Message to PC Pirates - Stop It! You Lose More Than Gaining

K

kingkiller33

CAGiversary!
I would like to speak directly to the pc game pirates out there.

Why on earth are you still pirating? Yes, I know the temptation of playing free games is pretty strong, but in the end, it's not worth it. Take a look just 10 years ago. PC games ruled the market with tons of exclusives:

Sims
Diablo 2
Deus EX
Star Trek Elite Force
Thief 2
Soldier of Fortune
Red Alert 2
Sacrifice
Mechwarrior 4
American McGee's Alice
Baldur's Gate 2
No one Lives Forever


Just to name a few. Huge quality releases. Now thanks to pirates, great gaming companies like 3DO disappeared. The PC no longer gets lots of huge exclusives. A PC gamer fan has to hunt long and hard to find new releases in stores.

So in exchange for saving a few $$$ by downloading games, you have wrecked the industry which having to go through the hassle of mounting ISO images, dealing with viruses and finding clean no crack cd files.

And the ironic thing is if you had bought the pc games in the first place, you could actually made some good profit reselling them online. PC games offer the highest resell value over console titles. Seriously, there is absolutely no benefit to ripping off game developers. It hurts us all in the end.
 
CAG exists so people don't have to pirate because they're poor :bouncy:

Though, sure, I'd love my Army Men and GOOD Command and Conquer games back.
 
Sorry, but all of your reasons are pretty much dead wrong.

If I want a newly released PC game, I can easily get it day one from a source like Steam or run over to my local Best Buy and grab it there without any problems.

Next, if piracy is the sole reason for losing all exclusives, then why does the PSP, DS, PS2, X360, Wii, etc still have exclusives? People are also pirating those consoles like crazy, and yet those systems still have exclusives. Companies can sell to a MUCH larger community if they put their games on the PS3 and 360, alongside the PC...so why would they cut their profits?

In fact, I've stayed away from many PC games because of the nasty DRM they include. Back to the era you are referring to, the biggest problem we had to worry about was a CD key...now, you have to install software that monitors your every PC activity and phones home without your knowledge, and is limited to how many times you can install it, or has to be connected to the internet to play the game (even single player). No thank you. The companies themselves are killing PC gaming, not pirates.

And as a last point:...are you seriously joking about PC games having a higher resale value than console games? Have you not looked at PC resale prices online. I've sold a ton of console games online and I've always made my money back and then some. I've looked into the reselling my PC games, and I always pass. The prices that used PC games go for would almost cost me money every time. The nice thing about PC games is that they sell for so little money used. People are too afraid that the key on a game has already been used too many times, has been banned, etc...so that drops the resale price WAY done.

In fact, I've purchased a couple used PC games online about a month after they came out and paid $10 instead of the $50 they were currently priced at. You are dead wrong on PC used sale prices. Besides, if used PC games were selling so much better than console games, don't you think that companies like Amazon and Gamestop would want a part of that market? Nope, because they have extremely low resale prices and they don't want to have to mess around with stolen/inactive/lost CD keys. Go ahead and purchase a game with a serial, open it and don't play it, and try to resell it right away. You already knocked off a good part of your profit as most people will be afraid to purchase it once it is opened. Most PC games that come out are having official price drops just months after coming out as well, with also kills your chance for resale.
 
[quote name='hero101']I don't think 3DO produced many good games.[/QUOTE]

That's your opinion. Many people found the Heroes of Might and Magic games to be the finest in strategy and crazy addictive.
 
[quote name='GaveUpTomorrow']Sorry, but all of your reasons are pretty much dead wrong.

If I want a newly released PC game, I can easily get it day one from a source like Steam or run over to my local Best Buy and grab it there without any problems. [/QUOTE]

The PC game selection at Best Buy is piss poor at best. There are often PC game exclusives that I have never seen or heard of until I see a review in PC Gamer. Cryostatis, being one example.

[quote name='GaveUpTomorrow']

Next, if piracy is the sole reason for losing all exclusives, then why does the PSP, DS, PS2, X360, Wii, etc still have exclusives? People are also pirating those consoles like crazy, and yet those systems still have exclusives. Companies can sell to a MUCH larger community if they put their games on the PS3 and 360, alongside the PC...so why would they cut their profits?

