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Piracy is old as time, which garners it the most attention. Admittedly, I believe if something is worthwhile, it should be purchased. But, the line of justifying piracy is still blurry. Some think it acceptable to download games. Conversely, there are those believing a product worth more that the effort it would take to acquire for free is what makes it exceptional. In the digital age, it has ostensibly become exceptionally difficult to decipher the true value of games.
Nintendo DS games retail in the United States for roughly $10 to $40 dollars making the price barrier very low. Nevertheless, for a relatively cheap price, a flash cartridge and a mini-SD card can be acquired allowing for a virtual collection of titles. While piracy seems relatively new, personal experience dictates a lifelong presence of it.
Playing Doom the first time was via floppies friends copied for me. The ever persistent Pirate Bay allows access to entire collections of titles and various sites enable pirates to find Nintendo DS Roms. But in the battle against piracy, developers are locked in a constant arms race, trying to stay one step ahead.
Nintendo’s DSi possesses cameras and access to the DSi shop, which isn’t really enough for DS owners to warrant purchasing it. So why create it? To combat pirates. Working at first, it was quickly overcome. Yet, new firmware updates are published, presenting a way for Nintendo to fight piracy. Although many people who utilize the systems for homebrew instead of piracy avoid downloading updates while pirates follow in turn. But despite fixes a company believes can halt piracy, someone wanting to find a solution around whatever is standing in their way will.
So is the answer DRM? Well, I have a problem with companies believing that when I pay for a product, it really isn’t mine. Enjoying seeing the boxes of video games nestled snugly on my shelf, I refuse to live in fear of a company deciding I shouldn’t have access to content I have already purchased. This begs the question, where does a company end and my rights begin?
The same can be said about downloading out-of-print titles. A gamer wants to play the original Legend of Zelda but doesn’t have access to the cartridge, so they download the rom and the emulation software. They play it until by chance t a copy of the cartridge is found, paid for it and taken home to be played – deleting the rom – immediately going on with life.
Additionally, what about someone who spots a DS title that they want to play, but aren’t sure about dropping the $40 dollars to play it. They head to a website, get the rom, and play it on their DS before deciding it has the wherewithal to be worth their hard earned money. Upon purchasing the game, they delete the rom off their flash cartridge, but repeat the process. Does this justify the act?
Modern Warfare 2 proved a media juggernaut for Activision. Prior to release though, Bobby Kotick found it fitting to raise the price in certain regions, feeling the triple-A status was exploitable. Many gamers waited in line at midnight for this title and others bought it in the subsequent weeks. However, gamers unable or unwilling to buy Modern Warfare 2 are the people who helped make it the most pirated game of 2009. But how much trouble would that be for the average gamer, let alone the average consumer?
Not having heard of a company closing its door due to piracy yet, it becomes a matter of how widespread piracy is as well as the quality of the title in question. You can have the best game in the world, and if it is worth paying for, people won’t mind doing so to get it. But if it’s available for free and rather mediocre, many certainly won’t mind going through a few hoops to not waste their money.
So the answer still remains elusive. Do we really own the media we’re sold or are we just licensing it, paying for the privilege to use it? Is the DMCA or DRM the right way to go or are people inherently good and not out to just get something for nothing?
It’s been a cold war between creators and pirates for a long time. The static defenses of keys only work so long, while active defenses merely aggravate the established fan base.
I wonder how crystal clear those lines eventually become.