In defence of piracy

[Baalzamon]

mZuzek said:

Baalzamon said:

What is it that makes you feel you are entitled to that game? Why do you feel such an urge to assure others that this is ok? It is theft, plain and simple. I don't quite frankly care how much video games cost in any one region, if they aren't within your budget...then you shouldn't be playing video games.

Yeah, but that's the thing... if someone can't afford a game, they won't buy it. At that point, what difference does it make whether they play it ilegally or don't? The only difference it makes is to the enjoyment of that particular person, and nothing else. You can say "oh but that person would've otherwise bought the game when they had the money", and well, that's not always true. There's loads of people who wouldn't buy the game anyway... it's not about feeling "entitled" to play it, it's just about having a good time. I'm not saying piracy is okay, of course it's not. There's a lot wrong with it. But there are good things that can come from it, too.

Of course, in your extreme example, no good would come out of it, but reality isn't extreme.

You're totally right.

If one person makes $40,000 a year and can afford 5 games, and another person makes $30,000 a year and cannot afford any games, the ONLY solution to this is the $30,000 person should be able to illegally download these games and still play them. After all, what difference does it make.

It is their right in life to live the exact same lifestyle (including which video games are available to them) as the person who makes more money than them.

While society has deemed certain things a right for all people to enjoy (we certainly strive to assist the poor so they can afford food, housing, healthcare, but are by no means perfect in this venture). But I believe the mass majority of people would say we have no business including video games in these buckets.

The difference it makes it is nullifies a giant chunk of how the economy runs, which is that people who make more money can buy more things (obviously there are lots of variables to this). It also is completely and totally unfair to people like myself who actually save up money for every single game that I purchase. Meanwhile, you just go and download the game, and never had to think twice about saving for it.

I completely and totally understand being jealous of those who make more and have more than you'll ever have. I've seen those people around me my entire life, and occasionally had thoughts that it just doesn't seem fair.

What I won't deal with though, is somebody trying to tell me that their theft doesn't make a difference. It absolutely steals from the creator of the game who isn't being compensated in any way for that copy of the game. It absolutely is unfair to the people who choose not to break the law and have to save up for the games that they buy.

Go on pirating your games, but for crying out loud, stop saying it has no impact on anybody else.