View from the Road: When I Was a Pirate

[Seneschal]

The truth is, piracy DOESN'T HURT big business. If it did, we'd have seen EA and Ubi go down the drain a looong, long time ago.

It may hurt small indie publishers, but then again, everyone should be both self-aware and aware of the general sentiment toward games, and not pump product prices.

The idea that John Funk suggested is a pure win. (The $8 budget video game). At least it would be here, in Macedonia (where I'm from). ANYONE would buy games if the pricing was appropriate! Just last week, a stroke of luck: I ran into a newspaper store and was pleasantly surprised when I saw original, budget versions of videogames, but priced 200 denars (~$5). Heck, the games are old, not blockbusters, but I felt like I wanted to buy the whole store!

Ultimately, I purchased Hearts of Iron 2 and Darkstar One (isn't that a surprise, eh?), for a total of 400 denars (= $10!). I was so happy that I bought Darkstar One for my friend and gave it to her, since I have already pirated (i.e. downloaded it when someone SHARED IT on the net via torrent). Boy she was beaming she got an original copy of a game! (Yes, people here just rarely, rarely buy an original copy. Even if they're rich, they don't buy any, because for the price of a single game, one can buy decent shoes, can spend a whole weekend having a trip out of town, eating, drinking and partying, etc. We just can't afford it.)

Also, I caught a glimpse of a Fallout Collector's Edition in the store. $5, and I get Fallout 1, Fallout 2, Fallout: Tactics, etc. I don't get F3, but heck, I've already 'acquired' that one. Didn't finish it. And I'd personally punch myself in my face if I ever paid all that money for all the games I "acquired" and didn't finish later because I didn't like them. My condolences for all the people who DID pay and felt cheated by the companies' marketing strategy.

Anyways, back to the topic, my message is: provide CHEAPER versions of games. Please. That's the only remedy against piracy. Sure, maybe the pirates would sell them even cheaper, but a pirated copy doesn't grant you online access, registration, bonuses... whereas an original title, albeit a cheap, stripped down, budget - WILL. And people will gladly pay an extra dollar to have all that advantage!

Also, they can region-code them, to prevent people smuggling cheaper versions to richer countries. Or, they can scale their offers: 1) $10 - just the disc; 2) $20 - the disc in a box, + manual; 3) $50 - the disc, a luxury box, a larger manual and some paraphernalia. And everyone can choose which version he/she wants and can afford. Plus, language localization would go a long way to deter smuggling localized games to third countries.

If big game publishers and developers would sell their products at appropriate prices in mycountry - they'll get RICH, famous and successful. BUT, since they're not doing anything to please our market, they get NOTHING. And people play their games, nonetheless. And will continue to do so. Without the publishers getting a cent. And I like the fact how their arrogance costs them money. Serves them right.

And it's not stealing, stop being ignorant. It's more like sharing a COPY you made of something, and giving it to your friends, family, neighborhood, city, country, world - for free. And my guess is that it's doing the game industry much more good, than bad (we actually market their games on their new, unconquered markets. And we take the advantage of having their products free of charge for granted. We'll gladly pay back any game's worth (half a monthly salary) if they bought us the games we market for them in the first place, hehe.)

Western World: play by your rules, buy your games (you can afford them), have fun, and carry on. We'll pay what we can afford (which is much less than you can). Or we won't but we'll still have fun. We have our own reality, and our own rules and laws. Be polite and respectful, refrain from imposing foreign rules to us.

Now let us all forget this and have fun, shall we?

Agreed agreed agreed. I'm not from Macedonia but I'm nearby. And all the gamers I've ever met are pirates. Curiously, the trend started to change MASSIVELY in the last few years, mostly with MMOs and Steam. It's actually getting easier being a customer.

However, I understand entire economies being pirates when they aren't even on the publisher's radar. The games are practically abandonware for them, and if they get released, it's usually at an inflated price.

A game costs $90-100+ where I live, and practically everything I buy at that price will have a test period, possibility of return or reimbursement, a guarantee, ANYTHING. How is a game NOT a piece of expensive technical merchandise ? But spending half a monthly wage on something that's basically worthless if it breaks or doesn't function on your system, when it's actually CHEAPER for wealthier countries is... It's just mind-boggling. It's not a level of consumer rights we can accept, and it simply cannot make a customer out of me. It didn't, and I buy games barely a few times a year, on discount, contributing almost nothing to the industry. I don't currently pirate because hardware is similarly expensive, but at least affordable since it's localized. I still spend on them a chunk of my income that would label me a "hardcore gamer" in the West, but instead I get a few bargain-bin titles.

