I will not make my own post just for the same so let me join your thread.
Also pirate first, now a fan.
I have this to say to the game developer:
In the modern computer game market (as you may be aware) there is a lot of medicore or very substantial product advertised with much hype and proper marketing but that turns out to be just another “meh”. That makes it pretty much a waste of money to buy games, when coupled with almost nonexistence of demos (although that is explained well enough in some “arcade” video, that it is not profitable to make demos).
Example: There is BioShock Infinite out. Its hyped beyond ridiculousness. It’s AWESOME, GREAT SEQUEL and stuff. Its rated best game evah and its getting 100 out of 100 reviews. Is it any good actually? You never know before you play it. And judging on TB’s review (I didn’t play it myself but I very much agree with him on that) it’s not actually as good as they make it to be. Actually, I would say that it is just another generic action game. All that is great in it is a story, but a story is something you can learn about from watching a Let’s Play, no need to buy a game! And it’s legal (until some SOPA/PIPA shit comes and breaks it, whatever).
And there are countless examples. Not to mention how shooters degraded (like, compare Duke Nukem Forever vs Duke Nukem 3D, a good illustration). And other genres (we will make XCOM Enemy Unknown but dumb everything down, remove all cool features, make it linear experience with no real strategy layer whatsoever and want $60 for that, or look what they did with JA: Back In Action… what horrors!).
And you will say “come on, you can watch trailers and judge for yourself”… yeah Aliens: Colonial Marines up your butt! Trailers mean nothing, they are pretty much misleading, sometimes even insanely so.
Sorry, but the way computer games are going right now there must be a way to try before you buy.
So, you should not say “since 87% play a pirated version I lost 87% of possible income”. No. You lost way less than that. If someone pirates your game and keeps playing it for hours and hours and doesn’t buy it - then you can tell he’s actually reduced your income. If someone just tried your game and saw its not a game for him - he was not your customer in the first place.
There is no need to cry about piracy, unless you see people naturally enjoying your game but not buying it.
Hint: THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN.
Look @ Amnesia. A game with no DRM whatsoever, a pretty big and lengthy adventure horror experience. It got its developers a huge profit, because it was a GOOD game. Look @ Faster than Light. Another no DRM game that sold very well. There are countless of examples.
When people make up statistics like “because on day of release X% play a pirated version and Y% play a legal version we can conclude we lost X% income to piracy” that is what should make a sane educated individual cry.
PS: If there would exist uncrackable DRM or unavoidable legal punishment for piracy people would just buy way less games.
PPS: Who needs DRM? Who is hurt by piracy? Publishers like Ubisoft who mutilate Heroes 6 into an abomination of a game, runining a good game developer studio in the process by constantly breaking agreed deadlines (which were sadly not put into contract because “Ubisoft never violates its deadlines”). Publishers like EA who destroyed countless game dev studios (do I need to name?) and release crap games that get suddenly well reviewed (wink wink). Truth is - they should go bankrupt from piracy just like your “cracked” game did to the pirate player - would be better for everybody.