[/QUOTE]


I never claimed it was the sole reason. How do you explain the PC game drought compared to ten years ago? And pirating for the PC is MUCH easier than consoles. All you need is patience and software tools. For consoles, you need modded software and hardware.

[quote name='GaveUpTomorrow']

And as a last point:...are you seriously joking about PC games having a higher resale value than console games? Have you not looked at PC resale prices online. I've sold a ton of console games online and I've always made my money back and then some. I've looked into the reselling my PC games, and I always pass. The prices that used PC games go for would almost cost me money every time. The nice thing about PC games is that they sell for so little money used. People are too afraid that the key on a game has already been used too many times, has been banned, etc...so that drops the resale price WAY done.

In fact, I've purchased a couple used PC games online about a month after they came out and paid $10 instead of the $50 they were currently priced at. You are dead wrong on PC used sale prices. Besides, if used PC games were selling so much better than console games, don't you think that companies like Amazon and Gamestop would want a part of that market? Nope, because they have extremely low resale prices and they don't want to have to mess around with stolen/inactive/lost CD keys. Go ahead and purchase a game with a serial, open it and don't play it, and try to resell it right away. You already knocked off a good part of your profit as most people will be afraid to purchase it once it is opened. Most PC games that come out are having official price drops just months after coming out as well, with also kills your chance for resale.[/QUOTE]

I'm absolutely serious about the resale values. I've sold the bulk of my PC game collection and got back at least 50%, sometimes even more than I originally paid. Heroes of Might and Magic Collection and Planetscape Torment are examples. Also Age of Wonders 2. The big bucks comes from owning the harder to find expansion packs. Heck, I can sell my AVP 2 game that I bought 10 years ago for 30 bucks right now on Amazon.

How many Xbox 1 games can I do that with? I own almost 100 Xbox 1 titles and over 90% of them will resell for less than a dollar.
 
The PC game selection at Best Buy is piss poor at best. There are often PC game exclusives that I have never seen or heard of until I see a review in PC Gamer. Cryostatis, being one example


Ummm I saw that shit for sale for 10 bucks in GS for over a year now. How do you classify this as hard to find? Shit has been sitting on that shelf so long the box is all wore out and dusty.
 
[quote name='GaveUpTomorrow']People are too afraid that the key on a game has already been used too many times, has been banned, etc...so that drops the resale price WAY done.[/QUOTE]
I think two other factors when it comes to reselling and buying older PC games are backwards compatibility and downloadability. Getting old PC games to run, even ones that are just ten years old, can be a pain in the ass on a modern system depending on the game. Also, it's much easier for many PC gamers nowadays to get their games via download, through Steam and similar services, and the old ones tend to be reasonably priced. Aside from special editions (and maybe Blizzard games in general, because I'm a fangirl like that), I don't think I'll be buying PC games at retail ever again.
 
[quote name='AndrewsAwesome4']I am not trying to hate on PC's but , I think in about 10 years everyone that plays hardcore and maybe even casually with be on console :([/QUOTE]

CONSOLES LOL

In 10 years (?), chances are it will be cloud gaming. Any way you can get to the services you will be able to play - TV, Monitor, Mobile...There won't be any barrier.

Personally, I don't give a SH!T. It's free (and legal) or fuck it.
 
[quote name='kingkiller33']I never claimed it was the sole reason. How do you explain the PC game drought compared to ten years ago? And pirating for the PC is MUCH easier than consoles. All you need is patience and software tools. For consoles, you need modded software and hardware.[/QUOTE]

What drought are you talking about?
 
[quote name='Megazell']What drought are you talking about?[/QUOTE]

your shitty free games don't count, dumbass. He's talking about the drought of actual good, PC exclusive retail releases if you actually read his post.
 
[quote name='kilm']your shitty free games don't count, dumbass. He's talking about the drought of actual good, PC exclusive retail releases if you actually read his post.[/QUOTE]
I'd take I Wanna Be The Guy over anything 3DO ever did...
 
