Community Feedback Poll - Game Piracy

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[quote name='Bloodbooger']Can someone just point out how the pirate is being rewarded by posting an early review?
[/QUOTE]
They can't.

Then again, this is a confusing world where up is down and wrong is right... sometimes. :roll:
 
[quote name='darthbudge']Yes.

As a gaming site, early impressions could cause more or less people to buy the game depending on how good it is, instead of having to wait until the release date and then reading reviews.
Also, despite common sense, you can't exactly say that said people are indeed pirating the game, they MIGHT have actually purchased it early somewhere.[/quote]

I don't know of anyone who buys a game based on how it looks. therefore, there is no need to show pirated game pics
 
[quote name='Number83']
n1252170379_30297859_8966.jpg
[/QUOTE]win
 
[quote name='manthing']

Finally here is a question for the CAG community:

Is there any difference if someone pirates a game or buys it used from Gamestop for the games publisher?

:whistle2:k[/quote]
No there isn't. Because either way the publisher and the studio don't make any money. Both methods will also encourage others to get the games by either means if it is indeed deemed "good" by those that acquired it so.

What I am seeing here is a trend of people who think it's wrong to pirate and that those who do deserve to burn in hell because they do not support the publisher/studio. Well. To those I ask; Have you ever purchased a game used? Off a Buddy? Traded a game with another person or CAG? Used Goozex? Guess what? Your doing the same thing. Oh what's that? But you paid money so that makes it moral? Hmm Moral.. sure... but you're still not supporting the publisher/studio. Your still stealing from the publisher because you did not fork over your money directly to them but rather to a 3rd party who is getting rich with your money which is also immorally acquired as they are not giving the publisher a cut.

The only difference is that Piracy is illegal and buying used games (like cars) is legal. However morally you are not supporting the publisher but rather a (sometimes) mutli-million dollar corporation that is ripping YOU off by giving shit for your games that may only be a few weeks old and giving you half of what you paid them. Then sells it (sometimes as new by re-shrinkingwrapping the games... oh of course they do that) or for 5 bucks less than what the game costs new (like they do here in Canada ie GTA IV new = 59.99 GTA IV used 54.99 I am not shitting you that's what gamestop does up here and I can take a pic to prove it).

By doing so YOU are also rewarding imorality. This isn't about which one is right and wrong but rather about choosing the lesser of the 2 evils. How do you not fall under either category then? By not being a Cheap Ass Gamer.

EOD
 
[quote name='Mantooth']No. Big difference between being a cheap ass and a crook.[/quote]
Damn U summarized what I wrote into one sentence before I even wrote my post. But that is the truth in a nutshell.
 
[quote name='CactusZac098']I don't listen to other people's opinions about games, you shouldn't either.[/QUOTE]

If everyone says your an asshole (not saying you really are), you probably are.

It may work pretty well if we could rate the reviews.
 
[quote name='E*Master']No there isn't. Because either way the publisher and the studio don't make any money. Both methods will also encourage others to get the games by either means if it is indeed deemed "good" by those that acquired it so.

What I am seeing here is a trend of people who think it's wrong to pirate and that those who do deserve to burn in hell because they do not support the publisher/studio. Well. To those I ask; Have you ever purchased a game used? Off a Buddy? Traded a game with another person or CAG? Used Goozex? Guess what? Your doing the same thing. Oh what's that? But you paid money so that makes it moral? Hmm Moral.. sure... but you're still not supporting the publisher/studio. Your still stealing from the publisher because you did not fork over your money directly to them but rather to a 3rd party who is getting rich with your money which is also immorally acquired as they are not giving the publisher a cut.

The only difference is that Piracy is illegal and buying used games (like cars) is legal. However morally you are not supporting the publisher but rather a (sometimes) mutli-million dollar corporation that is ripping YOU off by giving shit for your games that may only be a few weeks old and giving you half of what you paid them. Then sells it (sometimes as new by re-shrinkingwrapping the games... oh of course they do that) or for 5 bucks less than what the game costs new (like they do here in Canada ie GTA IV new = 59.99 GTA IV used 54.99 I am not shitting you that's what gamestop does up here and I can take a pic to prove it).

