| TheRealMafoo said: Wow, and your an economics major? :) We don't NEED entertainment, we want it. It's why it's called entertainment. It's things that make us happy. We want new entertainment because we like new things. As for the "Society as a whole, I argue (and you probably don't) most likely comes out of it richer than it would without piracy." This is the same argument against a socialist economy vs a capitalist one... The best video game ever made, has yet to be made. The best movie ever made, has yet to be made. The best song ever written, has yet to be written. If you remove the ability to make a profit, the people who make these games/movies/music, will stop making them. Music is debatable, but definitely the other two aren't. Because there is less money in it, less entertainment exists in the world, and due to that, I say Society as a whole, I argue (and you probably don't) most likely comes out of it poorer than it would without piracy. |
Yeah, I know, I can hardly believe that I'm studying economics either.
But what about the gains you DO get from free entertainment for those who cannot afford to pay? Should you really exclude those from the discussion? My argument is that since it doesn't cost anything to make those extra copies, even if we lose some value because of that, the total value gains outweighs the losses. I have no proof of this, and that is why I can understand that you argue against this. On the other hand, I believe it would be very difficult for anyone to produce a good proof of the opposite.
I also argue that most of the money that is not spent on entertainment is spent on other things - food, housing, travelling etc. So for almost every decision against spending money on games you see a purchase of something else. It still hurts the entertainment industry, I know, but it doesn't hurt society as a whole.
At least, this is how I look at it. The problem of the entertainment industry losing money is still there and it is the only real valid argument against piracy. It's also the reason I do not wholeheartedly support piracy, and spend money on games, music and movies.
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