Opinion on pirating games/movies etc?

[Bitbot]

Whats your opinion on pirating games/movies etc? Do you do it or are against it? I like to hear it!

 

[Eternal Mametchi Fan]

I think it's bad and a true supporter of a franchise would pay money for the DVD/game I only get movies and games online for free if I already bought them physically I like having stuff on my computer

 

[BlueCheeseMonkey~]

not wasting money on a song or a movie but games...meh

 

[NineMouse]

I don't see it as a bad thing necessarily, in the case that the artist/director/actors/whatever are very big and popular. I don't think my $5 or whatever is going to make a difference in their multi-million dollar salary. I think they can handle some people pirating their media.

 

[Myiko]

I have the same opinion as Ninemouse, I download music from superpopular singers for free, because they are already getting tons of money, but I like to support small producers I like.

I also don't mind pirating faulty software, because I refuse to buy something I know the company didn't bother on fixing xD

And of course downloading games I had already bought but lost, I got all my DS games stolen, that's why I'm having to get a flashcard to play them again

 

[Soenattchi]

I think no matter the context pirating and bootlegging is really bad. You might not think you're hurting an industry by downloading a song or 'come on, no one is going to miss my 4 bucks' but if everyone says that it's not going to be just 5 bucks that are lost but actual millions. And just think about it, because we allow 'big names' to get stolen from the work of smaller names gets ripped and reposted also for illegal downloading. This costs actual people actual money, and it becomes worse the longer it remains unchecked.

Of course, I am an artist, an indie game developer and a doll collector, and all my main working fields have suffered tremendously from illegal, unauthorized redestribution/copying/not crediting and bootlegging. When I actually summed up my courage to speak up against it I got an angry mob threatening me and sending me messages the likes of 'I wish when you cast your dolls that they become recasted' at least in the latter field. But also for the former, it's really unpleasant when people will repost your work without crediting and I've mostly had it happen with my doll photography, or when they'll remove all links to your blog or deviantart and/or butcher captions.

I guess I'm just talking from the side that is actually suffering from this so my views aren't exactly unbiased but it all boils down to one thing. Copying/pirating/bootlegging are all bad. Don't do it, don't support people that do it. I know my opinion doesn't matter but take this advice if you can.

 

[NineMouse]

Of course, I am an artist, an indie game developer and a doll collector, and all my main working fields have suffered tremendously from illegal, unauthorized redestribution/copying/not crediting and bootlegging. When I actually summed up my courage to speak up against it I got an angry mob threatening me and sending me messages the likes of 'I wish when you cast your dolls that they become recasted' at least in the latter field. But also for the former, it's really unpleasant when people will repost your work without crediting and I've mostly had it happen with my doll photography, or when they'll remove all links to your blog or deviantart and/or butcher captions.

I guess I'm just talking from the side that is actually suffering from this so my views aren't exactly unbiased but it all boils down to one thing. Copying/pirating/bootlegging are all bad. Don't do it, don't support people that do it. I know my opinion doesn't matter but take this advice if you can.

You're talking about something else here. You're talking about reposting or taking credit for artistic work, which is very different from illegal downloading of media for private use. In your case, people are taking work that you have done and claiming it as their own. That is, of course, very wrong on multiple levels and I would never condone this. Pirating movies and songs is different, and taking someone's work and either claiming ownership or implying ownership hurts your business in a very direct way. Also, you mention indie games, private collections, etc., which are not the same as what I was talking about - very rich celebrities who release tons of music, movies, products, fashion lines, etc. just to make an extra million bucks. In the case of smaller distributors and artists, I do very much support purchasing straight from the source. And I have NEVER condoned outright stealing of other people's work, especially if it is being resold. I see a very big difference between the kind of illegal downloading a teenage kid who downloads their favorite album onto their iPod because they have no money or resources does and the kind an art thief/reposter/manufacturer of fake products does. One makes money off of other people's work, the other doesn't. One deserves to go to jail, the other does not.

 

[Eternal Mametchi Fan]

Well, just because somebody is famous, doesn't mean they deserve to have their work taken for free ;o

Also, I believe Soenattchi was making a comparison.

 

[x.Bleachie]

I'm not big on funding large corporations, so if I'm using something for my own personal use produced by a multi-million/billion company, I don't see anything wrong with them losing a little money by downloading it.

 

[Cyborutchi]

I usually download my music/games (just for PC though) and listen to them/try them out before buying just so I'm sure I will like them. And if I do I buy them because I value every person's work and it's because of them I can listen to music and play games I like. The only company I don't support that much is Nintendo. If I want to buy a game from them I will usually search for second-hand ones, though lately I've been buying all my games from them first-hand.

 

[pighat09]

i may have illegally downloaded darude-sandstorm before

 

[Bitbot]

I only download games that are never released it Europe. Why? I can't play it otherwise. I would have bought it if it was realeased in Europe. But if they don't release it bad luck for them i download it.

On the other hand i always buy games sometimes used but i buy them.

Also piratery for indies can be fatal , but for big companies it doesn't really matter. Still i am not saying its okay.

 

[NineMouse]

Well, just because somebody is famous, doesn't mean they deserve to have their work taken for free ;o

Also, I believe Soenattchi was making a comparison.

When you think about it, people also listen to popular music for free on the radio. If I download a Nicki Minaj song and listen to it a hundred times on my computer, and I also hear that same song on the radio a hundred times for free, I am doing the exact same thing - listening to a popular song for free which I may or may not purchase on my own. I just don't see how it's all that different. Just because I hear the song on the radio doesn't mean I'll buy it, but I get a free listen anyway. There's also tons of free music-listening sites like Pandora, Grooveshark, and other platforms which let you stream music for free. What's the difference between listening to a song on my iPod and listening to it on Youtube a hundred times a day?

