as I would like to support the developers of the great games I play, the fact of the matter is my monetary situation leads me to want to get them as cheap as possible, so if I had no means of piracy I would just buy them used. Either way, the developers are getting no money, the only difference is whether I'm out of pocket or not.

cow20xx · Feb 12, 2007

I don't feel guilty at all.
It's improbable to purchase every single game you want to play, considering they are like... 30-40USD each. If big corporations aren't considerate for their limited fund customers, then i will just have to find ways to work around the system.
Besides, if companies are smart, they will sell memorable merchandises off their popular titles and flagships to capture more profit.
And piracy of games allow many people to be exposed to products normally not attendable. For example, most people would not be able to experience the games in the other parts of the world through normal means. Is it really worthwhile for someone living in N/A to go online or go to local stores and place a special order for a japanese game? that will cost 2x-3x as much. Are the big corporation caring enough to make it easier to import or quickly release titles in other language? not really.
It takes them forever to translate and release an english version of the japanese counterparts.
So as consumers, we find the best way to attend for our needs at the lowest cost.
Even though it is a crime to download softwares and games you have not paid for, but it's only reasonable and logical to do given the situation most of us are in.
And if the game is really good, i would get the real copy and other attaching merchanises with it.

To sum it up, if it's worth my money, i will pay for it. If it's not, not only i don't feel guilty for not paying for it, i have the urge to demand compensation from the companies that indirectly wasted a certain amount of time of my life haha.

mcbey · Feb 12, 2007

^Amen

People cant buy every single game, especially those on a fixed in come. It sucks being young.

PiNPOiNT · Feb 12, 2007

One thing piracy has deffinatly helped with (yes i said helped) is by allowing more and more people to experience a game that they would normally not even give a chance. This ends up creating a much larger fan base and news will spread by word of mouth as well. Its free advertising in a way. Its better that a company has people playing their game instead of their competitions (even if a small percentage are playing stolen copies). Same thing for movies and music. Without it, there would be a lot less people even knowing what their product is. Especially in a world with so many companies flooding the market with so much crap.

what it allows is developers to reach that one last area of consumer base....the people who would have never played their game in the first place, and if its a good game, they will spread the word, and hopefully hook even more "paying" customers.

friedchicken · Feb 12, 2007

no guilt. buy games that are worth buying after i try it out. games that arnt worth buying goes to recycle bin pretty fast.

poloman · Feb 12, 2007

i do feel guilty about it - so i definetly try before i buy. then i keep the copies and play them off my m3 - that way i can back up my saves that i've played for hours, and dont have to carry loads of carts around - plus if i lose my m3 i dont have to rebuy the games - just get another flashkart, restore my backups and away i go.

111111111 · Feb 12, 2007

QUOTE(PharaohsVizier @ Feb 10 2007 said:
Nope, no guilt whatsoever.Â Just donate whatever money you save to a charity or something if you feel bad.Â Better than going to a big faceless company.Â

Exactly. We're talking about corporations that exploit people on a massive scale. Nintendo isn't the big fluffy company lots of gamers like to imagine it is.

Read Game Over : How Nintendo Conquered The World by David Sheff.

I'll feel guilty about 'piracy' when they (all corporations) feel some remorse at the state of the planet & society that they are directly and indirectly responsible for. Until then I'll give my money to worthy causes.

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