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I decided to investigate how the internet came about, and who was responsible for it's creation. This is a summary of my findings, and to add a little more interest, I tied it in with how I think the internet will eventually be the downfall of the games industry in the future. I hope you find this interesting.
Nearly 32 years ago, Charley Kline was the first person ever to use the internet, on Oct 29, 1969. The internet was then purely a link between two huge computers, imagine, just two websites. Compare that with today, and how many hundreds of thousands of websites there are now freely
available. But is this a good thing?
There are many advantages, and disadvantages of the internet, but I will be looking at one example, the gaming industry. Does free game downloading affect game publishers? Do the game cracks supplied on some sites encourage copied games? All will be revealed!
The concept of the internet was first outlined by J.C.R Licklider of the United States. He had in
mind a network of computers that could send and receive military and scientific information. This would have two major advantages over more conventional means of data transportation, ie postal service.
1: Instant and secure access to data.
2: Information still available even if some of the sites were taken out by nuclear attack. With this idea in mind, work was started to develop the internet (or ARPANET as it was first called).
December 1969: ARPANET was officially launched, and consisted of links to four universities in SouthWestern America. The information online was purely scientific, and public access was denied.
1971: Many more universities and organisations such as NASA were added to ARPANET as it gained greater recognition.
1974: ARPANET was renamed the ‘Internet’.
1975: So many more countries and states started setting up their organisations on the internet that basic search engines were required.
1986: The NSF (National Science Foundation), started a sponsorship for the internet, and so set the rules and regulations for it. These rules forbade commercial use of internet, restricting it to huge amounts of scientific, military and other information.
1991-2: Commercial businesses managed to bypass the NSF, and operate without them.
1995: The NSF withdrew their sponsorship of the internet, and their rules along with it. This opened the floodgates to all and sundry, as public access was then encouraged, and web businesses started up in their thousands. This also drew the attention of Bill Gates who decided to cash in on this market with the startup of the ‘Microsoft Internet Explorer’ in Windows 95, and all subsequent versions of Windows.
1998: The internet attracted countless millions of users and businesses making it the largest industry in the modernised world. The market for this is immense and generates a phenomenal amount of cash each day.
There are now countless websites on the internet that contain more information than anyone could ever learn in a lifetime. You can run your whole life from the internet, whether buying shopping, booking holidays or just ordering a pizza. As with most subjects, though, there are disadvantages along with the benefits. Here are a few good and bad points.
ADVANTAGES
--Food and most other things can be bought without leaving your desk.
--Many more jobs are created as countless internet businesses start up.
--Provides a cheaper form of communication (e-mail).
--Creates an alternative form of entertainment.
--Almost any information can be obtained.
DISADVANTAGES
--Children of any age can have access to hardcore pornography.
--Such a glut of information is not always beneficial to users and providers.
--Most kinds of internet use your telephone line, meaning you can’t make or receive incoming calls.
--PC games and cracks can be downloaded for free, reducing the income of publishers and developers.
The latter disadvantage is a huge, and growing problem. As I am interested in games, I decided to expand on that matter.
The gaming industry is huge, and has seen dramatic growth in just the last five years. A good game takes two or more years to create by the developers, and is then sold and marketed by the publishers. Most games hit the shelves at about £29.99 or sometimes higher, and then gradually
decrease with time.
However, many people have stopped buying games for two main reasons.
1. Free game downloads.
2. Free crack downloads.
How so?
FREE GAME DOWNLOADS FROM THE INTERNET
On many sites now, modern games can be downloaded absolutely free of charge. To gain first-hand experience of this, I tried downloading a game myself. The site I chose was www.Freeloader.com, which I saw advertised in PC Gamer magazine. The site first requires you to register your name and details, and select a password that will identify you every time you log on. It then informs you how to have access to games.
Freeloader operates a credits system. You start with a certain amount of credits, and gain more by viewing advertisements posted on their pages, or by filling in questionnaires. You are then shown a list of games that cost a certain amount of credits each, depending on how new the game is. Two files are needed for each game, which are saved to your computer. Later levels for the game can be downloaded for even more credits. Hey presto, a fully working free game.
