Motivation not to engage in piracy?

[LonestarHero]

I know the legal and moral reasons not to engage in piracy but are there really any selfish pragmatic reasons?

If there is an online multi-player component to a game then one misses out on pirating the software. That is where I think Blizzard got it right by requiring an internet connection to play Starcraft 2 at all.

However what is the motivation to go legit with single player titles with no online component?

[JustintimeSS]

Because I'm not a thief. If i don't agree with the price of something I don't buy it, therefore I don't own it.

[WomboMyCombo]

However what is the motivation to go legit with single player titles with no online component?

I love supporting really amazing games knowing that my money was well worth the single player hoping they make even better games in the future!

Like Skyrim :P

[Edge-]

2 reasons.

1. It causes more obnoxious DRM. Companies get pissed off their games get pirated, so you get things like always on DRM ect. that hurts people who legally purchased the game. It might hurt you when you purchase a game. Internet out for a bit? Can't play because you need to connect to their servers.

2. If a game sells poorly but is pirated a ton, we'll never see a sequel or maybe even another game from that studio. If a studio produces an amazing game that millions of people play, but almost all of them got it through piracy, the publishers will likely drop the company or shut it down. That means that the sequel you wanted, or the next awesome title they were working on is now gone and you can't play it.

[Noomz]

Don't promote piracy on the forums. -Edge

[PetersenIII]

are there really any selfish pragmatic reasons?
...
However what is the motivation to go legit with single player titles with no online component?

Because it's illegal and if you get caught you will be prosecuted?

I love supporting really amazing games knowing that my money was well worth the single player hoping they make even better games in the future!

Like Skyrim :P

YES! This is why I bought HALO: Anniversary on launch day. I'd have been happy to wait until it was cheaper, but it's possibly the first time anyone has actually re-made a game I loved, true to the original, but with updated graphics!

[JustintimeSS]

I think that classifies as a moral reason.

it is also my personal motivation to not do it!

However what is the motivation to go legit with single player titles with no online component?

[Synche]

If there is an online multi-player component to a game then one misses out on pirating the software. That is where I think Blizzard got it right by requiring an internet connection to play Starcraft 2 at all.

There is an offline mode for Starcraft 2, only multiplayer is online. This changes with Diablo 3 however, and it is a change that is for the better, people just don't realize it, everything will be generated on the server side and not the client side which will lead to less (if barely any) hacking and duped items which plagued D2 to this day.

Haters will always hate if it doesn't suit them IE "I H8 BliZZ for online only, that means I can't play if I travel"

However what is the motivation to go legit with single player titles with no online component?

Just because you can get something for free doesn't mean you should. I used to brag that I could get any game for free, but even though I had countless games I barely played any of them. Now, I can't remember the last game that I pirated, because I just buy them on Steam when they are on sale, or if it is a game I am looking forward to (bf3 / Skyrim) I will pre order it.

In the end of the day, buy games to support the developers who makes them.

[Deleted]

Only the moral one that you mentioned I guess. Supporting companies that actually produce decent titles is paramount to them staying in business. I urge everyone to support indie delevopers who make games that the public enjoy to not pirate them.

The big AAA titles that are released and end up to be terrible should logically be boycotted so that company doesnt profit from another moronic sequel or terribly coded port. But more often than not the excitement and build up produces a mixed response; a) This game is probably going to be terrible like the previous title of this developer and b) maybe this title breaks the mold and turns out to be decent...however I dont trust the developer enough to hand over a handful of cash on a gamble so i'll pirate it.

The motivation should be the realisation that pirating *can* be damaging to smaller, newer or indie companies that actually put love into their games. If you pirate from them you could potencially stunt their growth which would be a shame. The larger companies that produce crap year after year should be boycotted ideally so they buck their ideas up.

On a side note though so many review sites and magazines give wildly inaccurate scores to big name titles that should have been scored a lot less. The sense of trust these days is lost from many sides so it must be incredibly tempting to simply pirate a title to avoid disapointment. I dont personally even bother pirating todays titles as they end up being a waste of hard drive space and I stick to supporting the developers that deserve it.

[Donax]

My reasons for not pirating are this

I like the packaging of DvD and Blurays. I like having the 2000 plus movies on my shelves, I also like having the I worked for this feeling of buying games and the buildup of waiting and getting it from the store and getting home to install it.

[Cuchulainn]

I don't steal for a few reasons:
1. I stopped stealing when I was a kid, because as an adult I've learned that getting something through hard work is much more rewarding than stealing it. It's called growing up.
2. I follow the Buddha's remedy to human suffering loosely.
3. It hurts people and business.

[Collegeguy]

Because I'm not a thief. If i don't agree with the price of something I don't buy it, therefore I don't own it.

Or If you don't agree with the price of something, you just wait until the price lowers.

They're just self entitled kids who think they need to have something right now and pirate it. The logical thing to do is wait till it lowers. I don't like the price of Skyrim, so buying it 3 or 4 months from now when it has lowered isnt going to change my enjoyment from the game. Matter of fact, it would probably increase it because that is when the mods will be well established.

[juzalol]

I buy games I consider worth of the money (ie. skyrim, terraria and magicka).

Sometimes I get my games the other way if i feel like the prize tag is a crime
on itself.

[Fencers]

are there really any selfish pragmatic reasons?

1. Continued development.
2. Robust support.
3. Continued publication.

Those 3 can't exist if the developers aren't making money.

[redruMPanda]

Don't promote piracy on the forums.

No one is promoting piracy we're having a civil discussion.

[georgevonfranken]

No one is promoting piracy we're having a civil discussion.

I think that was a mod editing Noomz post because it was promoting piracy

[Edge-]

No one is promoting piracy we're having a civil discussion.

My bad, that was me editing out something that wasn't appropriate. It's a sensitive topic so the discussion can walk a pretty fine line.

[gx240]

I don't understand why people insist that piracy will stop future development. It won't, and it hasn't.

At worst piracy just forces companies to make different kinds of games and change their business model. If you can't make $60 by selling someone a disk in a box anymore, then you come up with a new way to price your product. Why do you think almost every gaming company out there is so focused on MMO development right now? Because MMO developers can avoid most of the piracy related problems altogether. Instead of selling a disk in a box, you sell a service (access to servers for $15 a month, in game items, character transfer and renaming fees, etc). Selling a service makes piracy impossible in the traditional sense.

Piracy didn't kill gaming. It just forced developers to make different kinds of games. So why are people so spastic about it?

[Djuntas]

Please lock this. Stupid thread really. Dont promote piracy. We dont need to argue for reasons to or not to.

Now personally I havent downloaded 1 single thing in my life but maybe HOMM3 witch I bought later. You should support the game makers you play, else you proboaly dont even like the game enough?

[Black_One]

*snip*

No images that promote piracy either, even if they are pretty witty. -Edge

Hey, freedom of speech right ?