Is piracy all that bad?

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cooperdnizzle5121d ago

Oh yea, who are you to tell anybody what to do. Good for you.. Give yourself a pat on the back, or want a cookie or something/

TheFirstClassic5121d ago (Edited 5121d ago )

I know two people who pirate and never buy games, one who hasn't bought a game since the atari days. He would rent games and he had some way to copy them.

It really isn't fair.

It's stealing, plain and simple. We aren't entitled to games, the developers don't owe us games, we pay for them. Too many people pirate, and we wouldn't have video games.

There's nothing wrong with pirating a game for demo purposes though. It can be a helpful way to decide if you want the game.

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DarthJay5121d ago

The person keeping these companies in business by legally purchasing games. Who are you? The guy that steals them and complains when his favorite developer closes shop and can't make games any more?

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Whitefeather5120d ago

Who am I? I am a 21 year old guy in college who loves video games. I buy my games since I want the developers to gain from their work. Developing isn't easy and they work hard for years to make a good game the least a person[who enjoyed their game] could do is shell out $60.

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farhad2k85121d ago

I don't agree with Piracy at all, and I think it's horrible.
BUT.. if you think about it, some game developers out there are getting paid to make a game, and then sell it digitally.. for over $30/£40.. that's a ridiculous price for a piece of software.

In this day and age, games are just too expensive IMO.
Which leads to excessive pirating. So game developers have them selves to blame.

My two cents.

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sjaakiejj5121d ago

You do realise that prices of games went up because of three reasons, not two?

1. Inflation
2. Rising Game Development costs
3. Piracy

Prices had to be raised so that the developers could at least hope to make a profit out of their product. (And remember - without a profit, people that make the game can't be paid)

As for software price - Games are rather cheap for software. If you want to see expensive, look at Autodesk 3DS Max, Photoshop, etc. That's expensive.

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DarthJay5121d ago

Um... so I guess the money it cost to make the game is irrelevant, huh? They just grow on trees, right? Clearly these people shouldn't be compensated.

Can't buy it, you can't play it. Too expensive? Get a cheaper hobby. Not directed at OP, just in general.

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ShaunCameron5120d ago (Edited 5120d ago )

Um. Not it's not. The game developers made the game. They can charge however much they want. Don't like it? Either make your own game or find another developer charging less.

Games too expensive? Yeah. Only to those think they're entitled to something for free. The same ones who strangely can afford to pay 4x that for a console.

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farhad2k85120d ago

Well, the fact of the matter is, games cost too much. I'm not asking them to make them free, I'm just saying that they're too expensive.
£40 on a game in the UK and $60 in the US?
So if you buy around 25 games, you could have bought your self a decent used car instead. LOL

And to you guys that are saying: "Don't like it? Then get a new hobby or buy from another developer".. if you had asked that to a pirate, the question would be changed to 'Don't like it? Pirate it for free". LOL

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+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 5120d ago

xAetheos5121d ago

I think it depends really, if you are pirating it for demo purposes only, then yeah, I think that's fine, just to try the game out, if you like it, buy it, if you don't, uninstall it.

Also if the game has shitty DRM (example: Diablo 3) then I think it's acceptable to pirate it ONLY IF you've already bought a retail copy.

Those are the only two instances I think piracy is acceptable (well, besides for CoD, that is. xD)

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recninja5121d ago

I think it's alright, as well, for simply demo purposes, but we all know mostly why a person really torrents or pirates: To get the game for free. I watch my friends torrent all sorts of games, and honestly, I get pretty upset watching them do it. I attempt to stop them, but they just say they don't have the money.

Although, it does help the company a bit, because my friend does talk about the game he likes (acting as a sort of promotion), but I feel that he should at least buy the game if he likes it that much.

I wish for people to respect the developers for games and actually help them out, to support them to make future games.

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trenso15121d ago

thats what i did for type-0 on psp it hasnt been released for the US yet but ive been able to try out the game in japanese, and will be picking it up once it releases if it ever does.

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NastyLeftHook05121d ago

games are expensive, when you have to choose between brand name food and one of your favorite games, things get dicey.

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alecgood5121d ago

Maybe someone else needs to do your shopping. Brand name in most cases isnt the right choice

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HunterRose5121d ago (Edited 5121d ago )

If your choices are food and gaming and you even consider gaming, then your priorities need adjusting.

And for the record, saying "name brand" food translates to buying the most expensive version of a product, simply because it's the most expensive... it has nothing to do with chasing rats in your back yard as your only option of eating, like your other comment indicates.

SPAM-FRITTER-1235120d ago (Edited 5120d ago )

tentonsoftube - i agree.

