Do you think pirating old games is ok?

Do you think pirating games that are old and impossible to find anywhere? I mean look at this.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00000DMAD/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&seller=

67$ for Grim Fandango? Thats just unreasonable to pay for. Especially considering weither an old game like this will work on peoples PC's or not. For old games like this I really want to play and see what what all this fuss about them. But I don't think paying 67$ is really reasonable at all.

Im not saying that old games are ok to pirate I just think that the really old ones that you can no longer buy in stores or buy online through DD.

i guess, but if you can buy them still at cheap prices or for download then absolutely not.Mckenna1845

nope, it's not ok.

If a game is no longer in print, it means the creators are no longer interested in making money off of that game. Oblige them.

But if the game is in print, either boxed or through DD, buy it. No matter how old it is. Buy it.

I have no problem with it. Piracy is bad because it harms the people creating games. If they stand to make no money on the sale in the first place, there's no harm done.parasitesingle

There's only one answer possible *looks at banner on top of this page*

The PC & Mac forum is available for you to discuss PC and Mac games, yada, yada yada..

Warning!: Admitting to pirating video games, or playing pirated video games will result in moderation with a possible suspension duration.

forum rules

I guess it's not as bad as pirating new games, but still not right.

I don't see a problem if the game is no longer being made and can really only be bought through friends or ebay. The reason for that is if you download it the developer/publisher won't make money, but there is no way for them to make money of it anyway. No if the game is re-released in digital form then i do not think it is ok to download it.

So if the developer/publisher don't find the need to re-release a game to make money off it then i find nothing wrong with downloading it.

This is a bit of a "touchy" subject... I understand people that say that it should be OK if anybody pirates an old game, however if there is a copyright standing on the game I would hate to be the person who created it... So... No, I do not think it is OK to pirate in any circumnstances...

A bit OT, but there is a great Irish website that I am sure you guys know about already... It's called Abandonia and they have a lot of old titles!! They explain why they are able to put them online on the first place (abandonware, etc - http://abandonia.com/en/faq) and have some great games!

There's only one answer possible *looks at banner on top of this page*

[quote="forum rules"]

The PC & Mac forum is available for you to discuss PC and Mac games, yada, yada yada..

Warning!: Admitting to pirating video games, or playing pirated video games will result in moderation with a possible suspension duration.

BLKR4330

Piracy is what keeps such c1assics alive.

No...no..!!!

[QUOTE="BLKR4330"]

There's only one answer possible *looks at banner on top of this page*

[quote="forum rules"]

The PC & Mac forum is available for you to discuss PC and Mac games, yada, yada yada..

Warning!: Admitting to pirating video games, or playing pirated video games will result in moderation with a possible suspension duration.

Agent_Kaliaver

true. i was just trying to point out that this is not the place to discuss such matters. if anyone wants to find out how far the rules will stretch than that's fine by me but i am pretty sure one would be walking a fine line by asking and answering such a question.

Isn't it Okay to Download Nintendo ROMs for Games that are No Longer Distributed in the Stores or Commercially Exploited? Aren't They Considered "Public Domain"?

No, the current availability of a game in stores is irrelevant as to its copyright status. Copyrights do not enter the public domain just because they are no longer commercially exploited or widely available. Therefore, the copyrights of games are valid even if the games are not found on store shelves, and using, copying and/or distributing those games is a copyright infringement.

Haven't the Copyrights for Old Games Expired?

U.S. copyright laws state that copyrights owned by corporations are valid for 75 years from the date of first publication. Because video games have been around for less than three decades, the copyrights of all video games will not expire for many decades to come.

I got this from http://www.nintendo.com/corp/legal.jsp#domain

Isn't it Okay to Download Nintendo ROMs for Games that are No Longer Distributed in the Stores or Commercially Exploited? Aren't They Considered "Public Domain"?

No, the current availability of a game in stores is irrelevant as to its copyright status. Copyrights do not enter the public domain just because they are no longer commercially exploited or widely available. Therefore, the copyrights of games are valid even if the games are not found on store shelves, and using, copying and/or distributing those games is a copyright infringement.

Haven't the Copyrights for Old Games Expired?

U.S. copyright laws state that copyrights owned by corporations are valid for 75 years from the date of first publication. Because video games have been around for less than three decades, the copyrights of all video games will not expire for many decades to come.

I got this from http://www.nintendo.com/corp/legal.jsp#domain

SinfulPotato

how many people actually clicked the link? Sixty seven dollars people, its not a game at this point its a piece of memorabilia some douchewads are jacking up the price on for people who just want to play the game

depends on how much personally 20-40 will make me sad but I will pay it but 67 is just messed up. So in this instance $67, yes but if it was actually reasonably priced no

yeah i;ve wanted to play grim fandigo for a while but i wont be able to it legally it seems im hoping they release a version on steam or gog.com for like $10

altough id be willing to pay a bit more say $20 for a boxed copie

I'm totally against Piracy. New or old, if you want a game that bad you'll find it somewhere. I got Grim Fandango off of E-Bay and paid $25. You have to be willing to pay for the top quality classics that are out there.

I'm totally against Piracy. New or old, if you want a game that bad you'll find it somewhere. I got Grim Fandango off of E-Bay and paid $25. You have to be willing to pay for the top quality classics that are out there.

slabber44

All I hear when talking about piracy is that we have to give money to the devs and so on.

In this case, I just pay some random douchebags, not the people that should get the money in the first place.

