TorrentFreak Reveals Top Pirated Games of 2011

[klasbo]

People pirated Crysis 2 the most?

...

Why?

Well, to put it another way, who would want to buy Crysis 2?
Then again, I guess you could counter with "who would even bother pirating Crysis 2?"...

snip

Whoops, sorry. When you said: "Tend not to have the unskippable 'this company made this game!' crap at the beginning," I thought you meant you didn't want to see the logos of those who made the games.

Because... I don't. I know who made the game, it's really stupid to force me to sit through their animated logos (and in some cases the intro cutscene for the game) every time I want to play. And when the pirated version doesn't force you into seeing them, it's a better product.

When you said: "Aren't as restricted (DRM and install limit wise)" and "In some cases, provide additional features. For example, LAN play or local multiplayer," I thought you meant that you wanted altered versions of people's products.

No, what I'd really like is for developers to actually provide a product that isn't deliberately crippled. But when they remove (or skip) features that would improve the product, and the pirates add them in, then the pirates are providing a better product.

When you said: "Provide a try-before-you-buy opportunity. I.e. the ability to try that $60 game before you make a $60 commitment," I thought you meant taking someone's product without paying them.

Ever hear of this thing called a "demo"? Pirates provide them, developers no longer do. Again, pirates are providing a better product.

And since I want to stop "driving people to piracy" with my attitude, I suppose I'll start advocating the practice in order to quell it.

Where, precisely, have I advocated piracy? I've simply been pointing out (correctly) that it's largely a symptom of a larger problem - that developers are not providing a better product than the pirates are.

Provide demos, go back to having the logos be skippable, stop pulling features, etc. Start providing the product that people ACTUALLY WANT. And you'll probably see lower piracy (or, actually, higher sales... because piracy really doesn't matter).

Or, we can continue to criminalize, demonize and persecute customers. And continue to lock the product down in a fruitless attempt to quell piracy (an effort which, I'll note, only actually winds up hurting legitimate customers).

That sounds like a much better plan than innovating and adapting to a changing market. Judging by your behavior, I assume you support SOPA as well?

Don't worry saregos, Mike is a PRÖFESSJØNUELL JÖRNALYST. These people can't be faulted; after all, someone pays them for preaching their unfounded opinions and posting reposts.

But no, you're right on all points. An overpriced collection of unplayable lies and broken promises is what I've seen in the last few games I thought I was going to be interested in. It's a service and product refinement problem, not a "we're all inherently bad people, and I'm so much better than average, herp derp" situation. You don't pirate games? Might be because you have a job in video game journalism. Or you have spare money lying around that you can spend on a product you have no idea if you'll enjoy or not. Or you just don't mind being the publishers *****. Possible solution: Release a demo (with a benchmark utility), add proper mod support, don't punish your paying customers with DRM, don't refuse to fix and support your multiplayer game, create a game that people want to keep & not trade in/sell/set fire to. And then there are people who will never give a penny to the corporations (the big publishers) anyway, and you can't count those as lost sales, ever.

But of course, as a PRÖFESSJØNUELL JÖRNALYST, Mike has to regurgitate the same non-facts and biased opinionated bullshit that all jörnalysts before him, else he be ostracised. And since he is a pröfessjønuell, he'll do it in a "not sure if serious/sarcasm/just stupid" kind of way.

Pro tip to Mike: Address each and every point individually and straight up, without the sarcasm. Cite your sources before you make a claim. Anything that is asserted without evidence will be dismissed without evidence

 

[saregos]

Here's the truth: Pirates are simply self-entitled cheapskates. They put their own desire and imaginary entitlement to have something for free ahead of the desires and actual entitlements of the people who put in the long hours and may even lose families over "crunch time" to put out great games for us.

And then they have asshats who like to run around claiming either that the companies deserve it for poor customer service, so it's okay.

Or that the prices are more than they personally want to pay, so it's okay.

Or that the companies aren't physically losing anything, so it's okay.

Or that the companies are making money anyway, so it's okay.

Or that the companies aren't putting out the exact types of demos or products that they want, so it's okay.

Or that because some had no intent to buy it anyway, it's okay.

Or because of some BS reason like not being able to resell the games that's not true in the first place, it's okay.

Hell.. I don't even think that the problem is the pirates these days so much as it is the people like you who run around making excuses for them so that they don't even have to feel bad about it.

Nice broad brush you use there. It ever occur to you that "People like me" would much prefer to see the problems that drive people to piracy in the first place addressed?

Instead, we see people freaking out about (and "treating"...) a symptom of a larger problem. And in the meantime driving still more people to piracy.

Not that you'll listen to, or respect, a "person like me". But at least I tried.

 

[LilithSlave]

and in no way is a download a lost sale. Just look at studies done on this.

My thoughts exactly.

If anything, piracy shows how healthy the industry is. These statistics are an accomplishment for the gaming industry.

If people pirate something, it shows an interest in enjoying something. And therefor an interest in buying it.

If people do not pirate and share something, it shows a lack of interest in enjoying something. And therefor a lack of interest in buying it.

That top Wii pirated game, Super Mario Galaxy, also sold over 6 million copies. And do you serious think that list constitutes 1 million lost sales or even close? No, certainly not.

 

[lord.jeff]

So because it's not technically theft it's now morally okay to do?

 

[LilithSlave]

Well, I would claim that it's morally okay. Not because it's not technically theft. But because scarcity of information is silly and of no benefit to anyone wholesome really.

If piracy actually did hurt developers, I would believe that piracy is morally wrong. But it doesn't.

