Closed for business
Linked by henderson101 on Tue 24th Jul 2012 23:42 UTC
Google "I read earlier this week about a developer who made their Android version free after the $1 game was extensively pirated. Stories like this come as no surprise, but the industry press rarely deals with the core problem - and nor does Google. [...] Whilst the aforementioned story about the Android game didn't surprise me, it did horrify me. Android is designed to be difficult to make money from, and the core issue is that it's open - with the corrosive mentality that surrounds such openness."
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I live in a different world
by th3rmite on Wed 25th Jul 2012 02:31 UTC
th3rmite
Member since:
2006-01-08

I personally have seen MANY people choose to pirate something despite the fact that they could afford it. To many people they can't see the victim, and they don't suffer a consequence. I can't speak for other cultures, but in America we have a HUGE entitlement mentality where people think they are entitled to everything for free. Just go down to the welfare office and count the iphones and android phones. Too poor to afford food, but rich enough to afford a fancy phone. The people pirating this app have enough money to afford a smart phone, but not enough money to pay the $1 it costs. It's only because they don't have to pay and nobody is going to make them.

Reply Score: 6

ze_jerkface Member since:
2012-06-22

Hanging out with pc gamers is what changed my mind on piracy. I saw way too many who would drop $15 on take-out without thinking but when it came to games would only pay for their MMO subscription.

Then you have the "I'm elite because I read a how-to" attitude where these guys actually think they are special for knowing how to pirate.

Reply Parent Score: 3

RE: I live in a different world
by kenji on Wed 25th Jul 2012 18:04 in reply to "I live in a different world"
kenji Member since:
2009-04-08

When given the option of paying or not paying, most will choose to not pay, especially when the moral argument is weak. I say that because the low cost of most applications (say $1 to $5) and it is hard to argue that pirating that cheap application has a real impact on the developer (starving their children, etc). Flawed logic as it is, this is how the modern person thinks, unfortunately.

Morality is not a collective, it is individual. A pirate only thinks of their actions (if at all), not the cumulative effect of multiple pirates.

Reply Parent Score: 3