By doing so YOU are also rewarding imorality. This isn't about which one is right and wrong but rather about choosing the lesser of the 2 evils. How do you not fall under either category then? By not being a Cheap Ass Gamer.

EOD[/QUOTE]

The problem with that argument is that buying used games DOES help support the publisher, at least indirectly. GameStop and EB make a significant portion of their profit from used games. Without the sale of used games, chances are good the chain wouldn't be able to survive, which would kill the only national video game chain we have. Lousy business practices aside, if GameStop vanished it'd have a very significant effect on the publishers and the gaming industry as a whole.

There's a reason why you've never seen a store that sells new games and new games only, and that's because the profit margin on new titles and consoles isn't enough to keep them in business. And no, stores like Best Buy and Target may not sell used games, but they also carry a lot of non-gaming merchandise as well.

Again, though, this is completely unrelated to the original topic of discussion. This doesn't have anything to do with whether people should be allowed to discuss on CAG early impressions from pirated games.
 
Why not just turn this into a warez & cracks site while you're at it.

We need more sites with flashing banners and those smiley ads that scream "OH MY GOD, NO WAY!" whenever the page loads.
 
no, because some pirated games are not final OR they have built in code to crash the game ex: Assassin's Creed had the code to crash before you got to a major city. it was mentioned in 1up. things like that can give off a false impression of the game. besides, piracy should not be encouraged here in any way.
 
No, I don't think it should be allowed. Sadly, I think most people will post "reviews" with the sole intention to brag that they've finished the game first. Honest, genuine reviews are a different story, but how would you filter the good from the bad?
 
Allow it by not acknowledging it one way or the other. Make sure site policy is obvious, you post early reviews at your own risk. I think you would be rather dumb to review a pirated copy, since you'd be kind of leaving yourself open. I wouldn't steal clothes from Walmart then blog about how they fit.
 
Ok, I feel that I must explain fully what piracy is exactly. Some people are mixing up what piracy really

is, and what it is about.

What exactly is piracy?

It's the unauthorized reproduction or use of a copyrighted book, recording, television program, patented

invention, trademarked product, etc.

What key word is in the above statement?

Unauthorized

What does unauthorized mean?

To not be given authority to, and/or to not be given permission to/for.

What does this have to do with piracy?

Well, almost everything. It is said that because people who download video games online are pirating the

software, they are unauthorized. What grounds do they have saying that they are unauthorized in

downloading the game?

Under section 117 of the Copyright Act, it states that:

you or someone you authorize may make a copy of an original computer program if:

* the new copy is being made for archival (i.e., backup) purposes only;
* you are the legal owner of the copy; and
* any copy made for archival purposes is either destroyed, or transferred with the original copy,

once the original copy is sold, given away, or otherwise transferred.

What this is refered to as is creating a "archival" copy (aka creating a backup copy).

By saying that we, as consumers, are not allowed to download a game that we legally own, and as stated by

section 117 underin the copyright act, is wrong. Since we bought the game, fully supporting the company,

we should be allowed to keep a backup copy. Are you saying that we can't create a backup of say Final

Fantasy VII? Those who were smart, and downloaded Final Fantasy VII while keeping their copy still sealed

(in the plastic) are now laughing at us. Why? Because instead of buying 2 copies of the game (spending

twice as much money), they saved that money and still got to play the amazing game. Is this wrong? By

what I'm seeing in this thread, it seems to me that by downloading a game it constatutes it being

illegal. It is not, they created a archival copy (ie backup) of their own game that they bought.

Is downloading the illegal part? No (to put it simply). Its just that by being online and thus having the

ability to download the file that makes it show that everyone who downloads the game is involved in an

illegal activity. Seeing that there is no full proof way of proving whether or not you have the original

game or not (yes, you can show proof, but the government is not gonna ask politely to show them proof.

