Quote Originally Posted by Tosnic View Post
Hi Ho
I am currently working on my Bachelor thesis "Content piracy - reasons & consequences".
This is supposed to be less of a classic poll, but rather everyone telling their "pirate stories". You may want to use the quote function or copy-paste to put your answers below the respective questions. You could also PM me your answers if you dont want them published.
Suggested subjects are:

  • How did you become a pirate? What is your story from the beginning?

  • What are your limits when it comes to piracy? What stuff/means are too hot for you?

  • What is your justification for pirating?

  • What means of download do you use? E.g. bittorrent/Filehosters/FTP/etc. If you use several: to what percentage each?

  • Have you ever been caught by lawmen/publishers? What was your penalty and how did it affect you?

  • To what extent do you use legal download shops? (e.g. iTunes)

  • What would have to change to make most people stop pirating?

  • What do you think: What is the reason for most people to pirate?

  • What is the best-working copy protection in your opinion?

  • Please give a statement on this quote: "piracy harms industry and in return harms users."

  • Are you an active member of the homebrew scene? (legal)

  • Are you an active member of the cracker scene?

  • Do you contribute to this community (=uploading) or just leeching (=downloading)?

  • Your age?

  • Your gender?

  • Which country do you reside in?

  • To which social group do you account yourself?


Thank you all for participating.

I got started back in the day on emulation. Even worked on building my own emulator (didn't turn out well at all and I scrapped it way back when) I don't really consider myself a pirate.

I only use downloading games that have been released as a means of demoing them (the only exception to this is the emulated copies of games that are no longer available which I have owned and have proof of having owned them before)

See above statement

I use bittorrent, emulation sites, iso sites and the like

Never, I have been contacted before but have gotten myself out of due to a deep understanding of US Copyright Law

I use the legitimate shops constantly to download non-pirated games, my most recent purchase was Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD on XBLA, Papo &Yo on PSN, and Nano Assault Neo on the Wii U EShop (for full retail titles I normally buy the discs, I use Steam as well for my PC purchases)

The highest issue I have ever ran into is availability, "piracy" got it's start in the early to mid '90s from games not being fully available to all consumers and as such resulted in what we have today. High distribution is a must as well!

Disinterest and financial availability. If people had the money I believe most of them would buy, and if people had the ability to demo games (lots of games don't have demos nowadays still )

Best working copy protection would be continual release and support for these games that go on market. Nintendo does have some of the highest piracy on any of their given consoles but they also give the most support for theirs usually assisting in people's willingness to buy those games.

Piracy harms no one. You can't equate every copy being pirated with individual sales. If you want to see a shining example of how piracy helped a game look at Minecraft. Had a good bit of the people who wound up buying it not been able to "try it out" (and let's be honest the free-creative demo just didn't give you all it should have) I don't think it would have sold as well as it did. I'm one of those examples, I bootlegged a copy of it tried it and loved it so much that I wound up not only buying the PC version but the Xbox 360 version as well

Yes I am an avid fan and active member of the homebrew scene, it gives me the chance to try other people's works on these consoles that otherwise would be unavailable (also see my Minecraft point.)

Not the cracking scene, No.

I seed and leech on torrents constantly (I am also signed up to one of those websites where you have a ratio you have to keep for your seeding/leeching)

I am 27

I am male

USA

social group! who needs those! Mostly a good bit of close friends!