Article - PC Game Piracy Examined (Author: Koroush Ghazi - Tweak Guides) - Games

This is a fantastic [URL="http://www.tweakguides.com/Piracy_1.html"]10 page article[/URL] that examines every part of video game software piracy, the best I've seen anywhere. I would seriously reconsider weighing in your opinion without reading the article from start to finish, there is guaranteed to be a few facts and statistics in there you did not know about. It has definitely changed my out-look on software piracy. I will say it again. [b]I would seriously reconsider weighing in your opinion without reading the article from start to finish.[/b]

More Demos, less pirates.

He mentions that Crysis had a demo that contained the entire first level, yet the game was pirated by almost 1,000,000 people. He still insist though that companies should make the buyer more confident about what he is paying for by providing more realistic system requirements, more media, and a decent sized demo of the game. Honestly, how many of us know what the hell are we exactly buying until we play it?

[QUOTE=Hostel;19805343]He mentions that Crysis had a demo that contained the entire first level, yet the game was pirated by almost 1,000,000 people. [/QUOTE] Makes games not cost so much, they get bought so much that reducing the price by like £5 is still going to cover all development costs and make them huge profit Don't charge another £10 for one map DLC, infact, don't charge for DLC at all, do what valve does, they don't charge, they have thousands of customers, they win.

The problem is the companys are afraid to charge less. They think they are taking a risk and the risk is to great. This is why games will continue to go up price.

[QUOTE=Rich209;19805471]The problem is the companys are afraid to charge less. They think they are taking a risk and the risk is to great. This is why games will continue to go up price.[/QUOTE] and this is why i'll still be downloading my linux distros.

Again, I would read the article if you haven't already, what you guys are saying is just old news to this guy and his article. The consoles have an intelligent piece of hardware installed with firmware that stops piracy. While some do overwrite the hardware with modified firmware, it's a real hassle to accomplish and there is a risk of permanently screwing up your console. This is the main reason why less people pirate games on the consoles. This same technology should be implemented into motherboards for PCs, but developers better make damn sure that they get a legitimate demo out to us, or maybe even a 6 hour trial of the full game like the indie developers of Mount & Blade did.

[QUOTE]Don't blindly support Steam. Steam is a good digital distribution platform, but at the moment Valve has an effective monopoly on digital games distribution. In the absence of a real competitor, [I][B]prices will remain high[/B][/I] and Valve will have no incentive to pressure publishers to both lower digital prices and remove redundant DRM on Steam-protected games.[/QUOTE] ahahaha

[QUOTE=pl0xinat0r;19805410]Don't charge another £10 for one map DLC, infact, don't charge for DLC at all, do what valve does, they don't charge, they have thousands of customers, they win.[/QUOTE] Unfortunately, Valve are in a unique situation by owning Steam, which is a huge source of income for them. Other companies aren't so lucky.

[QUOTE=Hostel;19805711]Again, I would read the article if you haven't already, what you guys are saying is just old news to this guy and his article. The consoles have an intelligent piece of hardware installed with firmware that stops piracy. While some do overwrite the hardware with modified firmware, it's a real hassle to accomplish and there is a risk of permanently screwing up your console. This is the main reason why less people pirate games on the consoles. [b]This same technology should be implemented into motherboards for PCs,[/b] but developers better make damn sure that they get a legitimate demo out to us, or maybe even a 6 hour trial of the full game like the indie developers of Mount & Blade did.[/QUOTE] Huge flaw with your plan there. Pretty much every single computer is different, it would be so god dam difficult to design and implement, not to mention the fact people will just go to other manufacturers to get their product without the anti-piracy chip.

Jesus, how much money does it take to get a game into a cd and put it in a nice box?

