When is pirating ok? (discussion)

[ReBirFh]

I suppose I had it with the DS - I usually carried 100-or-so games on me and rarely played more than 5 out of'em. I ended up using the SD card for something else and putting a smaller one in the DS, then playing only the games I actually wanted to play.

I believe this behavior is common place for everyone that pirates, still all the other 95 games, even if you end up never touching them, will be seen as loss of money by the industry. That's one of the reasons I take all the proganda against piracy and how it hurts the family the content creators with a bucket of salt.

If you go take a look at lists of countries where gaming piracy is most prevalent you're going to notice that the majority of them don't have any kind of support, reasonable prices, marketing or localization efforts, those places were never their target consumers and they weren't expecting to sell on those places.as I see it they aren't losing anything because they weren't going to win on the first place.

Using my country as an example, the havocscope site says that the stimated loss is 159.3 Millions of dollars but when I see something like that I read it not as a loss but as "how much I could have earned if I cared to expand my market".

 

[Filipe C Bello dos Santos]

I never was a collector of roms, i download a few games at time and play them, because i know that if i put a lot of games on my card i will end up playing nothing but Castlevania ,zelda or mario.

 

[the_randomizer]

Photoshop is also a highly complex tool and almost an industry standard to an extent. There's a reason they charge so much for it.

And to think I was able to get Photoshop CS5 for $80 because my brother-in-law worked at Adobe, but I digress. It's too easy to pirate, that's the sad part. A lot of those who do aren't smart when the do said act because they don't give themselves anonymity and will get caught. Whether it's their ISP, local authorities, etc. If someone's really hellbent on pirating, they should at least not be stupid enough to get caught.

 

[jimskeet2002]

You are truly, one of the stupidest human beings that I could ever expect to live on this planet.
Honestly, no matter how much gaming you do in your everyday life, it can and never will be a need. You can WANT it more than other things but you do not NEED it. (Note: I'm not referring to the post I quoted, that was just to notify you of the post)
Do you really think Game Programming was a job back when no games existed. Ofcourse it wasn't. Games never used to exist.
You have totally mixed up your own argument. You should have stated that human beings need entertainment. You know what existed before video games? Jokes, as well as many other forms of entertainment. Hell, you have a brain, therefore you have an imagination. An imagination can be a form of entertainment.

Anyway, to the topic at hand:
Piracy is illegal (In most of the world, I believe) so theoretically it is never alright to pirate. However breaking laws is a given in this world. Some laws obviously shouldn't be broken however some aren't as high on the ladder of importance. Having said that, depending on the perspective you look at it, piracy can be good and bad.

The law: You are not allowed to pirate therefore it is not ok to do so.
The Police: The police uphold the law but they also have their own brain and can control themselves so some will say that it's alright whilst others will continue to uphold the law.

I can keep listing perspectives, and if I did so, you'd notice that considering everyone is different, everyone has a different view point.

Basically, the law states that it is not ok to pirate.
So, even if you think, "Hmm, I'm low on cash and this awesome game is coming out" or "Hmm... This game won't be released in my country for 3 more years and it's out in that country" and you pirate it, it's illegal. No matter how you look at it, it's illegal.
Does that stop people doing it?
Ofcourse not, laws get broken every day. Not every citizen will follow them.
Pirates will always exist. (Not just out on the sea).
So, like I said, no matter how you look at it, it's illegal.
I pirate, I know many people who also pirate. I also know people who won't pirate a thing. They are the people who aren't breaking the law.

So what I'm saying is, no matter the situation, pirating is not ok. You can continue to do so though as many others also break laws and those behaviours won't stop anytime soon.

Ok master. I never said piracy is legal... I say it is not morally wrong. Moral and legal are very different... You want an example? Companies legally put any price they want in their games. Do you think it is moral though? I can prove to you it is not. As I said they indeed do a great job in creating those games. Really I am more than satisfied from the games that are out there and I feel really confident and happy for the games that will come out in next years. BUT!!!! Through this process of making games better and better and better they keep us gamers hooked to this hobby. They transform our "WANT" to play games in a psychological "NEED" and this is a fact. And then they profit from this "NEED" buy overpricing the games. Do you think this is moral? I don't, yet i agree it is legal. I don't say that you need it to survive but psychologically you come to a state that you "need" to play. It is your way of life. It is a form of addiction and whoever denies it is plain stupid. Of course you can survive with out them... Let me give you a simple yet very relating example... Have you seen how cigarettes prices have skyrocketed??? People still buy them... Of course they can survive without them yet they still pay a lot of money to buy them just cause they are addicted to them. So let your "you are the stupidest human being" aside and stop getting brainwashed for a minute and think clearly.
Piracy is ILLEGAL
Piracy is MORAL for me. (for others might be immoral but for my principals it is not, and morality has to do with personal principals too)
Oh and some info about the word "moral" that you so easily use about us pirates...

