How Expensive Are Games?

[MrDownerup]

but if you enjoy it (as I do),support it.. then you'll most likely end up with some more great Entertainment..

No, it works the opposite way actually. See, if companies see that you pay for it, they will go to the great lengths to minimize work involved and to maximize profits. This always ends up into piece of shit sequels. It's the small and unknown companies who struggle to survive are actually more likely to produce good entertainment, because they need to take people off the other franchises' needles.

that's complete bullshit.. bulletstorm is a great example.. it was great,and up there in my all time favorite list.. a sequel was planned,and I have all ideas would have been great as well,but guess what.. sales weren't there..   

now.. that said.. the sequel might have been shit,and if it was shit,I would not support it.. bulletstorm however,deserved every penny it made..being someone who mods games,I know the work involved..

here's my favorite excuse.. "I don't have the money" you can afford the internet,and the PC to play it on.. oh,and I'm no angel,so don't get me wrong..but please stop with the excuses.. just say it..pirates steal because it's easy..

[RedGhostFrog]

here's my favorite excuse.. "I don't have the money" you can afford the internet,and the PC to play it on.. oh,and I'm no angel,so don't get me wrong..but please stop with the excuses.. just say it..pirates steal because it's easy..

I don't know how things work where you live, but I highly doubt you can equate the price of a monthly internet connection to that of a videogame... then again, as I pointed out previously, games' prices outside of US tend to be a lot higher. Maybe where you live the prices of games and internet are somewhat similar, but still, you are assuming the situation in your particular country is the same as in every other one. And my PC, particularly, is very low-end. And I've had the same one for about 4 or 5 years. It's not like I change my PC every year like some other people do. Plus, when I do, it don't buy the latest graphics card, and all that new shit. My current PC, the one I'm using right now, doesn't even have a separate graphics card or any card to begin with (it's all within the motherboard).

Even considering that, your argument is quite fallacious. A computer and an internet connection might be a necessity for your job, in which case you can't just say "well I can cancel my internet contract for the next couple of months to buy a few games and sell my PC to buy that new console". You might as well be saying "you could just not feed your family for the next few weeks and buy Diablo 3, you cheap asshole".

Bottom line: Third World countries exist, and you can't possibly compare the economic situations of the people who live in these countries to those who live in the First World.

[Toploader]

AAA games would not exist without publishers.  As much as I love my Indie games, I also like a good AAA title such as BulletStorm and Saints Row that cost millions of dollars to produce and many man hours.  I don't pirete games because I wanna support the medium and have worked in the industry, but I can't judge because there are other forms of media I still do.

[Toploader]

Bottom line: Third World countries exist, and you can't possibly compare the economic situations of the people who live in these countries to those who live in the First World.

Tis true, but lets be honest, a vast majority of people that pirate games that live in the first world could buy them if they wanted, or just do what I often do and wait 6 months until it's 75% cheaper.  I think D's point is many just use this excuse when it's not really true, rather then just say 'hey yeah, I downloaded it cause I could, what of it?'

 

[RedGhostFrog]

Bottom line: Third World countries exist, and you can't possibly compare the economic situations of the people who live in these countries to those who live in the First World.

Tis true, but lets be honest, a vast majority of people that pirate games that live in the first world could buy them if they wanted, or just do what I often do and wait 6 months until it's 75% cheaper.  I think D's point is many just use this excuse when it's not really true, rather then just say 'hey yeah, I downloaded it cause I could, what of it?'

I never questioned that, I know lots of people abuse piracy for no reason. I'm no angel either, hell, even if I had the kind of money to buy any of that I would probably pirate a good part of it too. My point was that not every single person who pirates do it while they could actually buy it. I would really like to support the developers who deserve it, and I understand the industry needs money to keep working. But for some people that's not an option.

[StephenArdrey]

Bottom line: Third World countries exist, and you can't possibly compare the economic situations of the people who live in these countries to those who live in the First World.

Tis true, but lets be honest, a vast majority of people that pirate games that live in the first world could buy them if they wanted, or just do what I often do and wait 6 months until it's 75% cheaper.  I think D's point is many just use this excuse when it's not really true, rather then just say 'hey yeah, I downloaded it cause I could, what of it?'

I respect both views but I need to throw my hat into the hat fight. It's not a cool hat but it's a hat none the less. The issue of piracy is a double edged sword. Especially, when you look at dirratives of art and trying to decipher copyright laws.

Their are lawyers, who dedicate their lives and careers to deciphering the copyright code in the United States. What is actual piracy?

To me, piracy is when you make the conscious decision to illegally obtain what can be legally obtained. That should be the rule of law and that's it but presidence in our legal system has made it more complicated than that especially when you start discussing matters of intellectual property.

