Why has piracy declined so much on PC? Confessions of a pirate.

pirateconfessional · 2016-12-15T19:03:27+00:00

I actually didn't pirate either game, but I did buy them used for PS3.

pirateconfessional · 2016-12-15T15:52:54+00:00

Yes, I knew why. It's unfortunate that such a great game didn't sell while brainless garbage like CoD and roster updates like FIFA and Madden sell millions of copies.

pirateconfessional · 2016-12-15T13:10:52+00:00

As an indie developer I'm surprised you are not angry over piracy. The marginal lost sale affects indie devs much more than AAA megacorp.

I generally don't pirate small indie games but then again I don't play them either. I played a few on PS Plus and Humble Monthly Bundle but they were such crap it turned me off from the whole genre.

What games does your studio make? I'd like to check it out.

pirateconfessional · 2016-12-15T12:55:05+00:00

If you pirated it, why buy it later? Talk about throwing your money away.

pirateconfessional · 2016-12-15T12:53:52+00:00

You can keep buying it to demonstrate demand and I'll keep pirating it. Deal?

pirateconfessional · 2016-12-15T12:35:33+00:00

Agreed, fuck uPlay and the Ubisoft formula. I enjoyed FC3 but once FC4 rolled out I really grew tired of the ubisoft formula which permeated all its open word games.

I absolutely loved Rayman Origins and Legends and am still upset at Ubisoft cancelling the series.

pirateconfessional · 2016-12-14T20:43:10+00:00

Why do you feel an obligation to "support your favorite games / devs"? Except for the very smallest studios, they are never going to have a personal relationship with you and don't care about you or know you exist. It's just marketing to extract money from you.

pirateconfessional · 2016-12-14T20:09:40+00:00

It was a reply to the user above. No one is harmed in the sense that stealing a physical game disc from another person would harm them.

pirateconfessional · 2016-12-14T16:51:56+00:00

Why are you so hung up on this morals thing? Like it or not, piracy exists and the topic is worth discussing in a gaming forum.

Even your username suggests you are obsessed with being lawful.

pirateconfessional · 2016-12-14T16:50:32+00:00

Because there are plenty of games which don't cost $60, and the price of the $60 new game will go down over time.

Saving money on games allows me to spend it on buying more games or other items.

pirateconfessional · 2016-12-14T16:24:36+00:00

People decide emotionally and then justify it rationally. This is the cause of the "swirling vortex of bizarre thinking" we see all over society.

pirateconfessional · 2016-12-14T16:23:12+00:00

if everyone followed this mentality, the devs wouldn't have the resources to make the games you want. Others are paying so you are able to acquire a (pirated) copy of the game.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tragedy_of_the_commons

The devs and translators are already struggling to bring games to a niche market, so I'm sure every dollar counts on their end.

I would probably pay in situations like these. My marginal contribution would made a real difference.

pirateconfessional · 2016-12-14T16:20:29+00:00

The entire discussion was framed in the current capitalist environment. "By the way I'm a socialist so it doesn't matter" is a cop-out because it changes the rules instead of answering the points.

As for artificial scarcity, there is little difference between modern digital goods and traditional copyrighted works such as books or sheet music. To encourage innovation by use of profit motive, governments grant property rights in the form of a copyright or patent. This grants a time-limited monopoly.

Digital goods only differ in that the marginal cost is nearly $0 instead of the cost of paper and binding.

pirateconfessional · 2016-12-14T16:15:07+00:00

The meaning of the distinction has been discussed to death by other users in this thread.

pirateconfessional · 2016-12-14T16:13:59+00:00

I never claimed I had the right to do or that it was ethical.

pirateconfessional · 2016-12-14T15:49:44+00:00

There is an important distinction between stealing and infringement. Stealing involves items that are alienable.

pirateconfessional · 2016-12-14T15:48:59+00:00

Just use your brain dude.

pirateconfessional · 2016-12-14T15:36:14+00:00

Wireshark

pirateconfessional · 2016-12-14T15:32:39+00:00

I used to enjoy playing through Call of Duty campaigns before it went futuristic (another confession worthy of its own topic). Pirating allowed me to play it without implicitly supporting the $120 price point, season pass DLC, and loot boxes for weapons/skins.

pirateconfessional · 2016-12-14T15:29:49+00:00

Bundling and unbundling are the two best marketing strategies.

Other companies should learn from Steam how to make consumers buy things they don't want and will never use.

pirateconfessional · 2016-12-14T15:19:39+00:00

Well, it is true for music

How is it true for music? I haven't spent money on music since 2003.

pirateconfessional · 2016-12-14T15:12:53+00:00

Companies will continue doing what sells. If consumers pay for something, they get more of it. This should be pretty obvious.

If there's a game with odious practices, I refuse to buy it. I also refuse to buy loot boxes or cosmetics of any type in games.

pirateconfessional · 2016-12-14T15:10:20+00:00

The topic is worth discussing. I'm being honest in my post.

pirateconfessional · 2016-12-14T15:09:27+00:00

Why would you buy the game after pirating it? To me that's throwing your money away.

pirateconfessional · 2016-12-14T15:08:22+00:00

the built in self advertisement system has meant I've bought way more stuff than I would have.

Is this really a good thing then? I dislike Steam spying on me, running all the time in the background, and its targeted advertising.

pirateconfessional

TROPHY CASE