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On December 01 2011 05:40 jj33 wrote:Show nested quote +On December 01 2011 05:39 Interloper wrote:On December 01 2011 05:31 Karnage77 wrote:
So many people here trying to justify stealing to ease their guilty minds. You are without permission, taking intellectual property that the owner intended to sell. If you don't have the money then you shouldn't have it.
We have access to gameplay footage on Youtube, tons of reviews, Blockbuster rentals, downloadable demos, and Gamefly. Don't tell me you don't know what game you're buying and need to just "test" it out via piracy (play the entire campaign). Same applies to music. Just because the song has the ability to be reproduced in a non-physical manner does not mean that you aren't stealing. They are SELLING entertainment. Are you not entertained? And there are so many people trying to defend companys who again and again make shitty content just for the sake of making money. Quality or happy customers are just a Bi-product in a best case scenario for these people. I do not understand how anyone can defend companys like Activision, Ubisoft or EA for all the shit they have pulled through the years. Piracy is the perfect method to tell a company to fuck off because it is the only way to target the only thing they care about, the money. that's a copout. if these game companies made the best game ever etc and did everything perfectly, people would still pirate the hell out of the games.
No, then they would get a pat on the back (the pat in this case being my money) and a job well done so they can make more games.
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United States5162 Posts
On December 01 2011 05:34 Nemireck wrote:Show nested quote +On December 01 2011 05:27 Klondikebar wrote:On December 01 2011 05:18 Nemireck wrote:On December 01 2011 05:15 Klondikebar wrote:On December 01 2011 05:12 Nemireck wrote:On December 01 2011 05:06 jj33 wrote:On December 01 2011 05:00 Nemireck wrote:On December 01 2011 04:57 Interloper wrote:On December 01 2011 04:54 jj33 wrote:
Alot of justification for pirating in here.
We live in a culture of something for nothing and me me me.
I love pc games and console games, but when I hear of PC elitists crying about how a game was developed mostly for console like skyrim and not tapping into the true potential of PC and how consoles are ruining pc gaming etc, that just makes me laugh.
More and more developers will primiarly develop for consoles, they want to make money not lose money.
Console games are pirated too. Pirated ALOT more than you think they are. Worse even, is the fact that every time a game is sold second-hand, it not only has the same affect as pirating the game, but someone else who ISN'T the game publisher/developer makes a profit off of it. It's considered an even bigger problem than piracy itself in much of the console industry. You are right, second hand sales from gamestop for example are hurting the game companies. Hence why they want to get rid of gamestop and eventually get digital downloads straight from them. Here's the thing, you seem to want to justify piracy and say it's not that bad because second hand used games sales are worse. I'm not sitting on a high horse, but people trying to justify piracy and saying it's not THAT bad is just hilarious to me. I'm not trying to justify piracy at all. You seem to have mistaken me for someone else. The reason that second-hand sales are worse is that they actually represent a concrete SALE. Whereas not every pirated copy of a game represents the same. Used game sales absolutely do not represent a concrete sale. If someone buys a game for $15 you have no way of knowing whether they would have bought it for $50 if that was their only option. They may have simply opted to not buy the game or buy a different game. Also, the person who sold said used game might've used the money they got for the trade-in to purchase a new game themselves. In that scenario, used game sales increase new game sales. They absolutely DO represent a concrete sale. If the game is sold, it's a SALE. Naturally, because it's second-hand it's worth less than a brand new copy, but it is still a sale that the developer could have made potential profit off of. If Gamestop, for instance, weren't Gamestop, but was "The Nintendo Store" owned and operated by Nintendo, and people brought in their used games to trade for new games, and then Nintendo sold those second-hand games for $15, they'd be making a profit that they aren't currently making, because right now Gamestop makes that money. I know HOW used games work. I'm just not convinced that if you took away used game sales, new sales would improve. I would argue they would actually get worse. I'm not arguing that new sales would improve if used game sales were taken away. I'm arguing that developers deserve a cut of the second-hand sale.
Depends on how you look at it.
One way is to say once you purchase something you have paid the producers for their time involved creating that product and now you have full control over what you do with it. They've recouped the money spent in development + profit off the initial sell. This is how things have been traditionally handled - when I buy a shovel I'm free to sell it to a friend down the line.
Software has changed this due to the ease of reproduction. You no longer control what you can do with a software product because you aren't actually purchasing the code on the CD, your purchasing the ability to use it. Of course, the developers should be getting all their money back on the initial sell. Getting additional revenue because it was sold again seems akin to double jeopardy in the legal system, just in a good way.
