What is a bad game and what is a good game is subjective, I think Mass Effect 1 is a pretty bad game and everyone else think's it's fantastic. If I like RPG's and hate FPS games, that doesn't make the FPS game's bad. People pirate because they can, nothing's stopping them and if you think there is any sort of guideline that they follow then I think your wrong. It's getting worse as well, Steam has got the PC back on track (kinda) but everyone I know who has a Wii has it modded with hundreds of games installed on their hard drive.

Pirates that just pirate everything they can? Yes, I knew some. It must be an obsessive-compulsive thing, how on earth could they properly play all the games, let alone appreciate them?

Yeah i agree on some level. i mean i dont mind paying like £40 or $60 for something like Assassins Creed 2 on release, but there are parts of the world where these prices must be staggerring.

i dont mean to sound condascending, but i think its unfair that we can enjoy these experiences because we're priviliged enough to live in the EU or US etc, but there are people who cant. anyway i'm staying that i agree with piracy in those types of countries where as here its not so excusable!

Well I had a pretty poor household xD just me and my mom, i used to pirate games because i didn`t have an allowence or any kind of income. So after i got my ps1 i pirated most games, Even on my birthday i wouldn`t get more then 60 euros or so. But I did buy some games which i absolutely loved, even though i had to wait a year to get it. My reason to pay for games happened after i played FF IX which made me feel guilty about it. But i was only 7 years old back then so it didn`t mean that much to me.

Now that i have a Job and earn my own money i don`t pirate anymore, i just save up for the games that`re worth my money. But i don`t get the same types of games i used to pirate, because they were worth it back then but not anymore when i have to shelve out 60 euros or so.

So i used to fit in the category of someone who payed for great games(IMO) and pirated decent/bad ones.

It also depends if you look at the raw numbers or at the %, good games probably have more pirated games than a bad one in numbers, but a bad one probably has a higher ratio of pirated games in %.

I don't think the contrast between movies and games pirating is a very good one.

A DVD/BR/download film cost significantly less than most games and ECONOMICS is a major factor.

Most pirated films lack the quality of one purchased so it stands to reason that if it is a block buster (or what is considered a good film) they will pay up for the box set. The alternative is to wait for the DVDrip.

The quality of a pirated game is usually on par with the original, like music, and you don't have to wait around for the DVD release for a good copy.

One more thing is that not all consoles face this problem. PCs/x360/PSP -old firmware are far more likely to use pirated software.

You still do make a good point and if you take the comparison with movies out your statement could well stand on it own legs. Even if "bad movies" are pirated more, with gaming the factors are slightly  different.

NB: There was an article on western software piracy somewhere online - it was a reputable site but I can't remember which, where many pirates where invited to leave an opinion or give a reason on why they did it.

So, if you download a game, but never bother to play it. Did the devs lose anything?

On the other hand, I bought a lot of games but don't have the time to play them, leaving quite a few games sealed. The devs certainly got some free money since I never actually use the product and may end up never use the product.

These are just pirate lies once again by thief liars. Personally I don't care if it's a good or bad game, I pirate if I can. So do all my friends.

I have to buy all my X360 games because my X360 isn't modded.

I only buy PC games that require a CD key for online multiplayer.

Everything else I get for free.

oh yes, thats why the PC almost died, because PC games sucked, not because of piracy.

Well what a fascinatingly inane and absurd point of view. Let me retort:

If there were two cars, one a 1980s Ford Taurus and the other a brand new 2011 Acura, parked in the middle of the night with their doors unlocked and keys in the ignition, would you steal the Taurus over the Acura because it is "Bad/Mediocre" in comparison?

Piracy of electronic media is stealing, yet people tend to justify it with a litany of bullshit reasons. The arguments usually go like this:

1. Corporations and the creators have millions, therefore it is okay to steal.

Would you steal from an old woman who you know is a millionaire because she can afford it? Would you drive up to the exclusive neighborhood in your town and rob because they can afford it? Would you embezzle funds from a wealthy person's bank account because they can afford it?

2. The music/movies/games are "Bad/Mediocre," therefore it is alright to steal.

Would you shoplift items such as Tofu and vegetarian dishes that most people turn their noses up at? Would you go into a record store and steal a Vanilla Ice CD?

3. Electronic media should be free and shared.

What incentive would any talented artist, musician, actor, writer, director, or game developer have to create that which you are stealing? Do you expect them to work for milk and cookies? Should they get sunshine stickers for each game they sell?

4. The prices are too high

Then why are you in college? Why would you buy a car that you cannot afford outright? Why do people buy homes?

This level of rationalization is unseen except in prison where everyone is 'innocent.' If you are arguing in favor of piracy, then how are your rationalizations different for your crime, then that of a prisoner with a 25 year sentence for grand theft auto?

Wasn't Final Fantasy Dissidia one of the most pirated games last year? Also, I guess most PC games are mediocre too, right? I believe that the only reason people tend to pirate games is that it is easy and it saves them money. Games that do really well are either on consoles that can't be pirated (ps3), consoles that people are afraid to pirate because of their high risk of system failure (360) or others that target younger gamers (wii. ds), who don't know how to pirate their consoles/handhelds.