[INTERESTING ARTICLE; See Page 8] Discussion: Thoughts on Piracy

[Kreekakon]

Note: Since piracy is a bit touchy here on Frictional, I PM'd Traggey to make sure it was okay, and he approves.

Here's a topic that's been bugging me for some time, so I thought I'd bring it up for discussion.

Piracy. Be it software piracy, movie piracy, or music piracy, this method, I dare to say, has been used by most people at least once to acquire electronic files without properly paying for them.

So what do you all think on the subject? Is it entirely wrong? Is there a proper justification for it? Does it help, or hurt the profits for the developers? Why do we do it?

I'll start off by offering a bit of my thoughts, which in this case is why I do it. I pirate things simply because I can, and also because the thing I'm pirating is probably too expensive. I don't do it as a act of retaliation against companies, or as any form of ideal. I do not do it for any sort of "noble cause". In fact, I don't really like people who say that they are actually pirating some some sort of higher cause. It is just done. Simply put, it is free for taking, and there is hardly a risk to it, so why not?

Still, I realize that developers have taken a lot of time in making, say a game, and frankly speaking, you feel a whole lot better buying the thing, and supporting them. However, "supporting developers", and "feeling better" doesn't exactly come cheap. So usually, I will buy a game if I believe the game to be worth the very hefty amount of money. Otherwise, if I want to play a game, but think that it's worth much too much compared to my desire to play, I just pirate it. If it becomes cheaper later, and is "on par" with my wanting of the game, I might buy it then.

Also, just think for a moment: Even though piracy may shut down a great deal of profits, it is in turn generating more knowledge, and accessibility of the product to consumers. Some of these people would have never even heard of some of these products if piracy did not exist, and in my opinion will help out a company/creator in the long run now that more people have found out about them, and are willing to support them in the future, or even right away after then found out they pirated a masterpiece which deserves to be supported.

That being said though, I don't like it when people just mindlessly download stuff they love but will never support, not even if they have the money for it. To me that seems like betrayal to the people who worked hard to entertain you.

Those are a bit of my thoughts. What are yours? Discuss away.