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On December 01 2011 05:39 Interloper wrote:Show nested quote +On December 01 2011 05:31 Karnage77 wrote:
So many people here trying to justify stealing to ease their guilty minds. You are without permission, taking intellectual property that the owner intended to sell. If you don't have the money then you shouldn't have it.
We have access to gameplay footage on Youtube, tons of reviews, Blockbuster rentals, downloadable demos, and Gamefly. Don't tell me you don't know what game you're buying and need to just "test" it out via piracy (play the entire campaign). Same applies to music. Just because the song has the ability to be reproduced in a non-physical manner does not mean that you aren't stealing. They are SELLING entertainment. Are you not entertained? And there are so many people trying to defend companys who again and again make shitty content just for the sake of making money. Quality or happy customers are just a Bi-product in a best case scenario for these people. I do not understand how anyone can defend companys like Activision, Ubisoft or EA for all the shit they have pulled through the years. Piracy is the perfect method to tell a company to fuck off because it is the only way to target the only thing they care about, the money.
Really? Your argument is "it's a shitty game, but I want to play it anyway"? No. If you think a game is crap, don't play it at all. Don't pirate it, don't buy it. Playing it in any way is showing them that you want to play it. If a game goes un-bought and un-pirated, they'll know it's shit.
Don't act like you're some kind of Robin Hood trying to stick it to the man. They're providing a product that you don't like, but don't have to partake in. You're a stealing bastard, you're not teaching a lesson or anything.
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They're wise as usual. My favorite line "do not tangle with people who want to install Linux on the PS3's!"
But they did miss the part where a game might not be worth playing at $60 but might still be worth playing at $0 (aka a mediocre game). That's my only quibble. By and large those guys are smart and they have my ear on my hot button issues.
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When did the "piracy is stealing" ads start to air?
I think it was in the late 80s in movie theaters.
My parents would never have guessed that downloading music is illegal. My mother finds it odd, my father is just scared to death that the cops would come knocking.
Either they are terrible persons, or your morality comes from those cheesy theater ads.
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On December 01 2011 05:45 HereAndNow wrote:Show nested quote +On December 01 2011 05:39 Interloper wrote:On December 01 2011 05:31 Karnage77 wrote:
So many people here trying to justify stealing to ease their guilty minds. You are without permission, taking intellectual property that the owner intended to sell. If you don't have the money then you shouldn't have it.
We have access to gameplay footage on Youtube, tons of reviews, Blockbuster rentals, downloadable demos, and Gamefly. Don't tell me you don't know what game you're buying and need to just "test" it out via piracy (play the entire campaign). Same applies to music. Just because the song has the ability to be reproduced in a non-physical manner does not mean that you aren't stealing. They are SELLING entertainment. Are you not entertained? And there are so many people trying to defend companys who again and again make shitty content just for the sake of making money. Quality or happy customers are just a Bi-product in a best case scenario for these people. I do not understand how anyone can defend companys like Activision, Ubisoft or EA for all the shit they have pulled through the years. Piracy is the perfect method to tell a company to fuck off because it is the only way to target the only thing they care about, the money. Really? Your argument is "it's a shitty game, but I want to play it anyway"? No. If you think a game is crap, don't play it at all. Don't pirate it, don't buy it. Playing it in any way is showing them that you want to play it. If a game goes un-bought and un-pirated, they'll know it's shit. Don't act like you're some kind of Robin Hood trying to stick it to the man. They're providing a product that you don't like, but don't have to partake in. You're a stealing bastard, you're not teaching a lesson or anything.
How am i to know it's a bad game if i can't take it for a test drive?
The advertisment for the game is through the roof, everyone is talking about the game and how awesome it will be and every site who was able to play the game and write a review pre-release praises the game. Game comes out, i pay 50-70$ for it, and guess what it's shit. It's impossible to get a non biased view of the game if you don't play it yourself.
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On December 01 2011 05:38 Klondikebar wrote:Show nested quote +On December 01 2011 05:34 Nemireck wrote:On December 01 2011 05:27 Klondikebar wrote:On December 01 2011 05:18 Nemireck wrote:On December 01 2011 05:15 Klondikebar wrote:On December 01 2011 05:12 Nemireck wrote:On December 01 2011 05:06 jj33 wrote:On December 01 2011 05:00 Nemireck wrote:On December 01 2011 04:57 Interloper wrote:On December 01 2011 04:54 jj33 wrote:
Alot of justification for pirating in here.