[quote name='The Crotch']I'd take I Wanna Be The Guy over anything 3DO ever did...[/QUOTE]
Ooh, ooh, can I join in, too? I'd take Cave Story over all of 3DO's output!
 
I realize the OP may like his soapbox here or w/e, but piracy is NOT the reason for the downfall of PC gaming.
 
I really don't care if pc has exclusive games or not, infact i hate exclusive games which is why i dont like either of the consoles. It's insane to have 2-3 consoles just to play a few exclusive games.

I remember an interview with some dude from microsoft that said that if halo would have been released the same time on both pc and xbox, people would have bought the pc version. This was ofcouse germany which is a big pc country but i think it applies to most of europe, at least here in sweden pc is still pretty big.

So i don't believe that its the pirates fault, its the companies. They just see more money on the consoles.

It's just easier develop to a console where all the hardware is the same then pc that has millions of different setups.

Also the entertainment industry is funny... if you buy the game you get awful drm but not only that, you give the company a signal that the drm is accepted. If you however choose not to buy it then you are automatically a pirate.

so yeah...
 
:whistle2:#

[quote name='kilm']your shitty free games don't count, dumbass. He's talking about the drought of actual good, PC exclusive retail releases if you actually read his post.[/QUOTE]
:whistle2:#
....:whistle2:#...
........:rofl::rofl::applause:
 
[quote name='kilm']your shitty free games don't count, dumbass. He's talking about the drought of actual good, PC exclusive retail releases if you actually read his post.[/QUOTE]

Emotional Stalkers :( LOL
 
[quote name='The Crotch']I'd take I Wanna Be The Guy over anything 3DO ever did...[/QUOTE]

WHAT? Wait...Ppl actually like 'Free And Legal PC Games'?

[quote name='blueshinra']Ooh, ooh, can I join in, too? I'd take Cave Story over all of 3DO's output![/QUOTE]

What...Wait...there's more ppl interested in fun games even though they don't come with commercials and soft drink endorsements?

According to Kilm - Cag Stalker Pro - Cag don't like 'Free And Legal PC Games.'

LOL!

[quote name='Nogib']I realize the OP may like his soapbox here or w/e, but piracy is NOT the reason for the downfall of PC gaming.[/QUOTE]

Agreed. Though I would not call it a DOWNFALL. It is a different environment from the late 90's when a new FPS came out every Tuesday.

I think the OP is confusing commercial games with quality games.​
 
[quote name='Megazell']According to Kilm - Cag Stalker Pro - Cag don't like 'Free And Legal PC Games.'

LOL!
[/QUOTE]
​

lolumad, troll? Paranoid much? You might want to get some common sense with that idiocy of yours.

CAG doesn't like your free and legal PC games that you just stole off other lists from various website. They're shitty and no one talks about them. Owned.
 
I think all pirates need to be dragged into the street and beaten (along with their hoarder/flipper friends). It's because of them that prices increase and why we're stuck with the incredible hassle of DRM and console updates.
 
[quote name='Nogib']I realize the OP may like his soapbox here or w/e, but piracy is NOT the reason for the downfall of PC gaming.[/QUOTE]
I don't think PC gaming has so much gone downhill as it has changed.

[quote name='Megazell']
What...Wait...there's more ppl interested in fun games even though they don't come with commercials and soft drink endorsements?​
[/QUOTE]
I loved Cave Story so much that I bought the WiiWare version the day it came out, roughly a year after I played the Mac port for the first time. It's that good. Not too shabby for a free and legal PC game, as I'm sure you'll agree ;)
 
[quote name='DPsx7']I think all pirates need to be dragged into the street and beaten (along with their hoarder/flipper friends). It's because of them that prices increase and why we're stuck with the incredible hassle of DRM and console updates.[/QUOTE]
Oh give me a break.
Do you seriously believe that the companies would lower their prices if piracy went away totally?
 
[quote name='kingkiller33']Now thanks to pirates, great gaming companies like 3DO disappeared. [/QUOTE]

lol 3DO blew and it's death had nothing to do with pirates

[quote name='kingkiller33']The PC no longer gets lots of huge exclusives. [/QUOTE]

Again, that has nothing to do with pirates. It's easier/cheaper for the developers to push out whatever shitpile on console (maximum 3 different pieces of hardware) then trying to optimize their game for the PC market.

