did you pirate skyrim?

[Skullrattla]

The problems the large companies are facing will only get bigger, they have just become too big and detached from reality.

They are run by stock holders too old to understand the internet and adjust their business model accordingly.

There is nothing they can do to stop copying, this is what computers and the digital domain are all about.
They have to admit to themselves they are approaching this the wrong way and adjust accordingly.

Many more games and other media would be bought as digital downloads if they were cheap and came with other bonuses that made it worthwhile over the free bittorrent version. They need to figure out a different way to make money, or just ban the internet. In case of movies and music, offer lower quality versions for free or very cheap, for example.

The way forward is for developers and producers to sell their stuff as directly as possible without middlemen, and offer a lot of it for free, and continue to support their fans.
These are mean times and people think twice before spending a bunch of money on a virtual product, like a digital download.

 

[Teritus]

Seriously people whether you agree or disagree to a pirated copy is your choice, there is no need to start slinging off at each other & turning the topic into a massive flame war, which is where it is headed.

I paid for my copy as I was only going to play it on the 360.



I bought my new copy of Skyrim at my local Games store & I only paid $78 for it. A week or so before I paid $220 for MW3 Prestige, but most of my games are bought new & I rarely pay more than $80 for them.

Maybe that's true for you, but i's not quite the same here. Only after a game has been out for some time does it drop down to $80 or so.

 

[redrkt]

The problems the large companies are facing will only get bigger, they have just become too big and detached from reality.

They are run by stock holders too old to understand the internet and adjust their business model accordingly.

There is nothing they can do to stop copying, this is what computers and the digital domain are all about.
They have to admit to themselves they are approaching this the wrong way and adjust accordingly.

Many more games and other media would be bought as digital downloads if they were cheap and came with other bonuses that made it worthwhile over the free bittorrent version. They need to figure out a different way to make money, or just ban the internet. In case of movies and music, offer lower quality versions for free or very cheap, for example.

The way forward is for developers and producers to sell their stuff as directly as possible without middlemen, and offer a lot of it for free, and continue to support their fans.
These are mean times and people think twice before spending a bunch of money on a virtual product, like a digital download.

Really?? have you ever met the stockholders? I happen to have several tech companies in my stock portfolio including but not limited to Microsoft, Apple, and a host of others (I happen to have just turned 53) AND I run my own business on the internet.

So basically what you are saying is that anyone who does business over the internet should give their product away to you for FREE?

One other thing you seem to forget in your GIMME GIMME GIMME statements is that it take people WORKING to create all of this, and I suppose that they should do this for FREE?? Try this, go tell your boss that you will work for free and lets see how long you survive, before you are evicted, run out of food, money and what have you. because that is what you are asking these companies to do.

 

[mellojoe]

I have pirated games before.

And I use it as a free trial to determine if I will purchase the full game later on or not. I played Dues Ex for about two levels before I quit and deleted it. I played all of 2 seconds of Portal before I went out and purchased a retail copy. I purchased Portal 2 sight unseen. I played a bit CoD: Modern Warfare before I went out and purchased it. I purchased MW3 sight unseen. I pirated Spore before I went out and purchased a copy. I pirated Civ V before I remembered why I couldn't get into those games and I deleted it.

So, yes, in the past I have pirated games. But if I am going to play them, I want a real copy. I like having the physical discs in hand. But, I also have a family, a mortgage, and other responsibilities. I can't shell out $60 every week just for a video game. It must be something that I am going to get value out of. So, I test a game, and unfortunately there are only 2 ways to do that: borrow or illegally borrow. I wish more companies would release the first 15 to 30 minutes of gameplay free to try, but since they don't I do this. I have purchsed many games and I will continue to do so, but the reason I play PC games instead of XBox or PlayStation is simply because I already have a PC. I can't justify the cost of a single-use system. Just like I can't justify the cost of $60 for a game I won't play.

