isnt it is piracy

By definition piracy isn't theft, since theft is taking someones property without consent. Piracy is very closely related since piracy is just taking something published without consent.

The two aren't the same but might as well be I guess.

The penalty should be different though.

I always download a game first (pirate, or whatever) to see if he's good. IF the game is good, i delete the game and go buy the normal version, because this way i can win achievements, receive patches, play MP, etc. If the game isn't too good, i delete it too.

You can say that i'm lying, because many people who pirate games never buy the original version, but i'm not like that. Take for example, the Crysis 2 leak: I downloaded it, and after finishing the first level, i deleted the game from my HD.

Stealing: Is it wrong or is it right?
"Facepalm"-_-

I would like to see piracy rates on the ps3. I doubt its THAT serious. The "regular Joe the pirate" probably doesnt have access to super private high speed trackers, and downloading 15 to 50 gigs per game on a public tracker would take days if not weeks (not to mention poorly seeded torrents). That is just ridiculous. Why bother?

why wld it be different bcz its software.do u thnk mercedes benz wld be happy if a customer was able to make a copy of their car and give it to their friend.i knw its sounds crazy,cz obviously physical theft constitutes the owner losing the original object,but in this case the publisher of tht game loses money wen u pirate.this is why we are sitting here hving articles like:"teh pc gaming is doomed/dead" bcz of piracy.

Protection from theft is a legal right with a legal definition. Theft is the action of stealing, stealing is defined as taking another person's property without permission. Intellectual property is legally defined as property. No where in that dictionary definition is there a requirement for the removal of an original - only the taking of something of value without permission which is what pirates do.

Piracy is theft.

I'm totally against copying games you don't own the retail copy.
Copying a game disc for the sake of playing a game that you actually own, because you want to keep your original in good condition for your collection, totally okay.

My PS 1 got a modchip, but doesn't change the fact that I have FF7,FF8,FF9, chrono cross, all the twisted metals, spyro and many others (42 titles in total). So, when I was younger, I could play those games without scratching any of the disc!

but we all know that most modchip aren't used that way and that is why company's like sony, microsoft and nintendo are trying to block those modchip.

It's not a theft, it is a divine gift from Game god for you mortals. /s

Personally I use piracy as a try before you buy scheme, I 'tried' Bulletstorm today and discovered that it was crap so im not going to buy it.

Devs force me down the piracy route (for try before I buy) by not releasing demos.

Easy answer. Yes, piracy is theft. Acquiring consumer goods for free when the merchant is not giving them away for free is theft. No ifs ands or buts. It's stealing. A lot of us do it and it doesn't feel as criminal since it's all digital, but it is unquestionably theft. End of discussion.

Lol the real title should be

"Game companies stealing $60+ for games not even worth half that theft or misleading honest customers?"

Well I think if all you ever do is download and never upload or share anything yourself it's wrong, I however upload and share my apps, games, movies and music and so I feel fine with downloading those things from other people.

When I was a kid me and my friends used to copy our music tapes on blank tapes and give them to each other, I don't see a difference now. Just instead of copying on blank tapes you make torrents and share that way.

Why be greedy and stingy? I mean if we ask our next door neighbor for butter and they give it to us is that piracy? I mean the butter company is losing out on profits because people are sharing all the butter!

Seriously though, it's not wrong in the least.

Or we could just say LETS TRY B4 YOU BUY.!!

or i could just quote a text from a source for you guys.
from one of many.

IF you like it 'but it.

Thoe im sure over half these dont actually buy it.

fact is this dates back from were it stemed from days of old. and only till this generation of gamers that piracy became a big deal. but nt once b4 did any developer moan. why cos they had lots money gameing was hot money was shooting high. vat wasnt over priced.

but now its about greed. on a last note.
IF YOU GET FINED. (Where does that money go to not the devs.) GREED PEOPLE. another way making money

Piracy is piracy, theft is theft.

Strange...

When I look at the definition of Theft I don't see copy anywhere. And when I look up copy I don't see the word theft or steal anywhere.

Hmmm....

ARRR HARRR HAR HARR!

Sorry, latent pirate tendencies emerging. :/

I try to buy good games. So, I try to buy all my games that are still in production new to support devs who make good games.

I did not read all the comments but ideas that I have not seen mentioned very much:

Is it really theft if you never had the intention of purchasing it when the price was greater than zero?

Are people downloading because they don't have legitimate access to in in their local markets? (i.e. if i lived in Thailand, could I buy the game from an authorized distributor?)

Do you condone file sharing in other forms? movies? books? music? If so, in what way do they differ?

Disclaimer: I have not downloaded a game without paying in years. The reason for which I used to download games was a) I was living overseas, b) did not have enough funds to purchase every game that I wanted to buy ( importing games can be very expensive)

If you're downloading to try before you buy that's understandable, because things like video games are not cheap. I like to download albums that leak early because I'm impatient. But I buy them afterward. Just downloading games and music and not buying them at any point is theft. "No ifs ands or buts". Coming up with a good justification doesn't change what it is.

Legally, no. It's copyright infringement.

That said, I would have little trouble with treating it as theft in most cases.

The whole question is sooo STUPID. As STUPID as the person who wrote the article.

The ignorance of people is staggering. First of all I laugh at the people who stood by and watch the pirates and hackers do whatever they wanted to their consoles and attack us PS3 owners because we protest about it. You could have refused to modify your system or not buy pirated games.But I know no one with a 360 that is legit. Piracy was always bad. It's just that you sst back and allowed it because it meant cheap or free games. Secondly it would figure the guy who made Minecraft would say this. He probably gets more money then it took to make the game but tell a developer who spent millions making a game, tell them pirating is not theft and it means other people will buy it legit. They probably will punch your teeth out.

And finally what is it with the be kind to illegal hacker thieves and pirates these days? If you must pirate something at least don't fool yourself into thinking it's right in anyway. Download the 8,000 mp3s if you want, but please stop the flimsy excuses trying to justify your actions