Piracy and game sales...

[Hitto]

trust me, if an indie developper manages to get a millions downloads on their first game, they will NOT be bankrupt.

 

[OrR]

"That's one point I never understood. How does piracy hurt small developers worse than big ones? Please explain!"

I already explained. Look, small devs, when they make a game, it's their first "big" project, so when it fails, the company might go bankrupt, but with a bigger, established company like Square-Enix, it doesn't hurt them at all, they already got an income large enough. So if 1 million people pirate the Squenix games, it's a 10% loss of income (kinda extreme, just taking these situations as an example), but if the same pirates, the same 1 million people, also pirate the game made by a smaller, independent developer, that's a loss of about 50% and they might just not make another game. It's has nothing to do with morals, they just don't have the money to come back. You should also know that each year, just 5-10 games actually make enough profit..

Dude, your logic is fucked up. If we suppose there are 1 million pirates. Those 1 million people would maybe all download the newest blockbuster. But why should they all download the unknown game by some unknown developer? And even if they do, why do you suddenly suppose that they would have bought it if they hadn't had the chance to download it? That doesn't make any sense.

 

[adgloride]

But I don´t think that most Spectrum games cost dozens of millions of dollars to make.

Don't forget when the spectrum was out gaming was only in its infancy. I know the spectrum did quite well in the UK, I'm not sure about the rest of the world. New games are 4 times more or even 5 times more (If you buy them retail) than the spectrum game. Consoles are also released world wide which increases the games sales. It is quite funny thinking how much a spectrum game actually cost to make, considering how much they may cost these days. The cost of games is why theirs so little originality because it costs too much to make a game that won't sell.

 

[Cyan]

In Europe and maybe many countries if there weren't the ability to modchip a console then we could never played some games.
Many games never reached Europe, and some not even USA (xenosaga, valkyrie, seiken 3, FF6, etc..)

I started with my Snes and since then, as it was at first to play imports that would never be sold in my country, it's now common for me to use any kind of pirating hardware and software.

Back on Snes, the games were very expansive and I had to wait almost 2 years for purchasing new games.
All was about money. Now I'm working (took my time away) and I have money to buy them, but I'm still not doing so.
Now I have the money, but I don't have the time to play all the good games I can have, what a shame

Piracy is for me a way to test games I would have never bought.

 

[Psyfira]

Dude, your logic is fucked up. If we suppose there are 1 million pirates. Those 1 million people would maybe all download the newest blockbuster. But why should they all download the unknown game by some unknown developer? And even if they do, why do you suddenly suppose that they would have bought it if they hadn't had the chance to download it? That doesn't make any sense.

Ah I finally understand your point. You're saying that games produced by smaller games companies wouldn't have the hype to get enough people interested in buying them in the first place to make downloading them have a significant impact on sales.

Lets try an example: Alien Hominid on GBA. Small developer, took forever for the game to actually come out, even then it only got released in the UK (and Europe?). Had lots of hype from the online communities, but at the end of the day how many of the already small group of people interested in the game actually brought it rather than downloading? The game's worth the money; it was cheap at £20 brand new and it's got enough replay value to make it not a wasted purchase. Not to mention that the graphics look f'king sweet. Thing is, the people interested wouldn't have complained about buying it without testing it first, they already knew what they were letting themselves in for. But because the ability to download the rom as a trial was there people did. The game's so short that "try before you buy" downloads rapidly turned into "try and complete before you buy".

So because of downloads the developers lost a huge percentage of their prospective sales to piracy. I'm not saying it's loads of money but to these companies a little bit can make a huge difference between paying off their development costs and, more importantly, the company's motivation to continue making games for that system.

 

[omegatr0n]

i by games that i really want to be able to say...I own that game...Katamari, GTA, FFIX (yes nine), Burnout Revenge...but as for NDS...sorry im a pirate...I own asphalt urban GT for sleep mode... tetris...got it before my supercard...and i have access to an actuall card for mario kart

 

[Mike83]

I would say that Piracy has made me buy a wider variaty of games, maybe not increasting or decreasing the actual number, but I buy alot of differnt games now I have the chance to try them first.

I also have Piracy to thank for me playing the Pro Evo games, which I am happy to buy as I know I'll be playing them most days for the next year.

 

[lagman]

But I don´t think that most Spectrum games cost dozens of millions of dollars to make.

Don't forget when the spectrum was out gaming was only in its infancy. I know the spectrum did quite well in the UK, I'm not sure about the rest of the world. New games are 4 times more or even 5 times more (If you buy them retail) than the spectrum game. Consoles are also released world wide which increases the games sales. It is quite funny thinking how much a spectrum game actually cost to make, considering how much they may cost these days. The cost of games is why theirs so little originality because it costs too much to make a game that won't sell.

I could not agree more, without 3 megamans everymonth, Okami,VJ or K7 simply won´t exist.

 

[Crygor64]

People can defend piracy all they want but the results of this poll are pretty damning. The vast majority of users buys fewer games because of piracy. There's no way to spin that fact.

 

[OrR]

Vast majority? It's only half of them. That's not a vast majority.

 

[Crygor64]

Vast majority? It's only half of them. That's not a vast majority.

Yawn. Your comments bore me.

Which option has the most votes?

That pretty much proves my point even if it not the "vast majority."

Again, you bore me.

 

[Hitto]

Sure thing, but let me ask the 1000 dollar question : so fucking what?
You think it's a "problem" that should be "taken care of"? It's a fact, and there's nothing anyone can do about it. What's next, are we going to protest against rain because it "undeniably" makes you wet when you're standing in it?

