Piracy versus PC Gaming [Mar 09, 2007, 8:23 pm ET] – Share – Viewing Comments
Next Generation recaps a GDC talk titled "The Videogame Piracy Problem:
Fifteen Men on a Dead Man’s Chest" by id Software CEO Todd Hollenshead about the
impact of piracy on the game industry. They outline how Mr. Hollenshead says the
estimated $3 billion economic loss caused by piracy in 2004 does not include
piracy that takes place on the Internet. There is also an article about this
talk on
Joystiq that focuses on the statement that piracy is a factor in id's
embrace of consoles, quoting Todd as saying "Piracy has pushed id as being
multiplatform." On a related note,
Can PC
Gaming Survive in a Console World (thanks
Digg) recaps a panel discussion on the topic that brought up a similar
point:
Part of the problem is piracy. Big titles get stolen by cyber thieves, and it hurts revenue. "The market," said Capps, "that would buy a $600 video card knows how Bittorrent works."
Does that mean casual games, which exponentially outsell what PC gaming traditionalists think of as A-list titles, will one day rule? Hilleman made a point: casual is a poor choice of words. The average player on EA's Pogo "casual" game network plays "for 24 hours a week. There's nothing casual about that."
There is some light in the PC gaming world. World of Warcraft, for instance, is a massive hit, and the upcoming Spore looks not only creative and different, but promising. The MMO and other social networking games could become the norm for PC gaming, with big-ticket titles growing rarer with each passing year. Johnson added that MMOs are "successful because you can't pirate WoW. You cannot pirate an MMO. Period." Therefore, he said, "game design on the PC is going to bend toward persistence."
i am a medium-hardcore gamer, it is simply impossible for me to buy all the programs i download, just to try them out.
As an IT guy, thats one of my hobbies, downloading games and appz and having a look at them, to learn and to know.
I play some, i buy some, i recommend some to others, and some just gets deleted after a few minutes... (i am part of the unwanted-but-free marketing system of the industry).
There is already a "online distribution solution" in place, its called BitTorrent... all it lacks is a payment method.
Why don't games have a "donate" button on there page?
Let me show you some examples:
Vampire - Bloodlines:
That game was so full of bugs, but now, after the 1000st inofficial patch, i would like to pay them something back.
But not the full prize! they just have to learn there lesson.
Oblivion:
What a great game! i bought it right of the shelf (german edition). I was a quite pissed about all the translation errors... example: Heal spell was named Fireball!!! and countless other bugs.. So, i just downloaded the english version. Thanks to BitTorrent i am still a happy customer. Still, i think that game is worth more then i paid.
Titan Quest:
I am playing that game right now. I like it and would like to pay for it. But i don't really want to pay the store, the whole distro channel and others in the chain... i would like to pay the producer directly. That way, it would be cheaper for me, and the producer would still get more money.
Looks like i have to go to the store an buy it there..:(
Having a DVD case laying around, filling up my room and collecting dust..
Sacred:
That game REALLY pissed me off! So full of bugs and still is, and not just minor ones! And i paid full prize for it and the addon!
Let me say this: I consider the coming sequel as a free gift, for all the troubles i had.
Dreamfall - the longest journey:
What a beautiful game. I really enjoyed it. I WILL buy the sequel no matter what. Its usually not my type of games.
Without piracy, i would NEVER have played that game, thats for sure. So, where can i donate to the producer?
As you can see, piracy can be your enemy or your friend, depending on the quality of games you make!
And...
What about location dependent in-game ads? or small on-screen ads, like TV stations do?
The DVD version whitout ads, the free downloadable version with ads?
Whats so bad about ads, if well integrated? Many games come with made-up ads of non-existing corporations/products. Why not replace them with real ads? Of course they have to fit in the game.
There is no need to advertise existing products, its the brand that counts. for example: in a game thats playing in the future, they could insert some futuristic car ads but from real brands. It could even be possible to insert brands into the storyline.
The market is changing, and the industry has to rethink their strategies...
So, what your word about this?
As an IT guy, thats one of my hobbies, downloading games and appz and having a look at them, to learn and to know.
I play some, i buy some, i recommend some to others, and some just gets deleted after a few minutes... (i am part of the unwanted-but-free marketing system of the industry).
There is already a "online distribution solution" in place, its called BitTorrent... all it lacks is a payment method.
Why don't games have a "donate" button on there page?
Let me show you some examples:
Vampire - Bloodlines:
That game was so full of bugs, but now, after the 1000st inofficial patch, i would like to pay them something back.
But not the full prize! they just have to learn there lesson.
Oblivion:
What a great game! i bought it right of the shelf (german edition). I was a quite pissed about all the translation errors... example: Heal spell was named Fireball!!! and countless other bugs.. So, i just downloaded the english version. Thanks to BitTorrent i am still a happy customer. Still, i think that game is worth more then i paid.
Titan Quest:
I am playing that game right now. I like it and would like to pay for it. But i don't really want to pay the store, the whole distro channel and others in the chain... i would like to pay the producer directly. That way, it would be cheaper for me, and the producer would still get more money.
Looks like i have to go to the store an buy it there..:(
Having a DVD case laying around, filling up my room and collecting dust..
Sacred:
That game REALLY pissed me off! So full of bugs and still is, and not just minor ones! And i paid full prize for it and the addon!
Let me say this: I consider the coming sequel as a free gift, for all the troubles i had.
Dreamfall - the longest journey:
What a beautiful game. I really enjoyed it. I WILL buy the sequel no matter what. Its usually not my type of games.
Without piracy, i would NEVER have played that game, thats for sure. So, where can i donate to the producer?
As you can see, piracy can be your enemy or your friend, depending on the quality of games you make!
And...
What about location dependent in-game ads? or small on-screen ads, like TV stations do?
The DVD version whitout ads, the free downloadable version with ads?
Whats so bad about ads, if well integrated? Many games come with made-up ads of non-existing corporations/products. Why not replace them with real ads? Of course they have to fit in the game.
There is no need to advertise existing products, its the brand that counts. for example: in a game thats playing in the future, they could insert some futuristic car ads but from real brands. It could even be possible to insert brands into the storyline.
The market is changing, and the industry has to rethink their strategies...
So, what your word about this?
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