I've become annoyed with the mentality of certain "gamers." However, I feel the need to explain myself before continuing. Please bear with me, as this will likely be a fairly lengthy and drawn-out post.

I am a supporter of piracy. I support the freedom of data and information in whatever form it comes. Whether it's a game, a book, music or otherwise, but for the sake of my sanity, I'll refer to gaming piracy, specifically, for the remainder of this post.

When I think of piracy, I think of a library. A place where books which have long since been taken off the shelves can be found. Where new authors, worlds and stories can be discovered. Where interests can be shared and shown.

This ideology of what piracy is, to me, perfect. It is an online archive of memories, of games overlooked, of sentimentality and so very much more.

Some of my absolute favourite games, like Gothic, I discovered thanks to piracy. I remember scrolling over it and thinking, "Oh, this sounds interesting" and downloading it. I fell in love with it and today, I own originals of all three. I've also grown incredibly fond of Piranha Bytes (the developer) because of this, and thanks to this love, I cannot wait for Risen's release in October.

But, I digress. The piracy I support, doesn't harm developers or publishers. It is the knowledge that should I find something I enjoy and that I love, I am guaranteed to buy it. If I play something and it is mediocre and mundane and doesn't appeal to me, then I will not buy it. This is no different to a friend having bought a game, told you it sucks, shown it to you and let you make your own mind up about it. It is my belief that piracy is the best form of word-of-mouth advertising there is for good games, and dreadful for bad games - I consider this fair.

When I was a kid, I had no money and I didn't work, so I couldn't afford games except for every so often. Naturally, I had a love for gaming even then, so I pirated. Would you believe that I own every game I ever pirated, that I could find? From Omikron: Nomad Soul to Deus Ex to Soul Reaver, Grim Fandango and then some. And yes, originals.

These are games that had I not pirated and played as a kid, I would likely never have thought of again. While at the time, I was unable to support those developers, the memory of those games lived on in my mind and a part of me "needed" to have them, to call them mine.

This is where the crux of the matter begins. Those who counterfeit and sell pirated games and those who support them, are, as far as I'm concerned, filth.

You might not think that there's a difference, but there is. While piracy sites like TPB and Demonoid need money to stay afloat, again, much like a library. They pick no bones about what they distribute, nor do they sell or profit from what they distribute. Their money comes from providing a service and the success thereof.

These people who sell pirated and counterfeit games, they are the understandable reason why publishers enforce DRM, why they complain about money that they have lost (because, in fact it is money which they have lost) and I ask you, who gets shafted? The people selling pirated/counterfeit goods, the people who support that or the rest of us who actually have a love for gaming and buy the games? The answer's simple - we, the people who support our beloved developers, get shafted with that rubbish.

I've come to realise that the kinds of people who don't care about that sort of thing, can, if anything, simply be called "casual gamers." Those with no love or interest in the work and effort developers and publishers have gone through to bring you an amazing game. With no appreciation of classics, of the progression of the gaming industry... Those who don't even know the differences between an FPS and an FPS hybrid.

Am I self-righteous? Yes. Am I arrogant? Most definitely. Am I right? Prove me wrong.

I really, truly believe that if a game is too expensive for you to buy, and you'd much rather spend money on a counterfeit, knock-off than support the company you're shafting, then it's time you find a new hobby.