@above people saying buying brand names are not the right choice. while i am sipping on some real cola,eating my fresh butchers cut 16oZ steak and wiping my arse with double quilted alo-vera scented toilet tissue. i will be laughing at you with your cola flavoured water, scraggy crap cut of wall-mart sandwich steak and sand paper-like toilet tissue.

i would rather live good than play a game any day. there is no inbetween

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NastyLeftHook05121d ago

soo judging by my disagrees things do not get dicey when choosing between eating rats from your back yard and getting ps3 games or eating brand named food .

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cooperdnizzle5121d ago

I agree with ya man> I also look at it like this.. most games that come out suck. And people who review the games lie, and some games come out and don't even work or have frame rate problems screen tearing ect... So if they can sell me a broken product, and not take the time to make a quality product then why should they get my money.

And for the record i own about 200 games do i pirate some games that i am on the fence about? Yes, if i play the game and like the game do i always buy them? Not all of the time, but 90% of the time i do, or at least go out and buy the squeal, because i know that the game is broken, and will actually be good, not this cookie cutter crap that gets released
over and over.

And last but not least, every entertainment industry robs there customers. They rip off the consumer so why cant we rip them off? Make a quality product at a fair price don't be greedy and everyone will win. This is for sure

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NastyLeftHook05121d ago

exactly, most games are not worth a purchase, you need to look at the money/time ratio of the value of games.

for instance, dark souls battlefield 3 in my opinion as well as gran turismo littlebigplanet and skyrim ect are steals. why? they last tons of hours and give you an exceptional amount of money.

currently i have a bachelors degree in psychology and right now phx arizona is a tough spot to find work in. perhaps washington dc may be a better area to pursue my financial stability in.

i just hope next gen that games do not rise from $60.00 to another $10.00. but if the games offer tons of hours im sure it would be worth it, i suppose choosing wisely would be the best pursuit when choosing a time/fun ratio when selecting new ip's.

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CrazyInsane5121d ago

You could never stop piracy .Luckily you can minimize it but not with drm ,eh Ubisoft ?

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bub165121d ago

Yes and no. I admit, ive pirated a few things, but these are things i would have never spent my money on, after playing, watching, listening you have the chance to get hooked. If i like it. i will buy it

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ninjahunter5121d ago

You can always pick the assholes from the Nice people in these topics, Its a good example of who would die and who wouldn't if I had the choice.

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brish5121d ago

.... your comment rules you out as one of the "Nice" people.

ninjahunter5121d ago

Im an asshole who wants more nice people. I make people cry, i make people hate me and im certain no one understands me. But I like to think I do a good job of whatever it is I do.

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alecgood5121d ago

Piracy is wrong. Support the devs if you like their games. If you dont like their games dont play them. This is why gaming console are thinking about going anti used. All digital downloads. I would rather this not happen but if this keeps happening then Im all for it.

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sjaakiejj5121d ago

Consoles aren't going anti-used, as anti-used would be an unstable economical point for all the companies involved.

Say that Microsoft and Sony both go Anti-Used. Year later, Microsoft says "Hey, we're used-game supporters after all!", basically stealing customers from Sony (as people will pick the used-games platform).

A stable point is that both allow used games, as moving away from that position will only result in a worse outcome for the company that moves.

StayStatic5121d ago (Edited 5121d ago )

Check whether your VHS carries a Genuine label hologram.

Video piracy is a CRIME! DO NOT ACCEPT IT, demand a GENUINE video cassette from your video store.

Poor quality illegal video cassettes reduce your viewing pleasure and jeopardise future film production.

When in doubt, telephone the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) (UK only) : 0181 568 6646

Or in the case of the Republic of Ireland (Ireland only) : (01) 6777 071

hiredhelp5121d ago

We do not sell VHS tapes no more here in UK ;)

smashcrashbash5121d ago

Does it even matter any more? Piracy is so out of control that you couldn't stop it if you wanted. And many gamers' morals are so warped they don't even see what is wrong or right anymore so it's no point in telling anyone it's wrong. And even if someone tries to stand up to it they just get scorn and hatred from everyone. And if you try to use reason people will just spin it to make it seem right or talk about their right and entitlement to have what ever it is.So it really isn't about what is bad or good or right or wrong because it can't really be stopped and people will do it anyway. So why even ask?

yewles15121d ago

"Is piracy all that bad?"

When 3rd parties abandon your machine because of it being at an all time high (PSP), then the answer should obviously be yes.

jamesensor5121d ago

Is that true? Piracy influenced 3rd party devs to ditch psp game development?

Whitefeather5120d ago

Of course it was. Every single game that game out on PSP was pirated the day before it came out. It didn't even have a chance to sell before it's pirated.

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Hicken5121d ago

Yes. Yes it is.

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ThatsGaming5120d ago

Piracy is the digital version of shoplifting.

If the companies were getting as rich as pirates think they are getting, we wouldn't see so many studio closures.