Apply this to Eastern Europe, all of Asia except Japan, Africa and South America. Thank God for fucking Steam. I hope every other model of distribution dies as quickly as possible.

 

[DuX1112]

*SNIP*

Agreed agreed agreed. I'm not from Macedonia but I'm nearby. And all the gamers I've ever met are pirates. Curiously, the trend started to change MASSIVELY in the last few years, mostly with MMOs and Steam. It's actually getting easier being a customer.

However, I understand entire economies being pirates when they aren't even on the publisher's radar. The games are practically abandonware for them, and if they get released, it's usually at an inflated price.

A game costs $90-100+ where I live, and practically everything I buy at that price will have a test period, possibility of return or reimbursement, a guarantee, ANYTHING. How is a game NOT a piece of expensive technical merchandise ? But spending half a monthly wage on something that's basically worthless if it breaks or doesn't function on your system, when it's actually CHEAPER for wealthier countries is... It's just mind-boggling. It's not a level of consumer rights we can accept, and it simply cannot make a customer out of me. It didn't, and I buy games barely a few times a year, on discount, contributing almost nothing to the industry. I don't currently pirate because hardware is similarly expensive, but at least affordable since it's localized. I still spend on them a chunk of my income that would label me a "hardcore gamer" in the West, but instead I get a few bargain-bin titles.

Apply this to Eastern Europe, all of Asia except Japan, Africa and South America. Thank God for fucking Steam. I hope every other model of distribution dies as quickly as possible.

"Agreed agreed agreed" also.

Anyways, even before I checked your profile I knew you're a Croat. Not the first (supportive) Croat I met here too. I have lots of respect for you guys, I've spent almost all of my time and high-school and half on college reading Croatian gaming magazines like Hacker and PC Play... I enjoyed them immensely. Golden times.

Anyways, yes, games cost $90, $100, even more here too. It's absurdly funny how anyone can expect for a Macedonian or a Croat (or any other person in our situation) to buy a game that costs half of his salary. I mean, the situation is so comical that is almost Python-esque, or even Pratchett-like. It's... crazy.

Well, peace to you brother, and welcome to the club!

 

[The_Prophet]

snip

YES! Finally, some people from the Balkans who understand how buggered the economy is around here!

 

[DuX1112]

snip

YES! Finally, some people from the Balkans who understand how buggered the economy is around here!

Oh, another friend! And am I glad to see some local folks here!

Welcome! =)

 

[The Austin]

Very good article, I read it all the way through with utter fascination.

And just one thing.....
Some people claim that Pirates pirate because they are too poor to afford the games themselves, but wouldn't the cost of getting the equipment to pirate equal the cost of a game?

I don't know much about pirating.
The only thing I've ever managed to pirate was a demo of "Plants Vs. Zombies".

Yea. A demo.

 

[zauxz]

"The other major hangup, of course, is price. If a publisher tries to sell its games in developing nations at the same price as it does in the rest of the world, it will fail - period, full stop, no questions asked. In a country where I could get a good, hearty dinner for 10 RMB (about $1.46), $60 (or ~410 RMB) goes a lot further than it does here. People simply can't afford those prices unless they're in the very highest income levels. "

Thank you! It is finally said by the escapists writers.

/sigh

Tho I can already see a 10000 word rant by Shamus Young how pirates "don't deserve" to play games or something.

SCREW YOU, AND EVERYONE WHO THINK THAT WAY. If I wanted to buy a game in lithuania (and this isn't even on release days or anything) it would cost me nearly 1/5th of my monthly income.

/sigh again. God, every time piracy is mentioned I get put on probation...

 

[mike1921]

You are taking something that someone spent time and money on, for free, when they have the right to receive money for their hard work.

I'd have to disagree with that a pirate is actually "taking" the game from the developers. If I "took" the game I'd have to get in their office, take the hard-drive/media containing the actual game, and then claim it as my own. A person could spend time and money to make a car that could get stolen, but anything that is digital these days are so easy to copy that implying the words "stolen" or "taking" confuses me. Trying to steal something that is abundant/easy to copy is like a person claiming they are stealing air or water, in my opinion.