We live in a culture of something for nothing and me me me.
I love pc games and console games, but when I hear of PC elitists crying about how a game was developed mostly for console like skyrim and not tapping into the true potential of PC and how consoles are ruining pc gaming etc, that just makes me laugh.
More and more developers will primiarly develop for consoles, they want to make money not lose money.
Console games are pirated too. Pirated ALOT more than you think they are. Worse even, is the fact that every time a game is sold second-hand, it not only has the same affect as pirating the game, but someone else who ISN'T the game publisher/developer makes a profit off of it. It's considered an even bigger problem than piracy itself in much of the console industry. You are right, second hand sales from gamestop for example are hurting the game companies. Hence why they want to get rid of gamestop and eventually get digital downloads straight from them. Here's the thing, you seem to want to justify piracy and say it's not that bad because second hand used games sales are worse. I'm not sitting on a high horse, but people trying to justify piracy and saying it's not THAT bad is just hilarious to me. I'm not trying to justify piracy at all. You seem to have mistaken me for someone else. The reason that second-hand sales are worse is that they actually represent a concrete SALE. Whereas not every pirated copy of a game represents the same. Used game sales absolutely do not represent a concrete sale. If someone buys a game for $15 you have no way of knowing whether they would have bought it for $50 if that was their only option. They may have simply opted to not buy the game or buy a different game. Also, the person who sold said used game might've used the money they got for the trade-in to purchase a new game themselves. In that scenario, used game sales increase new game sales. They absolutely DO represent a concrete sale. If the game is sold, it's a SALE. Naturally, because it's second-hand it's worth less than a brand new copy, but it is still a sale that the developer could have made potential profit off of. If Gamestop, for instance, weren't Gamestop, but was "The Nintendo Store" owned and operated by Nintendo, and people brought in their used games to trade for new games, and then Nintendo sold those second-hand games for $15, they'd be making a profit that they aren't currently making, because right now Gamestop makes that money. I know HOW used games work. I'm just not convinced that if you took away used game sales, new sales would improve. I would argue they would actually get worse. I'm not arguing that new sales would improve if used game sales were taken away. I'm arguing that developers deserve a cut of the second-hand sale. Why? They didn't create anything new. They already got their payment with the original sale. Gamestop is the one who staffs the stores, rents the space to display/store the games, and bears all of the transaction costs for the used game sale.
Sorry, I didn't mean that *I* think they deserve that cut. I'm not choosing my words carefully enough. I mean that second-hand sales are considered worse by the companies because used game sales actually represent a SALE of their game, and thus concrete, lost revenue.
I think we're both in agreement that if they wanted to fix that particular issue, all they need to do is invest in their own version of Gamestop.
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On December 01 2011 05:49 Interloper wrote:Show nested quote +On December 01 2011 05:45 HereAndNow wrote:On December 01 2011 05:39 Interloper wrote:On December 01 2011 05:31 Karnage77 wrote:
So many people here trying to justify stealing to ease their guilty minds. You are without permission, taking intellectual property that the owner intended to sell. If you don't have the money then you shouldn't have it.
We have access to gameplay footage on Youtube, tons of reviews, Blockbuster rentals, downloadable demos, and Gamefly. Don't tell me you don't know what game you're buying and need to just "test" it out via piracy (play the entire campaign). Same applies to music. Just because the song has the ability to be reproduced in a non-physical manner does not mean that you aren't stealing. They are SELLING entertainment. Are you not entertained? And there are so many people trying to defend companys who again and again make shitty content just for the sake of making money. Quality or happy customers are just a Bi-product in a best case scenario for these people. I do not understand how anyone can defend companys like Activision, Ubisoft or EA for all the shit they have pulled through the years. Piracy is the perfect method to tell a company to fuck off because it is the only way to target the only thing they care about, the money. Really? Your argument is "it's a shitty game, but I want to play it anyway"? No. If you think a game is crap, don't play it at all. Don't pirate it, don't buy it. Playing it in any way is showing them that you want to play it. If a game goes un-bought and un-pirated, they'll know it's shit. Don't act like you're some kind of Robin Hood trying to stick it to the man. They're providing a product that you don't like, but don't have to partake in. You're a stealing bastard, you're not teaching a lesson or anything. How am i to know it's a bad game if i can't take it for a test drive? The advertisment for the game is through the roof, everyone is talking about the game and how awesome it will be and every site who was able to play the game and write a review pre-release praises the game. Game comes out, i pay 50-70$ for it, and guess what it's shit. It's impossible to get a non biased view of the game if you don't play it yourself.