Fact is... Publishers make money through sales. By pirating you are not contributing anything to those sales. I know publishers shoot themselves in the foot but as long as there are pirates they must continue to take actions like multi-player codes, excessive DLC, etc to try and make back their investments with suitable profits to justify continued business.

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Hicken5120d ago

Piracy isn't quite the same as shoplifting.

When you shoplift, you take a product that the manufacturer has created without paying for it. But when you pirate, you take something that doesn't exist UNTIL you've stolen it. Yes, there is an original version that spawned the pirated copy, but that version is not in the pirate's possession.

Put it this way: there are ten t-shirts, and a shoplifter steals one. Now there are only nine t-shirts by which the manufacturer can make money, and the money spent making that stolen t-shirt will have to be recuperated elsewhere, perhaps by the prices of the remaining shirts increasing.

Now let's go the pirate route: there are ten servers or official locations from which you can obtain the game data for Minecraft. A pirate takes the data from one of these places, but all ten places still exist. The product is "stolen," but because the product didn't exist until it was stolen, there's no actual revenue "lost;" instead, there's the subtly(?) different revenue not gained.

Anyway, I agree that piracy sucks, and that devs and publishers are shooting themselves in the foot with their own actions. But one way to improve the odds of someone buying your game is to give things away. There's always something a developer can afford to give away: do that a few times, and people will have more reasons to buy.

That's my take: you're not gonna get rid of piracy(DRM isn't working), but maybe if you show your products to be worth spending money on, less people will opt to pirate, as they'll want you to have money enough to give them more stuff.

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ufo8mycat5120d ago (Edited 5120d ago )

If someone pirates a game, it doesn't automatically mean a lost sale. A LOT of people wouldn't have bought the game/movie to begin with if they couldn't pirate it, therefore no loss of sale or $$.

Of course it's the other way around to, a person probably would of bought it if they couldn't pirate it, but unless you can prove how many people would have bought it and how many would not of, we won't know how much of a impact piracy has on lost sales.

Another thing is - if publishers wanted to minimise piracy, lower the game costs, don't create the same old gameplay over and over again, IMPROVE on bug testing (looks at Bethesda)

Pirates have all the power - Publishers are the ones that need to make the changes and you really think piracy is the reason for DLC? That simply exists so publishers can make be more greedy and make more $$

BTW I buy all my games but I don't blame people who pirate games that either
1) a lot of DLC
2) Average game with no effort shown by the developer/publisher
3) games that are buggy (Skyrim etc)

But back to the main point, does piracy have an impact on sales? YES.

Does it have a big impact? We don't know

ThatsGaming5119d ago

I don't think it matters much what the impact at the end of the day is.

What does matter is that the people who make the games (studios and publishers) copyright the game and do not give permission for it to be pirated as copyright holders and that is their right.

Individuals do not have a right to circumvent laws. The energy should be spent making laws better, not ignoring them blatently.

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ShaunCameron5120d ago

Well, just ask the formerly PC-only developers who all but completely abandoned the PC for consoles.

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DJLB21155120d ago

I feel that and all, but Im playing a backed up game that I just borrowed from my homeboy an hour ago so that's pretty dope, fucc the BS lol. I've never downloaded any games or anything tho. I just starting into into the other aspects of gaming. I've been a gamer and a customer for 20 years. Time to learn a different role I guess.

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Relientk7744d ago

Yeah I can see that for sure. Shuhei Yoshida should have been in charge not Jim Ryan.

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Cacabunga43d ago

It should be free highway for him now.. but Sony are too stupid to see this, especially that moron Hulst

S2Killinit43d ago (Edited 43d ago )

Wtf why all that anger. PlayStation is dominating on every level. Besides I think there is a little more to hiring a CEO than just who is available. Its not like its a athlete your team wants to buy.

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neutralgamer199243d ago

S2Killinit

live service failures, chasing trends, closing studios. yes dominating

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Cacabunga43d ago

Sony is Dominating because competition is not existing. Compared to previous gens this is the poorest in terms of software offerings.

Last gen we got Uncharted 4 Lost Legacy and TLOU2 from ND alone.

This is so far a remasters gen, with no competition to lift up the quality

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1nsomniac43d ago (Edited 43d ago )

..."PlayStation is dominating on every level"....

...Really???

PlayStation are soon heading into a new generation in the not to distant future. They currently have the worst customer satisfaction they've ever sustained as a company. The company is heading for a huge crash while at the same time they'll need to be planning how they are going to try and win back that favour and the build up to their new releases.

Yes financially they're winning but they're going to have to ride out this complete public corporate disaster. No one has faith in the company or the product anymore. They've damaged their public image so much this generation. Greed can kill anyone.