However I do agree that because software is easy to copy that it is becoming an issue for developers, especially with China, and it should be something that has to be resolved. I think the problem is most people tend to think anything digital is an exclusive item--an economic term where an item is denied to consumers unless they pay for it. Obviously that is not true in China as you pointed out in your experience there. Offering other services with the product as you pointed out is a good work-around, though I don't know why they limit this just to multiplayer services. What if they sold add-ons to those games? Like more items/enemies or tutorials on how to make independent games from that game, similar to the editor for "Dragon Age"?

Even if you go back and buy it later (because WAHHH SOMETIMES I BUY THE GAMES I PIRATE), your cocking up their profit margin which affects wether or not a great game gets a sequel

Explain further

 

[DuX1112]

And just one thing.....
Some people claim that Pirates pirate because they are too poor to afford the games themselves, but wouldn't the cost of getting the equipment to pirate equal the cost of a game?

Well, the only equipment you'd need is a working PC and a blank CD/DVD, you know that, right? I sure know it.

 

[mike1921]

Very good article, I read it all the way through with utter fascination.

And just one thing.....
Some people claim that Pirates pirate because they are too poor to afford the games themselves, but wouldn't the cost of getting the equipment to pirate equal the cost of a game?

I don't know much about pirating.
The only thing I've ever managed to pirate was a demo of "Plants Vs. Zombies".

Yea. A demo.

All you need to pirate is a computer and an internet connection.

How you were lead to believe you needed all sorts of costly equipment confuses me

And just one thing.....
Some people claim that Pirates pirate because they are too poor to afford the games themselves, but wouldn't the cost of getting the equipment to pirate equal the cost of a game?

Well, the only equipment you'd need is a working PC and a blank CD/DVD, you know that, right? I sure know it.

STOP INFLATING THE PRICE! The CD/DVD is completely optional if you just want to play it at the computer you download from

 

[Ashsaver]

I also live in a country in which piracy is a norm.

When i was young and foolish i was a big time pirate, I'm not a jerk who want free stuffs it's just that i don't have enough money to buy those expensive games,back then,my allowance was less than a dollar per day, and The law forbid me from doing any part time jobs until i was 18, so saving money to buy a game was like building the Great wall of China.

But when i was old enough to do part time jobs,saving money for games were a lot easier, and the first Legit copy of game i bought was Half-Life,years after its release date.

I stop being pirate ever since.

now almost every games i have are legit copies,well, except Manhunt 1 and 2, Fallout 3, and GTA4 since those are banned in my country.

 

[Dastardly]

The issue at hand in these countries can also be cultural, not just economic. There are places that have very different views on intellectual property, and their laws (or lack thereof) regarding it reinforce their particular view.

But all of this--the cultural and economic differences--can only be taken for what they actually are: An explanation for WHY piracy exists. It doesn't change the nature of piracy, nor the morality of it. The fact is, if someone makes an item and offers it at a certain price and you can't afford that item, you're not entitled to have it. If they make an item and won't sell it where you live, you're still not entitled to have it. So, you either do without it OR you're a thief.

If I steal to feed my starving children, I'm a thief. I may be the world's most UNDERSTANDABLE thief, but I'm a thief, nonetheless. What about the people I'm stealing from? How do I know that now THEIR children aren't starving now that people like me have stolen from them?

But beyond this, I understand how it can be even LESS cost effective for developers/publishers to crack down on piracy in these situations... but I can also see how sometimes, the problem bleeds BACK across borders. If someone in China creates/cracks a pirated version of some game and it stays in China, that's one thing... but if it is posted to the internet, and is now accessible by everyone else, the problem is possibly worth squashing, no?

 

[Atmos Duality]

Typical anti-pirate tirade with typical pirate responses.
At least the article was informative, even if the ensuing discussion was so predictable that I could have synchronized a metronome to it.

Pirates don't want to pay. That's why they were given a term that was commonly associated with crime and theft (even though it technically isn't theft since nothing tangible disappears...but it's still the loss of a sale.)

You know what? I'm in college right now, living on bare-minimum sustenance. I drive to classes every day from my relative's because I cannot afford the dorms. I cannot find employment anywhere near me nor that shithole of a city.
And *I* still pay for my games.

