I know this opinion is wildly unpopular, but I think pirating is unethical. If you can’t afford something, or you disagree with spending money for it, then fine. Don’t watch that show/listen to that song/play that game. But the people who make things deserve to get paid. It’s not right to refuse to pay for something while also consuming that content. Many of the justifications for pirating just feel like entitlement to me.
I agree in 98% of cases. There are some cases (and this is splitting hairs so i apologize) where i’m fine with it. I think preservation for some near lost media that hasn’t been purchasable for a long time (and maybe is tied to 30-40 year old hardware that isn’t supported or buyable from the producing company anymore) i think is an exception i’m willing to make. This is particularly prevalent to older games that are tied to long defunct devices that aren’t supported anymore like very old dos games.
But I’m also of the opinion those things shouldn’t have to be “pirated” in the first place and if you haven’t offered the ability to acquire it legally in decades it should fall into public domain.
Gabe Newell made some insightful comments about how “piracy is not a pricing issue. It’s a service issue” and people have really been running with it ever since. I don’t think those words were intended to justify piracy, folks
But at the same time, deflating the sales of the product has the risk of prompting the company to not continue with a franchise or employ those developers in the future.
I know this opinion is wildly unpopular, but I think pirating is unethical. If you can’t afford something, or you disagree with spending money for it, then fine. Don’t watch that show/listen to that song/play that game. But the people who make things deserve to get paid. It’s not right to refuse to pay for something while also consuming that content. Many of the justifications for pirating just feel like entitlement to me.
What do you think about abandonware? Old games that companies never plan on selling anymore but won’t release them for free either?
I’m totally on board with pirating content in those situations. I recognize it isn’t a black-or-white issue.
I agree in 98% of cases. There are some cases (and this is splitting hairs so i apologize) where i’m fine with it. I think preservation for some near lost media that hasn’t been purchasable for a long time (and maybe is tied to 30-40 year old hardware that isn’t supported or buyable from the producing company anymore) i think is an exception i’m willing to make. This is particularly prevalent to older games that are tied to long defunct devices that aren’t supported anymore like very old dos games.
But I’m also of the opinion those things shouldn’t have to be “pirated” in the first place and if you haven’t offered the ability to acquire it legally in decades it should fall into public domain.
Gabe Newell made some insightful comments about how “piracy is not a pricing issue. It’s a service issue” and people have really been running with it ever since. I don’t think those words were intended to justify piracy, folks
Devs don’t get paid less just because I pirated a game I would never have bought otherwise
But at the same time, deflating the sales of the product has the risk of prompting the company to not continue with a franchise or employ those developers in the future.
Why should you get to enjoy something you haven’t paid for, especially while others have?