Should I Feel Bad?

Game Dev Tycoon
#21

To be honest, I feel sympathetic for the person/people who can’t buy the game but want to. While I dislike piracy of indie games, if you literally cannot afford it then pirating it isn’t that bad. Getting a job is not the best option, because in a lot of countries you simply cannot find one. I cannot find one.
Though in most countries, if you are over 18, social welfare should pay enough so you have some loose change for a $10 video game.

Saying “blah, can afford computer + internet means $10 = loose change” isn’t a great argument. Most people have computers, it doesn’t mean they are new, they could have been brought 5 years ago when they had more money. The internet could be free, dial up is free in most places, or there could be a free wireless network close by, or they could just go to the library or school and download it there.

And no, pirating a game is not like stealing a bike. It is more closely related to going to a library (or bookstore) and copying a book so you can read it at home. No one looses, except the developers potential sale which isn’t going to happen anyway if you literally cannot afford it.

#22

Can’t afford it? Don’t pirate it. Can afford it? Don’t pirate it. And yes they lose a potential sale, if they cannot afford it and will never get the sale, it’s still not legal. Can’t afford it? That’s bad for you, but pirating isn’t the solution. Definitely not. Go play the demo 1000 times, that’s legal and you still play the game. Who doesn’t have 7 euros? We’re not a family which does great financially but we could at least have 7 euros to buy a game. I mean, does he never get money for his birthday? Never get presents? He could ask it as present. This is big bullshit. You will have the oppurtunity some time and you will not have to wait 5 years for that. @SlasherCrasher1.

1 Like
#23

It is to esteem that he’s being honest admitting it. At least he’s having a bad conscience about that, and that is a first step to amendment :wink:

He’s done a mistake. True.
He admitted his mistake. True.
He’s not playing fair. True.
He did harm GHG. Partly true.
He is willing to correct his mistake. Hopefully.

I do not want to come to slasher’s defense, I’m trying to be as objective as possible to this matter, and working in the same business (software development) it’s hard nowadays to keep making money on products because many think that your work is worth nothing!

It is not that the most can’t afford it… it is the same people that spend $$$ when going out for disco, drinking or other stuff that doesn’t have money left for paying for products they use.

So normally this should make me puke, but it’s been so long time that I work in this business, that I think you can be happy if there’s someone getting a bad conscience and willing to correct a mistake by purchasing a valid license (even if afterwards).

But I agree with @kristof1104 in the point that it is a bold attitude to benefit from a game and the community without having at least paid the couple of bucks required for this game. Patrick and Daniel deserve this!

And yes… I feel quite sympathetic of people who can’t afford to buy the game, but that doesn’t mean I agree with them. But again… here we’re talking about a very low price and we’re talking about an indie company, guys like you and me, that need every cent of sales from a game they develop, or such a company will be closed faster than you can say “hi”!

In another way this let’s me correct a quite philosophical view I had quite a while, claiming that the best software protection would be a fair price. This has been clearly disproved!

@JayCheetah
…and about Germany / Europe … you won’t believe it … but there’s people on this planet, who doesn’t know that :stuck_out_tongue: I just wanted to be sure :wink:

1 Like
#24

All i did was pointing out that he lived in a country that has those things available for anyone.
I did not say that owning computer with an internet connection means you have plenty of money.

Were talking about $10 here ( it’s actually less then that ), back in the days when i was 15 ( oh yes heres the *when i was your age * speech ) I did go out and ask anywhere if i could do some work to earn myself some money and easily got myself $10 in a day.
I am not here to offend the current teenage generation, but i have lot of experience working with kids aged 14-18 and they simply are too damn lazy to work. Still they want Grphones and mPad’s and Playsystems and a million games to play on them for free.
I am not attacking @SlasherCrasher1 personally, this is more a general rant towards the lazy and spoiled teenage generation.
There are plenty of ‘jobs’, like dishwashing, stock boy, McDonalds and so. Problem is they do not want those jobs, because they make you tired and sweaty and stuff…

If downloading games that people can not afford would be common practice, then i should go to a torrent page right now and get those games i can not afford.

Free is still cheaper then any fair price :smile:
As long as there is a demand for getting stuff for free, there will be supply.

3 Likes
#25

There are plenty of jobs? I would unhappily be working at mcdonalds! Now I’m not a teenager, I’m a young adult. But the job market is difficult to get into, even for unqualified lazy teenagers.

And sometime people pirate things because of the software protection, such as spore and other securerom games. It’s not that the game is free, it’s that it is less effort to pirate it then to buy it and have to deal with ringing them up and complaining that it doesn’t work because you had to reinstall.

#26

I could give you at least 100 examples of jobs i would not be happy with, but if it means that its either that or having no job/money, i would swallow my pride and get that job.

Using a pirate version of a game that has awful DRM, is no excuse for not paying for the game.

3 Likes
#27

Sorry @Programmdude, but I do not agree with your opinion.

One would be unhappy to work at McDonalds and therefore it might be ok to use an illegal version of a software?

I accept the fact that it’s tough nowadays to find a job, but that doesn’t excuse prefering to use pirated game instead of spending 10$ and supporting the company.

Many people forget that there are humans that are sitting behind those computers and develop games and programs that are then pirated. Many of this “humans” have also a family. If the company goes bankrupt this people loose their job. And we already agreed that it’s tough nowadays to find a job :wink:

And only because something is easy to hack doesn’t mean that you are allowed to do so and should do that. Only because a window is open doesn’t mean you heave the right to enter a house / room. Only because a car’s door is open and the key is inserted doesn’t mean you are allowed to step in, sit down and drive away!

The consequence of such behaviour is that honest customers are punished by having to use complex registration and activation mechanism in software and games nowadays.

