Given the drop off in video game sales over the past few months, one must assume that there has been at least a slight increase in software piracy. Asides from the usual piracy suspects, people struggling to find employment tend not to worry as much about morality or the ramifications on the gaming industry as these are things that do not affect their own wallet. Add to this the holidays which will surely have some burned games nestled within stockings over a fireplace, and you have a game developer’s nightmare.
The most recent XBOX 360 wave of banning users with modded consoles, before the release of Modern Warfare 2 nonetheless, was yet another effort to crack down on the console’s piracy problem and convert those tempted by modding. Even so, piracy on the system lives on as new releases are gobbled up within hours of being leaked on P2P sites. So who is to blame for the piracy which threatens our beloved gaming industry? I know who they are…
Character 1 – “The Virgin”
This person has never pirated in their life and will never do so despite all of the cost-saving benefits and easy availability. The idea of piracy itself pains them to their core and they believe that an angel dies for every torrent downloaded. This is a man of morals who believes that we reap what we sow, that every dog gets its day, that what goes around comes around, that you should treat others as you would wish to be treated, and that payback truly is a bitch. There is no chance of discussing your view on piracy because purity trumps all. This person can be found on Nambla.org.
Yearly Download Range: 0
Downloads: none, only uses Google.
Character 2 – “The Denier”
This is the Catholic-lite version of the The Virgin. The Denier has moments of weakness due to their natural faults as a human being, which includes having a few pops before bedtime just to make them a little sleepy. Despite how much they would like to be like The Virgin, they know they can never be adhere to that type of lifestyle because of their curiosity and greed. The Denier publicly proclaims to have never downloaded even a single mp3 and scolds you for even considering it. Downloaded a full version of a game, you say? Well that is horrendous, and just think about the developers! But in the privacy of their own home this person uses their fair share, albeit a small amount, of pirated software to hold them over. This person can be found using LimeWire or BearShare.
Yearly Download Range: 1gb – 5gb.
Downloads: music, movies, tv shows.
Character 3 – “The Closet Pirate”
This pirate is the one that is afraid to speak of their downloading history in public because of their sizeable library. Their friends and family haven’t the faintest clue of his dirty little secret but inside the pirate loves who they are and wouldn’t change for anyone! They live amongst and consort with likeminded people but still portray themselves in public as wholesome and law-abiding. This person has a novice understanding of torrents and perhaps even FTP. His major weakness is that he is cheap so he rarely pays for something that he can steal.
Yearly Download Range: 5gb – 25gb.
Downloads: music, movies, tv shows, games, applications.
Character 4 – “The Student”
This pirate is able to justify to themselves that what they are doing is not a problem because they don’t have any spare cash, other than for beer. Being fresh out of their parents’ house with only a laptop, they feel that downloading is a normalcy and a necessity in order to survive the rigors of college. They back up their morality by retorting, “That is why I am going to college, so that I can get a good job and therefore be a good member of society and support artists and developers!” They sometimes have a sticker on their laptop. Their bad taste is reflected in their download folder with garish music that will not be remembered past the year and movies that are built on swearing or Angelina Jolie.
Yearly Download Range: 25gb – 200gb
Downloads: music, movies, tv shows, games, applications, pornography.
Character 5 – “The Junkie”
You all know this guy. His homepage is piratebay.org, he swears allegiance to Sweden, and tried to form a piracy-focused political party but claimed the man was holding him down. In addition to all of the t-shirts brandishing his views on piracy and capitalism, he has a surprising breadth of knowledge regarding copyright law. He is the first to tell you where you can download something, sometimes months in advance of release, and that he was one of the first to get it. He has multiple external hard drives. He has switched internet service providers a handful as a result of going over his monthly download limit by hundreds of gigabytes. He read court transcripts from thepiratebay case. Even though he downloads every new game he sees, it would be impossible to finish even a tenth of them.
Yearly Download Range: 200gb – 5tb.
Downloads: anything and everything as long as he is screwing someone over.
Character 6 – Le Croupier
Perhaps the worst of the worst, Le Croupier (the dealer) sells you what you need at a moderate price for his time. Le Croupier can be spotted in his natural habitat sporting an untidy mustache and some sort of racing hat. Walking into his house feels dirty and guilt looms over you upon exiting his shack. While he is not inherently a bad person, he lacks moral fiber as he does not fully appreciate the creativity and effort put into the items he hocks. When confronted with attacks on his morality he reverts to technical jargon to confuse you or cites freedom of speech. His opinion on piracy is that everyone does it, so why shouldn’t he make it easier for you?