They see you are downloading files and must not have the original files). Taking xbox 360 games as an

example, there is only a few dvd pc drives that are able to read the original game. By what I'm reading

here, you are saying that the people who own the original game but doesn't have one of the special dvd pc

drives that can read the original game, that they are SOL and can't make an archival copy for their

records (why would they want a archival copy? To keep the original scratch-free, or maybe just incase

someone breaks your original, or maybe they are just a collector and want to keep the original in it's

package). So, what would be their options? Well, the only way I can think of is to download the game, so

that all they have to do is burn the ISO and then just play it.

What comes into play here, is morality.

If you don't own the game then yes, it is (according to the Copyright Act) illegal. Are they going to be

people doing this? Of course there will be. Why? Well, come on, if it's free then people will always want

it. The government doesn't care about the few that download legally (thus owning the original game), they

assume that the majority of the people downloading it are downloading it cause its free and they don't

want to pay $60 for the game. It screws up those who own the game (and who bought the game from a local

shop) but don't have the software/hardware/or knowledge to make a copy of their game on their own. Those

who do download illegal more than likely don't care what happens to the company, they got what they want.

Can they live with themselves knowing they got the game for free while others are paying for it?

It's not whether downloading video games is wrong or right, it's what the person sitting on their

computer looking at their download bar is thinking. What is going on in their head while downloading the

game. You must know what they are thinking before you can instantly assume that they are pirating. Is it

justified? You would have to ask the person downloading the file. That's almost like saying that the

person who shot another person is wrong and should be thrown in jail because they shot the person in cold

blood. You don't know the story, you don't know whether or not it was in self defense or just in cold

blood.

Do I feel that everyone who downloads a video game online is in the wrong? Absoulutely not. I can only

hope that those who download video games online are doing so because they want to have a copy of the

original and to keep it safe, and wish that if they do like the game that they will support the company

and buy it. Not all people who download games online are illegal and never buy the actual game.

That's all I have for right now. I hope I got through to some folks.
 
This poll and 90% of the posts here are just plain retarded.



But I voted anyway.


Where's the poll asking "Should podcasts be allowed to mention shows that are pirated or should we duct tape their mouths?"
 
yes

pirated software is no different than your friend giving you a game: someone paid for it, just not you.

plus its just impressions, its not like you're giving out the pirated game or something
 
Ok, I feel that I must explain fully what piracy is exactly. Some people are mixing up what piracy really is, and what it is about.

What exactly is piracy?

It's the unauthorized reproduction or use of a copyrighted book, recording, television program, patented invention, trademarked product, etc.

What key word is in the above statement?

Unauthorized
What does unauthorized mean?

To not be given authority to, and/or to not be given permission to/for.

What does this have to do with piracy?

Well, almost everything. It is said that because people who download video games online are pirating the software, they are unauthorized. What grounds do they have saying that they are unauthorized in downloading the game?

Under section 117 of the Copyright Act, it states that:

you or someone you authorize may make a copy of an original computer program if:

* the new copy is being made for archival (i.e., backup) purposes only;
* you are the legal owner of the copy; and
* any copy made for archival purposes is either destroyed, or transferred with the original copy, once the original copy is sold, given away, or otherwise transferred.

What this is referred to as is creating a "archival" copy (aka creating a backup copy).

By saying that we, as consumers, are not allowed to download a game that we legally own, and as stated by section 117 in the copyright act, is wrong. Since we bought the game, fully supporting the company, we should be allowed to keep a backup copy. Are you saying that we can't create a backup of say Final Fantasy VII? Those who were smart, and downloaded Final Fantasy VII while keeping their copy still sealed (in the plastic) are now laughing at us. Why? Because instead of buying 2 copies of the game (spending twice as much money), they saved that money and still got to play the amazing game. Is this wrong? By what I'm seeing in this thread, it seems to me that by downloading a game it constatutes it being illegal. It is not, they created a archival copy (ie backup) of their own game that they bought.

Is downloading the illegal part?

