Indie Dev: "Sometimes It's Okay to Steal My Games"

[hamster mk 4]

I can simpathize with the thaught:

"he's partially happy just "providing fun for people." If 50,000 people play his game, he's done quite a bit of that, even if most of those players are "jerks" for pirating it."

The knowledge that you have given a complete stranger an enjoyable experience is very rewarding. Especialy when it is a thousand complete strangers.

 

[sumanai]

Edit: Whoopsy-daisy. Ninja'ed by a more knowledgeable individual on the Demigod thing.


It's not all that surprising that independent developers are more likely to acknowledge things like these. If you go and say something like this while working for a big company the shareholders are likely to have a heart attack.

 

[Jared]

Hehe, someone who sees the flip side of the coin. I never expected I would heard an arguement like that from a developer...but, it is from indie side so...

 

[mjc0961]

Sorry but he's just plain wrong. It's not okay to steal, don't give those dickwads excuses. If you can't save up to play a new game because you're unemployed (and I know what that's like), you just replay some old games, not steal.

 

[Pipotchi]

Sorry but he's just plain wrong. It's not okay to steal, don't give those dickwads excuses. If you can't save up to play a new game because you're unemployed (and I know what that's like), you just replay some old games, not steal.

Its his game if he wants to say people can pirate it in certain circumstances then he can do, as he says some people cant get access to his games in Asia/Africa.

Hes not saying he likes it just he understands it after all

 

[Thedayrecker]

The thing is when I pirate a game, I go out and buy it (if it's good, and if my pc can run it). Sins of a Solar Empire and Empire: Total War come to mind.

 

[HT_Black]

Awww...good for you, Jeffy. First you make Geneforge, and then you say something vaguely heartwarming and unintentionally deep about the ethical standards that all men share.


I might actually forgive you for making Geneforge 4.

 

[Danpascooch]

Buy one game a year? What about if you pirate 10% of what you play, and buy the remaining 90% as per my hypothetical not-true-at-all piracy category?

 

[Naheal]

Piracy is like free advertising. Someone watches you play a game and asks "What's that?", they're more likely to pick up the game down the line.

 

[Booze Zombie]

Nice to see not all developers turn into bile-spitting bags of rage when you mention piracy.

"INDIGNANT RAGE, MUST MAKE MONEY!"

 

[Ph33nix]

i only pirate games that are 7+ years old or i can't find in stores which tend to be one in the same.

 

[bjj hero]

Its a cute thought, to pirate games if you are destitute. This is far from true though. Most pirates in western countries can afford the games, they choose to take them for free because they are bastards.

Piracy is like free advertising. Someone watches you play a game and asks "What's that?", they're more likely to pick up the game down the line.

I don't buy the free advertising thing either. Your friends like the game so you give/sell them a cracked copy. That won't generate many sales.

 

[craddoke]

I've played Avernums 1-4 and thoroughly enjoyed them all - the story arc about Erika the mage was particularly moving when it finally wrapped up. There's also the added bonus of the his clear support of gay/lesbian rights (brief summary: Avernum is the underworld where the evil empire exiled its malcontents/dreamers/rebels/undesirables; among the undesirables are those with alternate ideas about love/sex/marriage - it doesn't whack you over the head with it, just throws out an NPC here-or-there whose life story is a commentary on intolerance).

 

[Jindrak]

I've played Spiderweb software games since my first computer. I've played all, beaten most and to be honest I only paid for about half of them. Vogel has been a great developer, his story-lines are absolutely insane. Love em!

 

[RowdyRodimus]

What he's saying reminds me of a thing a boardgame company did when the econic downturn first hit and people were being fired left and right. They had it so all you had to do was provide prof of being let go for any reason using a copy of a check stub or unemployment papers and you could pick out any two of their games and they sent them out to you absolutely free with no strings attached (and their games range from $20-$100 each) just to give peopole a little fun in their lives in a bleak time.

It's people like this dev and that company (not mentioning names so I don't get banned for advertising lol) that make you feel that there still is a shred of decency in the world.

 

[Glamorgan]

Hmmm. This guy has a very good point. I honestly think that more people will buy his game because of it. Hopefully, anyway.

 

[Blue Musician]

I never heard about him, but I feel inclined to feel respect for him.

 

[Judgement101]

That game looks like a medevial version of Fallout: Tactics