The term “morality” can be used either

1. descriptively to refer to some codes of conduct put forward by a society or,
   1. some other group, such as a religion, or
   2. accepted by an individual for her own behavior or
2. normatively to refer to a code of conduct that, given specified conditions, would be put forward by all rational persons.

When you see that the piracy percentages are at 95% then means that the crashing majority of the audience of games is pirating.... How can you say that piracy is immoral???
Can you explain that tome please since as you stated I am the stupidest human being please?

 

[Unagi]

The fact that you consider gaming a NEED over a WANT is fucking messed up.

 

[jimskeet2002]

The fact that you consider gaming a NEED over a WANT is fucking messed up.

You can't understand they way I mean it... Or you don't want to accept it. Amusement is a "NEED" wether you like it or not.Try to live without amusement and lets see how that turns out with your psychological state. Games is a way of satisfying this "need" that a very big part of population chooses to use. Do you know why? Because it is one of the most fun things you can do. Why? Because this is their purpose... They are scientifically created to make you have fun... So they become a way to satisfy one of your needs. Now can you see how it can be a "need" over a "want" ? Or does it need further explanation?

Haven't it happened to you that you stay hooked on a game for so many hours that you start to get hungry and wish you didn't so you don't lose time from your game? I am sure you will say no as many of you will but you will know that it is not true So i am rather realistic than living in my imagination, saying piracy is immoral so I might look good to others. I know what I am, I know what i am doing and I do not feel ashamed of it. Though I agree with all of you that it is illegal. I never said the opposite.

 

[Guild McCommunist]

You can't understand they way I mean it... Or you don't want to accept it. Amusement is a "NEED" wether you like it or not.Try to live without amusement and lets see how that turns out with your psychological state. Games is a way of satisfying this "need" that a very big part of population chooses to use. Do you know why? Because it is one of the most fun things you can do. Why? Because this is their purpose... They are scientifically created to make you have fun... So they become a way to satisfy one of your needs. Now can you see how it can be a "need" over a "want" ? Or does it need further explanation?

But gaming is one of many forms of amusement. It's a hobby of mine but it's not THE hobby. If gaming ceased to exist the next morning I think I'd do alright. I have a TV, I have some movies, I have some Magic cards. I'll be fine.

Also, speaking of Magic (another hobby that is hellishly expensive), consider this:

>Millions of dollars go into development of video game, people complain
>Wizards of the Coast charges $100 for a box of cardboard, no one complains.

Gamers, always complaining, never satisfied.

 

[jimskeet2002]

But gaming is one of many forms of amusement. It's a hobby of mine but it's not THE hobby. If gaming ceased to exist the next morning I think I'd do alright. I have a TV, I have some movies, I have some Magic cards. I'll be fine.

Also, speaking of Magic (another hobby that is hellishly expensive), consider this:

>Millions of dollars go into development of video game, people complain
>Wizards of the Coast charges $100 for a box of cardboard, no one complains.

Gamers, always complaining, never satisfied.

I never said it is THE hobby I have other hobbies too. I play guitar, I play tennis, I go skiing and snowboarding, I used to go mountain biking a lot, Hell my job is a hobby of mine. I am a tennis coach. But gaming is a part of my life since I was a little boy. It was always a passion to me since I can remember my self. And I do not accept kids to come and tell me that I am immoral cause companies say so

 

[Guild McCommunist]

I never said it is THE hobby I have other hobbies too. I play guitar, I play tennis, I go skiing and snowboarding, I used to go mountain biking a lot, Hell my job is a hobby of mine. I am a tennis coach. But gaming is a part of my life since I was a little boy. It was always a passion to me since I can remember my self. And I do not accept kids to come and tell me that I am immoral cause companies say so

But you're saying it's a necessity, which implies you cannot live without it. Which is simply not true.

Video gaming is a luxury in every sense of the word.

 

[jimskeet2002]

But you're saying it's a necessity, which implies you cannot live without it. Which is simply not true.

Video gaming is a luxury in every sense of the word.

Psychologically to me it is. I can't imagine my self without video games, simple as that. I know I can survive without them.
Here is another example. Can you live without a phone? You surely will survive without it but don't you just need it? The same way some people need video games.
Another example? Sex. Don't you need to have sex? Won't you survive without it? Yet you need it.

 

[pwsincd]

The price of a video game is overly priced , fact . Lets take a major player example . (please bare in mind these facts arent exacts but close)

COD MW2 - approx marketing and dev costs $200 million.

First month sales $1 Billion Dollars.

