[IMG News]

In a new post on his Bottom Feeder blog Spiderweb Software's Jeff Vogel recently covered the topic of game piracy. The veteran indie developer discussed some of the reasons why games are pirated, including a few with which he could sympathize. He also asked those who pirate to consider buying at least one game a year.

Someone who is facing long-term unemployment and bankruptcy probably should not pay for my game. And, in that case, if stealing my game gives them a temporary reprieve from their misery (and there's a lot of misery out there right now), I'm cool with that. I'm happy to help. These are my fellow citizens, and I want to help out how I can.

Now here is what I am NOT saying. If some kid has to actually save his allowance for a few weeks to buy the game, stealing it instead of paying is not cool. I'm not OK with that. If you can pay, you should pay. But I understand that some people can't. It's reality. As for whether someone can truly pay or not, I have to trust them to be able to tell the difference. It's probably unwise to trust so many strangers so much with my livelihood on the line. But it's not like I have a choice.

...If you like PC games but you usually pirate them, I want you to start actually paying for one game a year. Just one. Please. You should do it because you need to do it to help something you like to continue to exist. Sure, you might find that doing the virtuous thing feels surprisingly good. But, in the end, you should do it for the reason anyone ever really does anything: Because it is in your best interests to do so.

Read the full post at the link below.

Return to Full Article - InsideMacGames News

[Frigidman]

An actual realistic look at it. Too bad the big wig companies like ubisoft don't listen to logic and reason, and instead employ horrendous DRM tech that butchers the paying customer, making them fear buying games ever again, thus hurting the industry due to bad press about drm. Not only that, all the money they spend developing said stupid drm, they pass onto the customer in inflated prices for the game itself. Which in the end turns out lack luster because the company spent way too much time trying to thwart piracy, instead of putting all that money and effort into content, story, and forbid, gameplay.

[digt]

I can't believe what he wrote and I am not in total agreement with him. Yet I keep reading his articles and I wish the best for him. He seems honest, responsible, understanding, and most of all, refreshing. He's building up good karma.

The entertainment industry needs more people like him, a lot of industries do.

[Frost]

Amen to the DRM.

I don't believe in pirating games, but speaking for myself... I am in no moral quandary when it comes to disabling or bypassing draconian DRM on something I bought if it's at all possible. Take these schemes like having to be online to play, or getting a limited number of installs before you can never install again. You know what the answer to that is? Buy it, because it's what an honest person would do, and you can say you paid your entry fee. And then pirate the goddang thing or get a cracked version or what have you, so you can then play the game as though it weren't made by complete morons. I'm not going to fault you one inch for that.

The way I see it, when someone pays you hard-earned moolah for your software, they get to use your software on their computers wherever they want whenever they want, delete and reinstall it as much as they want, and not be online as much as they want with it but still be able to use it. Less is unacceptable.

Or to put it another way:

Installs available: ∞
Time available: ∞
Play in locations: ∞
Times you must regularly revalidate or lose access: 0
Must be online: No
Customer: Satisified

Because really, does any of that crap stop pirates? NO. It slows them down an extra day or two. Whoop-tee-freakin-doo. Meanwhile, after those extra couple days, the pirates get to use the game hassle-free while the legitimate customers get boned non-stop by DRM. What's wrong with that picture?

You know what another thing companies could do to slash piracy is? Cut prices. I know basic economics is a foreign concept to most people these days, but a lower price point would more than likely mean a lot more customers. Just look at how ENORMOUS the gray market is. Used games at lower prices sell like gangbusters. Dead Space on the PS3, for example, had twice as many players as buyers, and that was over a year ago when the used price was hovering around $35-45. That tells me at ~$20 cheaper you've got twice as many paying customers. Why not slash, say, $20 off the usual price and tap that market yourself instead of letting eBay get the money through seller fees? Look at what EA did with Battlefield 1943: they decided to experiment and just sell it for $15 and say hell with it, let's see what happens.

What happened?

A SH--LOAD of people bought it even though it only had 3+1 maps and no single-player. There's a lesson there somewhere.

[Sneaky Snake]

Frost, on 30 July 2010 - 10:17 PM, said:

Amen to the DRM.

I don't believe in pirating games, but speaking for myself... I am in no moral quandary when it comes to disabling or bypassing draconian DRM on something I bought if it's at all possible. Take these schemes like having to be online to play, or getting a limited number of installs before you can never install again. You know what the answer to that is? Buy it, because it's what an honest person would do, and you can say you paid your entry fee. And then pirate the goddang thing or get a cracked version or what have you, so you can then play the game as though it weren't made by complete morons. I'm not going to fault you one inch for that.