No (to put it simply). Its just that by being online and thus having the
ability to download the file that makes it show that everyone who downloads the game is involved in an illegal activity. Seeing that there is no full proof way of proving whether or not you have the original game or not (yes, you can show proof, but the government is not gonna ask politely to show them proof. They see you are downloading files and must not have the original files). Taking xbox 360 games as an example, there is only a few dvd pc drives that are able to read the original game. By what I'm reading
here, you are saying that the people who own the original game but doesn't have one of the special dvd pc drives that can read the original game, that they are SOL and can't make an archival copy for their records (why would they want a archival copy? To keep the original scratch-free, or maybe just incase someone breaks your original, or maybe they are just a collector and want to keep the original in it's package). So, what would be their options? Well, the only way I can think of is to download the game, so that all they have to do is burn the ISO and then just play it.

What comes into play here, is morality.

If you don't own the game then yes, it is (according to the Copyright Act) illegal. Are they going to be people doing this? Of course there will be. Why? Well, come on, if it's free then people will always want it. The government doesn't care about the few that download legally (thus owning the original game), they assume that the majority of the people downloading it are downloading it cause its free and they don't want to pay $60 for the game. It screws up those who own the game (and who bought the game from a local shop) but don't have the software/hardware/or knowledge to make a copy of their game on their own. Those who do download illegal more than likely don't care what happens to the company, they got what they want. Can they live with themselves knowing they got the game for free while others are paying for it?

It's not whether downloading video games is wrong or right, it's what the person sitting on their computer looking at their download bar is thinking. What is going on in their head while downloading the game. You must know what they are thinking before you can instantly assume that they are pirating. Is it justified? You would have to ask the person downloading the file. That's almost like saying that the person who shot another person is wrong and should be thrown in jail because they shot the person in cold
blood. You don't know the story, you don't know whether or not it was in self defense or just in cold blood.

Do I feel that everyone who downloads a video game online is in the wrong? Absoulutely not. I can only hope that those who download video games online are doing so because they want to have a copy of the original and to keep it safe, and wish that if they do like the game that they will support the company and buy it. Not all people who download games online are illegal and never buy the actual game.

That's all I have for right now. I hope I got through to some folks.
 
We live in a society that requires hard evidence to do anything.

So I think as long as there is no way to be able to prove that the review or whatever is based on pirated software all should be ok.

Just assume they got a game from a retailer that broke the street date.

If they don't say, "I pirated this game" then let it go.
 
[quote name='lilboo']That's great, Chex, but the thread isn't about priacy: IS IT RIGHT OR WRONG. :roll:[/QUOTE]

It doesn't help that most of his argument and interpretation of the section of the law is just wrong.
 
[quote name='Salmonday']If you allow it to be posted, you reward piracy. Simple as that. They get to be "first," and enjoy the attention they get (which they will try to leverage into getting people to get them Xboxes via referral services or some other stupid b.s.). Some of them will try to claim that they are "doing the community a service by letting people know if the game is worth buying before it comes out in order to save them money." This is a shameful lie.

A.) They are doing it to try to bolster sympathy for their shameful practice.
B.) They have already stated their position on whether someone should buy it because they DIDN'T see fit to buy it.
C.) Their opinion holds no more weight than any other review a CAG could use to determine their purchases.


In short: pirates suck, and should be driven out like filthy beasts.[/QUOTE]

This.
 
I know I'm not the first to point this out, but I think this response is just about perfect:

[quote name='Salmonday']If you allow it to be posted, you reward piracy. Simple as that. They get to be "first," and enjoy the attention they get (which they will try to leverage into getting people to get them Xboxes via referral services or some other stupid b.s.). Some of them will try to claim that they are "doing the community a service by letting people know if the game is worth buying before it comes out in order to save them money." This is a shameful lie.

A.) They are doing it to try to bolster sympathy for their shameful practice.
B.) They have already stated their position on whether someone should buy it because they DIDN'T see fit to buy it.
C.) Their opinion holds no more weight than any other review a CAG could use to determine their purchases.


