| Impulsivity said: There's a big difference between downloading a new or recent PC/360/Wii/PS3 game and downloading a 25 year old game from a console that is 6 generations obsolete. IP really matters in the short term, not the long term. If you pirate a game today that is new then chances are that developer won't be able to make games like that in the future and you're shooting gaming in the foot. If you pirate a game from the mid 80s it's not like they're not going to make a new Mario game because you didn't pay 10 dollars for super mario bros 1. The idea of buying 10+ year old games is nowhere near the idea of buying brand new games, the arguement is 100% different.
"Piracy" is not really cut and dry. Besides, most of the big SNES hits I'd want to play today I did own WAY back when the SNES was current (except for those like Secret of Mana 2 I couldn't get in the US) I just have no idea where my SNES got to (I think I might have traded it in for a Playstation in 1997); either way I see no reason that it is in any way immoral to not pay for a game you already paid for 20 years ago, or even to download 20 year old games regardless of the state of past payment. I pay for games to ensure that publisher X makes more games like it, I don't pay for old games so companies can milk even more out of something 20 years old that has long sincebeen decided on when it comes to sequels. |
How is it different?
Does the fact that something is old eliminate someone's right not to have their property stolen?
Starwars Episode 4: A New Hope is almost 30 years old, and I used to own a VHS copy of this movie, but in no way does that give me the right to download a Blu-Ray rip of the movie when it comes out; and it doesn't make it overpriced if it is sold at $20 or $30 (or any more over-priced than most movies).
It was one thing to argue that ROMs were legitimate a couple of years ago when hardware was wearing out and there was no (legal) way to play these games; but, being that these companies are making their property available in several legal ways for a minor (by videogame standards) price makes downloading Roms an illegal and (potentially) unethical act.