The way I see it, when someone pays you hard-earned moolah for your software, they get to use your software on their computers wherever they want whenever they want, delete and reinstall it as much as they want, and not be online as much as they want with it but still be able to use it. Less is unacceptable.

Or to put it another way:

Installs available: ∞
Time available: ∞
Play in locations: ∞
Times you must regularly revalidate or lose access: 0
Must be online: No
Customer: Satisified

Because really, does any of that crap stop pirates? NO. It slows them down an extra day or two. Whoop-tee-freakin-doo. Meanwhile, after those extra couple days, the pirates get to use the game hassle-free while the legitimate customers get boned non-stop by DRM. What's wrong with that picture?

You know what another thing companies could do to slash piracy is? Cut prices. I know basic economics is a foreign concept to most people these days, but a lower price point would more than likely mean a lot more customers. Just look at how ENORMOUS the gray market is. Used games at lower prices sell like gangbusters. Dead Space on the PS3, for example, had twice as many players as buyers, and that was over a year ago when the used price was hovering around $35-45. That tells me at ~$20 cheaper you've got twice as many paying customers. Why not slash, say, $20 off the usual price and tap that market yourself instead of letting eBay get the money through seller fees? Look at what EA did with Battlefield 1943: they decided to experiment and just sell it for $15 and say hell with it, let's see what happens.

What happened?

A SH--LOAD of people bought it even though it only had 3+1 maps and no single-player. There's a lesson there somewhere.

Amen to that post!

I so badly wanted to get Assassins Creed 2 and Splinter Cell Conviction, but I'm not gonna put up with that DRM. I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way. If piracy is such a problem then they should be rewarding the legit customers, instead of treating it like a police state, where the pirates are the ones who get to do whatever outside the border, and all the legit people are treated with suspicion and disrespect

[Frost]

Sneaky Snake, on 31 July 2010 - 12:17 AM, said:

Amen to that post!

I so badly wanted to get Assassins Creed 2 and Splinter Cell Conviction, but I'm not gonna put up with that DRM. I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way. If piracy is such a problem then they should be rewarding the legit customers, instead of treating it like a police state, where the pirates are the ones who get to do whatever outside the border, and all the legit people are treated with suspicion and disrespect

Exactly. It's the real world mirrored in software. The criminals just keep on ignoring the rules like they were from the start (if they cared what the law said they wouldn't be criminals), and honest people get the screws put to them. And then we all sit around and wonder why only the honest people are hindered.

And sometimes, as UbiSoft is encouraging, it gets to the point where the rules become so outlandish and so draconian, that even formerly law-abiding people lose all respect for the rules and join the ranks of the outlaws because it makes life less of an annoying hassle, thus turning into a cycle that feeds on itself.

Such a raging torrent of illogic would leave even Spock bemused.

[devSin]

I think this article was uncharacteristically weak for Jeff. He doesn't even seem keen to argue the subject, and I have trouble finding the point. There are always exceptions where action can be forgiven or understood; this is true of most any criminal activity.

Maybe he was reading Les Miserables on the plane from Europe or something.

[mindnoise]

While I agree with the above--

I think if you can afford a computer and an internet connection you can afford games, too.

It´s like you can afford the car but not the tires, so think you havea right to steal them.

It´s NOT like you are forced to own every single game out there.

This is not gaming anyway, this is just stupid consumption.

With Steam or the AppStore just throwing fantastic games at you at rediculously low prices.

Also with Spiderweb to fully immerse you need a year or so alone to fully explore it you get your money´s worth back multiple times.



If you pirate these days you are just a stupid, characterless a+++ole.
that´s it folks...

[Frost]

mindnoise, on 31 July 2010 - 12:52 AM, said:

While I agree with the above--

I think if you can afford a computer and an internet connection you can afford games, too.

It´s like you can afford the car but not the tires, so think you havea right to steal them.

It´s NOT like you are forced to own every single game out there.

This is not gaming anyway, this is just stupid consumption.

With Steam or the AppStore just throwing fantastic games at you at rediculously low prices.

Also with Spiderweb to fully immerse you need a year or so alone to fully explore it you get your money´s worth back multiple times.



If you pirate these days you are just a stupid, characterless a+++ole.
that´s it folks...

I agree with this too.

If you can afford the computer capable of playing it, you can afford to wait till a year after release and buy (for example) Supreme Commander and its expansion for $7 on closeout. Hell, I did that and I can't even play it, I just got it because one of these days I'll either have an Intel Mac (back on the table after the latest revision) or a gaming PC and $4 for SupCom and $3 for SupCom: FA was one hell of a deal. That happens constantly with PC games too, it's not like console games and Mac games where their price stays in the stratosphere ad infinitum.