Do those who download a game, movie, or musical composition intend to gain monetarily from their download? Depends on how you look at monetary benefit. Technically, they aren't spending money on said product so they are receiving a monetary gain by not spending money. That being said, I like to think that people don't mind spending money on entertainment.

I don't think the piracy numbers, in the U.S., are as high as in other countries where certain titles are banned. I keep mentioning Venezuala but they have a state wide ban on video games. Because according to their dictator, video games make people violent degenerates. So how are they supposed to legally obtain software of any kind?

I am not pro-don't-buy-shit. This just hurts the economy and becomes a pain in the ass for those who create. It also gives an excuse for games of a lower common standard. Often quality of products diminish when we pirate. That being said, I don't want to hear the mine craft argument linked to that statement.

Yes, small development teams are making great leaps and bounds with very little economic incentive in mind. On the other hand, people are also being limited by not finding the production funds needed to make their image come true. Like if everyone, who ever pirated a copy of Postal 2, turned around and bought a copy imagine how different RWS would be right now.

[MrDownerup]

Bottom line: Third World countries exist, and you can't possibly compare the economic situations of the people who live in these countries to those who live in the First World.

  I think D's point is many just use this excuse when it's not really true, rather then just say 'hey yeah, I downloaded it cause I could, what of it?'

that's precisely what I'm saying,and I stick with my orig.. statement.. if you can afford Internet,and a device (which isn't stolen) to use these "Stolen" Games on,you can afford to buy the game.. bottom line. maybe there is a rare case,but IMO if you are that broke,maybe you should be outside tending a garden,or trying to wash a window,or something,or just own up to it.. hey I fuckin' stole it,cause I could,and I don't feel it's worth paying for.. which is true in many cases.. 3dsmax,Photoshop,etc are good example.. to a hobby modder it's not worth the high cost..we have free alternatives of-course,but still..

now,if I wanted to go in depth,I could come up with some compelling arguments/excuses.. say Johnny buys a wii console,because he knows he can download the games.. when in any other case he wouldn't have bought a console.. is piracy a good thing? well it's good for Nintendo..they made money they otherwise wouldn't have.. anyway.. I'm arguing for the sake of arguing now,so I'll leave it @ that..

the one thing I am saying,and saying loud..if you truly enjoyed it,support it.. it says two things  "this was good enough to buy" ,and "gimme more"

[RedGhostFrog]

Bottom line: Third World countries exist, and you can't possibly compare the economic situations of the people who live in these countries to those who live in the First World.

  I think D's point is many just use this excuse when it's not really true, rather then just say 'hey yeah, I downloaded it cause I could, what of it?'

that's precisely what I'm saying,and I stick with my orig.. statement.. if you can afford Internet,and a device (which isn't stolen) to use these "Stolen" Games on,you can afford to buy the game.. bottom line. maybe there is a rare case,but IMO if you are that broke,maybe you should be outside tending a garden,or trying to wash a window,or something,or just own up to it.. hey I fuckin' stole it,cause I could,and I don't feel it's worth paying for.. which is true in many cases.. 3dsmax,Photoshop,etc are good example.. to a hobby modder it's not worth the high cost..we have free alternatives of-course,but still..

I don't know how things work where you live, but I highly doubt you can equate the price of a monthly internet connection to that of a videogame... then again, as I pointed out previously, games' prices outside of US tend to be a lot higher. Maybe where you live the prices of games and internet are somewhat similar, but still, you are assuming the situation in your particular country is the same as in every other one. And my PC, particularly, is very low-end. And I've had the same one for about 4 or 5 years. It's not like I change my PC every year like some other people do. Plus, when I do, it don't buy the latest graphics card, and all that new shit. My current PC, the one I'm using right now, doesn't even have a separate graphics card or any card to begin with (it's all within the motherboard).

Even considering that, your argument is quite fallacious. A computer and an internet connection might be a necessity for your job, in which case you can't just say "well I can cancel my internet contract for the next couple of months to buy a few games and sell my PC to buy that new console". You might as well be saying "you could just not feed your family for the next few weeks and buy Diablo 3, you cheap asshole".

Bottom line: Third World countries exist, and you can't possibly compare the economic situations of the people who live in these countries to those who live in the First World.

^I already explained here why I consider your conclusion on PC owning pirates wrong. Please, if you disagree, feel free to refute my argument any way you want. Luckily I am not as poor as I presume you are thinking (though you are probably being sarcastic), I have enough money to afford food and a place to live. However, it is important to note that since food and houses/apartments are produced/built where I live, their prices are made to fit the consumer, that is, the people of my country. I'm pretty sure that if you could somewhat travel instantly and without any cost here to do your your shopping at our grocery stores, you'd find yourself saving a considerable amount of your salary. But since videogames are imported, the price of them is adjusted to the exporter's market (generally the US).

