Ubisoft claims 95% of their PC games played are pirated copies

[Martinus]

If I go and buy ten games at full price and 9 of them turn out shitty, I will feel cheated even if the 10th one is awesome. Sure, caveat emptor and all that, but from a moral standpoint, I see this as a swindle that is as morally reprehensible on the producer's part as pirating 10 games is on the user's part.

So basically, what you are saying is that developers need to develop Martinus utility functions in order to determine which games you will not feel morally obligated to steal?

Seriously, this is what you take from my two posts on this? You are a fucking cretin.

[Admiral Yi]

If the industry moved to trial purchase model for example, where you can enjoy a full game for a limited time and then decide if you want to buy it, I suspect the instances of pirating would go down a lot - but then the industry would lose on shitty games too, as noone would be suckered into buying them, so they don't want to do it.

I'm pretty sure if game companies did this people would go right on pirating.  And there would still be people ginning up a rationale for why pirating is the right and noble thing to do.

Bottom line is people pirate because it's easy and the chances of getting punished are virtually nil.

[Razgovory]

The thing is, the industry is shifting toward trial purchase model.  It's called "Free-to-play".  Yi is right of course.  People aren't pirating because they are unsatisfied with the service.  For the most part, they pirate because it's easy and there little chance of getting caught.

[DGuller]

Pirating games isn't that easy, or at least it wasn't easy back when I was pirating (more than a decade ago).  It's a huge pain in the ass, and you're always opening yourself up for a virus infection or a trojan.  It makes sense when you're a broke teen who has plenty of time and no discretionary income, but it's just too much hassle otherwise.

[Jacob]

I'm pretty sure if game companies did this people would go right on pirating.  And there would still be people ginning up a rationale for why pirating is the right and noble thing to do.

Bottom line is people pirate because it's easy and the chances of getting punished are virtually nil.

Yeah, pretty much. People are really good at coming up with excuses for doing what's convenient, easy and cheap for them.

[szmik]

Information wants to be free. IP is such a bullshit concept.

Seems like a valid concept to me.  It's a way people get paid for their work.

Only if you let people pay the price they think is justified. It's called free market.

Time lost due to pirating everything you want is worth some money, but not as much as companies charge for entertainment. Piracy is the answer to overpriced IP goods. The only way to charge accurately is when customers dictate the price. So a teenager gives you 1$ and Martinus 50$, if you charge 50$ you only get Martinuses to pay you, piracy or not. If you won't get profit in such environment, you're not good enough and should change your job. Period.

Sales are excellent example.

[Admiral Yi]

Only if you let people pay the price they think is justified. It's called free market.

No it's not.  In a free market no one is forced to sell anything.

[Josquius]

It always makes me cringe when people try to hand wave their criminal acts as benign

Where the fuck did I say that?
If you would learn to actually read you'd see I was speaking about how companies exagerate their losses due to piracy, nothing at all on the rights and wrongs of it.

You know what - when someone steals a package of meat off the shelf of the supermarket, the store doesn't consider it a "lost sale".

But they do fucking consider it theft.

Because it is. They had something, they no longer have it, someone else does.
Pirating software is still illegal but analogising it directly to physical theft doesn't work.

[Warspite]

If I go and buy ten games at full price and 9 of them turn out shitty, I will feel cheated even if the 10th one is awesome. Sure, caveat emptor and all that, but from a moral standpoint, I see this as a swindle that is as morally reprehensible on the producer's part as pirating 10 games is on the user's part.

So basically, what you are saying is that developers need to develop Martinus utility functions in order to determine which games you will not feel morally obligated to steal?

Seriously, this is what you take from my two posts on this? You are a fucking cretin.

Producing games that, according to you, are not very good, is not at all morally on par with stealing. If nothing else, your opinion of the game does not imply any sort of immoral behaviour on the part of the publisher at all.

The correct, morally sound course of action if you are so risk averse is to not buy the game, or perhaps use this thing called the "Internet" where one can find a whole swath of legitimate user opinion.

[Admiral Yi]

I agree with Squeeze.  Not every case of pirating is a lost sale.  Some are, some aren't.

[Razgovory]

It always makes me cringe when people try to hand wave their criminal acts as benign

Where the fuck did I say that?
If you would learn to actually read you'd see I was speaking about how companies exagerate their losses due to piracy, nothing at all on the rights and wrongs of it.

It sounded like a justification.  Okay, what evidence do you have of this?

[Martinus]

If I go and buy ten games at full price and 9 of them turn out shitty, I will feel cheated even if the 10th one is awesome. Sure, caveat emptor and all that, but from a moral standpoint, I see this as a swindle that is as morally reprehensible on the producer's part as pirating 10 games is on the user's part.

So basically, what you are saying is that developers need to develop Martinus utility functions in order to determine which games you will not feel morally obligated to steal?

Seriously, this is what you take from my two posts on this? You are a fucking cretin.

Producing games that, according to you, are not very good, is not at all morally on par with stealing. If nothing else, your opinion of the game does not imply any sort of immoral behaviour on the part of the publisher at all.

The correct, morally sound course of action if you are so risk averse is to not buy the game, or perhaps use this thing called the "Internet" where one can find a whole swath of legitimate user opinion.

I repeat what I said. You are a goddamn cretin.

[Razgovory]

Please stop throwing around third world insults.  Iodine deficiency has been eradicated a long time ago in the industrialized world.

[DGuller]

Information wants to be free. IP is such a bullshit concept.

Seems like a valid concept to me.  It's a way people get paid for their work.

Only if you let people pay the price they think is justified. It's called free market.

Time lost due to pirating everything you want is worth some money, but not as much as companies charge for entertainment. Piracy is the answer to overpriced IP goods. The only way to charge accurately is when customers dictate the price. So a teenager gives you 1$ and Martinus 50$, if you charge 50$ you only get Martinuses to pay you, piracy or not. If you won't get profit in such environment, you're not good enough and should change your job. Period.

Sales are excellent example.

Sometimes the Polish jokes just tell themselves.

[Razgovory]

Yeah, that is kinda sad.