In short: pirates suck, and should be driven out like filthy beasts.[/quote]
 
[quote name='flaming homer']
pirated software is no different than your friend giving you a game: someone paid for it, just not you.
[/QUOTE]

Remember when I said this was thread of the year?

I was right. So, so right.
 
[quote name='chasemurata']I just want to know if this also applies to movies, TV shows, and music. If so, how will one figure out if another's opinion on movies, TV shows, and music is based on illegally-acquired items?
[/quote]
A new section in everyone's user profile where we can upload scans of receipts, cable/satellite bills, and ticket stubs. We can call the section "Papers".:lol:
 
i voted no because thats simply not fair to the developers, publishers, and gamers who are looking forward to playing it. even if the said reviewers of the pirated copies stated that they do like the game and are willing to pay full price for a copy later on doesn't sound convincing enough. i would rather have their post deleted.
 
I see you're playing Rock Band 2. Care to show me a photo of the disc you purchased?

[quote name='chex20']Ok, I feel that I must explain fully what piracy is exactly. Some people are mixing up what piracy really is, and what it is about.

What exactly is piracy?

It's the unauthorized reproduction or use of a copyrighted book, recording, television program, patented invention, trademarked product, etc.

What key word is in the above statement?

Unauthorized
What does unauthorized mean?

To not be given authority to, and/or to not be given permission to/for.

What does this have to do with piracy?

Well, almost everything. It is said that because people who download video games online are pirating the software, they are unauthorized. What grounds do they have saying that they are unauthorized in downloading the game?

Under section 117 of the Copyright Act, it states that:

you or someone you authorize may make a copy of an original computer program if:

* the new copy is being made for archival (i.e., backup) purposes only;
* you are the legal owner of the copy; and
* any copy made for archival purposes is either destroyed, or transferred with the original copy, once the original copy is sold, given away, or otherwise transferred.

What this is referred to as is creating a "archival" copy (aka creating a backup copy).

By saying that we, as consumers, are not allowed to download a game that we legally own, and as stated by section 117 in the copyright act, is wrong. Since we bought the game, fully supporting the company, we should be allowed to keep a backup copy. Are you saying that we can't create a backup of say Final Fantasy VII? Those who were smart, and downloaded Final Fantasy VII while keeping their copy still sealed (in the plastic) are now laughing at us. Why? Because instead of buying 2 copies of the game (spending twice as much money), they saved that money and still got to play the amazing game. Is this wrong? By what I'm seeing in this thread, it seems to me that by downloading a game it constatutes it being illegal. It is not, they created a archival copy (ie backup) of their own game that they bought.

Is downloading the illegal part?

No (to put it simply). Its just that by being online and thus having the
ability to download the file that makes it show that everyone who downloads the game is involved in an illegal activity. Seeing that there is no full proof way of proving whether or not you have the original game or not (yes, you can show proof, but the government is not gonna ask politely to show them proof. They see you are downloading files and must not have the original files). Taking xbox 360 games as an example, there is only a few dvd pc drives that are able to read the original game. By what I'm reading
here, you are saying that the people who own the original game but doesn't have one of the special dvd pc drives that can read the original game, that they are SOL and can't make an archival copy for their records (why would they want a archival copy? To keep the original scratch-free, or maybe just incase someone breaks your original, or maybe they are just a collector and want to keep the original in it's package). So, what would be their options? Well, the only way I can think of is to download the game, so that all they have to do is burn the ISO and then just play it.

What comes into play here, is morality.

If you don't own the game then yes, it is (according to the Copyright Act) illegal. Are they going to be people doing this? Of course there will be. Why? Well, come on, if it's free then people will always want it. The government doesn't care about the few that download legally (thus owning the original game), they assume that the majority of the people downloading it are downloading it cause its free and they don't want to pay $60 for the game. It screws up those who own the game (and who bought the game from a local shop) but don't have the software/hardware/or knowledge to make a copy of their game on their own. Those who do download illegal more than likely don't care what happens to the company, they got what they want. Can they live with themselves knowing they got the game for free while others are paying for it?