Uhhh... You could always rent the game?
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I'm pretty sure companies like Gamestop hurt developers more than piracy.
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You know, this is really simple, and people really tend to overcomplicate this shit.
Is stealing bad: Yes or No. If Yes, then pirating is bad. If No, then pirating isn't bad.
Pirating is stealing, plain and simple. People keep making ridiculous arguments like "I couldn't afford to buy it anyway, so it isn't hurting them anyway for me to pirate it." Well guess what? When it comes to other goods, if you can't afford it, YOU DON'T BENEFIT FROM IT. When you pirate you're benefiting from someone's work and not giving them anything in exchange for their work, and it hurts innovation.
People deserve to benefit from their work, and the more their work is used, the more they deserve to benefit from it.
In my country pirating is not stealing, in order to steal you must use, take or keep other person property. The property must be tangible. The general rule is that if you are preventing the owner from using the thing you have, you are stealing.
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On December 01 2011 05:54 Karnage77 wrote:Show nested quote +On December 01 2011 05:49 Interloper wrote:On December 01 2011 05:45 HereAndNow wrote:On December 01 2011 05:39 Interloper wrote:On December 01 2011 05:31 Karnage77 wrote:
So many people here trying to justify stealing to ease their guilty minds. You are without permission, taking intellectual property that the owner intended to sell. If you don't have the money then you shouldn't have it.
We have access to gameplay footage on Youtube, tons of reviews, Blockbuster rentals, downloadable demos, and Gamefly. Don't tell me you don't know what game you're buying and need to just "test" it out via piracy (play the entire campaign). Same applies to music. Just because the song has the ability to be reproduced in a non-physical manner does not mean that you aren't stealing. They are SELLING entertainment. Are you not entertained? And there are so many people trying to defend companys who again and again make shitty content just for the sake of making money. Quality or happy customers are just a Bi-product in a best case scenario for these people. I do not understand how anyone can defend companys like Activision, Ubisoft or EA for all the shit they have pulled through the years. Piracy is the perfect method to tell a company to fuck off because it is the only way to target the only thing they care about, the money. Really? Your argument is "it's a shitty game, but I want to play it anyway"? No. If you think a game is crap, don't play it at all. Don't pirate it, don't buy it. Playing it in any way is showing them that you want to play it. If a game goes un-bought and un-pirated, they'll know it's shit. Don't act like you're some kind of Robin Hood trying to stick it to the man. They're providing a product that you don't like, but don't have to partake in. You're a stealing bastard, you're not teaching a lesson or anything. How am i to know it's a bad game if i can't take it for a test drive? The advertisment for the game is through the roof, everyone is talking about the game and how awesome it will be and every site who was able to play the game and write a review pre-release praises the game. Game comes out, i pay 50-70$ for it, and guess what it's shit. It's impossible to get a non biased view of the game if you don't play it yourself. Uhhh... You could always rent the game?
I don't know where you live, but renting games in Sweden (atleast around my parts) have not been possible since the Sega/SNES days...
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ahahahahaha. People indoctrinated to believe such moral statements.
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On December 01 2011 05:54 Karnage77 wrote:Show nested quote +On December 01 2011 05:49 Interloper wrote:On December 01 2011 05:45 HereAndNow wrote:On December 01 2011 05:39 Interloper wrote:On December 01 2011 05:31 Karnage77 wrote:
So many people here trying to justify stealing to ease their guilty minds. You are without permission, taking intellectual property that the owner intended to sell. If you don't have the money then you shouldn't have it.
