[quote name='RollingSkull']Still, this is an unfair premise. If Charlize Theron or Kate Beckinsale ritually disemboweled my entire family and every one of my friends in front of me, forcing me to watch, helpless, and then said "I'll bang you if you confess to this," I'd probably have to think REAL hard before answering.[/quote]
I believe his point was that it's still enforcing YOUR sense of morality on other people. If something's ethically wrong, it's up to you to convince that person to change, not force them. If something's illegal, then it's up to those in law enforcement. This site, the nice folks who run it, and all the users who frequent it (allowing for a few exceptions) are the former, NOT the latter. And, by the way, you might want to talk to someone... you know, someone who might be able to help...
What if this topic were switched to focus on MP3 downloading? What if CheapyD said that everyone who they suspected were downloading MP3's would be banned? What if the issue was muddled a bit? For instance, I download MP3's from the site formerly known as allofmp3.com, where the legality is questionable. (The only reason I do so is because a couple years ago, I put about $100 into my account, and just haven't spent it all yet. Once I spend it all, I'll start downloading songs from iTunes.) What if I downloaded full albums from Russian bands 2 weeks before they were released in the US, and posted my opinions of the songs (you know, like actual journalists do)?
Let's even mix it up a bit more. Let's say I lucked out, and got chosen to be a beta tester of new, unreleased consumer electronics, and I got the PS4 3 months before it was released. Let's also say, hypothetically, that it was the worst console ever known to man, but the hype was through the roof. (By worst console, I mean Atari 2600-style graphics, controller with 1 button... really horrible shit, but they somehow managed to get the hype raised to astronomical levels). How many of you would want to know that you should save your $1000 before you stand in line for 12 hours hoping to get yours?
What if I got Rock Band 2 tomorrow (the full bundle), and discovered that the game was completely broken, the songs were covers by The Local Shit Band, and the instruments don't work at all (again, purely hypothetical). Should I keep that info to myself and watch all you unfortunate saps waste your $200 on an unfinished / unworking product?
I don't think piracy is right, but the info gained from getting an early release of a game has absolutely nothing to do with the method the person got the game.