There's no *need* to spin that fact. Piracy and plagiarism and whatnot have always been around. Always will be around.

EDIT : don't be so aggressive, crygor, we're not on a fucking playground.

 

[Crygor64]

Blah, blah, blah.....

There's no *need* to spin that fact. Piracy and plagiarism and whatnot have always been around. Always will be around.

EDIT : don't be so aggressive, crygor, we're not on a fucking playground.

First, look whose talking.

Why don't you watch your mouth junior?

Second, do you even know the difference between piracy and plagiarism? Maybe you should choose your words more carefully next time?

 

[Mike83]

Vast majority? It's only half of them. That's not a vast majority.


Yawn. Your comments bore me.

Which option has the most votes?

That pretty much proves my point even if it not the "vast majority."

Again, you bore me.

"Vast Majority" would be around the 80% mark, as it stands, its less than half.

 

[Crygor64]

Vast majority? It's only half of them. That's not a vast majority.


Yawn. Your comments bore me.

Which option has the most votes?

That pretty much proves my point even if it not the "vast majority."

Again, you bore me.

"Vast Majority" would be around the 80% mark, as it stands, its less than half.

Again, yawn. You quoted my post but you missed this part.

 

[Hitto]

The usual forum troll's response : "LALALA I CAN'T HEAR YOU, I'M IMPERVIOUS TO LOGIC"

Just go back to gamefaqs, man.

 

[Crygor64]

The usual forum troll's response : "LALALA I CAN'T HEAR YOU, I'M IMPERVIOUS TO LOGIC"

Just go back to gamefaqs, man.

Insults? That's very mature. Now how exactly am I trolling? Why don't you explain that to us all?

If you can find the right words.

My point is simple. Piracy does hurt game sales and the results of this poll proves my point.

Now am I against piracy? Hell no. You are looking at a guy who built a PC just to play EMUS on his living room TV. I just understand the truth. Piracy does hurt game sales whether we want to admit it or not. That's why I try to live with balance and buy the best games. I don't buy them all, but I'll give those special games my money. That's the best we can hope for in a situation like this.

Now, you were saying?

 

[assassinz]

I buy more games because I can play them first and then decide which ones are actually worth my hard-earned cash. Without piracy I'd buy less because I wouldn't know which games suck and wouldn't want to risk wasting my money. I wouldn't have bought Drill Dozer if I had never played it.

Piracy hurts "some" game sales only because it actually informs the customer if a game is good or bad and then the game companies can't sell that many of their 'crappy' releases to 'blind' customers. Good games become known by word of mouth and become popular and will sell well regardless of piracy, in my opinion.

 

[Hitto]

The usual forum troll's response : "LALALA I CAN'T HEAR YOU, I'M IMPERVIOUS TO LOGIC"

Just go back to gamefaqs, man.



Insults? That's very mature. Now how exactly am I trolling? Why don't you explain that to us all?

If you can find the right words.

My point is simple. Piracy does hurt game sales and the results of this poll proves my point.

Now am I against piracy? Hell no. You are looking at a guy who built a PC just to play EMUS on his living room TV. I just understand the truth. Piracy does hurt game sales whether we want to admit it or not. That's why I try to live with balance and buy the best games. I don't buy them all, but I'll give those special games my money. That's the best we can hope for in a situation like this.

Now, you were saying?

Ah, sometimes, I just can't resist taking the bait. You're on, troll.

I was saying "great way to base your whole shtick on a less-than-150-results poll". Now, stop telling people "you bore me" when they present you with inconvenient facts and stop trying to justify some internet forum poll proves anything.

Piracy hurts game sales as much as noy buying something you're not interested in hurts its sales. Even though I'm not even going to pirate barbie horse adventures, for example.

Anyway, judging from your other posts in various threads, I think I can safely assume you're a troll. Hell, even in your profile you managed to slip some sony bashing, thinking you'd "fit in" this handheld-thus-90%-nintendo community. Oh yeah, love that "japanese will line up for anything" comment in the pokémon thread. Borderline derogatory and racist, like a fine club a troll would wield.

So anyway, I was saying you're behaving quite rudely in this community, and it will not do. I'm not a mod or anything, but you're pissing people off with your lousy attitude. Lose it or go back to gamefaqs.

 

[Crygor64]

The usual forum troll's response : "LALALA I CAN'T HEAR YOU, I'M IMPERVIOUS TO LOGIC"

Just go back to gamefaqs, man.



Insults? That's very mature. Now how exactly am I trolling? Why don't you explain that to us all?

If you can find the right words.

My point is simple. Piracy does hurt game sales and the results of this poll proves my point.

Now am I against piracy? Hell no. You are looking at a guy who built a PC just to play EMUS on his living room TV. I just understand the truth. Piracy does hurt game sales whether we want to admit it or not. That's why I try to live with balance and buy the best games. I don't buy them all, but I'll give those special games my money. That's the best we can hope for in a situation like this.

Now, you were saying?

Piracy hurts game sales as much as noy buying something you're not interested in hurts its sales.

Oh yeah, love that "japanese will line up for anything" comment in the pokémon thread. Borderline derogatory and racist, like a fine club a troll would wield.

That first line is hillarious. It doesn't even make sense. I can see Enlgish is not your first language.

The second line, well I'm an Asian American moron.

My comment about the Japanese was meant as a statement of fact.

Damn you lose again.