On December 01 2011 10:30 BadgerBadger8264 wrote: Not sure if it's been mentioned already and I really don't feel like reading through 28 pages, so I'm just going to post this here (mostly in reply to the OP).
The best way to pirate is to make it easier to not pirate.
Steam and iTunes are hugely successful for exactly this reason. They offer a plethora of games/music at reasonable prices, make it extremely easy to get them (easier than torrenting by far), and as such a majority of people who will pirate if driven to it, but who otherwise are very happy to pay legally.
There will ALWAYS be a small subset of people who pirate. You prevent piracy by not overpricing your games. In Australia, we pay $90 for a new game like Skyrim. In America, you pay $60. The AU and US dollar are nearly 1:1 in terms of value. Therefore its a fucking rip-off. In my case, I managed to source Skyrim for $55 from Green Man Gaming, because they aren't retarded.
The sooner that game publishers realise that we live in a connected world where they can't charge more for a game in one area because of archaic ideas about currency exchange, the sooner that piracy will rapidly drop.
On December 01 2011 09:40 Liquid`Drone wrote: maybe the restaurant business would actually produce a better product if consumers could have delivered free samples of their food prior to visiting to ensure that this restaurant makes food that I am willing to pay x for.. I mean, there'd be some decline in visits because some would prefer to simply eat for free at home, but others who could afford it, would still go visit the restaurant to ensure that they make enough money to produce tasty food, for the feeling of companionship with whomever they went together with, and the waitering. meanwhile, crappy restaurants experience an even steeper decline in visits because as people could try their food prior to going, they realized it was crap and didn't have to.
When I first read this, I thought you were starting off in some sarcastic scenario. Then, I realized you weren't. In your world, you think a restaurant not only giving out free samples, but actually hand delivering them around the city to make sure they are up to par, is a realistic business model. Fantasy land. That's your world. Have you ever actually considered why there is NO restaurant in the world that does this ? Wow.
I come from a generation of Asian families where Asian parents have been brought to believe that games are bad for children and detrimental to their studies and success...Instances of this are the age restrictions in almost all of the Asian countries for Internet Cafes in case you're not sure what i'm talking about...
I can honestly say that I have a hard enough time trying to get games that are free, let alone games I actually have to pay for.
On December 01 2011 10:43 Dhalphir wrote: The best way to pirate is to make it easier to not pirate.
Steam and iTunes are hugely successful for exactly this reason. They offer a plethora of games/music at reasonable prices, make it extremely easy to get them (easier than torrenting by far), and as such a majority of people who will pirate if driven to it, but who otherwise are very happy to pay legally.
There will ALWAYS be a small subset of people who pirate. You prevent piracy by not overpricing your games. In Australia, we pay $90 for a new game like Skyrim. In America, you pay $60. The AU and US dollar are nearly 1:1 in terms of value. Therefore its a fucking rip-off. In my case, I managed to source Skyrim for $55 from Green Man Gaming, because they aren't retarded.
The sooner that game publishers realise that we live in a connected world where they can't charge more for a game in one area because of archaic ideas about currency exchange, the sooner that piracy will rapidly drop.
Yeah game prices are pretty fucking ridiculous in Australia. $90 is being generous; some of the bigger titles can go up to $110 at EB Games (although I never buy from them).
On November 30 2011 22:24 Interloper wrote: Many people who pirate do so because they want to try a game out. If they enjoy the game, they will buy it too support the developer. 4,5 million downloads becomes a useless figure since you can not in any way know how many of those 4,5 million purchased the game afterwards. I feel that piracy is a good way to get rid of shitty developers how make crappy games only for the sake of making money (Well all developers want to make money ofc, but i hope you get my point). Good developers get the money they need and then some. Piracy will not be the end of gaming.
This is the most common reason that has been given to me but more than often the person is also an expert at procrastination and gives the "oh I'll buy it later excuse". In the case of single player games, what usually winds up happening is that they'll beat the game and it becomes forgotten on their computers. Either way, I'd be willing to be a huge chunk of those who pirated wouldn't have bothered buying the game if piracy wasn't an option in the first place (in which case nothing would have been lost anyway).
I would rather prefer to see game demos be more prominent to get rid of that whole "I wanted to try the game" excuse.
But demos aren't the full game! They often don't give you enough experience to decide. Also the game can look promising in the beginning but turn out shitty.