We have access to gameplay footage on Youtube, tons of reviews, Blockbuster rentals, downloadable demos, and Gamefly. Don't tell me you don't know what game you're buying and need to just "test" it out via piracy (play the entire campaign). Same applies to music. Just because the song has the ability to be reproduced in a non-physical manner does not mean that you aren't stealing. They are SELLING entertainment. Are you not entertained? And there are so many people trying to defend companys who again and again make shitty content just for the sake of making money. Quality or happy customers are just a Bi-product in a best case scenario for these people. I do not understand how anyone can defend companys like Activision, Ubisoft or EA for all the shit they have pulled through the years. Piracy is the perfect method to tell a company to fuck off because it is the only way to target the only thing they care about, the money. Really? Your argument is "it's a shitty game, but I want to play it anyway"? No. If you think a game is crap, don't play it at all. Don't pirate it, don't buy it. Playing it in any way is showing them that you want to play it. If a game goes un-bought and un-pirated, they'll know it's shit. Don't act like you're some kind of Robin Hood trying to stick it to the man. They're providing a product that you don't like, but don't have to partake in. You're a stealing bastard, you're not teaching a lesson or anything. How am i to know it's a bad game if i can't take it for a test drive? The advertisment for the game is through the roof, everyone is talking about the game and how awesome it will be and every site who was able to play the game and write a review pre-release praises the game. Game comes out, i pay 50-70$ for it, and guess what it's shit. It's impossible to get a non biased view of the game if you don't play it yourself. Uhhh... You could always rent the game?
Last time that was possible around my area (northern finland) was when the newest console was NES8B and 16B. Never seen a PC game rental around anywhere here.
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same shit all over again. people make stupid arguments like "i wouldn't buy the game anyway" or "if the game is good, people will buy it to support developers"(ROFL) or "copying isn't stealing" to justify their stealing. The list is endless. I'm so sick of it.
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On December 01 2011 05:49 Interloper wrote:Show nested quote +On December 01 2011 05:45 HereAndNow wrote:On December 01 2011 05:39 Interloper wrote:On December 01 2011 05:31 Karnage77 wrote:
So many people here trying to justify stealing to ease their guilty minds. You are without permission, taking intellectual property that the owner intended to sell. If you don't have the money then you shouldn't have it.
We have access to gameplay footage on Youtube, tons of reviews, Blockbuster rentals, downloadable demos, and Gamefly. Don't tell me you don't know what game you're buying and need to just "test" it out via piracy (play the entire campaign). Same applies to music. Just because the song has the ability to be reproduced in a non-physical manner does not mean that you aren't stealing. They are SELLING entertainment. Are you not entertained? And there are so many people trying to defend companys who again and again make shitty content just for the sake of making money. Quality or happy customers are just a Bi-product in a best case scenario for these people. I do not understand how anyone can defend companys like Activision, Ubisoft or EA for all the shit they have pulled through the years. Piracy is the perfect method to tell a company to fuck off because it is the only way to target the only thing they care about, the money. Really? Your argument is "it's a shitty game, but I want to play it anyway"? No. If you think a game is crap, don't play it at all. Don't pirate it, don't buy it. Playing it in any way is showing them that you want to play it. If a game goes un-bought and un-pirated, they'll know it's shit. Don't act like you're some kind of Robin Hood trying to stick it to the man. They're providing a product that you don't like, but don't have to partake in. You're a stealing bastard, you're not teaching a lesson or anything. How am i to know it's a bad game if i can't take it for a test drive? The advertisment for the game is through the roof, everyone is talking about the game and how awesome it will be and every site who was able to play the game and write a review pre-release praises the game. Game comes out, i pay 50-70$ for it, and guess what it's shit. It's impossible to get a non biased view of the game if you don't play it yourself.
Alright, here's a list of things you can do.
1) Go to Blockbuster, get a membership. You now have access to game rentals for a very reasonable rate.
2) Find a local Redbox. $2 a day for games. If you hate it, return it after a day.
3) Buy from a store rather than online. Returning a game within a few day sis usually a full refund, or at least in-store credit.
4) Play a demo. A good chunk of games nowadays have demos available. Not all, but many.
5) Play at a demo kiosk. Best Buy, Gamestop, Target, Walmart, and many other stores have these available for you to play on.
6) Wait on buying it until the price comes down. This is usually a month or two. If it's a game you're not for sure buying first day, you can usually afford to wait a few more weeks.
7) Find someone who has it, maybe a friend, or make friends who game. Play with them.
And many more. There are ways to play games legally without buying them. And if you don't think you want to play a game... you don't have to have it. Just don't buy it, it won't kill you.
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This conversation never leads anywhere, because everyone already firmly has their own viewpoint on the matter and nobody will change. You can all look at the same scenario, which is almost impossible to quantify, and take out something different.
As an example, you can look at me and 4 friends and our experience with The Witcher 2. When we heard it was DRM free, 4 of us decided to pitch in to buy a copy and spread it around. This was a game that we had zero interest in whatsoever, and only caught our attention because of the lack of DRM. We four played it, and two of us liked it. The two that liked it discussed it enough that another friend bought it.
