UK piracy crackdown - Page 2

UK piracy crackdown

Post just about everything that isn't directly related to Spring here!

Moderator: Moderators

User avatar
Gota
Posts: 7151
Joined: 11 Jan 2008, 16:55

Re: UK piracy crackdown

Post by Gota »

Many games come out without demo versions...
In these cases I feel it is my duty to pirate and check the game out.

I pirate most games because i know that 99% of the mi wont play more than an hour...
I truly do get disaapointed or bored of 99% of games..
I try many new games but if i play i play spring..
I wanted to play Supcom and Starcraft so i bought them.
What I'm trying to say is that I will not buy these games anyway,even if pirating them was very hard or risky..
Im sure there are many others like me..
If piracy is huge and Companies still continue to release games in the same key as they do now it's like leaving the car keys in the car and the door open knowing that your car is gonna be stolen for sure..

If the pirating percentages are high or getting higher than clearly something is wrong in the way games are released and made...

If companies need to start releasing games differently or invest less money or stop making games in certain genres than TBH i think it might be for the best...
User avatar
Strategia
Posts: 575
Joined: 06 Apr 2006, 18:32

Re: UK piracy crackdown

Post by Strategia »

Breaking character here, but I have no idea how to convey this as an eighteenth-century pirate in the Carribbean: I only download big-name games from big-name publishers (Blizzard's money is pretty much growing by osmosis thanks to WOW, so if I pirate StarCraft or Diablo II that has basically no impact, similarly with Microsoft and Halo), and even then I often buy them if the price is at all reasonable. I also download old games that aren't available anywhere else anymore (e.g. the first two Codename:Panzers games, StarTopia, OTA, the first two Fallouts). I never, ever, EVER pirate indie games. Never.
User avatar
BigSteve
Posts: 911
Joined: 25 Sep 2005, 12:56

Re: UK piracy crackdown

Post by BigSteve »

Tobi wrote:Stealing isn't same as copyright infringement.. I don't get why people don't get that.

With stealing you move something, and with copyright infringement you copy something, those are totally different things.

Not that either one is legal but they really aren't the same...

(For example, I don't think my neighbour would care at all if I copied his car atom-by-atom without leaving any traces, while I'm pretty sure he would care if I would steal his car.)
I think he would be pissed off, if he'd spend years of hard work and lots of money to create that car, one that nobody else has, and one that he intends to sell to put food on his table.
And then you come along and just take the design for free and start using it, then the next guy does, and so on...
User avatar
Acidd_UK
Posts: 963
Joined: 23 Apr 2006, 02:15

Re: UK piracy crackdown

Post by Acidd_UK »

And then we all have nice cars - yes it affects the resale value, but then who eneds to sell their car, when you can just copy your other neighbours new Ferarri in 3 years time...
Tobi
Spring Developer
Posts: 4598
Joined: 01 Jun 2005, 11:36

Re: UK piracy crackdown

Post by Tobi »

BigSteve wrote: I think he would be pissed off, if he'd spend years of hard work and lots of money to create that car, one that nobody else has, and one that he intends to sell to put food on his table.
And then you come along and just take the design for free and start using it, then the next guy does, and so on...
He just bought it, it's just standard model. He doesn't plan to sell it. Heck, I could give him 500 bucks for copying his car, so he can put food on his table without even doing anything for it. Or we could just buy a Ferrari with the entire neighborhood and then copy it 40 times and share the cost.

This is getting a bit off topic though (though it may be an interesting thought experiment: what happens if it becomes possible to copy material stuff for (almost) no cost?)

Anyway, I think it's pretty clear he would be less pissed (if pissed at all) if I copy his car, then if I steal his car.

Hence, copying (read copyright infringment) is not the same as stealing: they're totally different illegal activities. (I think here they aren't even in the same law.)
User avatar
Otherside
Posts: 2296
Joined: 21 Feb 2006, 14:09

Re: UK piracy crackdown

Post by Otherside »

i buy all my games even ones i barely play.

I like having the box and online play.

