When is pirating ok? (discussion)

[the_randomizer]

Pirating is never ok. But I do it all the time.

Just don't noise it about, you never know if some goody two-shoes might squeal on you.

 

[SoraK05]

In East Africa growing up pirated / fake games were available for Mega Drive and GameBoy.. Some fake games would cost more than 'original' games overseas..
For PSX it was easy to find a wide option of pirated games for $5-7 each, and same generally for the PS2..
People don't know too much about PS3/360/Wii hacking around, so pirated games for those are not as easy or common as the prior ones..

When I would get original games, it was something I would appreciate, and the game feels more enjoyable..

I would rather stick to original games only - whether it is rented, bought new or used..
I prefer to avoid pirated games.. I would rather not boot up a pirated game..

Flash Carts for DS and WODE / USB Loading for Wii for example are handy though, providing the games are dumps of your original
I prefer an official option, like the eShop for 3DS / WiiU..

 

[Chary]

So in this vein, does that mean recording something off a radio, and making a mix tape of it, and giving it to a friend can be called piracy? I don't remember that being illegal. What's the difference if you record a movie, make a DVD, and share with a friend?

This is what my Mom told me after discussing the topic of piracy with her.

 

[SoraK05]

Broadcasts are provided by companies to be watched / listened to - they are meant to be recorded with permission from broadcasters and their sources, such as PVRs (which have DRM / encryption)..

 

[the_randomizer]

DRM is of the devil, legit customers should be able to buy products without invasive measures. It doesn't curtail piracy, it only exacerbates it. Ubisoft is a shining example of that, remember Assassin's Creed 2 Brotherhood? DRM worked pretty well for that, right??

 

[Qtis]

I'll just leave this here (originates from Penny Arcade).

It's not a reference to piracy, but the basic idea is just the same in regards to makers getting paid etc..

 

[SoraK05]

I don't agree with the necessity to connect to a server to play, even if the game has a single player mode, for the preservation of the game once the server is shut down..

 

[osaka35]

The point of not allowing end-users the right to use backups/copies, in whatever form they take, is so the company can maximize profit and retain those rights for themselves.

Yes, it sucks that they region lock their product. But it's their product to do that with, and they do so to maximize profit and get better statistics on who buys games where.
Yes, it sucks they don't re-release old games for new consoles. But by doing so, they have the option of waiting until they see a substantial profit in doing so.
Yes, it sucks that you have to buy a new copy if your old one breaks/scratches. But it's not their responsibility to ensure that their products are handled with care (obviously not talking about warranties or design flaws. You know what I mean.)

Basically, current copyright law isn't really geared towards satisfying the end user. Copyright laws, including the Digital Millenium Copyright Act, focus on ensuring that the copyright owners can do with their product as they see fit and no one else can. Even if they choose to be complete tools and idiots about how they go about enforcing their rights.

This is all just the legal stuff though. They all seem like fine personal reasons for pirating, to me anyway, just don't kid yourself as to whether it's legally justifiable, in any sense of the word.

 

[jakeyjake]

Also, "blockbuster" is rather subjective. Yeah, CoD and Halo sell well, but so does Mario Kart or Just Dance. What can constitute a "blockbuster" is so diverse that it isn't really strangling creativity in the industry.

Not to mention there's still plenty of people who cater to a smaller niche. It's what Atlus makes a living off of.

What's wrong if games want to gain a status like CoD/Halo anyway? Who doesn't want a successful game?

What's wrong is that consumers have a limit to how many games they can pay for. They are not an unlimited resource, which companies don't really understand. So they flood the market with multi million dollar games that can't bring in the multi millions back. They also create a desire to play their games through advertising. Some advertising is so good that for some people (mostly children) they HAVE to have the game. But if you HAVE to have every game, you can't, so, in other words they're spending money to make people want to have games they can't afford. Where does this leave us? people stealing them.

This is why many games trying to be blockbusters is bad.

 

[jakeyjake]

Which I wish people just said instead of trying to pass off a clearly illegal activity as "perfectly just".

I do pirate and I use this exact reasoning. I know it's morally wrong but I'm a cheap bastard and don't care.

Oh, I wasn't trying to say it was morally right. Just caught this post of yours. But, if everyone was moral, we'd be in a much better world right now, where everyone could afford all the games they wanted.

 

[porkiewpyne]

But, if everyone was moral, we'd be in a much better world right now, where everyone could afford all the games they wanted.

Going out on a limb here but...
People being moral/ethical =/= being able to afford all games desired
People being moral/ethical = owning only games that can be bought with own money

But that's just how I see thing

 

[jakeyjake]

Going out on a limb here but...
People being moral/ethical =/= being able to afford all games desired
People being moral/ethical = owning only games that can be bought with own money

But that's just how I see thing

okay maybe not all games desired, but people would be earning living wages instead of earning shit wages, giving them more buying power. CEOs wouldn't inflate their own wages simply for more money, and products COULD be cheaper in general.

 

[ov3rkill]

Pirating isn't ok when you go around killing and raping. Pirating is ok when you're like Jack Sparrow and Monkey D. Luffy.

 

[ImNotSkilled]

Would you guys consider GameFly pirating?

 

[jakeyjake]

Would you guys consider GameFly pirating?

Yes it is.

 

[ImNotSkilled]

Yes it is.

I agree but it's a copyrighted/trademarked company!

 

[Haloman800]

I find it very useful to imagine the same scenario, but with something a bit more tangible. Just replace "download/pirate" with "photocopying". So, rephrase the situation as, "Is taking a photocopied copy of a book from a friend wrong?"

Can you honestly say you see absolutely nothing wrong with photo-copying a book and giving it out to everyone who wants it? either for free or a fee?

Duplicating a book? My original argument applies. If you weren't going to buy the book in the first place, no one loses anything by you copying it (besides the ink and paper it takes to produce, but if you own it it's your "loss").

Of course mass-distributing it would cause a loss of profit for whomever wrote/distributes the book, because a lot of those people probably would of bought it if they couldn't get it for free.

 

[jakeyjake]

I agree but it's a copyrighted/trademarked company!

just because they are within the law doesn't mean that they aren't making a profit off others work.

 

[ImNotSkilled]

just because they are within the law doesn't mean that they aren't making a profit off others work.

Very true. Their motto is " Try before you buy! ".

That's silly. Some people are surprisingly too lazy to pirate on their own!

 

[mightymuffy]

To the OP: personally I find the notion of both buying and spending 95% of your gaming time playing Black Ops 2 more horrific than any pirating you may have done.....

I remember firing up Visual Boy Advance on the PC back when the GBA was doing the rounds - now if I had just looked at the back of the box of either Wario Ware or Advance Wars, trust me I wouldn't have bought them.. but after playing them on VBA I had no hesitation in nipping down to my local game store a snapping up a copy of either!
Still, that's a one off to be honest... now since we're in the 3DS section, if we are eventually able to grab anything for it, ....yeah I'll probably grab a couple of titles I've kinda had my eye on but not thought were worth my cash... but if they do end up being good enough I'll still splash out. Otherwise the emulators will appeal, and I only usually play titles I've owned in the past there...
Doesn't make me any less a pirate than the next guy of course, but I don't feel quite so bad doing it....