For example. I pirated Portal 2. I liked it. I went out and bought it months after I completed the game just because I wanted to support Valve.
I pirated Amnesia. I liked it. I am planning on buying it soon (tight on cash).
I pirated CoD. It sucked. I didnt buy it. Everybody's happy (except Activision trying to steal my money).
So? I don't get your point? Name one other industry where you get to enjoy the full benefit of the product and then get to CHOOSE whether or not you pay for it? If you went into a restaurant, asked for a steak, ate the entire thing then told them you won't pay them cause it wasn't good enough, they would probably tell you to keep dreaming and phone the police.
I'm not being some holy Internet warrior trying to fight pirates. I have pirated stuff before myself. But stop trying to make excuses about why what you are doing is ok. Sorry but just because you feel you are entitled to enjoy the entire content of a good before you choose whether or not it deserves your money doesn't make it right. I hate to break it to you but your opinion on whether or not a game deserves money means next to nothing.
If you are gonna pirate fine, but stop trying to justify to yourself that it is 'right'.
Clothing industry and shoe sellers do this you know, try first, pay later. Or buy, but full refund if you don't like it, test time a week or something.
Hmm well I didn't know they did that in Finland. Over here at least they are happy to provide an exchange or store credit if you realize the size was wrong, however this is assuming the receipt is still there. If you bring it back 3 months later after wearing it and now asking for a refund, they will politely (and rightfully) tell you to go fuck yourself. Anyway as I kept saying it is the company that makes choices on what kind of sales structure they want; it isn't up to consumers to decide that they don't like it and will hence steal their shit. If you don't agree with them then don't buy their products.
On December 01 2011 08:55 Brutefidget wrote: [quote]
Many people in this topic already have admitted to not buying stuff if they can afford it. If you just download a game, you save 60 dollars towards a new car! Why ever buy a game, right guys?
You can't say it's not a point. You can say it's not reality, but that doesn't make it any less of a point. That is the exact reason why urinating in public is illegal and should be illegal, and piracy should be no different. Society would be much worse off if everyone adopted that behavior. It's very selfish to think that your actions, which are detrimental, are ok because you're only one person. To me, the person who buys games, if you don't pay for it of course I'd prefer for you to not play it. It's the same as me thinking that I'd much rather have people acting responsibly and finding a toilet rather than peeing all over my city.
"Not everyone wants to pirate" - Untrue. Everyone would prefer to have something free, but those who don't want to pirate are those who understand that it hurts the gaming industry. So while not everyone wants to "pirate," everyone wants the same thing the pirates take.
"In neither scenario is society hurt in a significant manner by the actions of the lawbreakers." - I fail to see how society benefits from public urination ever, but I'm just going to abandon your analogy for that point. Maybe right now, with the current ratio of lawbreakers to paying customers, the actions are not so detrimental. However, if more people decide to become lawbreakers, it will destroy the industry. You can't honestly think it's ok to break the law just because it's only a few people doing it?
I don't want to pirate. But developers have made me do it due to thier insane DRMs, crappy console ports and close to illegal hype campaigns surrounding certain games. When i say illegal i mean it as in false advertising. Something like Ubisoft dose from time to time. Show stuff off saying it will be in the game, but come release said feature is nowhere to be found.
If you don't like DRM, crappy console ports, and overhyped games then...don't buy them! If you don't like it, don't play it! Shockingly simple really. It's pathetic how you attempt to justify it, just be a man and admit you're being immoral and get on with your pirating. Since this thread loves half-baked analogies...I don't want to cheat on my wife, but she nags me all the time and makes me do my own laundry so really she made me do it. Leaving her is not an option because there are some things I like about her and would miss out on. But seriously it's all her fault.
You have not read the whole thread i guess... Some of the games that have insane DRMs and are crappy console ports and are overhyped can still be a good game (belive it or not). A good example is TES: Oblivion. I actualy enjoyd that game but would not have bought it if i had not pirated it due to all the shit it got from everyone i know.
And how you can call me immoral for not wanting to get cheated by a developer is beyond me. Are they not being immoral for not being honest about thier product?