Ive gone off downloading music also. I buy them off itunes/amazon etc
User avatar
Strategia
Posts: 575
Joined: 06 Apr 2006, 18:32

Re: UK piracy crackdown

Post by Strategia »

Tobi wrote:(though it may be an interesting thought experiment: what happens if it becomes possible to copy material stuff for (almost) no cost?)
"What began as a conflict over the transfer of consciousness from flesh to machines escalated into a war which has decimated a million worlds. The Core and the Arm have all but exhausted the resources of a galaxy in their struggle for domination. Both sides now crippled beyond repair, the remnants of their armies continue to battle on ravaged planets, their hatred fuelled by over four thousand years of total war. This is a fight to the death. For each side, the only acceptable outcome is the complete elimination of the other."

e.g. nanolathing.
User avatar
BigSteve
Posts: 911
Joined: 25 Sep 2005, 12:56

Re: UK piracy crackdown

Post by BigSteve »

Tobi wrote:
BigSteve wrote: I think he would be pissed off, if he'd spend years of hard work and lots of money to create that car, one that nobody else has, and one that he intends to sell to put food on his table.
And then you come along and just take the design for free and start using it, then the next guy does, and so on...
He just bought it, it's just standard model. He doesn't plan to sell it. Heck, I could give him 500 bucks for copying his car, so he can put food on his table without even doing anything for it. Or we could just buy a Ferrari with the entire neighborhood and then copy it 40 times and share the cost.

This is getting a bit off topic though (though it may be an interesting thought experiment: what happens if it becomes possible to copy material stuff for (almost) no cost?)

Anyway, I think it's pretty clear he would be less pissed (if pissed at all) if I copy his car, then if I steal his car.

Hence, copying (read copyright infringment) is not the same as stealing: they're totally different illegal activities. (I think here they aren't even in the same law.)
Yawn... whatever, they're basically the same...
Tobi
Spring Developer
Posts: 4598
Joined: 01 Jun 2005, 11:36

Re: UK piracy crackdown

Post by Tobi »

Nope, totally different things. Move isn't same as copying. Just try it on your computer. First copy everything on an external disk, then you'll see you still have the files on your computer. Then move everything on external disk. Suddenly the files are gone from your computer, so definitely move isn't same as copying. Since with stealing you are moving stuff, and with copyright infringement you are copying stuff, stealing and copyright infringement are totally different things.

(And yeah of course they can have same effect, one party losing some money or some stuff that might have made them money, but things having the same effect doesn't mean they are one and the same thing...)
User avatar
Peet
Malcontent
Posts: 4383
Joined: 27 Feb 2006, 22:04

Re: UK piracy crackdown

Post by Peet »

Well, to throw around useless and half-made-up terms, copyright infringement could be considered the theft of exclusivity of license.
BaNa
Posts: 1562
Joined: 09 Sep 2007, 21:05

Re: UK piracy crackdown

Post by BaNa »

Peet wrote:Well, to throw around useless and half-made-up terms, copyright infringement could be considered the theft of exclusivity of license.

Yeah imagine if your neighbor had his brand new exclusive license parking outside and you walked up, broke the window with a brick, and drove off. He would be PRETTY PISSED OFF.
User avatar
Peet
Malcontent
Posts: 4383
Joined: 27 Feb 2006, 22:04

Re: UK piracy crackdown

Post by Peet »

Well, since a picture is worth a thousand words, here is my actual real-life stance.
Image
User avatar
KaiserJ
Community Representative
Posts: 3113
Joined: 08 Sep 2008, 22:59

Re: UK piracy crackdown

Post by KaiserJ »

gone are the days of companies with a lot of consistency, i remember in the early days of pc / nintendo, there will certain companies that when they released a new game you just KNEW it was going to be good due to the inherent quality of their work (thinking specifically of some of my favs, RARE for NES made some excellent games, and bitmap bros for PC made some of my favourite games of all time.) i wouldn't dream of betraying a company like that who had given me consistent bang for my buck and hours of top notch entertainment.

however, in these days of games being designed by committees and a general inconsistency of quality between the titles released by a brand, we are surrounded by a "fair weather" industry... there is no guarantee of quality from any large modern company that i can think of, which in turn stops me from purchasing any games at their release.

sure, i'll buy a game, but only after i've played it at a friends house (or a pirate copy, yar) and made sure it's something that would be worth my money. the last time i bought games, it was purchasing farcry and morrowind:goty edition, having played a lot of both already and having been satisfied with the experience.

maybe i'll buy TA again one of these days, seeing as a play a shit-ton of *A mods... maybe this is a foolish gesture, but that's just the sort of mindset im working with here.

you gonna buy her a diamond ring on the first date? hell no, wait until she puts out at a high quality and consistent basis.
Imperium
Posts: 95
Joined: 31 Aug 2006, 20:10

Re: UK piracy crackdown

Post by Imperium »

Pretty much the only game I buy these days is Football Manager every two or so years. Man, I play those games a lot though.
User avatar
Felix the Cat
Posts: 2383
Joined: 15 Jun 2005, 17:30

Re: UK piracy crackdown

Post by Felix the Cat »

BigSteve wrote:Its about time this started happening, you wouldn't walk into a shoe shop, take a pair of shoes and walk out without paying would you?

