No. Gaming is not a neccessity. I wouldn't die without it. Call me a communist or whatever you'd like. We shouldn't live in a society where a rich person has so many more luxuries than a not so wealthy person. I've worked hard every day of my life since I was 14 years old. However, I've come to accept that only a very small fraction of people will ever reach the kindof wealth neccessary to play all the games I like. What you guys are suggesting is that I only buy/rent games. This directly means that I will never be able to play half the games I'd like to play. So it's between never playing the games I like, or "stealing" from a multi-million dollar corporation.

My money is not worth more than anyone else's.  If a person chooses to support a studio they like by purchasing their game, that's a wise decision that they have made. I, however, don't have this luxury. I've been taught a hell of a lot in my life. One of the most important things I was ever taught is that having more money than someon else does not make you special.

So you're basically saying you want your cake and you want to eat it too.

And in your mind, that's fine as long as you do it because there will be other people that buy the game so you don't have to.  As long as it's only you or a small handful full of people, it's alright that you pirate a game. 

Except somehow you don't think you're special?

Again, why should I pay for a game and then you get to get it for free?  I've worked hard for my money too, does that mean I should just take what I want and say fuck you to the people sacrificed so much to bring you that game?

Or I guess it's alright because you're just sticking it to the man?

Yes, just pretend it's not actual people working to feed themselves and their families, working 80+ hours work weeks, sacrificing all their time for 2+ years and just pretend it's actually just nameless suits that spend 20 minutes of their life on a game and it's completely alright.

Again, you are greedy, selfish, inconsiderate, and even a hypocrite for trying to say you don't think you're special.  You aren't a gamer, you're someone tryng to destroy gaming.

twesterm - I'm sorry you feel that way about me bud. I'm just a normal person who really loves to play games. I also don't have the money to spend on the games I want to play. I obviously can't argue with you about this because you are against the very idea of piracy.

Just so you guys know I did end up buying the 360. I have it hooked up in my living room (my other 360 is in my bedroom) and so far it is working just fine.

Do not buy this one.

^already did mate.

Console makers should focus on making unhackable consoles otherwise people will smply continue to do it. I know loads of people who hacked 360s and well these things happen. I had a hacked console in the previous gen and loved it. My comment to you is to just not bother going online just use it as a single player console because although Microsoft rarelycatch people, they do occasionally.

For sure. There's no way I can go online with this console. It's one of the 360's that got banned in the wave after MW2 released.

I wouldn't buy the console from him. Do you even know what type of model he has?

I'm tight for cash right now, but I have no problem doing everything legally.

Right now I own two games, when I am done with a game or its expected future play value is down, I trade the game in at Gamespot.  Recently I got $33 back for Halo ODST which I used to buy Modern Warfare 2, and when I get tired of that and a new game comes out I'll get $30 out of MW2 that I will use to buy another.

I only own one console, and even though there are games on other systems I would like to have, you have to realize that you cant have everything you want in life.

When it comes to games, if you can't afford it then you don't need it, that's what bargin bins are for. When it comes to brand new games the excuse of "can't afford it" doesn't really cut it, it's stealing IMO, you should only pirate old ancient games that you most likely will never see again.