Will I continue to pirate games? No. As long as game companies can learn how to do proper previews. Movies don't do text previews, books don't do video previews, and games should learn to do playable previews.

 

[shwick2]

Wow you guys arrr huge pirates. 13.3%? come on buy that game!

Ahahahahh everyone's mad, everyone's REAL mad.

My account on skyrim nexus forums got banned b/c i posted this same poll, so now this is my skyrim forum.

But ya pirating is great, amazing great game skyrim for 0 monies can't go wrong there.

I'm sort of like a tax on everyone else who pays for skyrim, only a 13.3% tax it looks like .

So yeah all you people keep buying games so I don't have to thanks.

 

[XbSuper]

I really think people need to stop using 'priorities' as an excuse. If you don't think spending $60 on a game is a priority, that's fine, don't buy the game, but don't also claim that you are now justified in pirating that game. If you can't afford something, or just don't feel it's worth the cost, then you need to learn to live without that product.

 

[Dagmar]

This isn't addressed at anyone in particular. Just a few observations.

One can reinvent the English language if it makes them feel better but pirating is theft. It doesn't matter whether someone is taking/using tangible or intangible property without the owner's permission, it's still illegal, and using someone else's intellectual property without their permission is no less immoral or illegal than taking a five finger discount at a retail store.

It's exacerbated by the fact that we're talking about a luxury item. We're not talking about people stealing food to eat, or squatting on unused property for shelter, or even siphoning gas from the tank of their rich neighbor's Humvee so they can afford to commute to work. We're talking about breaking the law to play a video game.

People are also kidding themselves if they think they're somehow sticking it to "the man" by stealing corporate property. Corporations simply pass on their losses to the consumer and all one is really doing is sticking it to hard working law abiding consumers when one pirates intellectual property. Let's also not forget that the sheer breadth and depth of pirating of intellectual property very recently almost resulted in the passage of US federal legislation that would have had potentially seriously harmful consequences for all of us.

Related to that, and echoing some of Skullrattla's sentiments, digital content providers need to take a more realistic and innovative approach to dealing with piracy. Doing so doesn't mean they're endorsing the notion that things should be free but rather that they're realistically dealing with the de facto situation that, as a practical matter, it's impossible to prevent high volume piracy because of the nature of their product. By being innovative and figuring out ways to enhance their product or services to get money from people who are already using their product illegally anyway, they'll be serving their and their stockholders' best interests. All things like digital rights management coding and heavy handed regulations do is alienate the legitimate consumers of their products and services, inspire lollerfests among the people pirating their products, and drive some of the former group towards the latter.

 

[Gore gro-Gijakudob]

The amount of talent and dedication that goes into a game such as Skyrim deserves my money. I want and am proud to have an official copy on my shelf. The money invested into such epic games ensures more will come, piracy directly affects this and in the long term damages the industry. I'm not telling anyone what to do, but if you love games, buy the games. By doing so you are keeping truly inspirational games alive, by pirating you are slowly killing it.

 

[Black-Tongue]

I bought my copy, because I think it's morally right and I also have no problem supporting a company that I like.

Illegally downloading something is just a way to skirt around the opportunity cost of using the money for something else, or not at all.

 

[dragonkilla]

Pirating games help developers too.
Read this article on this website it even has the word skyrim in it. In summury it states that pirating help save old games, and it also pushes sells for game devolopers. If ur going to read it read from the "like as on facebook" part.
http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/290705/20120201/why-piracy-shouldn-t-scare-game-developers.htm

 

[dragonkilla]

Really??? are you really that naive?? people only pirate to see if something is worth buying!!!!! LOL LOL LOL thank you very much for the comedy relief tonight. Now wake up and smell the pirated software..... have you ever heard of MEGAUPLOAD???? or The Pirate Bay? AND people don't illegally download music either do they?