Yearly Download Range: as needed.
Downloads: he downloads what you want and sells it to you.
We welcome your opinions on Piracy.
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I’m a dirty pirate LOL !!!!!
So let me get this straight. Despite this being an article about pirating,you have just made significant enemies out of: Blacks, Jews, media corporations, muscicians, footballers, politicians and rednecks. You are lucky this site doesn’t make you leave an address.
I think it’s funny and he’s got a point. A bit angry about it but aren’t we all sometimes when we spend our hard earned money on items that are really overpriced.
So you’re angry at people who run companies to earn profits.
Because people try to earn money you are angry at them?
Yeah, how dare they make money from you and then spend that money on whores, expensive champagne, overpriced celebrity chef food, cars and houses.
They should give it away to Africa.
It’s a good job you can’t see my face as I can’t stop laughing at what I wrote.
LOL !!!!!!
Drop – off in videogame sales the past few months? LOL – WTF are you on about? Just a few weeks ago Modern Warfare 2 broke all first week entertainment launch records selling more than 5 million in it’s first week at retail………how have videogame sales dropped off exactly when they just set a new entertainment record?
As for piracy – anyone stupid enough to steal videogames deserves to get caught and banned. Real gamers buy games the real way.
“Given the drop off in video game sales over the past few months, one must assume that there has been at least a slight increase in software piracy.”
Jeez, who the hell writes this trash?
1. You’re making a huge assumption.
2. MW2 was recently released, EVERYONE and their gran is playing it.
3. It’s the holidays, noone has any money silly!
–
Making a troll article sure gets your website some hits, but it’s a surefire way of making sure those people NEVER frequent your website again.
Goodbye.
Well, if the Junkie was an actual Swede, the point about bandwidth would be pretty mute. Our ISPs rarely talk about that foreign stuff anymore
I haven’t heard about bandwidth limits on connections the past 10 years, easily.
In fact, one of our bigger ISPs just announced a broadband service called XXL or something, simply because files sizes on the web keep getting bigger each day that passes. I wonder what kind of files they are talking about?
i think your download ranges are a bit off. the denier would be way over 5gb a year. that sounds more like a month if they watch more than 3 tv shows that air once a week.
You know, sometimes you don’t want to burn money on a game, and sometimes no demo is available, so whats wrong with a little try before you buy mentality? You wouldn’t buy a new car without a test drive or a house without a tour now would you?
i am somewhere between student and junkie. will i dont sell stuff, but i sure upload alot of shit for other people
I say I’m The Danier, I will do a few things here and there.
@ Chris,
I saw nothing wrong with the article. Also to many of you just because one game Modern Warfare 2 sold many copies doesn’t not mean the game industry is selling a lot.
Don’t worry about what the site posts Chris, if it doesn’t appeal to you, I suggest you find another medium.
consoles they lack features, modability, and openness.
I only pirate to demo something if there is no demo. if i really like it, then I will support the authordevs by giving them money.
Why is number 6 the only one lacking moral fiber? Every single one except the virgin lacks moral fiber. Also, why the HELL did you mock the virgin with the nambla reference? Some people actually WANT to support the developers, and have more to do with their time than play every damn game that comes out, so they can afford to buy a game when they see one they really wanna play, or can wait for discount prices. That Nambla thing was totally immature.
P.S. You clearly are a denier and are upset that disciplined people won’t accept your dumb justifications for stealing video games.
It surprises me how many people actually pirate video games.
You should had taken in the “Critique” who downloads all and everything but goes out to actually BUY what is deemed best, sometimes a couple times for friends and family, be it game music movie, these guys tend to have enough taste and morale to fuck up the bads and pay the goodies
I only pirate to demo something if there is no demo. if i really like it, then I will support the authordevs by giving them money.
I only pirate to demo something if there is no demo. if i really like it, then I will support the authordevs by giving them money.
It surprises me how many people actually pirate video games.
Some people pirate their console games too.
It surprises me how many people actually pirate video games.
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Great article. I do have one question that I’d love to get your advice on though pertaining to the topic. How do you find tweeps who are more on your level of popularity?
For instance, many of the people I follow are business men or tech writers, or even celebrities. While I find their tweets interesting and do try to interact with them, these are not always the best people to build these “meaningful relationships” with.
So how do I find the “smaller” or less popular people on twitter who are interested in the same topics I am and, more importantly, willing to build the same meaningful relationship with me?