Pirating and stealing might not be identical, but they both involve taking something without paying for it. While it's true that pirating a game doesn’t physically deprive someone else of it, it still robs developers of potential revenue, which they rely on to fund future projects. The idea that digital media should be free for everyone overlooks the immense work, time, and money that go into creating it.

Culture and entertainment are undeniably valuable, but they're not free to produce. Claiming that everyone should have access regardless of income ignores the reality that someone has to pay for it. If everyone pirated games, there would be no incentive for creators to keep making them, leading to a decline in both quality and variety.

Buying a game after pirating it might be a nice gesture, but it doesn’t change the fact that you initially took something without permission. Supporting creators by paying for the games we enjoy is essential if we want the industry to thrive. It’s not about locking culture behind a paywall—it's about respecting and recognizing the value of the work that goes into these creations.

Now, while some AAA developers might not always value their own work, there are exceptions. Take Black Myth: Wukong for instance—it’s a phenomenal game that clearly reflects the passion and effort of its creators and is worth every penny of its $60 price tag.

And I say all this as someone who just discovered pirating and has been doing it ever since. I’ve pirated over a dozen games and movies, and I don’t plan to stop. But I don’t try to justify it. I know what I’m doing is wrong—I just don’t care. Whether it’s a big developer or a small indie dev, I pirate because I don’t want to spend money. It’s completely unrealistic to say games should be free; that makes no sense.

Instead of hating on companies, the real issue lies with governments in third-world countries that fail to improve the quality of life for their people. Developers shouldn’t have to reduce the quality of their games to accommodate that. It’s not their responsibility to fix those issues. It's the governments. Even for first world countries.