There are some problems with this system though. I noticed that a downloaded game can take up to twice as much hard drive space as the original game. Also, the quality of a game is reduced quite a lot, in both graphics and speed. Most importantly though, Freeloader does not state whether it is legal or not. It has some official looking terms and conditions, but does not actually claim legality. These factors would put a few people off, but the majority are drawn in because the game is free.
The publishers suffer increasingly as more people download their games from the net, rather than buying from them. This also affects the developers as they get a lower wage, and are less inclined to create more games if they think that the games won’t be bought. This could have the long-term effect of scaring developers away from making games because of the financial risk involved. Result? No more computer games. Scary thought!
FREE GAME CRACK DOWNLOADS FROM THE INTERNET
Cracks are also freely available to download off the internet, and are even more common than games. Cracks take many forms, but are usually files that you put into the folder of the game you want to crack and overwrite the exe file. This allows the user to run the game without the CD. All cracks can be divided into two categories, legal and illegal.
Legal cracks
Cracks can only be declared legal if the material used to make it (code, files) do not consist in any way of the files and code contained in the game. So basically, the means of making the crack must not involve copying any part of the game.
Illegal cracks
Illegal cracks use part of the game that they crack, and so are copying part of a licensed program, breaching copyright laws.
So how do cracks harm publishers if they only allow the user to run the game without the cd’s?
Unfortunately, many people distribute cracked games on home-made compilation cd’s, or manually. This ultimately has exactly the same effect as downloadable games. The user gets free games, and the publishers and developers suffer.
In fact, many more people use cracks than downloads because most the problems I listed earlier (Large hard-drive usage, poor quality speed and graphics) do not apply to copied games. The only problem being that copied games are strictly illegal. But once again, breaking the law is one of the least things some people will do to receive free software.
What can be done then to save the publishers and developers from closing down through financial difficulties?
Quite simply, all game cracks and downloads should be made strictly illegal, with severe penalties for offenders. Of course this would stop very few people at first, but if further steps were taken, like closing down all websites offering such material, and random house searches of suspected copiers, then people would gradually realise that the authorities were serious about the matter. But if action is going to be taken, then it must be now, before copying has become commonplace.
NAPSTER is doing basically the same thing. It offers free songs to all it’s members, and that has the same effect of causing financial problems to all companies involved. NAPSTER has gone so far that it has impelled these companies to action, and they are currently suing NAPSTER.
This action will probably be brought up eventually against all websites offering cracks and downloads, but it isn’t yet widespread enough to cause too much alarm. However, very soon, thousands more each day will start downloading and cracking games. When this happens, it will be too late for the publishers and developers, and even if they pursue legal action then, they will still lose many millions of pounds in the process. They need to act NOW to avoid a financial disaster. If that happens, game production could be halted indefinitely. ULP! Fight harder people!!
So you know the right thing to do, buy your games legally from SR or any other reliable company. Never forget that if we obtain our games freely or as copies, then this will ultimately be the downfall of the gaming industry, and that would be a disaster beyond our comprehension. So don't be tempted to opt for the cheaper or easier option, buy your games properly, and that way we could soon be sampling the excitements of GTA 4 or MGS 3. The future holds some wonderful gaming feasts for us, and we would be fools to shun such delights. Long live games!!
Thanks for reading
Brew
Nearly 32 years ago, Charley Kline was the first person ever to use the internet, on Oct 29, 1969. The internet was then purely a link between two huge computers, imagine, just two websites. Compare that with today, and how many hundreds of thousands of websites there are now freely
available. But is this a good thing?
There are many advantages, and disadvantages of the internet, but I will be looking at one example, the gaming industry. Does free game downloading affect game publishers? Do the game cracks supplied on some sites encourage copied games? All will be revealed!
The concept of the internet was first outlined by J.C.R Licklider of the United States. He had in
mind a network of computers that could send and receive military and scientific information. This would have two major advantages over more conventional means of data transportation, ie postal service.
1: Instant and secure access to data.
2: Information still available even if some of the sites were taken out by nuclear attack. With this idea in mind, work was started to develop the internet (or ARPANET as it was first called).