I have no issues at all in paying for a game which I feel deserves it. There have been several occasions where I've pirated a game then bought it. I think the main issue is in the developers/publishers and their relationship with the market. For example, I'd feel a lot worse pirating a Valve game than an EA game. Valve are generally nice, caring and supportive of it's community which encourages people to buy their products. As opposed to EA who know their mundane corporate bullshit will sell to the mainstream so they can feel free to screw over "real" gamers. Bioshock 2 is a good example. I'm sure it'll be a decent game, and I really enjoyed the first one... but the mere fact that they've loaded it with such utter BULLSHIT anti-piracy gizmos makes me edge it closer and closer to the "things to torrent..." list. The thing that annoys me most is, they feel the need to put so many anti-piracy measures in place when they will not work. There's not been a single game that's not been pirated successfully. My main point is, developers and publishers need to quit being money grabbing cunts... and actually look after us, the consumers. If they do that I'll buy their stuff.

[QUOTE=Jund;19806214]Jesus, how much money does it take to get a game into a cd and put it in a nice box?[/QUOTE] Printing millions of DVDs, manuals, cover art slips and producing the boxes and shipping them all. Not expensive individually but the scale makes the costs stack. Though the huge prices on digital games annoy me. Why should what I buy and download cost the same as a physical copy?

[QUOTE=Scotchair;19806976]I have no issues at all in paying for a game which I feel deserves it. There have been several occasions where I've pirated a game then bought it. I think the main issue is in the developers/publishers and their relationship with the market. For example, I'd feel a lot worse pirating a Valve game than an EA game. Valve are generally nice, caring and supportive of it's community which encourages people to buy their products. As opposed to EA who know their mundane corporate bullshit will sell to the mainstream so they can feel free to screw over "real" gamers. Bioshock 2 is a good example. I'm sure it'll be a decent game, and I really enjoyed the first one... but the mere fact that they've loaded it with such utter BULLSHIT anti-piracy gizmos makes me edge it closer and closer to the "things to torrent..." list. The thing that annoys me most is, they feel the need to put so many anti-piracy measures in place when they will not work. There's not been a single game that's not been pirated successfully. My main point is, developers and publishers need to quit being money grabbing cunts... and actually look after us, the consumers. If they do that I'll buy their stuff.[/QUOTE] did you even read the article

[QUOTE=Hostel;19805711]This same technology should be implemented into motherboards for PCs[/QUOTE] No, just NO. You know what's the difference between pc and console? PC is freedom where you can do whatever you want. Maybe lets add a chip so you have to pay monthly to use your pc?

[QUOTE=ImBill;19807128]did you even read the article[/QUOTE] Not all of it, but my [I]opinion[/I] still stands.

Games should be free; end of story. Oh, and government will pay the companies for their time.

[QUOTE=deepneau;19807330]Games should be free; end of story. Oh, and government will pay the companies for their time.[/QUOTE] And todays news: Tax rate is rising to 400%.

[QUOTE=Scotchair;19807296]Not all of it, but my [I]opinion[/I] still stands.[/QUOTE] Opinions don't over-rule facts, and they can become invalid with proper facts and statistics. If you read the article fully, you would change your tune. Cevat Yerli, the founder and CEO of Crytek, the company that made Crysis, pretty much said in a nutshell "If you respect the platform, you will purchase the games and we will respect you and feel much more inclined to make PC exclusives" Including chips on a motherboard loaded with firmware to stop pirating is not as ridiculous as it sounds to some of you. All it really needs is a kick start from Microsoft to develop some kind of API (Example: DirectX API so different manufacturers can make video cards that all work.) and the hardware manufacturers can take care of the rest. Johanz, don't even go there, that like when Pat Robertson exclaimed "If they allow pornography to become acceptable, when will it end? The next thing you know, beasteality will become OK with everyone" If Microsoft makes an API, you can guarantee game companies to work with manufacturers to get this to work right. Sort of like Nvidia's "The way it's meant to be played" program where they work with game companies to make the software work better with their cards. The thing is though, Microsoft sort of wants PC gaming to decline, because their market is ensured in the XBOX 360.

[QUOTE=pl0xinat0r;19805410]Makes games not cost so much, they get bought so much that reducing the price by like £5 is still going to cover all development costs and make them huge profit Don't charge another £10 for one map DLC, infact, don't charge for DLC at all, do what valve does, they don't charge, they have thousands of customers, they win.[/QUOTE] Valve has Steam to bring them in money, so doing free DLC is far easier for them. When you're only source of profit is games, giving away DLC just isn't viable for many companies. [editline]05:53PM[/editline] and I just love all the misinformation and utter bullshit spread about SecuROM these days.