And I never said that what I did wasn't piracy. I completely own up to that. And yes, there are games (and software, movies, music, etc.) that aren't worth their price. Depending on the case, piracy might be justified even if you can afford it. I didn't say being broke was the only acceptable reason to pirate. But it's definitely existant, whether you see or experience it or not.

now,if I wanted to go in depth,I could come up with some compelling arguments/excuses.. say Johnny buys a wii console,because he knows he can download the games.. when in any other case he wouldn't have bought a console.. is piracy a good thing? well it's good for Nintendo..they made money they otherwise wouldn't have.. anyway.. I'm arguing for the sake of arguing now,so I'll leave it @ that..

That is actually the common scenario here with the people who can afford the console in the first place. Which is not many people, by the way.

the one thing I am saying,and saying loud..if you truly enjoyed it,support it.. it says two things  "this was good enough to buy" ,and "gimme more"

I agree that supporting would be good. But what I'm saying is that some people just can't afford to help, no matter how much they would want to.

[MrDownerup]

I know all about being broke.. I have a Wife,and Kid,and haven't been able to work in years because of bone injuries.. I barely get by,and live dollar,by day.. I would love to play many of the new releases,AAA titles ,etc when they come out.. I simply don't,unless someone gifts,or it goes on sale for reasonable price..

I could argue till I'm blue in the face,but unlike food/shelter,these are things you DO NOT need.. I'm not judging anyone,and I'm guilty myself.. I'm just saying it's a "poor" excuse..

[RedGhostFrog]

First of all, I'm sorry about your bones and economic situation, that sure has to suck
I agree however that entertainment is not a necessity, and whether to pirate stuff or not is a personal choice after all. Whether being broke justifies pirating or not is also a personal opinion, I guess. But it's a real issue, at least give me that...

[MrDownerup]

yeah..I'll give you that.. it is an issue..and tbh.. it's prolly not the biggest.. (could be statistic wise,IDK),but I feel the biggest is people who can afford to buy things,yet they still download like there's no tomorrow.. "sticking it to the man" and prolly even more so,those who download,and copy,and sell.. "black market"

it's a problem that will never be solved however.. it's nothing new either. "VCR anyone?" as far as Movie/Tele/Film Industry..I have a hard time feeling sorry for these guys anyway.. when they pay 1 million per episode,or 4 billion per movie for an actor's name..when there are starving actors with more talent.. anyway going off subject here.. lol

[RedGhostFrog]

yeah..I'll give you that.. it is an issue..and tbh.. it's prolly not the biggest.. (could be statistic wise,IDK),but I feel the biggest is people who can afford to buy things,yet they still download like there's no tomorrow.. "sticking it to the man" and prolly even more so,those who download,and copy,and sell.. "black market"

Yes, there is people out there who have the money to buy stuff but pirate nonetheless. But I pirate personally (though for different reasons) so I still think I'm no-one to complain. And for the record, I've never approved of profiting from piracy. Getting things that should be paid for, without paying for whatever reason I can understand, but leeching money from other person's work is a whole different issue. I'm still surprised that that stuff actually sells, since that same people could just download it themselves.

By the way, I've always been interested in the fact that they manage to make statistics for piracy even though it's supposed to be done secretly... go figure.

it's a problem that will never be solved however.. it's nothing new either. "VCR anyone?" as far as Movie/Tele/Film Industry..I have a hard time feeling sorry for these guys anyway.. when they pay 1 million per episode,or 4 billion per movie for an actor's name..when there are starving actors with more talent.. anyway going off subject here.. lol

Yeah, it's not like the industries are starving because of piracy or something. Piracy does hurt the industry to some extent, but it's nowhere nearly as bad as they want people to believe. And yes, being good at your job alone often isn't enough to get hired.

Well then I guess we are done with this discussion?

[The_YongGrand]

Yeah, it's not like the industries are starving because of piracy or something. Piracy does hurt the industry to some extent, but it's nowhere nearly as bad as they want people to believe. And yes, being good at your job alone often isn't enough to get hired.

Well then I guess we are done with this discussion?

To be honest, the other part of the world of a certain part of SE Asia has a very serious piracy problem. Boxed games there are too expensive, and nowadays some folks with debit/credit cards are able to buy discounted Steam games. At the very least, some piracy is being combat.

Even in Thailand I heard that they have local manufacturers who distributes and repackaged original games which are much cheaper. Singapore's not allowing any forms of pirated discs sold, probably because huge companies like EA and Lucasfilm set foot in that island. Back then when I was there, I didn't see any of these cheap pirated (and reduplicated) discs sold.

[Toploader]

I still pirate porn 

[Duck-and-Cover]

I love pirate porn!  They're like, "Arrr, I've found the precious booty"