December 1969: ARPANET was officially launched, and consisted of links to four universities in SouthWestern America. The information online was purely scientific, and public access was denied.
1971: Many more universities and organisations such as NASA were added to ARPANET as it gained greater recognition.
1974: ARPANET was renamed the ‘Internet’.
1975: So many more countries and states started setting up their organisations on the internet that basic search engines were required.
1986: The NSF (National Science Foundation), started a sponsorship for the internet, and so set the rules and regulations for it. These rules forbade commercial use of internet, restricting it to huge amounts of scientific, military and other information.
1991-2: Commercial businesses managed to bypass the NSF, and operate without them.
1995: The NSF withdrew their sponsorship of the internet, and their rules along with it. This opened the floodgates to all and sundry, as public access was then encouraged, and web businesses started up in their thousands. This also drew the attention of Bill Gates who decided to cash in on this market with the startup of the ‘Microsoft Internet Explorer’ in Windows 95, and all subsequent versions of Windows.
1998: The internet attracted countless millions of users and businesses making it the largest industry in the modernised world. The market for this is immense and generates a phenomenal amount of cash each day.
There are now countless websites on the internet that contain more information than anyone could ever learn in a lifetime. You can run your whole life from the internet, whether buying shopping, booking holidays or just ordering a pizza. As with most subjects, though, there are disadvantages along with the benefits. Here are a few good and bad points.
ADVANTAGES
--Food and most other things can be bought without leaving your desk.
--Many more jobs are created as countless internet businesses start up.
--Provides a cheaper form of communication (e-mail).
--Creates an alternative form of entertainment.
--Almost any information can be obtained.
DISADVANTAGES
--Children of any age can have access to hardcore pornography.
--Such a glut of information is not always beneficial to users and providers.
--Most kinds of internet use your telephone line, meaning you can’t make or receive incoming calls.
--PC games and cracks can be downloaded for free, reducing the income of publishers and developers.
The latter disadvantage is a huge, and growing problem. As I am interested in games, I decided to expand on that matter.
The gaming industry is huge, and has seen dramatic growth in just the last five years. A good game takes two or more years to create by the developers, and is then sold and marketed by the publishers. Most games hit the shelves at about £29.99 or sometimes higher, and then gradually
decrease with time.
However, many people have stopped buying games for two main reasons.
1. Free game downloads.
2. Free crack downloads.
How so?
FREE GAME DOWNLOADS FROM THE INTERNET
On many sites now, modern games can be downloaded absolutely free of charge. To gain first-hand experience of this, I tried downloading a game myself. The site I chose was www.Freeloader.com, which I saw advertised in PC Gamer magazine. The site first requires you to register your name and details, and select a password that will identify you every time you log on. It then informs you how to have access to games.
Freeloader operates a credits system. You start with a certain amount of credits, and gain more by viewing advertisements posted on their pages, or by filling in questionnaires. You are then shown a list of games that cost a certain amount of credits each, depending on how new the game is. Two files are needed for each game, which are saved to your computer. Later levels for the game can be downloaded for even more credits. Hey presto, a fully working free game.
There are some problems with this system though. I noticed that a downloaded game can take up to twice as much hard drive space as the original game. Also, the quality of a game is reduced quite a lot, in both graphics and speed. Most importantly though, Freeloader does not state whether it is legal or not. It has some official looking terms and conditions, but does not actually claim legality. These factors would put a few people off, but the majority are drawn in because the game is free.
The publishers suffer increasingly as more people download their games from the net, rather than buying from them. This also affects the developers as they get a lower wage, and are less inclined to create more games if they think that the games won’t be bought. This could have the long-term effect of scaring developers away from making games because of the financial risk involved. Result? No more computer games. Scary thought!
FREE GAME CRACK DOWNLOADS FROM THE INTERNET
Cracks are also freely available to download off the internet, and are even more common than games. Cracks take many forms, but are usually files that you put into the folder of the game you want to crack and overwrite the exe file. This allows the user to run the game without the CD. All cracks can be divided into two categories, legal and illegal.
Legal cracks
Cracks can only be declared legal if the material used to make it (code, files) do not consist in any way of the files and code contained in the game. So basically, the means of making the crack must not involve copying any part of the game.