I don't buy any more than maybe 1 or 2 every three months, but I still pay for them.

 

[Venatio]

That was deep.

 

[maxben]

You aren't entitled to get something for free just because you want to.

If it isn't to the detriment of anyone else then why not?

I am of course assuming they wouldn't buy the game in the first place. I know no one who would have bought it but pirates it instead.

Because it is. You are taking something that someone spent time and money on, for free, when they have the right to receive money for their hard work.

That's a bullshit excuse that people use because they feel entitled to get things that cost money for free.

Its actually an excuse that is built-in to Western psyche, if something is to be wrong it must be based on a harm principle of some kind.
You are trying to use the argument "stealing is wrong" when you mean to say "stealing ought to be wrong" but if we focus on harm it causes then it is not wrong in every case. In this case, pirating is harmless stealing ("they lack money" and "they lack access" is an equivalent argument) and so it is logically ok, even if it appears like it ought to be wrong on another moral standard (such as religious conviction or "rights" whatever they may include, everyone seems to add to the list what they want).
However, and the stronger argument, if you take without paying and he takes without paying and he takes, pretty soon no one finds reason to pay because it is the norm and the industry suffers. Such is the case in China
Yet, as you point out, that does not change the fact that people who "legitimately pirate" (if we can call it that) are still not in the wrong, and this fits with the harm principle. If people who have the money/access choose to pirate because the first group made it common, they are still the real thieves and not the first group.
As I am not in the first group, this is irrelevant for me which is important as I fear someone will just say something along the lines of "you are rationalizing your own bad behaviour".

On a different note, let me ask you an hypothetical question: I live in Canada and I want to play a game that is Japanese and is not going to be sold here. Am I allowed to pirate that game and use fan translation patch?
I'm just trying to understand your position on when its ok and when its a sin to pirate, it seems more confused and nuanced rather than the "this is obvious!" responses you give.

I hope I made sense, I find myself confusing my grammar/structure when I write this long.

 

[The_Prophet]

Typical anti-pirate tirade with typical pirate responses.
At least the article was informative, even if the ensuing discussion was so predictable that I could have synchronized a metronome to it.

Pirates don't want to pay. That's why they were given a term that was commonly associated with crime and theft (even though it technically isn't theft since nothing tangible disappears...but it's still the loss of a sale.)

You know what? I'm in college right now, living on bare-minimum sustenance. I drive to classes every day from my relative's because I cannot afford the dorms. I cannot find employment anywhere near me nor that shithole of a city.
And *I* still pay for my games.

I don't buy any more than maybe 1 or 2 every three months, but I still pay for them.

You do know that during the time the economic crysis had the biggest effect, half the country was balancing between starvation and actual living? Myself especially included. How can you expect us to pay for a game which costs one half of our low income?
I don't buy any more than maybe 1 or 2 every year.

 

[Atmos Duality]

You do know that during the time the economic crysis had the biggest effect, half the country was balancing between starvation and actual living? Myself especially included.

Your point here being?

Look, if it comes down to personal survival (in a privileged country), I don't think gaming should really be anywhere on the list of priorities, let alone discussion.

Then again, this is entering the usual "Ends justify the means."

I'm sorry, but even as much as I love gaming, I recognize it strictly as a luxury.

 

[The_Prophet]

You do know that during the time the economic crysis had the biggest effect, half the country was balancing between starvation and actual living? Myself especially included.

Your point here being?

Look, if it comes down to personal survival (in a privileged country), I don't think gaming should really be anywhere on the list of priorities, let alone discussion.

I just wanted to explain how effed the economy is here. Anyway, you read the PM, I really shouldn't argue things this early. Well played.

 

[Calbeck]

*facepalms*

Look, kids, it's entertainment. This is not something anyone *needs*. You NEED a bag of bread to live on. You NEED a place to live. This is why I could understand someone swiping a loaf or breaking into an abandoned flat for shelter. Those are called "extenuating circumstances".

If you're sneaking into a movie theatre, hopping the fence to get into a theme park, busting someone's car window for a joyride, or pirating games, you're doing it for fun.

So feck off with all the self-justification crap. I pirated when I was a kid, I did it for the exact same reasons, but I didn't bullshit anyone about it either. I wasn't OWED this. I wasn't JUSTIFIED. I didn't RATIONALIZE.