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medman43d ago

Hulst is a disaster......

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+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 43d ago

blacktiger43d ago

He would've done the same thing and fire Jim Ryan and Shuhei would be the villain. Why?
Because Elite creates the narrative and distraction for gamers, users and citizens.

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Outside_ofthe_Box43d ago

More confirmation that Jim Ryan is the culprit for what has happened to Sony. Hulst needs to go too. What sucks is that a lot of the good top heads at Sony are no longer there. I wish that guys that were forced out prematurely by Dumbo Jimbo like Shuhei and Layden came back.

robtion43d ago

Yep. Yoshida was responsible for bringing one of the best games of this generation to playstation (Stellar Blade). He is an actual gamer and is in touch with what gamers want (creative, fun games, not GaaS and agenda pushing). He also seems like a genuinely nice guy if you watch some interviews. Of course they got rid of him.

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darthv7243d ago

Makes you wonder if MS even thought about hiring him after Phil and Sarah were leaving. He certainly couldn't make their situation any worse.

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Agent7543d ago

Microflop. After Windows XP and Xbox 360, it all went floppy.

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S2Killinit43d ago

Floppy 😆
No pun intended

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badz14943d ago

Yoshida for President! Jim Ryan was and always be a hack! Sony should get Shu back

Lightning7743d ago

All the gamer/consumer lead heads are gone across PS and Xbox. shuhei gone phil's gone (questionable) but gone. The future of gaming is somewhat uncertain across the board.

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Jin_Sakai43d ago

Now that Jim Ryan is gone just need to remove Herman Hulst from his position! And maybe give Shuhei the position he deserved.

43d ago

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Agent7543d ago

This gen hasn't been the best for games, last gen consoles are still out there and now there's been talk of the PS6 and Xbox Two for a year or so. Many games this gen will be ported to next gen and the cycle will continue. The re-release of the Neo Geo AES+, games on cartridge for £70 ($95), gaming is going back in time. Gaming has gone pricing mad with the high cost of games, consoles and controllers. The men and women at the top are clueless.

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phongtro123_com43d ago

It’s always interesting to hear behind-the-scenes stories like this, especially involving veterans like Shuhei Yoshida and leadership figures like Jim Ryan. That said, there are usually multiple sides to decisions at that level. It could be less about not “listening” and more about differences in long-term vision for PlayStation. Yoshida played a huge role in shaping the brand, so whatever the reason, his impact is undeniable.

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DarXyde43d ago

If true, and I'm inclined to believe it is, it goes to show that Sony lost their way when they became more western/didn't respect the PlayStation origin story. Andrew House and Jack Tretton did great work, but they also didn't try to fundamentally change the PlayStation DNA. Ryan oversaw the death of Japan Studio and a live service direction.

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isarai_lee43d ago

I already figured this, good lord imagine if Shuhei took over instead, would've been a platinum era 😩

IceKoldKilla43d ago

I miss the first three generations of PlayStation. The way they turned PS3 around, we knew they meant business. We were all worried for a bit there around launch. Eventually from 2008 they started shifting slowly. But since Yoshida was fired, it's never been the same. Still enjoy my PS5 daily. I got a backlog dating back to PS2 lol So I'm fine but new games aren't as appealing anymore.

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jznrpg43d ago (Edited 43d ago )

It seems like we were thrown on to the worst timeline possible where everything is too expensive and the wrong people were put in positions that makes the world a shitty place. We could have had Shu as the head of PS but we got the shitty alternative. Same goes for everyone in power around the world. Doesn’t matter the company or country the majority of us got the shitty picks and the world is declining like never before. I do think PS can come out of this because of their studios, talent and IP but they need someone more in touch with gamers leading things like Shu was. They’re still the best place for console gaming imo but it could be much better than it is especially without the massive live service failures. The rest of the world I have a lot less hope for right now. Hopefully the pendulum swings back towards the good ole days but I’m preparing for the worst.

blacktiger43d ago

There goes illuminati distraction story

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ZwVw43d ago

So now there's certifiable proof that Ryan was in fact "fired", as opposed to when it was first announced that he "retired", in order to save face.

There's another guy who recently "retired" as CEO of another large gaming company, after doing a dismantling job as lead for well over a decade.

isarai_lee43d ago

Typically if it's sudden and without fanfare, it was them being fired, Jims case was so bad they didn't even wait for a replacement, that's pretty severe.

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gold_drake43d ago

seems legit, the business man, fires the one who has ideas to move the business forward.

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Reaper22_39d ago

Yoshida didnt run sony. So if the share holders wanted him gone, he had to go.

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DivineHand12543d ago

Jim Ryan is the reason why we are entering year 6 since the PS5 launch and many of us don't feel like the PS5 has gotten started as yet.

I hope going forward, we will see a return to form.