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PC Game Piracy Examined

By on December 12, 2008 10:43:35 AM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums External Link

ToJKa

Join Date 02/2008
+9

Seeing as piracy and DRM are a hot topic on these boards, i thought this might spark an interesting conversation.

Mr. Kouroush Ghazi, the owner of the Tweak Guides website, has published an extensive article on PC game piracy, it's reasons, scale, and effects.

Give it a read, it's a well thought out, unbiased article.

 

 

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January 1, 2009 9:48:14 AM from Elemental Forums Elemental Forums

@Ellestar -I did not go after the author at all nor his credibility because the argument is flawed on its merits. Moreover don't I need to Google a proverb or some similar phrase to disprove something I know to be false empirically.

Anyway, I fail to clearly understand why many people think integrity and honesty are two different things when one is an absolute function of the other in my opinion.

You may also consider taking your own advice instead of claiming "self-ownage". Additionally common knowledge or sense is not as common as you might think. It, oddly enough, happens to be situational.

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January 1, 2009 11:02:30 AM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

"Locks keep honest people honest" has some truth in it, there is a finnish proverb "opportunity makes a thief" (semi-accurate translation). In other words there are opportunists, if there is an opportunity to get something for nothing with little risk of getting caught, they will take it. You lock your door when you leave the house not because of burglars but opportunists; burglars are determined enough to break the door, opportunist are not.

This is what piracy is about, many of the "casual pirates" propably wouldn't try to steal a game from a store because the risk of getting caught is much higher than downloading something from the internet, and thus many would propably stop if there was a credible threat of being punished for piracy.

I heard in USA internet connections will be cut from people suspected of piracy, same has happened here in Finland. Problem is, how to tell apart legal traffic from illegal one, there is legal traffic on p2p-networks too. That will lead to mistakes, and the mistakes will undermine the credibility of the threath.

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January 1, 2009 11:10:26 AM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Quoting Luckmann,

Also, if you really want to pick a fight, I could always raise the argument that life is in no way essential.

Oh, it's beautiful, please, do share! I'm not being a smart-ass, I'd love to hear this.

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January 1, 2009 1:57:08 PM from Elemental Forums Elemental Forums

@ToJKa - I'm not saying that opportunists don't exist. What I am saying is that people with REAL integrity are not opportunists. I will concede that many "honest" people are opportunists.  I will also concede that many people who think they are honest are self delusional. I concede those notions with the caveat that people are so, now, because of modern social conditioning via pop culture and general media. In short, I'm simply saying that REAL honest people do not allow the situation to dictate the direction of their moral compass so to speak.

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January 1, 2009 5:19:31 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Quoting Spartan,

You give me far too much credit brother but given I hold a degree in justice, I'll take your comment as a compliment and validation of my training. Anyway, I'm glad to hear your update went as expected.

You are so self-indulgent it is nauseating to even read what you type, seriously stop acting as if you are better than everyone on internet forums... you just come off as an idiot who likes to impress other idiots with your impecable sentence structure and platitudinous remarks.

P.S. Thanks, I'm also not banned in case you were wondering.

P.P.S. I'm not your brother.

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January 1, 2009 6:47:22 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

One is a thief, the other is a cowardly thief.

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January 1, 2009 9:18:19 PM from Elemental Forums Elemental Forums

Quoting Ellestar,
Exactly. Sarcasm is not a valid argument, so you lose. No, i'm not interested in trolling so i don't want to discuss if life is essential or it isn't.
Sarcasm in itself isn't an argument at all and often just an attempt to make a point by reflecting over arguments themselves. Needless to say, you assume that I was trying to win something. You were mistaken.

Quoting tommyth3cat,
You are so self-indulgent it is nauseating to even read what you type, seriously stop acting as if you are better than everyone on internet forums... you just come off as an idiot who likes to impress other idiots with your impecable sentence structure and platitudinous remarks.
[...]

He doesn't need to act like he's better than everyone else, nor would I say that he tries to act better than everyone else. He's merely better than you, and you are hardly a good measurement of which all others are judged (although granted, overall, the average population is arguably worse).

Quoting USSENTERNCC1701E,
Oh, it's beautiful, please, do share! I'm not being a smart-ass, I'd love to hear this.
By just saying it, I did kinda raise the point. It's a rather futile argument in itself, because ultimately, life is essential to hold this argument at all - but that in itself (the argument) is also non-essential.

To no great suprise, my favourite Baldur's Gate character was Xan. It was always a pity he never returned in the sequels.

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January 1, 2009 11:11:06 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Quoting Luckmann,
He doesn't need to act like he's better than everyone else, nor would I say that he tries to act better than everyone else. He's merely better than you, and you are hardly a good measurement of which all others are judged (although granted, overall, the average population is arguably worse).

Can I be in this cool club you have going? I really want to be so arrogant that every word I type is an insult to the lesser folk who don't spend months trolling these forums to be in the cool clique. 

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January 1, 2009 11:31:43 PM from Elemental Forums Elemental Forums

Quoting tommyth3cat,
Can I be in this cool club you have going? I really want to be so arrogant that every word I type is an insult to the lesser folk who don't spend months trolling these forums to be in the cool clique. 
No.

  ( )

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January 2, 2009 4:33:30 AM from Elemental Forums Elemental Forums

 

I feel so mature after reading this last bit, shouldn't be too hard to solve.