I know she was making a comparison. That's exactly why I made my own comparisons to match hers.

Anyway, I don't mean to talk down to anyone. I just find this debate to be very interesting and I have gotten into it with other people in real life before, so I enjoy talking about it. No harm was meant to anyone, and I hope interesting debates like this can continue to happen here on TT. I love them!

 

[Soenattchi]

You're talking about something else here. You're talking about reposting or taking credit for artistic work, which is very different from illegal downloading of media for private use. In your case, people are taking work that you have done and claiming it as their own. That is, of course, very wrong on multiple levels and I would never condone this. Pirating movies and songs is different, and taking someone's work and either claiming ownership or implying ownership hurts your business in a very direct way. Also, you mention indie games, private collections, etc., which are not the same as what I was talking about - very rich celebrities who release tons of music, movies, products, fashion lines, etc. just to make an extra million bucks. In the case of smaller distributors and artists, I do very much support purchasing straight from the source. And I have NEVER condoned outright stealing of other people's work, especially if it is being resold. I see a very big difference between the kind of illegal downloading a teenage kid who downloads their favorite album onto their iPod because they have no money or resources does and the kind an art thief/reposter/manufacturer of fake products does. One makes money off of other people's work, the other doesn't. One deserves to go to jail, the other does not.

[SIZE=14.3999996185303px]But the problem is in that because we allow some of those things to pass that everything else gets condemned along with it. You, and as a matter of fact, a lot of other people do have the integrity of downloading only from big names and supporting smaller studios/artists and I'll admit I have, on occasion, downloaded the occasional game on a flashcard, but only when I had to other possible way of playing it -most commonly Japanese games that wouldn't work on my DS otherwise, for example- [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.3999996185303px]The difference is that when you listen to youtube -especially from authorized channels- some of the money from the advertisements and everything will still go to the artist, if you download the song, it simply won't. [/SIZE]

 

[Pauly]

Nintendo is interesting. GBA4iOS received a DMCA notice

If you don't want people pirating your games, sell them!

I pirate games, music, and books. I also buy games, music, and books. Sometimes, pirating is easier than buying. What if I'd have to import a texbook? What if the song I want is no longer available for sale? What if it's a game I would much rather play on an emulator? Other times, I'll prefer to buy. What if some music I want in my collection is too much of a pain to pirate and there is an easily accessible digital download? What if I want to play a new release on a home console? What if I want to put a physical book in my library?

Pirating is a complicated issue. People have all sorts of reasons for pirating and there is no black-and-white right or wrong about it. That aside, I don't know if the majority of people on the internet do it anyway.

 

[Nazotchi25]

I don't tend to be a rule breaker. I have strict policies for myself, but when your country has huge grey areas, I tend to enter them.

Nothing said about downloading pirated content. However distributing it is illegal.

I'll be honest. Most things on my computer are pirated software. Here's a list:

• 8GB of music files
• The Sims 3
• Half-Life
• Splinter Cell
• GTA SA
• 77.5 GB of video files (Movies, TV Shows and Anime)
• About 27 GB worth of files that are emulators and their ROM/ISO files.
• Windows 95 (did it as a test on how it would work)
• A few Megabytes worth of old DOS games
• A win95/98 version of Monopoly

All I can find for now.

 

[TotallyTamagotchi]

It's illegal

 

[NineMouse]

[SIZE=14.3999996185303px]But the problem is in that because we allow some of those things to pass that everything else gets condemned along with it. You, and as a matter of fact, a lot of other people do have the integrity of downloading only from big names and supporting smaller studios/artists and I'll admit I have, on occasion, downloaded the occasional game on a flashcard, but only when I had to other possible way of playing it -most commonly Japanese games that wouldn't work on my DS otherwise, for example- [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.3999996185303px]The difference is that when you listen to youtube -especially from authorized channels- some of the money from the advertisements and everything will still go to the artist, if you download the song, it simply won't. [/SIZE]

See, the way I see it is pretty similar to your downloading a Japanese game. If I download a song, it's likely something I would not otherwise have bought due to: money, importing (a LOT, like 90%, of my pirated music is k-pop/korean pop music), and availability issues. Some music artists have actually offered free digital downloads of their albums on their own websites because they know it will be pirated and actually don't mind - Radiohead had one such album, off the top of my head.

I can see how allowing pirated music from large corporations could end up screwing smaller companies out of desperately needed money, but pirating is not something that is easily punishable, legally, because of how hard it is to make those distinctions. So I don't see pirating going anywhere or stopping even if the government attempts another "crackdown" on illegal downloads. It's just too hard to prosecute.

You're right about Youtube. Most artists use VEVO/ads/other platforms to make money off of YT listens. But when I download a song and listen to it, I generate interest, I show it to other people if I really like it, and the spread of music on the internet nowadays is WAY faster and more powerful than listening to the radio or watching MTV (which doesn't even really promote music artists anymore). Without music pirating, some people might not even find out about new/lesser known artists or songs. Some artists even sell their music entirely on the internet through iTunes and websites, which is then further advertised through millions of illegal downloads. There's pros and cons, is what I'm saying.

 

[John Len]

There's nothing wrong with it, even if you don't download millions of people listen to songs for free on iTunes

 

[♥Twilightchi♥]

Well, my family used to download songs from iTunes but now we just download them from online since we don't use Apple devices that much. We also watch movies online. However, I've never downloaded pirated games before.