Illegal cracks
Illegal cracks use part of the game that they crack, and so are copying part of a licensed program, breaching copyright laws.
So how do cracks harm publishers if they only allow the user to run the game without the cd’s?
Unfortunately, many people distribute cracked games on home-made compilation cd’s, or manually. This ultimately has exactly the same effect as downloadable games. The user gets free games, and the publishers and developers suffer.
In fact, many more people use cracks than downloads because most the problems I listed earlier (Large hard-drive usage, poor quality speed and graphics) do not apply to copied games. The only problem being that copied games are strictly illegal. But once again, breaking the law is one of the least things some people will do to receive free software.
What can be done then to save the publishers and developers from closing down through financial difficulties?
Quite simply, all game cracks and downloads should be made strictly illegal, with severe penalties for offenders. Of course this would stop very few people at first, but if further steps were taken, like closing down all websites offering such material, and random house searches of suspected copiers, then people would gradually realise that the authorities were serious about the matter. But if action is going to be taken, then it must be now, before copying has become commonplace.
NAPSTER is doing basically the same thing. It offers free songs to all it’s members, and that has the same effect of causing financial problems to all companies involved. NAPSTER has gone so far that it has impelled these companies to action, and they are currently suing NAPSTER.
This action will probably be brought up eventually against all websites offering cracks and downloads, but it isn’t yet widespread enough to cause too much alarm. However, very soon, thousands more each day will start downloading and cracking games. When this happens, it will be too late for the publishers and developers, and even if they pursue legal action then, they will still lose many millions of pounds in the process. They need to act NOW to avoid a financial disaster. If that happens, game production could be halted indefinitely. ULP! Fight harder people!!
So you know the right thing to do, buy your games legally from SR or any other reliable company. Never forget that if we obtain our games freely or as copies, then this will ultimately be the downfall of the gaming industry, and that would be a disaster beyond our comprehension. So don't be tempted to opt for the cheaper or easier option, buy your games properly, and that way we could soon be sampling the excitements of GTA 4 or MGS 3. The future holds some wonderful gaming feasts for us, and we would be fools to shun such delights. Long live games!!
Thanks for reading
Brew
you don't need to dial up and use ur phoneline.......
Brew wrote:
> The internet was then purely a link between two huge computers, imagine, just two websites. Compare that with today, and how many hundreds of thousands of websites there are now freely available.
Bit of an underestimate there! Don't you mean hundreds of MILLIONS!? Probably billions!
> The internet was then purely a link between two huge computers, imagine, just two websites. Compare that with today, and how many hundreds of thousands of websites there are now freely available.
Bit of an underestimate there! Don't you mean hundreds of MILLIONS!? Probably billions!
I decided to investigate how the internet came about, and who was responsible for it's creation. This is a summary of my findings, and to add a little more interest, I tied it in with how I think the internet will eventually be the downfall of the games industry in the future. I hope you find this interesting.
Nearly 32 years ago, Charley Kline was the first person ever to use the internet, on Oct 29, 1969. The internet was then purely a link between two huge computers, imagine, just two websites. Compare that with today, and how many hundreds of thousands of websites there are now freely
available. But is this a good thing?
There are many advantages, and disadvantages of the internet, but I will be looking at one example, the gaming industry. Does free game downloading affect game publishers? Do the game cracks supplied on some sites encourage copied games? All will be revealed!
The concept of the internet was first outlined by J.C.R Licklider of the United States. He had in
mind a network of computers that could send and receive military and scientific information. This would have two major advantages over more conventional means of data transportation, ie postal service.
1: Instant and secure access to data.
2: Information still available even if some of the sites were taken out by nuclear attack. With this idea in mind, work was started to develop the internet (or ARPANET as it was first called).
December 1969: ARPANET was officially launched, and consisted of links to four universities in SouthWestern America. The information online was purely scientific, and public access was denied.
1971: Many more universities and organisations such as NASA were added to ARPANET as it gained greater recognition.
1974: ARPANET was renamed the ‘Internet’.
1975: So many more countries and states started setting up their organisations on the internet that basic search engines were required.