Pirating games because their makers have made them so difficult to use legitimately? I can work with that. Pirating because "it costs too much"? That's a load of crap even if you're from most of the developing world. If I had the patience to watch and wait instead of buying releases immediately, I could amass a lot of top-notch PC games just on $50 a year, which is a fun budget even a Central American peasant could afford, nevermind your average American/European computer nerd.

[digt]

On a slightly different note, if you can't afford to buy games there are some great free options right now. I can't think of a free RPG thats as good as Vogel's are supposed to be though.

MechWarrior 4 Mercenaries was released for free this year and it plays great on old hardware and on Parallels v5. http://www.mektek.net/projects/mw4/

Warzone 2100 was released a few years back for RTS fans. The development seems like a slow labor of love but its getting better and better. http://wz2100.net/

[Jeyl]

Frost, on 31 July 2010 - 01:00 AM, said:

If you can afford the computer capable of playing it, you can afford to wait till a year after release and buy (for example) Supreme Commander and its expansion for $7 on closeout.

What if the computer was a gift and they were running off of someone else's wireless network?

[Frigidman]

Frost, on 31 July 2010 - 01:00 AM, said:

If you can afford the computer capable of playing it, you can afford to wait till a year after release and buy (for example) Supreme Commander and its expansion for $7 on closeout.

I never really buy a game out of the gate anymore:

1) Initial prices are crazy, since I spent all my money on the computer, I can't afford buying every game at release.
2) If it has no demo, it gets no love from me, as I have been burned by too many games that promised a lot, had reviewers in their pocket book, and failed to deliver. Demos usually show up later after release.
3) Year old games run a lot better on updated hardware
4) Once you get a year long buffer, you get into a nice cycle of buying older games for less, keeping you library fresh with 'new things' to play (even though they are old to the impatient).

When games go on crazy sales for 1-digit prices, its hard to pass them up though. Even if they are mediocre, its like picking candy for pennies. I don't agree with piracy because you cant afford it. Just have patience and you will be able to afford it.

[Sneaky Snake]

Frigidman, on 31 July 2010 - 11:30 AM, said:

I never really buy a game out of the gate anymore:

1) Initial prices are crazy, since I spent all my money on the computer, I can't afford buying every game at release.
2) If it has no demo, it gets no love from me, as I have been burned by too many games that promised a lot, had reviewers in their pocket book, and failed to deliver. Demos usually show up later after release.
3) Year old games run a lot better on updated hardware
4) Once you get a year long buffer, you get into a nice cycle of buying older games for less, keeping you library fresh with 'new things' to play (even though they are old to the impatient).

When games go on crazy sales for 1-digit prices, its hard to pass them up though. Even if they are mediocre, its like picking candy for pennies. I don't agree with piracy because you cant afford it. Just have patience and you will be able to afford it.

Agreed, for example: I'm a huge fan of the Elder Scrolls Games (Oblivion, Morrowind). However, I didn't really have the cash for Oblivion when it came out ($60). Waited about a year and got the GOTY edition for $20 which included all the expansions (about a $100 value). Now I've beaten that soundly, and I'm looking to their next game: Fallout 3, which also has a GOTY edition for about $20 right now.

And then there's those crazy Steam sales...

Like no one honestly has an excuse to pirate. It's just the pigs who think that they are entitled to the latest and greatest at no cost, and that they must have everything immediately. And I honestly believe that you enjoy a game better if you paid for it versus pirating it.

[The Liberator]

Sneaky Snake, on 01 August 2010 - 08:37 AM, said:

Agreed, for example: I'm a huge fan of the Elder Scrolls Games (Oblivion, Morrowind). However, I didn't really have the cash for Oblivion when it came out ($60). Waited about a year and got the GOTY edition for $20 which included all the expansions (about a $100 value). Now I've beaten that soundly, and I'm looking to their next game: Fallout 3, which also has a GOTY edition for about $20 right now.

And then there's those crazy Steam sales...

Like no one honestly has an excuse to pirate. It's just the pigs who think that they are entitled to the latest and greatest at no cost, and that they must have everything immediately. And I honestly believe that you enjoy a game better if you paid for it versus pirating it.

Yeah, Steam sales: THQ pack for $50 (USD). Twenty-three games (I think) for that much? Ridiculous!

Anyone who has a current (within two years) computer that can play a current game (within two years), can pay for one of those games!

Liberator.

[Cobra]

There really is no excuse for piracy.
I find intrusive DRMs (forcing you to be online for example) to also be wrong. It is far better to use that money towards their next game or legal attempts to close down piracy sites rather than punishing their legit customers.