Read my post and also read this article from this website which was basically my post
http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/290705/20120201/why-piracy-shouldn-t-scare-game-developers.htm

 

[Dagmar]

Read my post and also read this article from this website which was basically my post
http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/290705/20120201/why-piracy-shouldn-t-scare-game-developers.htm

The author's claim that people who pirate games would never have bought them in the first place is pure speculation and not grounded in reality or facts. Contrast that to the significant decline of retail CD sales for the music industry when music went digital and piracy ran rampant with digital music file swapping and sharing and you get a very different take based in reality and facts that supports the contention that people who pirate products will actually buy them if they cannot pirate them.

 

[Skullrattla]

redrkt

Really?? have you ever met the stockholders? I happen to have several tech companies in my stock portfolio including but not limited to Microsoft, Apple, and a host of others (I happen to have just turned 53) AND I run my own business on the internet.

So basically what you are saying is that anyone who does business over the internet should give their product away to you for FREE?

They are already potentially giving their product away for free, by the fact that that they are selling digital media. They need to find out a different way to make their money or entirely re-structure their business model. Sorry, I didn’t make the internet, if you chose a career in a such a fast-evolving field, deal with it.

Anyway, I was referring more to stockholders in the movie and music industry (a telling term) , who are the ones promoting "anti-piracy" legislation and suggesting links to terrorism and serious crime. You like those FBI warnings at the start of every rented DVD?

One other thing you seem to forget in your GIMME GIMME GIMME statements is that it take people WORKING to create all of this, and I suppose that they should do this for FREE?? Try this, go tell your boss that you will work for free and lets see how long you survive, before you are evicted, run out of food, money and what have you. because that is what you are asking these companies to do.

Personally I don't need to ask Apple or Microsoft or Steam to gimme gimme anything, the more devious their practices (product lock-in) the more people are going to say F U. They seem unable to just sell good stuff without trying to suck you into their system . They constantly operate like we are all dumb, passive consumers.

I can download anything I need right now, and in the foreseeable future, and decide what is worth paying for. And so can many others, that is the fact. If you put stuff out that can be copied , and gets copied en masse, take it as a compliment, 'cause there is not much else you can do about it.

It is the companies that need to get their head round this and decide what to do.
But, turning donwloading copyrighted materials into a criminal offense is WRONG and will not work out. It will just incite people to "pirate" more and lose respect for the companies.

Steam has actually nearly got it right with their pricing and gaming service, if they stopped forcing updates on people they would hit the spot.

The entire point of my argument is that it is wrong to support the prosecution of individuals downloading stuff for their own use. Throwing around the "Piracy is Theft" argument may just promote that. Get real. Digital media is not the same as finite physical goods that can actually be stolen.The only way you could call it theft is if the pirate actually deleted all data from the company's storage, including backup drives and servers.

This isn’t about justifying "piracy". As I see it there is no harm done. Nobody's livelihood is destroyed because of The Pirate Bay. Unless they were real jerks who tried to profit from what was not worth paying for in the first place.

 

[Skullrattla]

Photoshop and Adobe is a great example of how piracy works out OK for the company if the product is worth it.

 

[BFP53]

I bought mine because I Took an Arrow in the Knee.

 

[Lee]

I bought Skyrim because I want my money to contribute to the production of Fallout 4. Nothing more to say.

 

[redrkt]

redrkt


They are already potentially giving their product away for free, by the fact that that they are selling digital media. They need to find out a different way to make their money or entirely re-structure their business model. Sorry, I didn’t make the internet, if you chose a career in a such a fast-evolving field, deal with it.

Anyway, I was referring more to stockholders in the movie and music industry (a telling term) , who are the ones promoting "anti-piracy" legislation and suggesting links to terrorism and serious crime. You like those FBI warnings at the start of every rented DVD?



Personally I don't need to ask Apple or Microsoft or Steam to gimme gimme anything, the more devious their practices (product lock-in) the more people are going to say F U. They seem unable to just sell good stuff without trying to suck you into their system . They constantly operate like we are all dumb, passive consumers.