Funny how renting games on consoles is acceptable. It's like paying for a pirated copy.

This is a bit of a "touchy" subject... I understand people that say that it should be OK if anybody pirates an old game, however if there is a copyright standing on the game I would hate to be the person who created it... So... No, I do not think it is OK to pirate in any circumnstances...

laughsandsmiles

If the game is no longer available for purchase, the creator is no longer getting royalties from it. He will then, probably, simply want as many people to experience it as possible. Frankly, I reckon it's fine to pirate old games. With the internet, a person can pirate almost as easily as a company make old games available for cheap or free. If the company can't be bothered and second hand prices are cack, what's the alternative.

Having said that, Grim Fandango is widely available. There's no need to pirate it.

Just checked on ebay, saw it for £9.99 new. Also another one second hand starting at 99p.

Do you think pirating games that are old and impossible to find anywhere? I mean look at this.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00000DMAD/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&seller=

67$ for Grim Fandango? Thats just unreasonable to pay for. Especially considering weither an old game like this will work on peoples PC's or not. For old games like this I really want to play and see what what all this fuss about them. But I don't think paying 67$ is really reasonable at all.

Im not saying that old games are ok to pirate I just think that the really old ones that you can no longer buy in stores or buy online through DD.

JangoWuzHere

no that's wrong, go to gogamer.com or something.

Depending on what country your in. Under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act)

i'm not a professional lawyer, well not yet... but here is the link to the law which governs what we can and can not do with media in the United States in downloaded format. http://www.copyright.gov/legislation/dmca.pdf

Even is something is legally right doesn't make it morally right... so if it is legally wrong is it absolutely morally wrong, I don't know... I wouldn't do it.. but if you can look at yourself int eh mirror your the one who has to live with that decdision.

See the problem with buying old games is you never know if they will work on a new PC. I am one of the stupid people who bought an overpriced copy of Grim Fandango just to find out it has problems with modern graphics card. In conclusion I cant play it. Other game like for example have a different problem but it can be overcome but its work. For example the first Unreal runs twice as fast as normal and its unplayable. Atleast the very old games work thanks to dosbox.

i guess, but if you can buy them still at cheap prices or for download then absolutely not.Mckenna1845

No, not at all.

yeah i;ve wanted to play grim fandigo for a while but i wont be able to it legally it seems im hoping they release a version on steam or gog.com for like $10

altough id be willing to pay a bit more say $20 for a boxed copie

johnny27

i think that it is okay for old and impossible to find games but not for games which are old but can be found anywhere

I can totally understand why one wouldn't want to pay high prices for old games, first off the game disks could no longer be working (especially if it's floppy disks), second most old non-DOS games are very hard to get running on new PCs and third if the game is bought used the devs get no money from it anyway.

Still, I buy all of the games I play, even the old games. Since I like to collect games, I most often don't care if the disks themselves are not working, as long as I have the game I can always acquire working disks through.. other means. As a collector I'm not surprised by the high prices of some of the old games, especially the ones that are rare and considered classics. I'm willing to pay that price sometimes, but usually I wait for a cheaper copy.

when you pirate a game..file sharing Warez or whatever you always get a chance to get a bonus program like a nice virus......There are some legit abandon ware sites where the old games have let the copy rights expire and thats ok.....but as far as pirating something i can buy with my money no way.....:D

I think pirating any thing is wrong, so no.

Personally, I think the laws against software piracy should have a statute of limitations of sorts. For instance, take 1991 (?) PC racing game "Stunts"... 18 years later, I'm still enthralled with making my own courses and doing sick jumps across battleships and farmhouses. I've brought this game up to a lot of people and some had played it, some haven't. The game is only available used (meaning the developer gets no money from its sale) and on floppy disk (which means that most people won't be able to play it in the first place, since most PCs don't even come with a floppy drive anymore). What choice would they have BUT to pirate the game?

Of course, your average politician doesn't know what a floppy drive is, other than that it's a device that doesn't vote. So basically you've got to follow your OWN moral compass, live with the decisions you make, and avoid getting caught by the people who don't share your viewpoint, even if it's reasonable.

It's not immoral. The way I see it, if the company wanted to sell me the game, they'd make it available to me somehow (download/store). If they don't do that then it's not "stealing" because it's obvious that the company doesn't want to sell the game anymore.

And there's no way you're getting me to purchase a $70 used game that might or might not work. That money doesn't even go to the developer...

For instance, take 1991 (?) PC racing game "Stunts"... 18 years later, I'm still enthralled with making my own courses and doing sick jumps across battleships and farmhouses. I've brought this game up to a lot of people and some had played it, some haven't. The game is only available used (meaning the developer gets no money from its sale) and on floppy disk (which means that most people won't be able to play it in the first place, since most PCs don't even come with a floppy drive anymore). What choice would they have BUT to pirate the game?

Generic_Dude

Stunts rulez! :P Seriously it was one of the first games I ever played on PC, I still play it occasionally, it's amazing how fun it still is.

This should be in Poll format. The results would be interesting. I think it is perfectly alright to pirate games that are not available by commercial means. Just be warned that pirating may yield a game that doesn't work at certain points. This is especially annoying with rpgs.

I don't care if you pirate any game. Just make sure to buy the ones you like. I mean if you don't buy the games you enjoy the developers have less money to make sequel so it might not happen. Also a lot of sequels are based off of the sales figures.