Pirates exist because everyone loves getting something for nothing. And right up to the point that something actually negative happens to them, it continues to be a no-price, no-consequence affair.

You know why I stopped being a pirate? Because half the pirates out there are script kiddies who love using the same circles to distribute their favorite viruses. For the lulz, y'know? You sleep with the filth, you get their diseases. The effort I ended up putting into trying to hunt down "legit" (ha ha) cracks of a given game EXCEEDED THE TIME NEEDED TO GET A DAMN JOB AND BUY THE THING.

When I was on unemployment, I could still budget for my favorite games. Don't give me crap about how poor you are or how horribly fascist the companies are for wanting to actually get PAID for THEIR work.

 

[RelexCryo]

I appreciate this article. I really didn't know it was that bad in China.

 

[bjj hero]

Yes the teen living the perfect life, living in a house in a rich area with no crime, with a mom and dad with high income jobs, he/she can have any game console he wants a wii PS3 xbox anything, His mom and dad even buy him collectors editions for his birthday so he can have the little toy or the art book that come with it, Yes life is good why would he need to pirate right?


Or lets talk about his counterpart

Lets talk about Teen B, B lives with one of his parents, his mom after his dad lift them, his mother works all day at a restaurant, Teen B cant go out side because the area he lives in is known for crime, The only entertainment he has is his computer.


Overall i agree that pricey is bad, No its not bad because its stealing no. Its wrong because it distroys the social higharcy, You see a person without money should not be happy with his life, or should not be entertained, there should always be a struggle to be better, by having people just take what they want we are one step closer to everything being free,

You see people say that the poor play a key role in society, they are there so we work hard or study hard to not be where they are, now that a person with not so much money can own the whole library of adobe CS5, the whole fear is starting to leave people.

Someone did sociology 101? I was kid B. I didn't and still don't pirate games. I grew up in the bad neighborhood with little money, had friends die from heroin overdoses etc. I saw games christmas and birthdays, the games were well researched before buying and were played to death. I was still happy, games don't equal happyness. I spent a lot of time with friends, doing sports and thankfully stayed out of trouble.

I've worked hard and now have a good job. I work in criminal justice with offenders and I've heard this class bullshit too often. "You don't know what it's like to be poor, from a bad neighborhood with drugs everywhere". "I had to, I couldn't afford it any other way". I even had some clown compare himself to Robin Hood. Every other offender tries these lines with me.

It is about many offenders (like many pirates) are self centred and don't care how their actions affect others. They want their satisfaction, right now, and don't mind that it affects other people. "He's rich and probably has insurance so he's not lost out" comes up a lot. To sum it up they are selfish, selfcentred if you will. They want something for free, the root cause of piracy. The nerd who wants the satisfaction of cracking the drm like some sort of rubbicks cube is the minority. Even he is doing it because he's selfish.

With piracy you are affecting code monkeys who need sales to feed their families. You just don't care as long as you are satisfied. "I'd buy it if I could afford it" (the root of your class argument) is just a smoke screen to justify it to yourself. If everyone pirated they would all be out of jobs and we'd be back to lone kids in bedrooms developing small games. See, the 80s weren't all bad.

You need to justify your actions in your own mind no matter what. You can always find a reason why you did something even if its as flimsy as "I would not have buggered that chicken, but I was drunk". You should hear some of the justification I've heard from sex offenders. its not pleasant listening.

Back to your argument, the poor are needed in society so that you can get your burger served to you, your streets cleaned and to buy products/services to keep people in work.

Your argument that they have a right to be happy/entertained holds some weight but it does not mean free videogames. There are plenty of other ways to be happy and entertained, martial arts worked for me. I liked how you said the computer was B's "only entertainment". Really?. It's the same way you don't get to fly for free just because they haven't filled all of the seats on a plane.

There are lots of injustices in this world, kid B having to pay for his games isn't one of them. Start looking at the standard of his education, healthcare etc. instead. Being able to take what you want isn't freedom. Anarchy is not all it's cracked up to be.

I have more understanding with the Chinese, you cannot buy a legit copy in your stores, the only other option is to import a copy in a language you don't understand. You could play SFIV in another language but can you imagine navigating the menus? And that is on of the more import friendly titles.