It's not whether downloading video games is wrong or right, it's what the person sitting on their computer looking at their download bar is thinking. What is going on in their head while downloading the game. You must know what they are thinking before you can instantly assume that they are pirating. Is it justified? You would have to ask the person downloading the file. That's almost like saying that the person who shot another person is wrong and should be thrown in jail because they shot the person in cold
blood. You don't know the story, you don't know whether or not it was in self defense or just in cold blood.

Do I feel that everyone who downloads a video game online is in the wrong? Absoulutely not. I can only hope that those who download video games online are doing so because they want to have a copy of the original and to keep it safe, and wish that if they do like the game that they will support the company and buy it. Not all people who download games online are illegal and never buy the actual game.

That's all I have for right now. I hope I got through to some folks.[/QUOTE]
 
[quote name='bmachine']I know I'm not the first to point this out, but I think this response is just about perfect:[/quote]


But how do you prove that it was pirated. Unless they actually say it was, how do you know?
 
[quote name='mykevermin']I see you're playing Rock Band 2. Care to show me a photo of the disc you purchased?[/QUOTE]

Geez myke. You're like a dick version of Clippy.
 
He was Microsoft's little Word helper bullshit avatar. Annoying as hell.

He was intended to help you create projects based on what you were typing. So if you tried to make a bullet list, he'd come out and have links to bullet list tools.

But his AI was shot and so he just basically asked over and over "It looks like you're writing a letter. Care to have some help with that?"

No matter what you were doing - "It looks like you're writing a letter..."

NO I'M NOT CLIPPY. I AM NOT WRITING A LETTER.
 
[quote name='mykevermin']I see you're playing Rock Band 2. Care to show me a photo of the disc you purchased?[/quote]

Did I ever say I bought the disc?

Reading comprehension, did you learn it?
 
Hell no they shouldn't be able to talk about it. The only people who should post personal hands-on impressions of unreleased games are people who've played a demo, or people in the industry who got to play them early, such as MarkMan. Otherwise I'd say it's grounds for a bannination. Why? If companies get wind of this shit, they may very well try to shut down this site even though it's not directly responsible for the piracy. Even if nothing came of it, it'd still be a huge hassle for Cheapy.
 
I vote yes.

Just don't mention it's pirated.
It may be illegal, but posting a review about a game not out yet, doesn't mean anything 100%.
Just let it be. If it ever gets out of hand, then we could talk about further actions.
It's no harm.
 
[quote name='Strell']
clippyVermin.gif
[/QUOTE]

:rofl:

I vaguely remember that. Taking that fucker out of Office was the balance, I suppose, for MS charging the same for Mac Office as they do for Windows, and never bothering to give us Access.

[quote name='chex20']Did I ever say I bought the disc?

Reading comprehension, did you learn it?[/QUOTE]

Nah. I don't read. If I did ever develop reading comprehension, I'd only be able to understand proper grammar and syntax, not Yoda-driven prattling like "reading comprehension, did you learn it?"

I just asked for your disc, hombre. I didn't expect you'd produce one.

But it stands to reason that your cut and paste job above is laughably schizophrenic.

"Hi, I'm here to cite legal statutes and justify why downloading files is perfectly legal!"

"But then I'm going to throw that all by the wayside as I flippantly toss out legality by saying 'oh, it's just an issue of morality!'"

So, you know, your legal definition fails you because, as someone who uses Rock Band 2 but does not OWN Rock Band 2, you are (hur hur) "Unauthorized," legally, to make a backup copy.

Be a pirate. Knock yourself out. I'm not going to be able to stop you. But I'm not going to sit by and read your Lionel Hutch bullshit, pretending like it's even moderately coherent.

I mean, *seriously*, princess. Go back and read your own post. I even quoted it so you can read it twice. You say that downloading files is (1) legal, (2) illegal, and (3) only an issue of morality all in the same post. Do what you want, but get the fuck off the fence and pick a side.
 
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