So you have 5 people who played the game. 3 liked it. 2 copies were bought. How do you view this scenario?
There are three main views on this scenario, each one equally valid, and each one intensely defending themselves.
Group A says this is 3 lost sales. 3 people played the game who did not buy it. Those 3 people have stolen from the company.
Group B says it is 1 lost sale. 1 person played the game and enjoyed it and did not buy it. That 1 person has stolen from the company. The other 2 did not enjoy it and should not feel obligated to pay.
Group C says it is 2 gained sales. The lack of DRM was marketing, and of the 5 viewers, there was a 40% conversion rate. Not a single one of these 5 would have bought it at full price, with DRM, since it was not on any of their game radars before hand.
Those 3 groups all have valid points that can be argued. None of those groups will ever concede their point. This argument cannot go anywhere because all 3 feel the other is simply wrong and not looking at things correctly.
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On December 01 2011 05:56 Interloper wrote:Show nested quote +On December 01 2011 05:54 Karnage77 wrote:On December 01 2011 05:49 Interloper wrote:On December 01 2011 05:45 HereAndNow wrote:On December 01 2011 05:39 Interloper wrote:On December 01 2011 05:31 Karnage77 wrote:
So many people here trying to justify stealing to ease their guilty minds. You are without permission, taking intellectual property that the owner intended to sell. If you don't have the money then you shouldn't have it.
We have access to gameplay footage on Youtube, tons of reviews, Blockbuster rentals, downloadable demos, and Gamefly. Don't tell me you don't know what game you're buying and need to just "test" it out via piracy (play the entire campaign). Same applies to music. Just because the song has the ability to be reproduced in a non-physical manner does not mean that you aren't stealing. They are SELLING entertainment. Are you not entertained? And there are so many people trying to defend companys who again and again make shitty content just for the sake of making money. Quality or happy customers are just a Bi-product in a best case scenario for these people. I do not understand how anyone can defend companys like Activision, Ubisoft or EA for all the shit they have pulled through the years. Piracy is the perfect method to tell a company to fuck off because it is the only way to target the only thing they care about, the money. Really? Your argument is "it's a shitty game, but I want to play it anyway"? No. If you think a game is crap, don't play it at all. Don't pirate it, don't buy it. Playing it in any way is showing them that you want to play it. If a game goes un-bought and un-pirated, they'll know it's shit. Don't act like you're some kind of Robin Hood trying to stick it to the man. They're providing a product that you don't like, but don't have to partake in. You're a stealing bastard, you're not teaching a lesson or anything. How am i to know it's a bad game if i can't take it for a test drive? The advertisment for the game is through the roof, everyone is talking about the game and how awesome it will be and every site who was able to play the game and write a review pre-release praises the game. Game comes out, i pay 50-70$ for it, and guess what it's shit. It's impossible to get a non biased view of the game if you don't play it yourself. Uhhh... You could always rent the game? I don't know where you live, but renting games in Sweden (atleast around my parts) have not been possible since the Sega/SNES days...
And hell, even the few places that still have games for rent often don't have the game you want to play.
And I'm not aware of anywhere that made PC rentals work, though I know Blockbuster tried it for at least a year.
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On December 01 2011 05:59 ilovelings wrote:
ahahahahaha. People indoctrinated to believe such moral statements.
Oh look, a child. How quaint.
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On December 01 2011 05:42 Whitewing wrote:
You know, this is really simple, and people really tend to overcomplicate this shit.
Is stealing bad: Yes or No. If Yes, then pirating is bad. If No, then pirating isn't bad.
Pirating is stealing, plain and simple. People keep making ridiculous arguments like "I couldn't afford to buy it anyway, so it isn't hurting them anyway for me to pirate it." Well guess what? When it comes to other goods, if you can't afford it, YOU DON'T BENEFIT FROM IT. When you pirate you're benefiting from someone's work and not giving them anything in exchange for their work, and it hurts innovation.
People deserve to benefit from their work, and the more their work is used, the more they deserve to benefit from it.
I think it's more that pirating can't be a universal action. If we go by some simple categorical imperative ethics, universalizing pirating as an action would stop developers from making any games as they wouldn't be able to recuperate costs. And then the pirates go into weird contortions of logic, because they can't admit to themselves that game software developers need to be able to earn an income somehow and pirating behaviour is destructive when 100% of gamers pirate games. I've had this argument with my coworkers (when I was on the defensive for paying for Windows 7).
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Well they certainly lost a sold copy on me.
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EPT