Why do people seem to think they have a right to just steal games and music?
I dont get it...

Succesful companies can take the hit to profits from piracy, smaller up and coming companies cant.
I think your analogy is poor in two different ways.

Tobi has covered one of the angles well.

I'd clarify your analogy a bit: the shoe shop is selling shoes for between $75 and $100 a pair. The shoes are in sealed boxes. The outside of each box of shoes contains some promotional material written by advertisers that may or may not accurately describe the actual shoes, including pictures that may or may not accurately represent the shoes that are inside the box. Sizes are marked, but they're not standardized, and there's no way to know if any particular box contains shoes that fit your feet. There may be two or three pairs of shoes that are available in the store to try out - but in all likelihood they are childrens' shoes. Once you buy a box of shoes and break the seal, there's no possibility of returning them, even if the shoes are made of sub-standard materials, have shoddy worksmanship, and are patently different from what was advertised on the outside of the box. In addition, once you break the seal, you are bound by a shoe wearer agreement that is printed in fine print on the sole of each shoe, even though you didn't have an opportunity to read the agreement before agreeing to it. Finally, some shoes may directly cause serious injuries, or may include mandatory "shoe support products" that are integrated into the shoe, or may have holographic projectors that project advertisement in front of you while you are wearing the shoes, and these are all covered by aforementioned agreement.

If this were true, I'm sure there'd be a thriving black market in counterfeit shoes shipped in from China and sold for $10 a pair.
User avatar
HeavyLancer
Posts: 421
Joined: 19 May 2007, 09:28

Re: UK piracy crackdown

Post by HeavyLancer »

The problem is that information, by it's nature, automatically replicates. A shoe or a car is material. If you steal it, the other person doesn't have it anymore. If you "steal" an idea or music file or something else by downloading it from the internet, they still have a copy. This is why I think that companies have to give people an incentive to but their games or music, and just accept the fact that a certain portion of their "profits" will be lost, assuming that piracy actually == stolen sales. DRM disincentives people to buy a legit copy.

The industries at most risk to piracy need to adopt several things, some of which have already been implemented:
  • An easy to use legitimate paying download service with good quality files such as iTunes, Steam or Impulse.
  • Get rid of DRM, which just encourages piracy IMO. Stardock is an example of this with Demigod and SoaSE.
  • Make good quality products for a decent price. At the moment here in Australia console games cost about $109 to $119 AU. These prices are hugely unrealistic given that some of these "AAA" titles are absolute and utter shit (most movie tie-ins, for example). This ,may actually be harder than it looks for people in the industry (the quality bit, anyway).
Also, pic related.
car.jpg
car.jpg (17.3 KiB) Viewed 5373 times
Tobi
Spring Developer
Posts: 4598
Joined: 01 Jun 2005, 11:36

Re: UK piracy crackdown

Post by Tobi »

Once the open source car is finished I totally wouldn't mind downloading it :-P
User avatar
Peet
Malcontent
Posts: 4383
Joined: 27 Feb 2006, 22:04

Re: UK piracy crackdown

Post by Peet »

Image
Open source car?
User avatar
Strategia
Posts: 575
Joined: 06 Apr 2006, 18:32

Re: UK piracy crackdown

Post by Strategia »

Peet wrote:Image
Open source car?
No, that would be the Windows car. Looks incredibly sleek from a distance, handles like a brick with Down syndrome and prone to catching fire and/or exploding at random moments for no immediately obvious reason (or any reason at all).
User avatar
PicassoCT
Journeywar Developer & Mapper
Posts: 10450
Joined: 24 Jan 2006, 21:12

Re: UK piracy crackdown

Post by PicassoCT »

Do you want to send a Errorreport?

Notice that Microsoft gives a shit, but it is good for your mental health, having the ilusion, that problems are solved, that you could do something, contribute a printout for the trashbin.
Post Reply

Return to “Off Topic Discussion”