 

[lord.jeff]

snip

snip

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/steal

to appropriate (ideas, credit, words, etc.) without right or acknowledgment. I'm gonna say games count as ideas and even if you don't I really don't see a reason to make an argument unless you plan to tell me piracy is okay because it's not theft

 

[LilithSlave]

Morals are supposed to do with harm factor I believe. And as I stated, I believe that information scarcity of pretty much any kind, with the exception of morally reprehensible things such as child pornography and other personal rights violating media, does harm rather than good.

So I view it as directly moral to spread information of any remotely good kind, and scarcity which is a problem. The idea that piracy is wrong is based upon the idea that scarcity of information is good because it promotes the creation of said information. Which I do not find to be the case.

Good information, like good video games, should spread like wildfire, and should take up people's time, money, and internet connections. While bad information, such as child pornography, should be more than scarce, it should disappear entirely.

 

[saregos]

So because it's not technically theft it's now morally okay to do?

Uh, no... and nobody ever said that.

Because it's not technically theft, it's *gasp* not technically theft. Which means

That game has a price tag, you illegally didn't pay that price that's theft plain and simple.

IS TOTALLY WRONG. WHICH WAS THE POINT I WAS TRYING TO MAKE.

And dictionaries have nothing to do with the legal definition of theft. And I'll note that the dictionary.com definition of theft includes: "the wrongful taking and carrying away of the personal goods or property of another; larceny."

Which you conveniently chose not to provide, instead choosing to provide the definition of "steal" because you apparently liked it more.

 

[lord.jeff]

Most people who pirate arn't actually willing to fork out cash for the games they pirate, so a pirated game is most definitely not a lost sale.

I don't think that logic works when the top pirated game require an investment into a high tier computer.

 

[lord.jeff]

snip

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/steal

to appropriate (ideas, credit, words, etc.) without right or acknowledgment. I'm gonna say games count as ideas and even if you don't I really don't see a reason to make an argument unless you plan to tell me piracy is okay because it's not theft

Oh my god. You're using a dictionary to make a legal argument... Since your legal knowledge clearly ranks somewhere between zero and bugger all, why do you feel like you're in any way suited to discussing this point?

Here's a quote I've used before from Blackstone's Criminal Practice (The leading practitioner's text in criminal law in the UK):

'Other intangible property' includes patents (Patents Act 1977, s. 30), copyright (Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, s. 1) and design rights (Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, s. 213), although a mere breach of copyright is not theft.

Here's the definition of theft you're looking for (The law in the US is almost identical before you complain about it being a UK Act, and the US Supreme Court also agrees that copyright infringement is not theft):

s.1 Theft Act 1968

A person is guilty of theft if he dishonestly appropriates property belonging to another with the intention of permanently depriving the other of it; and 'thief' and 'steal' shall be construed accordingly.

When you copy a game you're not depriving anyone of the game, thus there is no theft. Plain and simple.

Here's the thing I'm not making a legal argument, I'm making a moral argument.

 

[the7ofswords]

How about people who pay for a game, but feel that it's broken due to DRM treating customers like criminals (or other reasons/features) and then go download a cracked copy so they can actually USE the product they bought? That's a case where a download shows up, but is most definitely NOT a lost sale, because the person already PAID for it. (And I KNOW people do this.)

Pretty sad when you have to behave like a criminal in order to keep from being treated like a criminal.

 

[paper_n00b]

Two things

1. Why do people pirate game where multiplayer is the focus so much it's most Lilly broken due to dem cracking

2. I can admit to pirating games on occaision to see if I can play them. My problem with demos is your limited to a small area and it may play well but another not so much. Skyrim is my best example in the open world and small houses it plays fine but in a cave/dungeon I get horrible frame drops I have since bought Skyrim as my computer can play it and I didn't have to spend $80-$110( games are super pricey in Australia) to find that it just crapped out on my and all I get is an expensive cd sitting on my desk

 

[saregos]

This really is a case of if you have anything nice to say about them (pirates), shut the hell up.

Uh... let's go with "NO". Because the point that seems to be whizzing in circles over your head is this:

Piracy is not "right". It is not "acceptable". It is, however, symptomatic. And in the process of trying to treat a symptom, idiots like Ubisoft, EA, etc. are DRIVING MORE PEOPLE TO PIRACY.

What myself, and the other people here who are making an attempt to be reasonable (since when did that become an insult?) are pointing out is that instead of trying to lock games down (which is counterproductive and only punishes legitimate customers... see the Settlers 7 debacle for one of many, many examples of this) developers and publishers would have much better luck combating piracy by providing better value to their legitimate customers than Pirates can.

Shouldn't be hard. If they're willing to try. But apparently it's harder than treating your customers like idiots and criminals.

 

[saregos]

Snip

Ok, let me ask you this, then -
Let's say, hypothetically, that you're making a game. Which of the following situations would you prefer?

1) 100k sales. No piracy.
2) 500k sales. 1mil piracy. But because some of those pirates showed their friends this cool game they got, it drove vastly more exposure for the game.

You're not looking at the bigger picture. Yes, some people will always pirate through various means. But the trick isn't to stop them from pirating (A task, I'll note, that has been demonstrated to be impossible), it's to USE THE PIRATES TO DRIVE MORE SALES.

C.K.Lewis got that. Humble Bundle got that. They both made (and are continuing to make) truly impressive sums of money, in large part enabled by piracy.

Also, it would be nice if you'd stop with the "people like you" shit. It's just rude. I am not part of a gang, responsible for others who disagree with you, or necessarily representative of their views. There is nothing mentally, morally or (as these slurs often end up) ethnically deficient about me. Argue (or, preferably, discuss) with me. As an individual. Not as some member of a boogeyman "group" that you feel justified in insulting and demeaning.