[quote name='kingkiller33']A PC gamer fan has to hunt long and hard to find new releases in stores.[/QUOTE]

Nothing to do with pirates. A place like Wal-Mart still stocks PC games, a place like Gamestop that depends on used sells don't because...

[quote name='kingkiller33']And the ironic thing is if you had bought the pc games in the first place, you could actually made some good profit reselling them online. PC games offer the highest resell value over console titles. Seriously, there is absolutely no benefit to ripping off game developers. It hurts us all in the end.[/QUOTE]

the majority of recent PC games have 0 resell value since you have to tie it to an account (Steam or otherwise) or track the use of the CD-key
 
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[quote name='kilm'][/CENTER]

lolumad, troll? Paranoid much? You might want to get some common sense with that idiocy of yours.

CAG doesn't like your free and legal PC games that you just stole off other lists from various website. They're shitty and no one talks about them. Owned.[/QUOTE]

Poor guy.

He must really need this.
245gfnq.jpg


How does one steal free stuff? LOL It's sad how smart yet stupid he is.

I'm running out of bait. ;)

[quote name='blueshinra']I don't think PC gaming has so much gone downhill as it has changed.[/QUOTE]

Agreed.

[quote name='blueshinra']I loved Cave Story so much that I bought the WiiWare version the day it came out, roughly a year after I played the Mac port for the first time. It's that good. Not too shabby for a free and legal PC game, as I'm sure you'll agree ;)[/QUOTE]

It is a great game. Their have been quite a few games that were freeware that have found new life on consoles through their various distribution methods. It's great the for the little developers that get a chance to experiment with different gameplay mechanics and content and with others just going back to old school fun.
 
[quote name='crystalklear64']pc game drought what?

i know you have the internet so whats your excuse for being ignorant?[/QUOTE]

2qs2tfq.jpg
 
Piracy isn't the only thing killing gaming. Corporate greed is also killing it. Back in the 90s you could buy a game and you would have all of your game. Sure you had to unlock it or the developers blocked out some code because they didn’t want to use it. So then you had to buy the cheat device of that time and unlock the code. Or for the PC you had to download a hack for it. Now you have to buy the stuff again that is already on the disc. Console gaming was great back then because like I said I got everything on the disc and never had to buy the rest of it. If it was not for that I would say console gaming is better now because I can get on a game and play it with someone in another state or country. If my friends don’t like the game then I don’t have to play it with them if I want some multiplayer. But along with that came the point system where you had to buy new content. Sure that content is not always already on the disc but think about the games that it is on them already. Sure it is only a few bucks but didn’t you just pay 40-60 bucks for the game already.

On the PC side do you remember mods and dedicated servers? I do and it was great. Hell I also remember the time that when I bought a game and a new map was out I didn’t have to pay for it. Sure you would have your expansion packs every what 6 months to a year and that was not bad. They gave almost a new game and added to the old one. Sure they are just like DLC today but something was just different about them. Could be the fact that you had a hard copy of it. Also like someone else said worse case scenario you had to have a CD key for a game you bought and maybe if you had it installed on more then one PC you could not log into both and play online. Now you have a limit to the amount of times you can install it or you have to uninstall it from one PC to install it onto another one. Thank you piracy. Companies have to put so much shit into the games to keep piracy at bay but it ends up hurting the customer that is getting their copy legit.

So both are going to end up killing gaming in the next 10-20 years I think. Bad thing is I want it to happen.

Also Megazell thank you for the free games list but it does seem like that you tend to post about it in a good amount of your posts in the PC forum. You have it in your sig can that be enough? I do like the fact that you have posted a thread about them and keep it up to date however I don’t really need to see an ad for it posted in another thread unless it is in your sig. I do plan on checking some of them out however in the past (not talking about ones in your list) most had ads that just didn’t fit the game or only gave you so much time to play for free. Hell some even had ad ware however this is chances are more of when the games first came out for free. I hope you don’t take this the wrong way as I do appreciate what you have done.
 
