You forgot release dates. One of the major reasons of piracy over here is the fact things are released 1 month after the US. Of course you're gonna hit that download button instead of waiting a month or more.
10 Ways to Fight Piracy
- Thread starter Shamus Young
- Start date
I agree with most points of this article and in all it is well put.
If I were you I would change the first point because now it targets a specific technology, namely DRM and not the real reason why people pirate games.
The point should be it's not good business if the customers experience of pirated version of a game is superior to that of a legally bought game. Which is the case with DRM, or country specific nonsense.
Your last point is very accurate and something which I never understood.
When I was younger I didn't have a lot of money to spend on games, that's the reason why I bought a pc so then I didn't have to worry about buying games.
Now I earn a lot of money and buy my games legally. Almost everyone I know of about my age has a similar experience.
That's why I don't understand why a publisher pushes a developer to make a game more appealing to a younger audience. If I were them I would probably only make M and R rated games, because your target audience has the will and the money to buy games.
If I were you I would change the first point because now it targets a specific technology, namely DRM and not the real reason why people pirate games.
The point should be it's not good business if the customers experience of pirated version of a game is superior to that of a legally bought game. Which is the case with DRM, or country specific nonsense.
Your last point is very accurate and something which I never understood.
When I was younger I didn't have a lot of money to spend on games, that's the reason why I bought a pc so then I didn't have to worry about buying games.
Now I earn a lot of money and buy my games legally. Almost everyone I know of about my age has a similar experience.
That's why I don't understand why a publisher pushes a developer to make a game more appealing to a younger audience. If I were them I would probably only make M and R rated games, because your target audience has the will and the money to buy games.
Meh, I see piracy as a way to say FUCK YOU! to the assholes who over hype a shitty game and then expect you to buy 10 copies of it just because they say it`s good.
Everybody has been through this at least once in their life : You hear about a game, everybody said before launch it`s going to be awesome, you see the trailers, you download the 10 minute demo and after you buy the fucking game you find out that the best part of the game was the fucking demo and you now have another useless boring game that you will never play.
My solution to piracy is quality, and only quality. It`s simple, I don`t trust, let`s say ... EA, and I`m never going to buy anything from them before getting the ripped version and checking it out. If just once in a while EA would come up with a good title I wouldn`t feel the need to do this anymore and the sale will go up.
Everybody has been through this at least once in their life : You hear about a game, everybody said before launch it`s going to be awesome, you see the trailers, you download the 10 minute demo and after you buy the fucking game you find out that the best part of the game was the fucking demo and you now have another useless boring game that you will never play.
My solution to piracy is quality, and only quality. It`s simple, I don`t trust, let`s say ... EA, and I`m never going to buy anything from them before getting the ripped version and checking it out. If just once in a while EA would come up with a good title I wouldn`t feel the need to do this anymore and the sale will go up.
The author uses Sins of a Solar Empire, and Stardock as references and yet even in an article that discusses DRM, never mentions Steam. So Stardock is the only reference for a developer/publisher who frequently gives meaningful updates?
Okay so maybe a Fanboy of Steam would actually give a top ten ways to stop piracy: Steam 10x. But doesn't it answer some of the problems?
Okay so maybe a Fanboy of Steam would actually give a top ten ways to stop piracy: Steam 10x. But doesn't it answer some of the problems?
That was a pretty good read. I agreed on most points, and I do hope more developers will take up on the free updates for paying customers, like Bioware with their Bring Down the Sky DLC. The only real problem I had with getting BDTS was the ridiculous amounts of registering I had to do on both Bioware's and EA's sites. Nonetheless, it is something I can rub in the face of my pirate friend.
Piracy is always going to be an issue, as gaming companies will continue to charge ridiculous prices for a prodct which they could sell for a LOT cheaper.
I think the unfortunate truth is that while people like yourself are rare you are also the only ones running around proclaiming that you like free stuff.nomercyrules10 said:
So people get this convoluted view that all pirates are doing it because they are assholes.
I'm sitting on a legally owned treasure trove that would have never been purchased had I not had the chance first to jump onto the cargo ship and beat around the place. I'm not willing to gamble 50-60 bucks on a 'maybe' and frankly nobody makes a proper demo anymore. "Our demo stays on for 14 seconds! enjoy!" "The intro is 15 seconds long?"
Or the 'demo' for SPORE which consisted of nothing but the creature creator.
This too. If a game is priced lower than competitors I have a tendency to be friendlier to their faults. If you charge me 60 bucks AND still need patches to get shit working I get irate.hannahdonno said:
The reason stardock is more popular is because if Stardock ever died all your games would be good to go. But if you buy games through steam (as far as I know) you are screwed if they go under. Overall I'm a fan of Stardock because they throw a car at you and charge you the cost of that car or less. Not throwing a matchbox car and charging you the cost of a car.markcocjin said:
good list, all good points, glad to see most people here dont use piracy badly...
i cant say much, im ok with people downloading a pirate version for any reason, trial, not out yet, whatever as long as when (or if) you enjoy it and spent alot of time with it you should pay, making games isnt easy so when a good, fun game comes out, support it
but as for the list 10 thumbs up, totally agree, shame the major devs dont seem to...
i cant say much, im ok with people downloading a pirate version for any reason, trial, not out yet, whatever as long as when (or if) you enjoy it and spent alot of time with it you should pay, making games isnt easy so when a good, fun game comes out, support it
but as for the list 10 thumbs up, totally agree, shame the major devs dont seem to...