1986: The NSF (National Science Foundation), started a sponsorship for the internet, and so set the rules and regulations for it. These rules forbade commercial use of internet, restricting it to huge amounts of scientific, military and other information.
1991-2: Commercial businesses managed to bypass the NSF, and operate without them.
1995: The NSF withdrew their sponsorship of the internet, and their rules along with it. This opened the floodgates to all and sundry, as public access was then encouraged, and web businesses started up in their thousands. This also drew the attention of Bill Gates who decided to cash in on this market with the startup of the ‘Microsoft Internet Explorer’ in Windows 95, and all subsequent versions of Windows.
1998: The internet attracted countless millions of users and businesses making it the largest industry in the modernised world. The market for this is immense and generates a phenomenal amount of cash each day.
There are now countless websites on the internet that contain more information than anyone could ever learn in a lifetime. You can run your whole life from the internet, whether buying shopping, booking holidays or just ordering a pizza. As with most subjects, though, there are disadvantages along with the benefits. Here are a few good and bad points.
ADVANTAGES
--Food and most other things can be bought without leaving your desk.
--Many more jobs are created as countless internet businesses start up.
--Provides a cheaper form of communication (e-mail).
--Creates an alternative form of entertainment.
--Almost any information can be obtained.
DISADVANTAGES
--Children of any age can have access to hardcore pornography.
--Such a glut of information is not always beneficial to users and providers.
--Most kinds of internet use your telephone line, meaning you can’t make or receive incoming calls.
--PC games and cracks can be downloaded for free, reducing the income of publishers and developers.
The latter disadvantage is a huge, and growing problem. As I am interested in games, I decided to expand on that matter.
The gaming industry is huge, and has seen dramatic growth in just the last five years. A good game takes two or more years to create by the developers, and is then sold and marketed by the publishers. Most games hit the shelves at about £29.99 or sometimes higher, and then gradually
decrease with time.
However, many people have stopped buying games for two main reasons.
1. Free game downloads.
2. Free crack downloads.
How so?
FREE GAME DOWNLOADS FROM THE INTERNET
On many sites now, modern games can be downloaded absolutely free of charge. To gain first-hand experience of this, I tried downloading a game myself. The site I chose was www.Freeloader.com, which I saw advertised in PC Gamer magazine. The site first requires you to register your name and details, and select a password that will identify you every time you log on. It then informs you how to have access to games.
Freeloader operates a credits system. You start with a certain amount of credits, and gain more by viewing advertisements posted on their pages, or by filling in questionnaires. You are then shown a list of games that cost a certain amount of credits each, depending on how new the game is. Two files are needed for each game, which are saved to your computer. Later levels for the game can be downloaded for even more credits. Hey presto, a fully working free game.
There are some problems with this system though. I noticed that a downloaded game can take up to twice as much hard drive space as the original game. Also, the quality of a game is reduced quite a lot, in both graphics and speed. Most importantly though, Freeloader does not state whether it is legal or not. It has some official looking terms and conditions, but does not actually claim legality. These factors would put a few people off, but the majority are drawn in because the game is free.
The publishers suffer increasingly as more people download their games from the net, rather than buying from them. This also affects the developers as they get a lower wage, and are less inclined to create more games if they think that the games won’t be bought. This could have the long-term effect of scaring developers away from making games because of the financial risk involved. Result? No more computer games. Scary thought!
FREE GAME CRACK DOWNLOADS FROM THE INTERNET
Cracks are also freely available to download off the internet, and are even more common than games. Cracks take many forms, but are usually files that you put into the folder of the game you want to crack and overwrite the exe file. This allows the user to run the game without the CD. All cracks can be divided into two categories, legal and illegal.
Legal cracks
Cracks can only be declared legal if the material used to make it (code, files) do not consist in any way of the files and code contained in the game. So basically, the means of making the crack must not involve copying any part of the game.
Illegal cracks
Illegal cracks use part of the game that they crack, and so are copying part of a licensed program, breaching copyright laws.
So how do cracks harm publishers if they only allow the user to run the game without the cd’s?
Unfortunately, many people distribute cracked games on home-made compilation cd’s, or manually. This ultimately has exactly the same effect as downloadable games. The user gets free games, and the publishers and developers suffer.