[quote name='sendme']

On the PC side do you remember mods and dedicated servers?

Also Megazell thank you for the free games list but it does seem like that you tend to post about it in a good amount of your posts in the PC forum. You have it in your sig can that be enough? I do like the fact that you have posted a thread about them and keep it up to date however I don’t really need to see an ad for it posted in another thread unless it is in your sig. I do plan on checking some of them out however in the past (not talking about ones in your list) most had ads that just didn’t fit the game or only gave you so much time to play for free. Hell some even had ad ware however this is chances are more of when the games first came out for free. I hope you don’t take this the wrong way as I do appreciate what you have done.[/QUOTE]

Their are many (retail and free) PC games that still have mod support and dedicated servers...PERSONALLY, I've always preferred community servers. The ability to play with friends and family at the same location with no interference from strangers is just delightful...but I hear you.

With the exception of 4 games - The rest of my list of 840 games do not have ad support.

Yeah I do tend to do that but lately, I've been doing it more because it keeps getting a certain stalker emotional ;)
 
The rise of multi platform tool sets along with consoles becoming de facto PCs has much more to do with a lack of PC exclusives than anything else. Console makers buy exclusives to move consoles. There is no overlord PC shipper that's going to pay a dev to release only for PC.

And I know plenty of people that have no idea what a no cd crack is that have flashed 360s or DS flash carts or whatever. Piracy is bad for everyone involved, but saying the PC platform stands alone or even apart from the other platforms in that regard doesn't seem likely.
 
[quote name='Megazell']Yeah I do tend to do that but lately, I've been doing it more because it keeps getting a certain stalker emotional ;)[/QUOTE]

You're doing it because you're angry at me. It's so easy for me to rage you. Keep talking about me, I know you're infatuated with me.

And to further ridicule you, how am I a stalker? I know you don't have a real answer to that, but it just goes to show you how much of an idiot you are ;)
 
[quote name='VipFREAK']Pains me to say this because we get so ripped off with consoles but... Who plays games on a PC anymore?[/QUOTE]

:roll:
 
[quote name='VipFREAK']Pains me to say this because we get so ripped off with consoles but... Who plays games on a PC anymore?[/QUOTE]
I'm guessing the people posting on the PC Forums?
 
[quote name='speedracer']The rise of multi platform tool sets along with consoles becoming de facto PCs has much more to do with a lack of PC exclusives than anything else. Console makers buy exclusives to move consoles. There is no overlord PC shipper that's going to pay a dev to release only for PC. [/QUOTE]
This.

Also, there's hardly any marketing pushing the PC as a gaming device. Sony and Microsoft and Nintendo push hard to sell gaming devices, while you don't see that with PC makers. Games for Windows was a halfhearted attempt, if they did something like that on a larger scale, with PC/component manufacturers, I think we'd see a bigger market for gaming PCs. It's not likely to happen though, since most of the PC/component manufacturers compete with each other, and nobody's gonna help their competitor out.
 
[quote name='VipFREAK']Pains me to say this because we get so ripped off with consoles but... Who plays games on a PC anymore?[/QUOTE]

The people that don't want to be raped...I mean ripped off by consoles.

There are more PC gamers then Console gamers. For those of you that have never taken a trip outside of the U.S, PC gaming is big all over the world but it does not have any 'commercials.'

The benefit of the PC is that it puts more power into the consumer/customers hands. Yes this also leave huge holes in which 'Pirates' thrive but all products that allow customization has that issue.

In the end those that want more control and lower prices out of their games will go PC. While those that want less control and more casual appeal will go with consoles.
 
[quote name='VipFREAK']Pains me to say this because we get so ripped off with consoles but... Who plays games on a PC anymore?[/QUOTE]

eVdSq.png
 
[quote name='VipFREAK']Pains me to say this because we get so ripped off with consoles but... Who plays games on a PC anymore?[/QUOTE]

I tell you I probably would for certain genres at least, were it not for malware, rootkits, the Steam virus, OS checks, and so on. PC gaming became a hassle, you're punished for being a legit customer while the hackers get the clean copies. Who is hurting who here?
 
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