I can download anything I need right now, and in the foreseeable future, and decide what is worth paying for. And so can many others, that is the fact. If you put stuff out that can be copied , and gets copied en masse, take it as a compliment, 'cause there is not much else you can do about it.

It is the companies that need to get their head round this and decide what to do.
But, turning donwloading copyrighted materials into a criminal offense is WRONG and will not work out. It will just incite people to "pirate" more and lose respect for the companies.

Steam has actually nearly got it right with their pricing and gaming service, if they stopped forcing updates on people they would hit the spot.

The entire point of my argument is that it is wrong to support the prosecution of individuals downloading stuff for their own use. Throwing around the "Piracy is Theft" argument may just promote that. Get real. Digital media is not the same as finite physical goods that can actually be stolen.The only way you could call it theft is if the pirate actually deleted all data from the company's storage, including backup drives and servers.

This isn’t about justifying "piracy". As I see it there is no harm done. Nobody's livelihood is destroyed because of The Pirate Bay. Unless they were real jerks who tried to profit from what was not worth paying for in the first place.

OK, so you go spend the time and effort to code over a billion lines of code to create a game that you think people will like, then put it on the internet (for sale) where any Joe Schmoo can download it and not pay for it. Now, you have spent several years, and numerous amounts of money to do this (I am sure you don't work for free), but wait, it's ok if someone pirates your intellectual content, after all you did it for everyone right?
Who cares that you put your hard work, sweat, and total budget into creating this, it should be free.....

but I guess when you sit at home in your mommy and daddy's basement living off their dime it really doesn't matter does it, after all, it doesn't hurt anyone's livelihood does it?

If I make something, put it up for sale (regardless of whether it is digital or physical) and you STEAL it to use without paying for it, you are taking money out of MY pocket, and homey don't play that.

And who do you think the stock holders are? Only people in suits and ties sitting in some office somewhere? NOT, the majority of stock holders are your average joe, working a full time job(or retired) who put their hard earned money in the market, hoping to make a little money to retire (or live on if already retired), mainly people like your parents, and grandparents who are trying to make their lives (and yours) better in the long run, but that's ok, you don't mind stealing from them right?

 

[Skullrattla]

Hey redrkt, I guess you aren't talking to me directly here, and you are using "you" in a non-specific manner.

The kids in basements (the internet is clearly infested) obviously would not have bought the game in the first place.

I just don't see "piracy" hurting the game business. We need look no further than Skyrim and its success.

I don't know, was Skyrim released too early and with so many bugs because the developers aren’t getting payed enough to do the extra work because of piracy?

Who is it that leaks stuff before it is even released?

Why doesn't Apple include any DRM on its Mac OS install disks? (You can just clone or image the disk forever, no encryption, no registration required)


Dagmar wrote

One can reinvent the English language if it makes them feel better but pirating is theft.

Actually it is Hollywood and the pushers of DRM that have reinvented the English languange so that the extra definition of piracy as copyright infringement has been added to some American-English dictionaries.

 

[Opium_Bunny]

I would love for someone to post a link or an article that states Piracy ACTUALLY affects the gaming industry and provides economic damage to the producers and developers. Because all I hear is a lot of whining.

Also it is not theft because you are not "taking" something, you are copying something..there is a difference. You are not preventing a sale because there is no saying if the product would have been bought were it not for the piracy in the first place.

When you physically steal something, the business directly loses a supply they have to shell out of their own pockets to make up. Just because capitalism says something is illegal does not mean such actions are justified/deemed wrong. Weed and gay marriage are both good examples, we all know all this spew about breaking the law are going to shell out some bad apples...it is the same thing.

 

[Opium_Bunny]

BTW this reminds me...So I was in South Korea on business, and the coworkers and I decided to go to the movie theaters. Lo and behold they were showing copyrighted reels of Midnight in Paris! There was that random scrawling text at the bottom that was like "property of blah blah". There were nervous chuckles all around.