Rounded $800 million profit .... (were quids in right !!! )

.

Equivilant movie release say .. hmm.... Avatar....

Production costs approx $240 million dollars .....

First month sales $1 Billion Dollars.

Rounded $760 million profit (Kerching!!!)


Average US cinema ticket price $8

Do i need to state the game price ?????


(sits back and waits for comparison abuse).

 

[Guild McCommunist]

Psychologically to me it is. I can't imagine my self without video games, simple as that. I know I can survive without them.
Here is another example. Can you live without a phone? You surely will survive without it but don't you just need it? The same way some people need video games.

That's not a valid example at all. A phone is an actual lifeline. If you have an emergency, you pretty much need a phone.

Video games are something you do in your free time. A phone is not.

If video games are "essential" to you "psychologically" then you need some real help quite honestly.

The price of a video game is overly priced , fact . Lets take a major player example . (please bare in mind these facts arent exacts but close)

COD MW2 - approx marketing and dev costs $200 million.

First month sales $1 Billion Dollars.

Rounded $800 million profit .... (were quids in right !!! )

.

Equivilant movie release say .. hmm.... Avatar....

Production costs approx $240 million dollars .....

First month sales $1 Billion Dollars.

Rounded $760 million profit (Kerching!!!)


Average US cinema ticket price $8

Do i need to state the game price ?????


(sits back and waits for comparison abuse).

Because Avatar was only successful after its first month?

Let's not count merchandise and DVD/Bluray sales.

EDIT: For the record I saw Avatar in theaters three weeks after it came out and the line for that was longer than opening weekend for the latest Star Trek movie.

That movie was absolutely huge.

 

[jimskeet2002]

That's not a valid example at all. A phone is an actual lifeline. If you have an emergency, you pretty much need a phone.

Video games are something you do in your free time. A phone is not.

If video games are "essential" to you "psychologically" then you need some real help quite honestly.

LOL
Guys had emergencies before they had phones too and they survived them...
And also why an emergency makes it a need? Your argument is invalid

 

[Guild McCommunist]

LOL
Guys had emergencies before they had phones too and they survived them...

Yeah, and shit was a lot worse back then.

Nowadays, if you need the police, an ambulance, or the fire department, you call. That's pretty necessary if you're getting robbed/assaulted/vandalized, having a life-threatening situation, or if your house is on fire and you'd rather have the fire department come there through a means other than smoke signals.

 

[pyromaniac123]

Psychologically to me it is. I can't imagine my self without video games, simple as that. I know I can survive without them.
Here is another example. Can you live without a phone? You surely will survive without it but don't you just need it? The same way some people need video games.
Another example? Sex. Don't you need to have sex? Won't you survive without it? Yet you need it.

Is this what Lord Buddha said? One can't live without a phone or video games?

 

[emigre]

I like how this thread illustrates a number of members have entitlement issues and terrible logic.

 

[Unagi]

You must think we're all ignorant fellows, hooo you're so wrong. I'm a chemistry student and I can tell you this, there aren't many amusements in that particular field. I lived without amusements for a year, and how did that turn out? A 3.7 GPA and I'm one of only six chemistry majors left on campus. But that's a whole different story. There's a lot more to the world than gaming, man.

 

[emigre]

You must think we're all ignorant fellows, hooo you're so wrong. I'm a chemistry student and I can tell you this, there aren't many amusements in that particular field. I lived without amusements for a year, and how did that turn out? A 3.7 GPA and I'm one of only six chemistry majors left on campus. But that's a whole different story. There's a lot more to the world than gaming, man.

Is your name Jack? And did you turn into a dull boy?

 

[Toasty]

jimskeet2002 I actually looked at your profile to try to view your age, I can't imagine anyone over the age of lets say 18 would consider video games an absolute NEED.

I pirate shit, not going to pretend like I care about Nintendo's millions and billions of profits, although I hear they're not doing as well recently due to poor sales (their fault) of the 3DS and/or Wii U. I have a 3DS but no games because I haven't found a title worth $40 yet, perhaps in October, we'll see. Right now I'm enjoying my Acekard 2i and a bunch of pirated content, but I did buy plenty of DS games back in the day, although I have since sold them for some extra spending money. I probably had around 15 titles.

 

[pwsincd]

Yeah the sales of avatar over a 3 month period was approx $2 billion , im not wholy sure on the game equivilant , however the DLC vs DVD sales are about similar , bare in mind this is for major players in the industry and not 1 man bands (so to speak) MY general point is that i beleive for dev/marketing costs in the main games are over pricesd compared to the movie industry , now i know theres planty of aspects where this wont be the case , but when were discussing the major players , the gaming industry does take the piss with pricing.


typos aplenty : alcahol induced .. apologies.