The developer isn't cheating you. If you aren't convinced by the product, then don't buy it. DRM, porting, etc is all part of the product. I don't throw a hissy fit like a child when I order a meal at a restaurant that I don't like, and you shouldn't whine like a child when you buy a game and end up not liking it. Next time, I'll order a burger because I know it's going to be alright, and you can stick to X developer whose games you always enjoy if you're too immature to handle trying new things and not liking them.
maybe the restaurant business would actually produce a better product if consumers could have delivered free samples of their food prior to visiting to ensure that this restaurant makes food that I am willing to pay x for.. I mean, there'd be some decline in visits because some would prefer to simply eat for free at home, but others who could afford it, would still go visit the restaurant to ensure that they make enough money to produce tasty food, for the feeling of companionship with whomever they went together with, and the waitering. meanwhile, crappy restaurants experience an even steeper decline in visits because as people could try their food prior to going, they realized it was crap and didn't have to.
The point is that if you are willing to play a game, then that developer/publisher has earned your money just as much as the chef whose food you consume. The gaming industry already provides demos for some titles, which is more than you get when you go to a restaurant, yet when people are unhappy with their food they don't walk out on the bill. Don't want to buy a game without a demo? Too bad, don't buy it. There are plenty of games with demos for you to try out and choose from. The fact that these games are still pirated (someone even posted earlier that demos aren't "the full game" so they pirate the rest of it) shows incredible immaturity and entitlement.
They may not walk out on the bill but they will complain and get a new dish if the food is horrid. That can't be done with games. But since you are hell bent on allowing companys/developers/resturants get away with anything, this won't matter to you i guess.
If I get horrid food at a restaurant I will tell my waiter, pay my bill, and never come back. If the chef or manager would like to offer me another dish or a free return visit, that is his prerogative to try to win back my future patronage. You are free to leave feedback with Ubisoft, Activision, whoever you want, and if they care about your business they will address your concern. If they don't fix whatever your problem was then don't get future games from them (note that I said get, since you already aren't buying). Take your money and buy the next Bethesda, Blizzard, or Bioware title, whatever company you like.
But since you are hellbent on refusing to take any responsibility for your actions or conduct yourself as a mature, moral adult, this won't matter to you I guess.
Ok, this will not lead to anything than a temp-ban for one of us if this keeps heading the same way. But i don't think if i leave 1 complaint with Ubisoft they will care. At all. Even if 1,000,000 did they won't care seeing as how huge the community out cry has been. Piracy is the only way i see companys changing anything at all with how they go about making games and handling thier customers. If you want to call me a pathetic child who throw "hissy fits" and acts immature and refuses to take responsibility for my actions, fine. You won't change your mind, neither will i.
Last post i make in this thread so it won't off topic or reduce it self to name calling, if you want, P.M.
People need to learn to vote with their feet. I can assure you that if they receive 1,000,000 complaints and people stop buying their products, they are gonna stop pumping out the same old shit. If it is just 1 person complaining about it, well maybe it is just you with unreal expectations and inflated sense of entitlement. Why the fuck SHOULD they care if it is only 1 complaint?
If you wan't to see companies change then don't buy their product. Simple. If their product is so bad why bother downloading it anyway?
I pirate games because im too damn poor to afford to shell out 60$ for a videogame, if I had the money and it was a good game (skyrim...) then I would gladly pay to buy the game. I mean I bought starcraft and 2 copies of the original oblivion so I guess I'm not that bad haha :D
Piracy is more rampant in countries with lower average salary than the US or EU, the Witcher 2 is popular in Eastern Europe for various reasons and take a guess at how much your normal citizen earn on average in those area? In the end piracy is more rampant in places like Asia, Eastern Europe, South America, Africa and Middle East because games are just too expensive relative to average earnings and in some cases, difficult to acquire legally as well(some games are not sold in certain countries due to publishing right etc). In those countries software that cost US$60 worldwide are not going to sell well unless they offer infinite replay value(i.e SC2 multiplayer), even the it's too expensive for many people that barely earn US$1000 a month even with a college degree. That is the reality of the world, and many Western game corporations refuse to adapt their pricing strategy in that regard as well. This is why free to pay games are so popular in the regions I've mentioned, for obvious reasons.
Since not many want to attempt to justify piracy in its entirety, I guess I'll go ahead. Following is a justification of piracy from three different economic/philosophical viewpoints.