In fact, many more people use cracks than downloads because most the problems I listed earlier (Large hard-drive usage, poor quality speed and graphics) do not apply to copied games. The only problem being that copied games are strictly illegal. But once again, breaking the law is one of the least things some people will do to receive free software.
What can be done then to save the publishers and developers from closing down through financial difficulties?
Quite simply, all game cracks and downloads should be made strictly illegal, with severe penalties for offenders. Of course this would stop very few people at first, but if further steps were taken, like closing down all websites offering such material, and random house searches of suspected copiers, then people would gradually realise that the authorities were serious about the matter. But if action is going to be taken, then it must be now, before copying has become commonplace.
NAPSTER is doing basically the same thing. It offers free songs to all it’s members, and that has the same effect of causing financial problems to all companies involved. NAPSTER has gone so far that it has impelled these companies to action, and they are currently suing NAPSTER.
This action will probably be brought up eventually against all websites offering cracks and downloads, but it isn’t yet widespread enough to cause too much alarm. However, very soon, thousands more each day will start downloading and cracking games. When this happens, it will be too late for the publishers and developers, and even if they pursue legal action then, they will still lose many millions of pounds in the process. They need to act NOW to avoid a financial disaster. If that happens, game production could be halted indefinitely. ULP! Fight harder people!!
So you know the right thing to do, buy your games legally from SR or any other reliable company. Never forget that if we obtain our games freely or as copies, then this will ultimately be the downfall of the gaming industry, and that would be a disaster beyond our comprehension. So don't be tempted to opt for the cheaper or easier option, buy your games properly, and that way we could soon be sampling the excitements of GTA 4 or MGS 3. The future holds some wonderful gaming feasts for us, and we would be fools to shun such delights. Long live games!!
Thanks for reading
Brew
Nearly 32 years ago, Charley Kline was the first person ever to use the internet, on Oct 29, 1969. The internet was then purely a link between two huge computers, imagine, just two websites. Compare that with today, and how many hundreds of thousands of websites there are now freely
available. But is this a good thing?
There are many advantages, and disadvantages of the internet, but I will be looking at one example, the gaming industry. Does free game downloading affect game publishers? Do the game cracks supplied on some sites encourage copied games? All will be revealed!
The concept of the internet was first outlined by J.C.R Licklider of the United States. He had in
mind a network of computers that could send and receive military and scientific information. This would have two major advantages over more conventional means of data transportation, ie postal service.
1: Instant and secure access to data.
2: Information still available even if some of the sites were taken out by nuclear attack. With this idea in mind, work was started to develop the internet (or ARPANET as it was first called).
December 1969: ARPANET was officially launched, and consisted of links to four universities in SouthWestern America. The information online was purely scientific, and public access was denied.
1971: Many more universities and organisations such as NASA were added to ARPANET as it gained greater recognition.
1974: ARPANET was renamed the ‘Internet’.
1975: So many more countries and states started setting up their organisations on the internet that basic search engines were required.
1986: The NSF (National Science Foundation), started a sponsorship for the internet, and so set the rules and regulations for it. These rules forbade commercial use of internet, restricting it to huge amounts of scientific, military and other information.
1991-2: Commercial businesses managed to bypass the NSF, and operate without them.
1995: The NSF withdrew their sponsorship of the internet, and their rules along with it. This opened the floodgates to all and sundry, as public access was then encouraged, and web businesses started up in their thousands. This also drew the attention of Bill Gates who decided to cash in on this market with the startup of the ‘Microsoft Internet Explorer’ in Windows 95, and all subsequent versions of Windows.
1998: The internet attracted countless millions of users and businesses making it the largest industry in the modernised world. The market for this is immense and generates a phenomenal amount of cash each day.
There are now countless websites on the internet that contain more information than anyone could ever learn in a lifetime. You can run your whole life from the internet, whether buying shopping, booking holidays or just ordering a pizza. As with most subjects, though, there are disadvantages along with the benefits. Here are a few good and bad points.
ADVANTAGES
--Food and most other things can be bought without leaving your desk.
--Many more jobs are created as countless internet businesses start up.