I love the guy that writes Tweak Guides His article could be fifty pages long and it'd still be interesting to read

[url]http://www.scribd.com/doc/25604471/A-Rebuttal-to-Reclaim-Your-Game-s-Unbiased-Borderlands-DRM-Testing[/url] For anyone who actually trusts RYG still. [editline]06:15PM[/editline] [QUOTE=Robbazking;19808285]Remember that people that downloaded games probably never had bought the game anyway if it wasen't possible to download for free.[/QUOTE] the above statement is based on several studies I myself have conducted, trust me, I'm a doctor

[QUOTE=Robbazking;19808285]Remember that people that downloaded games probably never had bought the game anyway if it wasen't possible to download for free.[/QUOTE] honestly are any of you actually reading the article, this was brought up very early in it

People will continue to pirate even if developers cared, it's the essence of the [I]free rider problem[/I] that he mentions. If you do Economics you'll know that if something is free, people will continue to use it. The problem is that the industry isn't tackling the source of the issue. Pirating a game is too easy, so when the publishers complain about it, it makes me wonder if they know how easy it is. Which brings forth the next question, why isn't anything being done about it? Until piracy is actually made more difficult to do, or prevented with some serious measures, not this half-assed DRM shit then you'll actually see people buying more. That's basically what the guy is saying I feel, but I didn't read it properly so maybe I should ina sec :sax:

[QUOTE=pl0xinat0r;19805410]Makes games not cost so much, they get bought so much that reducing the price by like £5 is still going to cover all development costs and make them huge profit Don't charge another £10 for one map DLC, infact, don't charge for DLC at all, do what valve does, they don't charge, they have thousands of customers, they win.[/QUOTE] Valve is setting a price for their new L4D2 DLC, iirc.

[QUOTE=Scotchair;19807296]Not all of it, but my [I]opinion[/I] still stands.[/QUOTE] Well the article basically destroys that same opinion that many pirates give by stating that it doesn't matter who makes the games and if there's any DRM - because hard facts show that even "popular, good, DRM-free" free games are among the top pirated games around the world. Fact of the matter is, if a game is popular, it'll get pirated. And if the game has no DRM, it'll get pirated 5x more within the initial launch window, which is the most critical part to avoid losing sales (the point in DRM is to delay day-one cracking, not to stop all cracking). Pretending you are some kind of "white knight pirate" is bullshit, because pirating is pirating. If you want to bitch at someone for the inclusion of DRM in games and the fact that many of the companies are choosing Xbox over PC exclusivity, then bitch at the people who pirate the games with or without DRM and not the companies. Because in the real world, for 99% of piraters (maybe not YOU), they could give a rat's ass where the game came from or what is in it. If it's popular, wanted, and more easily avalable, then it WILL be pirated much much more than if it had no DRM at all. World of Goo has over a 90% piracy rate. That's just about as noble as it gets. They are EXACTLY the type of game and company that pirates always talk about when they say "If it's a good honest company, and if there's no DRM, and if they save a baby from a burning building, I'll buy!!" Too bad those words mean nothing when it's a game that has one of the highest piracy ratios in existence of any software, even beating out stuff like Photoshop and Windows. Oh? You say it doesn't count because of release delay windows and such? Okay well the article also brings up Demigod, which fits that exact same discription of being DRM free and from a good company etc etc but the game sold almost nothing and yet 80% of it's online userbase are those who pirated the game. Point being, stop the bullshit excuses. You're not some kind of white knight and it's foolish to think that if companies stop using DRM and all turn into Valve's that you will NEVER EVER pirate again and that piracy will stop. Because statistically speaking, if companies do that, then piracy will actually increase. Oh well, so much for that excuse. Next!