Libertarian: Intellectual property is a broken system. In it's application, it can only serve to retard the development of civilization and technology. The concept of Intellectual property states, basically, that if I come up with an idea, I own it. What's ridiculous about this is, among other things, it inherently controls what someone can do with something which they themselves own. In one example, drug copyrights mean that, if I myself own the correct chemical predecessors to a pharmeceutical, I am prevented by law from combining them in one specific combination, all because someone else did so first. In a more extreme example, if a university professor chose to identify her lecture material as her own IP, she could, within the bounds of the law, prevent her students from sharing the information with peers or companions whom were not enrolled in the class, a rather obvious violation of their free speech. In the same manner, saying that I can't pirate, if not specifically stated the contract between myself and my ISP, is illegally infringing upon my rights to use my property - in this case my bandwidth - in a manner I deem necessary. By pirating games, music, movies, and tv shows, each individual helps to tear down the ridiculous construction of Intellectual property, which I would deem to be quite necessary.
Marxist/Anarchist: All property is theft. In this instance, the corporations sieze control of the labor of the programmers, artists, designers, composers, and all the other workers whose skill and art goes into the creation of the game. By continuing to purchase games from the proper developers, you perpetuate a system by which those who actually create the content you enjoy - the working people - are exploited for profit by the capitalists and the owners of the intellectual property. Indy gamers, therefore, shouldn't be pirated. Large corporations, on the other hand, who operate with giant profit margins at the expense of the coders, customer service reps, game design people, and others, should be pirated from without mercy. This is, after all, the only way that indy game developers can become more prevalent in the scene. To grow flowers in a forest, you have to cut down the tree, especially if that tree is profiting at the expense of its workers. I think lots of people here would agree that supporting indy developers is a generally desirable outcome, perhaps not because of the same logic I used here. The best way to help indy game developers is to give them business out of proportion with their market share of games played, and to cut off the revenue stream for the more undesirable, larger, producers.
Epicurean Hedonism: I gain pleasure from playing games, listening to music, and watching movies. Being possessed of some common sense, I realize that by pirating, I harm no one (Since the pain of paying for said material would contradict Epicurean philosophy for all except the rich, by mandating budget adjustments, I would never make such a purchase), while still deriving the same level of pleasure. The rout in life, then, that maintains tranquility and the absence of moral or physical pain, is the pirating of games.
I've often wondered why bigger companies don't flood the pirated game market with red herrings of their own games. I'd think the number one reason people pirate games is convenience, as when you're given a choice of "Spend an hour going to wherever the game is sold, spend 60 bucks (if it isn't sold out) and then return home to play" or "Don't move, don't spend anything, wait about as much time as you would going to get a physical copy and only risk viruses or a slightly faulted version of the game"... well, it doesn't take much thinking to see that anyone with a comfortable computer chair and your standard sense of morality (Please, don't pretend *most* people are above this) will opt for the second choice.
If, say, Bethesda was to release 4 faulted copies of Skyrim en masse to torrenting websites, they'd become part of a process that would make pirating feel a whole lot less safe and a whole lot less convenient than it currently is/feels, which should initiate a global shift making piracy actually feel like what it is; stealing.
And I'm not saying LOL GIVE ALL THE PIRATES VIRUSES N WIPE THEIR HARD DRIVES. I'm talking about, say, a full-sized version of skyrim that, after hitting 4 hours of gameplay, pops up a message that says "We're glad you showed enough interest in Skyrim to pirate it, but pretend this was a demo, because until you buy the full game "-insert their website here-" you're not going to get any further
..And it'd be followed by the game locking itself.
I don't know if this is unreasonable for a coding front (I.E. all people would have to do is bypass the lockout and be fine) or a legal front (could a company be charged for knowingly spreading "flawed" copies that claim to be the real deal?), but I can fully see it being functional in terms of execution and follow-up. It would not take much to hire two dudes to work 8 hours a day for the first few months of release charged with the task of making these herring look tasty, uploading the "flawed" copies to popular torrent sites, and offering off-putting comments on "legit" pirated copies that suggest that the "legit" one is actually a demo / flawed.
Yeah. Far as I can see (sadly, based on personal pirating experience ) the two biggest reasons people pirate is not because they can't afford it, but because it's more convenient than the alternative, and you're more likely to get hit by a car walking to EBgames than you are to get dinged by anyone for pirating. Red Herrings would both reduce the convenience of piracy, as well as introduce some element of consequence to piracy. I know I'd shit my pants if I was playing a pirated version of the game and the game popped up a message that said
On December 01 2011 11:34 Staboteur wrote: I've often wondered why bigger companies don't flood the pirated game market with red herrings of their own games. I'd think the number one reason people pirate games is convenience, as when you're given a choice of "Spend an hour going to wherever the game is sold, spend 60 bucks (if it isn't sold out) and then return home to play" or "Don't move, don't spend anything, wait about as much time as you would going to get a physical copy and only risk viruses or a slightly faulted version of the game"... well, it doesn't take much thinking to see that anyone with a comfortable computer chair and your standard sense of morality (Please, don't pretend *most* people are above this) will opt for the second choice.
