OK, this is an interesting topic, and I think we may get a lively debate going here…
Piracy, where do you stand on it?Please note that this applies equally to games, movies, music, etc. so if you say "Pirating games is wrong!" because you're a game developer, but then download music, you're a big fat hypocrite.My stance is that it is freedom of information. I believe that you have a right to access information without having to pay some sort of fee, and this includes forms of entertainment.But how then, do the producers of information make money?Simple. Movies make money by showing in theaters. Music artists make money by performing live. Both will also profit by selling merchandise. These are extremely profitable ventures, and indeed, music artists for instance rarely make a dime off of record sales anyway, all of that money goes to the RIAA, unless you're huge like Metallica or something.Furthermore, some individuals who are not past pirating will buy legitimate copies anyway, because they simply want to have an 'official' copy. I download games, but I buy legitimate copies of Pokemon games because that's my thing. I just want a legit copy for no other reason than wanting a legit copy.Piracy is not some huge threat to the industries. There will ALWAYS be people available to purchase official copies or merchandise, or go to live viewings and performances. And in the case of small game developers or independent music artists, people are much more likely to shell out the cash as a sign of support for such groups.Piracy stops with accessing information, however. The freedom to access information does not and should not allow you to profit off of other people's ideas by selling their information as your own. The producers of information still 'own' that information and they own the right to make money off of it.
Would you pay $600+ for Photoshop?
Isn't it horrible? Know how much 3d Studio Max cost?
I'm a bit late to the party here, clearly.
Anyway, like people have said - the morality of piracy isn't really the issue here, because it will still happen.I don't exactly agree with piracy, but I do feel strongly about being able to try before you buy. For this reason, I love games that beta test or put out demos before release. It gives a good impression of what to expect from the final release of it. I also like bands who put up their music on websites like MySpace, their own websites and YouTube.Bands and labels that try and prosecute people for downloading the music make things worse. People read about what's happening, and instead of reacting the way the companies want to their scaremongering, they instead most likely will turn to piracy themselves or not buy the music at all. If my favourite bands suddenly started trying to prosecute everyone who pirated their music, rather than trying to find ways of turning people back on to their music and getting them to go out and buy it (someone mentioned getting discounted gig tickets with album purchases - awesome idea), I'd be pretty upset with them.The same goes for games developers and publishers. Assassin's Creed 2 is a big example here. I bought the game without reading about the DRM it used. When I installed it, I was so annoyed with Ubisoft. To play the game (single player) you have to be connected to the internet. If at any time your connection drops while you're playing, the game quits. This is an awful, awful idea and I have no idea how Ubisoft came about to thinking otherwise. People don't want to be connected to the internet to play a single player game. If they have a dodgy connection that drops frequently, they'll keep getting kicked out of the game. When my internet goes down, I usually play a game until the problem is resolved. Assassin's Creed 2 is now a no go for me if that happens. Now many more people will turn to pirating the game, because any DRM WILL eventually be cracked, and Ubisoft have lost a lot of customers. Instead of finding new and convoluted ways of trying to stop people pirating the game just because they can, they should be trying to make things that draw those that are "sitting on the fence", so to speak, and make them want to buy it.In the games industry, Steam is doing an admirable job. I am a big fan of Steam. It provides an excellent service and great offers on games, and still let's you play offline. GOG.com seems to be another great service, although I haven't tried it.In the music industry, Spotify is doing amazingly well. Since Spotify came out, I stopped pirating music. If there's an album I want on my mp3 player, I would now buy it from a service like 7Digital, who offer things at great prices.This is what needs to happen more. We need great services like Steam and Spotify to provide features that players and listeners want, rather than finding new ways of blocking people out completely. It's the way forward, and I am excited to see what happens.P.S. Forgive me if there are any spelling mistakes or if my points don't flow very well above. I've just woken up.@Eagly Actually, while Spotify is pretty much the ideal, it is too good to be true because they've been losing money since launch and could go out of business. So I wouldn't exactly say they're doing well.
They've introduced a new pricing plan recently, which I think will help things pick up for them. I really hope they don't go out of business because I see Spotify as the best thing since sliced bread.
eagly: Since you already own Assassin's Creed 2, why not download the cracked version that removes the DRM? When you purchase a game, you are purchasing a license from the company to play that game (A license I would argue is unnecessary given my belief in a fundamental right to access information, but that's a different story). It shouldn't matter where that copy of the game comes from. In fact I'm pretty sure it's 100% legal if you own the game.
I don't think it is legal to play a cracked version of the game even if I own it. It's legal to make a back up copy of the disc for personal use, though.
Luckily for me, I have a decent internet connection, so while I don't agree with the DRM, I can still play uninterrupted and therefore haven't yet found the need to download the cracked version."It's legal to make a back up copy of the disc for personal use, though."
That's not always true.Really? That's ridiculous. I want to be able to back my games up in case the disc gets broken or scratched beyond repair.