PC Game Piracy Examined

[tpex]

here is a very thought provoking article on PC Game piracy, It really "sobered me up," please read the whole thing before shooting your mouth off

Introduction
If there's a single topic that's guaranteed to cause heated debate among PC gamers today, it's piracy and the impact it's having on the PC gaming industry. Almost every gamer you speak to has a strong opinion on this topic, ranging from full support for piracy to total condemnation of it. In the past year in particular this issue has really come to a head, with one major PC game developer after another stepping forward to point to piracy as a clear and present danger to the industry.
As a long-time PC gamer, I have to confess that I've become extremely frustrated with reading the numerous discussions and articles on piracy. PC piracy and related topics such as DRM seem to have become so shrouded in illogical excuses, hysteria, scaremongering and uninformed opinions that having a sensible discussion on the topic is virtually impossible. While it's true to say that it's very difficult to obtain completely accurate and conclusive data on piracy and its impacts, it doesn't help that there are a range of vested interests deliberately spreading misinformation on piracy-related issues.
I decided it was time to compile an article which takes a close look at every facet of PC game piracy with a view to hopefully clarifying the debate with a range of facts. I'm not looking to repeat the same old one-sided, superficial examinations of PC piracy that you'll find everywhere else. What this article does is examine PC game piracy in a logical manner, taking into consideration a range of publicly available evidence to provide an informed view of the current state of play. I encourage those of you who are genuinely interested in this topic to take the time to make your way through this rather long but thorough article, as I believe it provides a great deal of food for thought for those willing to read it.

To read the rest follow the link
http://www.tweakguides.com/Piracy_1.html

[Azimuth]

please read the whole thing before shooting your mouth off]

It's pretty damn long, but absolutely worth the time. Really. I challenge every one of you to read this article in its entirety.

[larch]

However firstly we need to consider how we got into this situation in the first place. Newton's Third Law of Motion states: "To every action there is an equal and opposite reaction." Games didn't originally come with any intrusive protection. Over time, as we've seen from the data in earlier sections of this article, piracy has come to reach truly staggering proportions, and imposes various costs and risks on developers and publishers. Faced with the extreme situation of potentially more people pirating a game than there are legitimate purchasers, and thus the vast majority of their 'customers' being people who are free riders that contribute absolutely nothing, indeed many of them even drawing on expensive tech support resources for games which they've pirated, games companies have resorted to DRM as an equally extreme response.

I called it like it is...

http://www.tweakguides.com/Piracy_8.html

[Venom]

Man that was a read ...Realy something else changed my entire mindset .
This should be Framed some where .A truly awesome read .
If you are going to read it read the entire thing.

[Stefan9]

Just a suggestion can we please have a centralised thread on piracy and all its issues. Do we really need all these different threads dealing with the same basic issue??

[larch]

Just a suggestion can we please have a centralised thread on piracy and all its issues. Do we really need all these different threads dealing with the same basic issue??

That's a pretty good suggestion we already have zomg x10 thread regarding the very same topic.

[tpex]

Just a suggestion can we please have a centralised thread on piracy and all its issues. Do we really need all these different threads dealing with the same basic issue??

well 1st this is quite a hectic article, I didn't want to post it in another thread, since I want people to read it, as to other stuff I have posted, my intention was not to start and argument, I was simply bringing news, and to post more news in the middle of an argument would be pointless. sorry if it sounds like I'm attacking you, I do relies its just a suggestion

and larch I wonder if you bothered to read the whole thing?

[Strategist01]

I read up to the beginning of page four...but then I couldn't go any further - My mind was too distracted. Looks like a very good article though. Thank you.

[Necuno]

Just a suggestion can we please have a centralised thread on piracy and all its issues. Do we really need all these different threads dealing with the same basic issue??

the f***ing thing is already linked in another thread, but these days its quite fashionable to make your own ZOMG pirate thread. maybe you should try it too.

I'd like to direct everyone to this excellent article on piracy, supplied by TPex in the comments section under the article. It's a substantial read, but I challenge every one of you to read it in its entirety before posting here again.

TPex
on 25/02/2010 02:39:56
@Blackbeard
I dare you to read this whole article, it really changed my out look (you might like it to tarryn)
http://www.tweakguides.com/Piracy_1.html

this is why i thought

i would have to ask how many more threads are we going to have on the whole piracy vs drm vs the people ?

maybe its time for a sticky.... Piracy vs Drm vs The People FIGHT !

[Fivel]

the f***ing thing is already linked in another thread, but these days its quite fashionable to make your own ZOMG pirate thread. maybe you should try it too.

Such aggression so early on a Sunday...tut, tut