If, say, Bethesda was to release 4 faulted copies of Skyrim en masse to torrenting websites, they'd become part of a process that would make pirating feel a whole lot less safe and a whole lot less convenient than it currently is/feels, which should initiate a global shift making piracy actually feel like what it is; stealing.
And I'm not saying LOL GIVE ALL THE PIRATES VIRUSES N WIPE THEIR HARD DRIVES. I'm talking about, say, a full-sized version of skyrim that, after hitting 4 hours of gameplay, pops up a message that says "We're glad you showed enough interest in Skyrim to pirate it, but pretend this was a demo, because until you buy the full game "-insert their website here-" you're not going to get any further
..And it'd be followed by the game locking itself.
I don't know if this is unreasonable for a coding front (I.E. all people would have to do is bypass the lockout and be fine) or a legal front (could a company be charged for knowingly spreading "flawed" copies that claim to be the real deal?), but I can fully see it being functional in terms of execution and follow-up. It would not take much to hire two dudes to work 8 hours a day for the first few months of release charged with the task of making these herring look tasty, uploading the "flawed" copies to popular torrent sites, and offering off-putting comments on "legit" pirated copies that suggest that the "legit" one is actually a demo / flawed.
Yeah. Far as I can see (sadly, based on personal pirating experience ) the two biggest reasons people pirate is not because they can't afford it, but because it's more convenient than the alternative, and you're more likely to get hit by a car walking to EBgames than you are to get dinged by anyone for pirating. Red Herrings would both reduce the convenience of piracy, as well as introduce some element of consequence to piracy. I know I'd shit my pants if I was playing a pirated version of the game and the game popped up a message that said
"Nice pirate bro" "Love - Blizzard entertainment"
and then immediately deleted itself.
That wouldn't do anything than give the company a bad name. Most people only torrent from trusted members of the scene. And word would spread quickly of what ones were the bad copies. It wouldn't affect that many people, and it would do a good job of making sure that pirates will never buy one of your games.
On December 01 2011 11:32 bubblegumbo wrote: "It's the economy, stupid"- end quote
Piracy is more rampant in countries with lower average salary than the US or EU, the Witcher 2 is popular in Eastern Europe for various reasons and take a guess at how much your normal citizen earn on average in those area? In the end piracy is more rampant in places like Asia, Eastern Europe, South America, Africa and Middle East because games are just too expensive relative to average earnings and in some cases, difficult to acquire legally as well(some games are not sold in certain countries due to publishing right etc). In those countries software that cost US$60 worldwide are not going to sell well unless they offer infinite replay value(i.e SC2 multiplayer), even the it's too expensive for many people that barely earn US$1000 a month even with a college degree. That is the reality of the world, and many Western game corporations refuse to adapt their pricing strategy in that regard as well. This is why free to pay games are so popular in the regions I've mentioned, for obvious reasons.
Look up gabe newell's interview. he's talked about how no one approached the russia's market for video games because of supposed "rampant piracy". Steam invested into russia, now russia is the 2nd largest market in EU for steam.
I like the idea of adding "features" to software that become benign when a license is validated. I really have no boundaries on what features I'm ok with, since pirates assume the risk of not buying an official product.
Allow their game to be played offline. Do not put any DRM. Put the game on steam. Make the game better than the product of the pirate and even easier to access.
Does itunes even give you 1411.2 kbit/sec audio ( 16bit/44.1khz/2ch ) or better or at least bit for bit exact? Or are they like 128kbit/sec?
On December 01 2011 09:40 Liquid`Drone wrote: maybe the restaurant business would actually produce a better product if consumers could have delivered free samples of their food prior to visiting to ensure that this restaurant makes food that I am willing to pay x for.. I mean, there'd be some decline in visits because some would prefer to simply eat for free at home, but others who could afford it, would still go visit the restaurant to ensure that they make enough money to produce tasty food, for the feeling of companionship with whomever they went together with, and the waitering. meanwhile, crappy restaurants experience an even steeper decline in visits because as people could try their food prior to going, they realized it was crap and didn't have to.
