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Denver, 7:01 AM
Wed Nov 25
53 posts in the last 24 hours
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10/20/09
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Not because PSP sales are generally horrific (GT only squeezed 350k according to VGChartz)
Not because it was a port of a PS3 game with remote play.
Not because it costs twice the price of the PS3 version.
No, it is because it is on torrent sites and every single download constitutes an otherwise guaranteed physical sale that is now lost.
Congratulations Q games on the transition from cool inovative indie developer, to souless money grabbing corporation.
Your blinkered and ignorant viewpoint has just guaranteed I'll never be making a purchase of one of your games.
(and no, I won't be torrenting them either) #dylancuthbert
10/20/09
10/20/09
"How many of those that downloaded the game would have bought it if the couldn't have downloaded it?"
You could never get a true answer to this but it's a recurring thought that I have.
10/20/09
If you change the question to "How many that downloaded it then went on to buy it when they wouldn't have normally" it is a different matter, and in an industry where demos are often expected its much harder to argue against. (Not that I wouldn't give it a shot, I do like debates.) #dylancuthbert
10/20/09
I do this all the time with music and (to a lesser extent) games. It's called boredom, coupled with a wish to try new things.
Incidentally, I already spend all my leftover cash from my paycheck on games and music, so I couldn't "consume" any more even if I wanted to. So where's the harm in trying things you would never buy anyway? #dylancuthbert
10/20/09
It's up to each person to take responsibility I guess. I just wish there weren't so many inconsiderate people in the world. #dylancuthbert
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10/20/09
I like trying my games before I buy them and while a demo could fix, a demo could also just show the highlight of the game to the player which is why I like to download the game, play it (maybe even all the way through. Did that with Mass Effect and then bought it) but if now my download could be a bad thing to an indie developer then I'm a bit torn apart.
Should I just skip downloading it and thus skipping a possibility of buying the game or should I do it? If it wouldn't have been for the fact that I'm unemployed I might have given it a shot from just watching screenshots and such but as of now when I'm really tight on money, it has to be first unfortunately. #dylancuthbert
10/20/09
If you have no intention of buying the game whatsoever, you would be right in saying that piracy technically does not directly harm the developer. However the existence of torrents and its like means that you are helping others to get the game as well through seeding.
I don't mean to come across as judgemental, but if you spend part of your money on games how is it that you end up with time to burn? I think most would argue that because you have the avenue of pirating available to you, you're more inclined to spend your money on other things because you can justify not getting more games due to not having any money, but that's not entirely fair.
If I spent my money on cars and clothes, I couldn't then turn around and say "Well, I can have this Armani sweater that I'm not particularly interested in for free because I don't have any money left to spend on it."
And yes, I suppose digital media is non-rivalrous in consumption while a sweater isn't, but I chose a sweater because they can at least be produced in significant amounts rather than expensive sports cars.
@Wolfenstein: I suppose I have placed rather more of a value on time than some people might, as I've said often that there are more games out that I am actively interested in than I can afford to play, let alone ones that I might check out if I could get them for free.
What you're doing is actually explained in economic theory, with you only purchasing the good when you decide you derive sufficient consumer benefit to offset the price of the good. Pirates aren't quite the same, in that they would have to derive 0 pleasure from the good they're consuming, because they get it for free.
@Emilia: Honestly, I would say try the download and decide on whether you like it or not. I have to admit that I sometimes do the same thing with regards to music (though not often, as I tend to get music from friends) and almost never buy manga that I read online. I think that it's better that the game get some exposure and perhaps a bit of word of mouth advertising than get nothing at all.
10/20/09
10/20/09
The problem that I have with this attitude is this - I work long, long days to make games, as do the musicians and manga artists. You USED to be able to do this and count on only a small amount of piracy. Now you see millions of available torrents within the first weeks of release. These do NOT translate to a large number of extra sales, in many cases less. Why would I want to work so hard to do this if people are just going to enjoy my work without giving me something for all the hours, weekends lost nights away from my family?? So then I stop... and then others stop...
One thing most people here do not realise is that the majority of the games industry is kept afloat by a small number of highly saleable, but not great titles. The smaller indie developers and more (interesting) risky titles do not always make money... if you are taking away from their sales, the desire to put money into these titles evaporates. You can't make art on an empty stomach I'm afraid. And I say this as I read about a bunch more of my good friends get laid off today... :( #dylancuthbert
10/21/09
Similarly with manga, reading magazine scans online of things not available in my country doesn't take away from the sales of the physical weekly magazines - manga is released in volumes based on those sales, not on the interest of readers abroad (as there is no way to gauge that interest). I'm quite interested in what Sony might do with the PSP viewer they showed off though.
Gamers seem to be refusing any system that try to move towards making the game industry more like what the music industry has become, with episodic content and its ilk generally being less well received and DLC regularly being criticised. These are measures game makers need to take to reduce piracy, but they end up causing some people with entitlement issues to justify their pirating...it's one of those Catch-22s. #dylancuthbert
10/20/09
10/20/09
Hell, some people would pirate even free games. #dylancuthbert
10/20/09
I could understand if the game has monetary value but stealing something that is free to begin with, that is a outrage!:p! #dylancuthbert
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10/20/09
Now I'm fairly sure we probably have relatively few people of a pirate like nature here at Kotaku, so yes, that isn't aimed at people at Kotaku, but more a joke, but this is a serious matter all the same.
Piracy may not be truely as big an issue as we are making it out to be, or anything new, etc etc, but all the same, it's damn depressing, specially with the more indie level games like this. These people take a more active interest in their work.
So, in an effort to put my money where my mouth is, I ask, is this available in the UK yet? #dylancuthbert
10/20/09
10/20/09
Sure we probably have Millions of Pirates.
But other sites probably have Billions! #dylancuthbert
10/20/09
10/20/09
I hope that Shooter and Dungeons continue on this streak of awesomeness. We loved X-Men Legends and Baldur's Gate, and we're hoping that PixelJunk Dungeons has a strong story alongside the RPG goodness. And please, don't make it split-screen or turn-based. #dylancuthbert
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I do love playing it on the PS3 though, I'd wish that they would add more levels.
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10/12/09
That would be sick.
10/13/09
10/13/09
Fighting should be relegated to fighting areas only, perhaps.
10/14/09
If Home is to maintain a status as a social networking tool, with mere tastes of gaming here and there (sort of like Facebook gaming, or the gaming that exists on Home now), I personally would find comfort in knowing I have the freedom to either relax, or play.
I wasn't so serious with my comments anyway on Home. I know it wouldn't happen, and even if it did, it wouldn't happen the way I imagine it to. But its fun to imagine :)
Edit: Many many typos, which I can fix. What I can't fix is how silly I must sound. Anyway, It's late, and I ought to sleep.
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