 

For the honesty proverb.  It's somewhat sensible, but it is indeed inaccurate.  A lock does keep an honest person honest, yes, but they are slightly more than that.  A simple notice saying please leave off the fucking door knob would do just as much if that were true.  The saying is just meant to convey the reality that no lock is foolproof and most aren't even a hindrance.  It has nothing to do with honesty at all, an honest person just happens to be the only one affected by the lock on a sure basis.  To an honest person, it's a signal notifying them to fuck off, as opposed to a barrier they have to get through.

 

Tommy.  Panties.  Fix.

 

I'd say they're in a bunch, but you're way past that.  It's the internet, stop responding to his wonderful sense of humor with whining.  Call him a cunt punting assfucker and be done with it already.

Not "you" but "pirates".

Industry thinks that there is enough proof that pirates are guilty and they do make a decisions. If you don't want to prove anything to industry, just don't do it and never talk about DRM and piracy   It's that simple   Everyone will agree to disagree.

 

 

In which case I'd be happy with the situation.  Do explain where exactly EA is only making the pirates prove their innocence?  Perhaps you enjoy a good assraping every now and then?

 

If I have to play phone tag with EA reps for a week to get my game reactivated, how am I not being forced to prove my innocence in a crime they can't even prove is hurting them?  I've already explained this in multiple previous posts, piracy isn't a one way street.  Pirates buy games because of piracy, this is as inarguable as the fact that some pirates might have bought instead of pirating, for the exact same reason.  It's the level that is unknown.  Until some shittard executive bothers checking into that well known phenomenon, I'm telling them to fuck themselves when they tell me to prove I'm not a pirate at their convenience.

 

After they prove they're suffering from it, I'll reevaluate my standards.

 

Also, sarcasm has dethroned kings.  A little thing like winning an argument on the internet is, if anything, beneath it's power.

 

Someone being a psychiatrist wouldn't help their cause either, arguing over whether they're all idiots or not is impossible because the populace is fucking retarded though.  They haven't figured out that the massive rise in mental problems are simple cause and effect following the rise of modern psychobabble.  Since you seem to put great store in a degree, you'll be equally brain dead.

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January 2, 2009 5:33:59 AM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Quoting psychoak,
 

Tommy.  Panties.  Fix.

 

I'd say they're in a bunch, but you're way past that.  It's the internet, stop responding to his wonderful sense of humor with whining.  Call him a cunt punting assfucker and be done with it already.

 

I hadn't known you can talk that much shit and get away with it or I would have done just that... most forums I visit moderate you into oblivion for being that honest.

So in that case fudge off.

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January 2, 2009 5:38:43 AM from Elemental Forums Elemental Forums

I'm pretty sure I'm not supposed to get away with it, the consequences aren't really a factor in my decision process though.  Why they haven't banned me yet is a question I'll probably never answer.

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January 2, 2009 7:24:44 AM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

rofl im like...

rofl

i have no idea what its about anymore.... .. just ..lmao atm

theres pirate lovers and pirate haters,  and alot fo those in between >.> 

 

and until people get the brains to think their own story b4 blindly following what sounds nice or gives them something they like "gasm"   i guess it's pointless argueing

so back to my point

rofl.. im like.. roflmao

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January 2, 2009 4:36:58 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

I love how someone modded my fuck yet psychoak remains untouched lolol

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January 3, 2009 2:44:49 AM from Elemental Forums Elemental Forums

I even got Karma for it...  Luckmann should be ashamed, bad behavior is supposed to be discouraged!  Perhaps it was for the creative wording.

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January 3, 2009 6:30:26 AM from Elemental Forums Elemental Forums

Quoting psychoak,
 
If I have to play phone tag with EA reps for a week to get my game reactivated, how am I not being forced to prove my innocence in a crime they can't even prove is hurting them?  I've already explained this in multiple previous posts, piracy isn't a one way street.  Pirates buy games because of piracy, this is as inarguable as the fact that some pirates might have bought instead of pirating, for the exact same reason.  It's the level that is unknown.  Until some shittard executive bothers checking into that well known phenomenon, I'm telling them to fuck themselves when they tell me to prove I'm not a pirate at their convenience.

Blah blah blah. You're still trying to vote with words and publishers don't care. Vote with your wallet if you want to be convicing. When publishers will decide that the number of people who will not buy a game because of protection will be bigger than a number of people who will pirate the game if there will be no protection, they'll remove the protection. That is, never

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January 3, 2009 7:40:35 PM from Elemental Forums Elemental Forums

You assume far to much.  The ability to type does not negate a previously standing boycott of a company, I like arguing.

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January 4, 2009 7:12:16 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Vote with your wallet if you want to be convicing.

This system works well, and goes both ways.

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January 5, 2009 1:31:36 AM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Quoting ToJKa,
"Locks keep honest people honest" has some truth in it, there is a finnish proverb "opportunity makes a thief" (semi-accurate translation). In other words there are opportunists, if there is an opportunity to get something for nothing with little risk of getting caught, they will take it. You lock your door when you leave the house not because of burglars but opportunists; burglars are determined enough to break the door, opportunist are not.

 

ACtually, if you leave your car running, unlocked, with the key in it - and to go buy something at a store for example, I do believe whoever nabs it can't be at fault in Danish legislation.

Something about tempting "weak souls". Don't quote me on it, but it seems relevant to your proverb.

 

Also, psychoak, good post.

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