When I first read this, I thought you were starting off in some sarcastic scenario. Then, I realized you weren't. In your world, you think a restaurant not only giving out free samples, but actually hand delivering them around the city to make sure they are up to par, is a realistic business model. Fantasy land. That's your world. Have you ever actually considered why there is NO restaurant in the world that does this ? Wow.
The bakery down the street does this all the fucking time lol. Set up outside the train station, give out samples, away they go. Ever go to the grocery store? They do that too. Plates of samples left out for people to try.
I used to pirate games. The price of games used to be ridiculously high for a poor student. Not anymore. With the likes of steam, gamersgate or direct2drive holding sales regularly, people from the first world dont have a lot of reason to pirate game anymore other than to try it out.
That said, piracy -could- be beneficial for the developer. I bought games that I had pirated in the past because : - I liked the game AND - I wanted to support the publishers AND - they are cheap Instead of ISOs from pirate bay, these days my harddrive is full of legally purchased games.
I like that some developers and publishers recognized piracy as a competing models. If you can get your goods quickly (digital retail model) and cheaply (hold regular sales with massive discount), many people who used to pirate will convert to buying legally.
For the purpose of letting people know they exist, as in cheaper than advertising on TV. It's targeted to people in the area who could actually walk to the bakery. Why don't you give that bakery a call and ask them to deliver a sample to you at home. Yeah, I thought so ...
On December 01 2011 15:43 Kaitlin wrote: For the purpose of letting people know they exist, as in cheaper than advertising on TV. It's targeted to people in the area who could actually walk to the bakery. Why don't you give that bakery a call and ask them to deliver a sample to you at home. Yeah, I thought so ...
firstly the restaurant analogy or whatever is obviously somewhat faulty and yes intended as a slight joke - for it to be a valid comparison to piracy they'd have to supply full meals for free in the convenience of my home, and that would indeed kill their business. but if technology allowed restaurants to somehow, without losing any ingredients of their own, magically create and teleport a small portion of food to a plate right in front of me, before I was making my decision on where to go eat my food, then that would be something all good restaurants would immediately jump onto.
anyway though, the reason why food is different from "cultural material" in this discussion is that food is something everyone has to eat at least a couple times every day, whereas culture is something that is part of "excess spending". essentially, people spend money on culture only after they've spent money for all necessities, and thus, how much money people spend on culture is limited, and for people with a budget, usually a reasonably fixed amount per month. thus, piracy does not necessarily hurt producers and distributors at all, because if I'm spending $150 per month on culture, piracy merely allows me to spend that money on the game/music/movie/tv production I feel deserves it the most, while still allowing me to enjoy a full spectrum of cultural activities, rather than having to make educated guesses with regards to what I like the most, still spend $150 per month, and probably have a less enjoyable experience. if anything, my appreciation of different cultural mediums ends up growing as my exposure to them grows, and it becomes more important for me to support the industry..
On December 01 2011 09:40 Liquid`Drone wrote: maybe the restaurant business would actually produce a better product if consumers could have delivered free samples of their food prior to visiting to ensure that this restaurant makes food that I am willing to pay x for.. I mean, there'd be some decline in visits because some would prefer to simply eat for free at home, but others who could afford it, would still go visit the restaurant to ensure that they make enough money to produce tasty food, for the feeling of companionship with whomever they went together with, and the waitering. meanwhile, crappy restaurants experience an even steeper decline in visits because as people could try their food prior to going, they realized it was crap and didn't have to.
When I first read this, I thought you were starting off in some sarcastic scenario. Then, I realized you weren't. In your world, you think a restaurant not only giving out free samples, but actually hand delivering them around the city to make sure they are up to par, is a realistic business model. Fantasy land. That's your world. Have you ever actually considered why there is NO restaurant in the world that does this ? Wow.
I found this comment hilarious in the context of Eri's sig.
Interesting to see my thread derailed within the first page...
The intention was never to discuss the morality of piracy, nor the efficacy of current methods used to combat it.
The purpose was to come up with new and interesting ways to deter piracy. From Software (developers of Dark Souls) went online and slaughtered everyone who downloaded their game illegally before it was available for purchase. This led me to believe a good way to combat piracy would be to empower the players to somehow isolate and punish known pirates. The TF2 griefing video I linked shows how a server host griefs a known aim-botter into dying from any damage and making his weapons do 0 damage.
EPT