OMG now that you mention it, I think I have memories of that...but I must have been 6 years old in that time. But I think I remember my dad and my older brother trying to install stuff on the computer and having to fiddle with this weird plastic lenses thingy... oh wow. XDarkwright said:
I think I'm really glad we do not work with those anymore... XD
Not in the conventional sense. But whenever people talk about DRM schemes they don't mention Stardock.markcocjin said:
I really think this article was on the mark in a lot of ways. I cant think of even one game that doesn't have SOME form of DRM anymore. Even Stardock is using Impulse to control the downloads of updates to its games lately. Publishers would love to roll out their games for all of us to play, however they do have business to run and expenses to cover, that's unfortunately the argument FOR DRM. You're ticked off about the price of the program? They're ticked off about the price of health insurance for their employees. The costs are going to come from somewhere or the company will go under without releasing the game, take your pick.
I'd have to agree that the best anti-piracy measure out there is Value though. I remember once when I had Pirated the game Ghost Recon (yeah its an old example, but it works) so I could play it with friends. We played is so much i eventually bought 6 copies of the game over a period of about 3 years. I first bought the game, however, because I thought the game was actually worth the money. I also purchased all the expansions, and purchased copies for several of my friends once the platinum editions became affordable so we could get the game quickly installed quickly at LAN parties. What really sold the game for me? Value - if i hadn't loved the game I never would have payed for it (or played it anymore for that matter).
Do I still Pirate? No - but I haven't played very many games that I would consider buying either. I probably only buy 3 games a year anymore. Nowadays me and my friends usually get our game information from other reliable gamers whose opinions we take with a grain of salt, or reviews from sites that are fair but tough in their judgments.
I'd have to agree that the best anti-piracy measure out there is Value though. I remember once when I had Pirated the game Ghost Recon (yeah its an old example, but it works) so I could play it with friends. We played is so much i eventually bought 6 copies of the game over a period of about 3 years. I first bought the game, however, because I thought the game was actually worth the money. I also purchased all the expansions, and purchased copies for several of my friends once the platinum editions became affordable so we could get the game quickly installed quickly at LAN parties. What really sold the game for me? Value - if i hadn't loved the game I never would have payed for it (or played it anymore for that matter).
Do I still Pirate? No - but I haven't played very many games that I would consider buying either. I probably only buy 3 games a year anymore. Nowadays me and my friends usually get our game information from other reliable gamers whose opinions we take with a grain of salt, or reviews from sites that are fair but tough in their judgments.
Hang on a second, I can see where the guy is coming from, I'm in much the same situation as he is.Aries_Split said:
See, I give blood once a month, and that saves 3 peoples lives per donation. The way I figure it, those people really need my help, whereas random jerks on the street don't. So I can feel justified if I beat-down and curb-stomp two unknown strangers a month, because I'm still saving more lives than I'm taking.
There is only one way to fight piracy; ninjas. Sorry for not adding anything intelligent, its early and i haven't slept.
@jasoncyrus: I suggest you read the whole article again and actually pay attention to what he wrote, rather than reading each sub-heading and replying ad hominem.
But I will point out just this one while I have the time:
Its marked down by the devs or publishers that "This piece of code corresponds to the game sent to The Escapist Magazine". When the game is found on a torrent site 3 days before release, the publishers/devs have a look at it and see what piece of code is embedded in the game file, and when they see it matches the one that was sent to The Escapist, they know it was Russ Pitts who leaked it. From then on, The Escapist doesn't get pre-release copies.
I sincerely doubt there is some kind of conspiracy of pirates that have infiltrated the top levels of every major developer and would be able to subvert this system by removing the data string, and personally I think this is one of the best of the listed ways to fight piracy.
But I will point out just this one while I have the time:
The 'piece of code' that you're talking about gets put into the copy of the game before it gets sent to, say hypothetically, The Escapist.jasoncyrus said:
Its marked down by the devs or publishers that "This piece of code corresponds to the game sent to The Escapist Magazine". When the game is found on a torrent site 3 days before release, the publishers/devs have a look at it and see what piece of code is embedded in the game file, and when they see it matches the one that was sent to The Escapist, they know it was Russ Pitts who leaked it. From then on, The Escapist doesn't get pre-release copies.
I sincerely doubt there is some kind of conspiracy of pirates that have infiltrated the top levels of every major developer and would be able to subvert this system by removing the data string, and personally I think this is one of the best of the listed ways to fight piracy.