1. People who make games don't exactly live a life of luxery.  They live better than people that work at McDonalds or in 3rd world countries, but that's hardly their fault, hardly a life of luxury, and hardly justification to steal from them.
2. It's nice and all to be hippy and talk about money being the root of all evil blah blah blah, but you do realize you can't get something for nothing?  It takes money to make all those games you love stealing.
3. That's right, my money could be donated to the poor but the thing is it's my money.  I work for it so I can choose what to waste it on.  I do donate to various charities and as mrStickball pointed out so do the large corporations you seem to love to hate but I also choose to spend money on games.  It's my choice.  If I want to play games I have to pay the price.
4. Do you donate every cent you make to the poor?  I doubt it since you have such frivolous things such as a computer, pot, and an internet connection.  Do you know how greedy that is?  While you're spending at least $30 a month on a worthless internet connection someone is starving to death.  Someone could live with that $30.  Please don't go around pretending to be so rightous when we all know you spend money on yourself too.
   
5. It's funny you keep talking about the poor people in third world and how they can't afford games yet you live in California where the cost of living is stupid high, you're overpaid for everything, and since you live in the luxury of the US you should be able to pay for games.  Or would that be bad but paying for internet and a gaming console isn't?
6. You aren't refusing some huge corporation money, you're refusing the people that brought you that game you stole money.  You're taking away from people that are giving you something.
7. Finally, we aren't living in the dirt because you pirated one of our games because luckily there are good people that do buy them.  Still though, most developers receive some sort of royalty for games based on sales and their pay reflects that royalty.  It's kind of like how waiters are with tips (though not to that extreme).

twesterm, just to break this up a bit, where do you stand with the used games market? It's far more disruptive to earning a living as a game maker than pirating is, and yet it's a legal way of doing things. Do you oppose used games or do you welcome them?

Actually, as bitchy as I am about pirating I'm fine with used and borrowed games.

With used games, you're still paying for them at least and the game is still getting a sale. That sale at least tells the developer it's still popular and people like the game. True, I would much rather you buy it new but I can completely understand buying used games. Buying used games is no different than buying second hand furniture or anything like that.

As for borrowing games, I don't have a problem with that. With borrowers, I assume it's between two people that both regularly buy games. Again, I'd much rather the person just buy the game but I completely don't mind people borrowing.

Now making copies, that is completely different. There's a fine fine line and that is crossing it.

I agree there's a line, but your argument against pirating doesn't support the relevance of crossing that line. I asked you because you were hell bent to prove that this affects the pockets of game developers and yet you seem ok with more pressing matters to your own wallet, like the used games market. It's not that I'm saying used games and pirating games are in the same boat, but in regards to your arguments against pirating they surely are.

The truth of the matter is, pirating isn't stealing. If it were stealing they would call it that. Pirating, as someone already pointed out, is illegal sharing. Walking into a store and filling games down your pants is stealing. Pirating is a grey line, that may or may not be stealing depending on the person. Only if the person would have bought the game otherwise does it really count as stealing, because you're not actually getting the exact same product they sell in stores. It's a copy.

To break this down, do you have any problems with a game owner making a single back-up copy of a game they paid for? If no, then I ask, do you have a problem with that same person giving his single back-up to a friend to keep?

The used game market is a little fuzzy but I'm fine with it because:

1. The game is still being sold and shows that people want this game.  When a publisher sees a game sells well it looks good for that developer and means they will want to work with them more and be more flexible for their next game.
2. You're still paying for the game which is still a far step from paying nothing for it.  Like I said, I would rather you buy the game new because I get the money but buying used still makes me happy because at least you're still respecting the developers.
3. If there was in fact something wrong with selling used games, it would be just as illegal as pirating games.

And I don't care if you make a backup of a game you own for backup's sake.  You can even let your friend hold it as long as they don't play it.  If they want to play the game let them play your original (or whatever your play copy is) or make them buy it.

Also, pirating is not a gray line.  It is not some opinion and wrong depending on the person, it is just flat out wrong.  People give stupid reason after stupid reason to justify it but that doesn't make it right.  Even the excuse you gave up there about the person not buying it is bullshit (I'll get into why tomorrow if you want me to but I'm tired at the moment) and just another justification.

OMG! I'm telling on you!

Are you saying used game sales appear in charts such as Vgchartz's and NPD's??

Agreed... People who are pirates today may become buyers tomorrow, when they have the money and possibility to start buying games. But of course, this won't stop the guys who look at bittorrent sites and go "OMG, we're losing billions". It goes right back to what I said about piracy not being equal to stealing. Let's all stop pretending it is.

I'm pretty sure the used games market hurts the industry more than piracy. It's just a hunch, but a pretty likely one.

Who cares about people pirating and buying pirated games, I dont see any game developers crawling around in the dirt looking for food and having to drink filthy poluted water from the effects of their games being pirated.

Quite honestly if I could steal all my music, movies and games, I would!

I'm just saying, stealing games is like the smallest sin you can do, even smaller than being an illegal immigrant (they pay taxes but don't get benefits so they're actually helping the economy, even now as it collapses). We should worry about these problems after we've solved health care, unemployment, homelessness, sexism, and war.

I've never even seen a pirated game in person.