I don’t have to tell you that I don’t like this idea and how it’s evolving… so it was and is refreshing having a company like Greenheartgames that reinvents the spirit from the 80s & 90s… so it hurts knowing that 10$ are too much for such a great game and the associated community! This company must be supported!

Just one think… EA is a publisher! So in many cases you’re punishing the developer twice… coz they already might have a bad contract with EA!

Edit

Having the game (valid license) and using i.e. a NO CD crack is, as far as I know, not illegal, Correct me if I’m wrong!

#28

It’s not in america, at least due to the latest revision of their crappy copy protection law, I assume its similar everywhere else too. I meant unhappily working at mcdonalds as in I would work there, albeit unhappily, its just that no one seems to be hiring at all.
I also said that welfare should give you more then enough to buy a $10 game. I was on the sickness benefit when I brought the game, which pays only slightly more then the unemployment benefit.
I will guilt free pirate from EA. They are such a horrible publisher and make so many bad decisions that it seems wrong to give them money so they can keep doing that. Even so, none of the games the release appeal to me, so I don’t actually end up playing any of their games, let alone pirating them.

I am a game developer, at least an aspiring one. If my game doesn’t get kick-started, then I am probably going to end up with my wife leaving and either finding a soul crushing corporation to work at or go to that farm that they send all the animals. Yet even with me being on this side of it, I still empathize with people that can’t afford to buy it so they pirate it. The only pirates I don’t empathize with are those that could buy it, but just pirate it because they can or because they are too stingy.

#29

@JayCheetah @alphabit
Germany is in Europe? :open_mouth:

@SlasherCrasher1
You will not be entitled to support until you purchase the game and you need to be aware that we cannot confirm the validity of your cracked version. Therefore any difficulties you face whilst modding can not be supported by us either.

2 Likes
#30

Haha. Lol! Didn’t you know that? :stuck_out_tongue:

#31

Sarcasm :satisfied:

1 Like
#32

Umm… I knew that… right… yeah…

#33

What if you downloaded a 3D schematic of a car?
What if you printed that car?

Did you steal that car? No.

Digital piracy is a copy-theft action, there is no direct deprivation. This means there is nothing inherently lost unless the user’s intentions were changed because of this action. Due to the inability to determine user actions and such you can never say it’s a guaranteed loss, but potential loss depending on the illicit user’s personality and circumstance.

Regular Piracy/theft is a quantity-theft action. It directly deprives the quantity stole from circulation, therefor guaranteeing a lost sale.

It’s the difference between Physics and Psychology, you cannot compare the two and say they’re the same. (If you can please tell the science world as you need a Nobel Prize)

Just because you don’t believe him doesn’t mean his circumstance is less true

Because of your intense belief he is lying (and therefor this thread is a huge gamble no smart thief would ever take), you are calling him to be drawn and quartered in a digital fashion on this forum rather than trying to help. That kind of action is ostracization.

The key to minimize any damage done by a Copy-theft action is to sell service. If the game is good and the service is good, much of the majority of people will feel guilty (thus this thread) and look for a way to support the game and developer.

Aside from the moral incentive based in all people, there is the functional incentive of the support actually being useful.As we see from @Charlie’s post he doesn’t tell him he has to stop or saying that his mod shouldn’t be available, but just lets him know that the service that goes with purchasing the game will not be accessible. Without that support, he cannot make the best mod he can, and that’s incentive.

Other companies would’ve banned him and locked all his posts, perhaps even ban their account and prevent them from playing any offline games that are part of their service. That sort of draconian methodology is useful in Quantity-Theft actions as it prevents future loss, but with Copy-Theft you’re just giving them no reason to buy it if you throw them on their ass. Especially if they can just pirate it and get better functionality out of a cracked version. (Thus why GHG doesn’t have invasive DRM if any at all)

#34

Even so, It’s still theft and should not be approved… If you don’t get that simpel fact I won’t waste anymore time debating with you.

Theft is theft it doesn’t matter if it is digital or physical…

Just looking the other way because another person has no means of getting the money is simply to crazy for words!

You need to look at it this way, if he wasn’t able to pirate the game… he would be so intrigued he would do whatever to buy it!

But your sending a message, a really bad one Saying that you’re poor… we support you… pirate all you want…

And last but not least

Leave the snide comments aside next time :wink:

#35

Dear fellow people, lol…

I plan to buy this game within the next 10-12 hours… Hopefully @Charlie will be able prove that.

I thank all of these comments for 2 things.

  1. Support

  2. A lesson.

  3. You people both attacked and defended me but in many different ways. You gave ideas and you also described why I should look for a way to support rather do any harm if any at all…

  4. You guys showed me that it is better to admit to a crime rather than live with it, but better is to not commit one at all.

So like I said I plan to buy writhing 10-12 hours. :slight_smile:

Will be getting as soon as my grandmother sends it to me!

Thanks again guy’s for this wonderful community!

2 Likes
#36

@SlasherCrasher1
Good job man! :slight_smile:
When you buy the game, you can use my piece of code!
And Me and the community will support you all the way :slight_smile:

3 Likes
#37

I’m glad you took the right decision and have learned out of it! :thumbsup:

2 Likes
#38

Can I leave current code on within?

You guys are.amazing. :slight_smile: I hope it won’t be too long… She only lives like a day drive away which should be like 3 days in mail… But I’ll let you guys know. :slight_smile:

#39

Yeah you can use it freely now!
Welcome to the community! :slight_smile:

#40

:smiley: your logic confuses me… Lol… First get hate, the told to buy it.
Then I get told I can use your code after I buy it.
Now I an use it freely?
Lol.troll?