Video Game Piracy

[Uther Mortigast]

Originally Posted by Kodiak

If people think there are no consequences for their actions, then they will be more likely to take them.

I have to believe that if there were more severe repercussions for piracy, there would be fewer pirates. Yet, I do not think that stiffer penalties alone would bring about a significant change.

Consider the scoff-laws that zip down the road faster than the posted speed limit. Sure, some of them have rationalized why their reasons for disobedience "this one time" are legitimate, but others just drive that way habitually. Why? Where I live, the legal consequences for speeding are minor, but so are the consequences for shoplifting, and I don't see shoplifting with the frequency that I witness speeding (maybe I'm just not observant enough). The fact is, many people behave like traffic violations aren't a big deal. I suspect that is because they believe they aren't hurting anyone, even though they are. (I'll leave the explanation of why your rates are going up because of the actions of others to the insurance adjusters).

So it is with software piracy. Societally, it's not that big of a deal, so pirates don't get that twinge that they're doing something wrong, something taboo like purse-snatching, even though they are. Maybe they do, I don't know, but the few former friends I had that pirated software were pretty cavalier about it.

Originally Posted by yaustar

...as an added measure to reduce the possibility of finding a pirated copy, they flooded the P2P networks of demos of the game that look/named like the full game.

That reminds me of putting up tank-shaped tents to fool reconnaissance satellites. Cheap, frustrating and genius!


I forgot to add this link that someone in my IGDA chapter forwarded to the group on talking to pirates.