Pirates cost software industry $50 billion in 2008

Maybe if game companys wouldn't charge $50 for a game people wouldn't pirate them. ­ With gas expensive, and the price of items rising, the people can't afford to shuffel out $50 for a game, so they can download a program in 45 seconds and begin saving hundreds.

­

And if games had a decent mp then piracy would drastically be cut down as players would want to play online

this also reminds me of those people all of Ny selling movies on the street I remember once we were eating at a resturant and some lady comes up 2 us with a bag full of movies and my mom bought 2 of them :shock: wtf was she thinking they could have just been blank LOL

lol, I'm sure people in zimbabwe would be buying PC games at 100 bucks a pop if they couldn't pirate...

It would be so funny to see what they would say if everyone stoped downloading stuff and then there was close to no change in how much money they get...

I hate how they only mention PC piracy as a percentage. I mean, there's most likely more console gamers than real PC gamers able and willing to buy the latest PC titles, and I know myself that there's a lot of piracy on console too, because I know several sources of that piracy.

[QUOTE="remmbermytitans"]I think developer's are going to need to lower the costs of games in order to combat piracy. Why would someone pay $50 for a game like Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, when they can get Team Fortress 2, a game that's just as great, for $20? The high price is asking for people to pirate the games. Mind you, I paid for both of those games, yet when I look back at both purchases, Team Fortress 2 is clearly the better choice. I paid for much more with a lot less. If developers dropped their prices it may take away that incentive to pirate games. kemar7856

and to drive the point home even farther, you can download games legally off of steam ect....yet they cost the same as if you buy a box with cd and manuel ect....developers just love to steal our money its that simple. they cry about pirates because they then get to cry to there insurence companys, but the insurence companys cry back and force them to buy DRM otherwise they don't get a check....this is how the cycle works and it all started with money hungry developers. and the truth is only about 10% of the people who pirate would actually buy the games if forced. DRM is a buisness, it provides jobs, it actually earns developers money except they have to spend it on DRM or the insurence companys would just drop them. Overall piracy is actually good for the economy lol.....

but im not saying it doesn't hurt the companys, but most of it is there own fault for being greedy, and to use it as an excuse to smash the used games market into dust. (which should be illegal to do in my opinion, we should have the right to sell our games....)

"The lowest-piracy countries are the United States, Japan, New Zealand, and Luxembourg, all near 20 percent. The highest-piracy countries are Armenia, Bangladesh, Georgia, and Zimbabwe, all over 90 percent."

How do you even calculate stuff like this? Do you mean to tell me that if piracy wasn't around they would purchase stuff? Somehow I find that very hard to believe..

_Pedro_

I'm from Georgia. Trust me, you just live one day here, talk to people, and it's absolutely clear that piracy is as common as water here.

lol, I'm sure people in zimbabwe would be buying PC games at 100 bucks a pop if they couldn't pirate...

F1_2004

So geographically speaking, levels of piracy are apparently inversely proportional to level of income? Well surprise, surprise. If publishers sort out their pricing for different regions, they'll see their sales recover a bit.jimmyjammer69

Actually, that's exactly what they did in Russia: localized, fully translated game in a jewel case, with serial number that allows you to join any legal server along with people who bought the "expensive" version, and it costs about 400-500 rubles (13-15 USD). That, along with expencive internet bandwith and strict laws controlling selling contrafact software "off the hood of your car", actually did help solving piracy problem a bit.

I do buy localized versions, but the translation is usually of poor quality (kinda like the english version of The Witcher), so, I end up getting games from "alternative sources" and using a legal cd-key witch I bought.

[QUOTE="jimmyjammer69"]So geographically speaking, levels of piracy are apparently inversely proportional to level of income? Well surprise, surprise. If publishers sort out their pricing for different regions, they'll see their sales recover a bit.Arronaxxx

Actually, that's exactly what they did in Russia: localized, fully translated game in a jewel case, with serial number that allows you to join any legal server along with people who bought the "expensive" version, and it costs about 400-500 rubles (13-15 USD). That, along with expencive internet bandwith and strict laws controlling selling contrafact software "off the hood of your car", actually did help solving piracy problem a bit.

I'm still a pirate though :( I do buy localized versions, but the translation is usually of poor quality (kinda like the english version of The Witcher), so, I end up downloading games from torrents and using a legal cd-key witch I bought. Witch yet again proves that 1 download doesn't equate to 1 lost sale.

WOW the porest countrys in the world are the highest. pepeole with no money stealing who ever thout. hmm do I by

$60 game or food. steal $60 game and buy food......... I wonder WHY they Pirates everything

Addict187

Well, who can blame them? Their life is hard as it is, so the free entertainment, that pirated movies and games provide, at least help them get on with it.

I will edit out the last section of your post; admitting to piracy is against the rules here on GS.

OoSuperMarioO

I followed your advice, even though I wasn't admitting to piracy, since I bought the original game legally. But thanks for the warning :)

Yarrrrr.

and to drive the point home even farther, you can download games legally off of steam ect....yet they cost the same as if you buy a box with cd and manuel ect....developers just love to steal our money its that simple. P>machiavell8x8

I have to agree with this. I find it ridiculous that the download version of a game is the same price as the box copy. They save money from making copies of the game and the cost of distributing to retaliers yet they charge the same. It really reveals how greedy the company is.

[QUOTE="machiavell8x8"]

and to drive the point home even farther, you can download games legally off of steam ect....yet they cost the same as if you buy a box with cd and manuel ect....developers just love to steal our money its that simple. P>STAR_Admiral

I have to agree with this. I find it ridiculous that the download version of a game is the same price as the box copy. They save money from making copies of the game and the cost of distributing to retaliers yet they charge the same. It really reveals how greedy the company is.

yes, this is true, very few exceptions.

but truth be told, its all about profit...

profit is the main, and most of the time only, goal for any corperation.

because companies and business's cannot afford to be ethical, nor can they afford to actually help the consumer.

if they did they would go bankrupt, nvidia is not gonna say (ati is better especially at the price) and ati isnt gonna say (nvidia is better performance)

same goes for just about every company on the planet and its rival companies.

and also they through out things like sales, and weekend deals and such, which happen to expire right before your order goes thru...

and also the rebates which (if you even get them) you have to wait freaking forever, and go thru all sorts of trouble.

but like i said before, their are very few exceptions to this....

WOW the porest countrys in the world are the highest. pepeole with no money stealing who ever thout. hmm do I by

$60 game or food. steal $60 game and buy food......... I wonder WHY they Pirates everything

Addict187

I've been to Asia on many occasions, 100% of any american products you find selling on the streets are knock off example levi jeans, marlboro cigarettes, you name it, they do it, your misconception is that they pay, the equivalent to what we pay. A $50 pc game here cost about $10 there. Funny, last week one of the guys I work who is from the Phillipines, came to work sporting a Rolex direct quote " hey Rolex 5 dollars in the phillipines i brought 3 of them".

I know way more people who pirated photoshop than games. So let's not put all the blame on the Gaming.

What about this.. i paid 1.800$ for a pc that is worth 700$. The same apply to games. I have to pay 140$ for a 50$ game. In my country is almost forbidden to buy things at the right price.. in September an ati 4850 was 420$.. now it is 700$.. and in newegg they are 130$.. with an economy so fckd up i couldn't even think in gaming without piracy..