[QUOTE=johanz;19807268]No, just NO. You know what's the difference between pc and console? PC is freedom where you can do whatever you want. Maybe lets add a chip so you have to pay monthly to use your pc?[/QUOTE] We already have to pay monthly. The internet.

[QUOTE=Hostel;19807749] Including chips on a motherboard loaded with firmware to stop pirating is not as ridiculous as it sounds to some of you. All it really needs is a kick start from Microsoft to develop some kind of API (Example: DirectX API so different manufacturers can make video cards that all work.) and the hardware manufacturers can take care of the rest. Johanz, don't even go there, that like when Pat Robertson exclaimed "If they allow pornography to become acceptable, when will it end? The next thing you know, beasteality will become OK with everyone" [/QUOTE] It won't really work, would it? You can modify exe not to read the chip and that's it, at least that's how cracks work right now. If chip is there, instead of not checking dvd disc, it won't check chip for validity and pretty much that's it. And it's not very good move in terms of economy.

I buy every single game I have ever owned, but I do know people who pirate everything without even a second thought. It's damn frustrating to say the least, I sometimes gift them the game to prevent them going off and robbing another copy.

[QUOTE=KorJax;19808715]Well the article basically destroys that same opinion that many pirates give by stating that it doesn't matter who makes the games and if there's any DRM - because hard facts show that even "popular, good, DRM-free" free games are among the top pirated games around the world. Fact of the matter is, if a game is popular, it'll get pirated. And if the game has no DRM, it'll get pirated 5x more within the initial launch window, which is the most critical part to avoid losing sales (the point in DRM is to delay day-one cracking, not to stop all cracking). Pretending you are some kind of "white knight pirate" is bullshit, because pirating is pirating. If you want to bitch at someone for the inclusion of DRM in games and the fact that many of the companies are choosing Xbox over PC exclusivity, then bitch at the people who pirate the games with or without DRM and not the companies. Because in the real world, for 99% of piraters (maybe not YOU), they could give a rat's ass where the game came from or what is in it. If it's popular, wanted, and more easily avalable, then it WILL be pirated much much more than if it had no DRM at all. World of Goo has over a 90% piracy rate. That's just about as noble as it gets. They are EXACTLY the type of game and company that pirates always talk about when they say "If it's a good honest company, and if there's no DRM, and if they save a baby from a burning building, I'll buy!!" Too bad those words mean nothing when it's a game that has one of the highest piracy ratios in existence of any software, even beating out stuff like Photoshop and Windows. Oh? You say it doesn't count because of release delay windows and such? Okay well the article also brings up Demigod, which fits that exact same discription of being DRM free and from a good company etc etc but the game sold almost nothing and yet 80% of it's online userbase are those who pirated the game. Point being, stop the bullshit excuses. You're not some kind of white knight and it's foolish to think that if companies stop using DRM and all turn into Valve's that you will NEVER EVER pirate again and that piracy will stop. Because statistically speaking, if companies do that, then piracy will actually increase. Oh well, so much for that excuse. Next![/QUOTE] Eh, I disagree. Games with absolutely no DRM are a minority, and because of that, they're pirated more often. But nowadays, a lot of people don't solely pirate because they don't want to pay, it's a mixture of things. SecuROM is a great example, it's not DRM, it's a rootkit that will chug your computer along. Not to mention bullshit install limits. Crackers always try to get rid of these things, and eventually, they do. Another good reason is that yes, people don't want to pay for the damn game. A lot of people have pirated MW2 even though they can't play MP. It's a $60 fucking game, which is downright fucking extortion. A good game should not cost more than $20-$30, which is often why I wait for sales or for the general price of the game to go down before purchasing. I actually know a lot of people who also go through a "try before you buy" policy, and they eventually buy it. With games like MW2 that rely heavily on MP gameplay, or the FADE or whatever system in OFP and ArmA, it tends to steer people towards purchasing the game. I agree completely that DRM shouldn't be removed, but it should be stripped to an extent. Strategic anti-piracy methods similar to FADE and MP reliant games are the best DRM; install limits and SecuROM are far too extreme methods and end up causing more trouble for the legal end user than the pirate.