--Provides a cheaper form of communication (e-mail).
--Creates an alternative form of entertainment.
--Almost any information can be obtained.
DISADVANTAGES
--Children of any age can have access to hardcore pornography.
--Such a glut of information is not always beneficial to users and providers.
--Most kinds of internet use your telephone line, meaning you can’t make or receive incoming calls.
--PC games and cracks can be downloaded for free, reducing the income of publishers and developers.
The latter disadvantage is a huge, and growing problem. As I am interested in games, I decided to expand on that matter.
The gaming industry is huge, and has seen dramatic growth in just the last five years. A good game takes two or more years to create by the developers, and is then sold and marketed by the publishers. Most games hit the shelves at about £29.99 or sometimes higher, and then gradually
decrease with time.
However, many people have stopped buying games for two main reasons.
1. Free game downloads.
2. Free crack downloads.
How so?
FREE GAME DOWNLOADS FROM THE INTERNET
On many sites now, modern games can be downloaded absolutely free of charge. To gain first-hand experience of this, I tried downloading a game myself. The site I chose was www.Freeloader.com, which I saw advertised in PC Gamer magazine. The site first requires you to register your name and details, and select a password that will identify you every time you log on. It then informs you how to have access to games.
Freeloader operates a credits system. You start with a certain amount of credits, and gain more by viewing advertisements posted on their pages, or by filling in questionnaires. You are then shown a list of games that cost a certain amount of credits each, depending on how new the game is. Two files are needed for each game, which are saved to your computer. Later levels for the game can be downloaded for even more credits. Hey presto, a fully working free game.
There are some problems with this system though. I noticed that a downloaded game can take up to twice as much hard drive space as the original game. Also, the quality of a game is reduced quite a lot, in both graphics and speed. Most importantly though, Freeloader does not state whether it is legal or not. It has some official looking terms and conditions, but does not actually claim legality. These factors would put a few people off, but the majority are drawn in because the game is free.
The publishers suffer increasingly as more people download their games from the net, rather than buying from them. This also affects the developers as they get a lower wage, and are less inclined to create more games if they think that the games won’t be bought. This could have the long-term effect of scaring developers away from making games because of the financial risk involved. Result? No more computer games. Scary thought!
FREE GAME CRACK DOWNLOADS FROM THE INTERNET
Cracks are also freely available to download off the internet, and are even more common than games. Cracks take many forms, but are usually files that you put into the folder of the game you want to crack and overwrite the exe file. This allows the user to run the game without the CD. All cracks can be divided into two categories, legal and illegal.
Legal cracks
Cracks can only be declared legal if the material used to make it (code, files) do not consist in any way of the files and code contained in the game. So basically, the means of making the crack must not involve copying any part of the game.
Illegal cracks
Illegal cracks use part of the game that they crack, and so are copying part of a licensed program, breaching copyright laws.
So how do cracks harm publishers if they only allow the user to run the game without the cd’s?
Unfortunately, many people distribute cracked games on home-made compilation cd’s, or manually. This ultimately has exactly the same effect as downloadable games. The user gets free games, and the publishers and developers suffer.
In fact, many more people use cracks than downloads because most the problems I listed earlier (Large hard-drive usage, poor quality speed and graphics) do not apply to copied games. The only problem being that copied games are strictly illegal. But once again, breaking the law is one of the least things some people will do to receive free software.
What can be done then to save the publishers and developers from closing down through financial difficulties?
Quite simply, all game cracks and downloads should be made strictly illegal, with severe penalties for offenders. Of course this would stop very few people at first, but if further steps were taken, like closing down all websites offering such material, and random house searches of suspected copiers, then people would gradually realise that the authorities were serious about the matter. But if action is going to be taken, then it must be now, before copying has become commonplace.
NAPSTER is doing basically the same thing. It offers free songs to all it’s members, and that has the same effect of causing financial problems to all companies involved. NAPSTER has gone so far that it has impelled these companies to action, and they are currently suing NAPSTER.
This action will probably be brought up eventually against all websites offering cracks and downloads, but it isn’t yet widespread enough to cause too much alarm. However, very soon, thousands more each day will start downloading and cracking games. When this happens, it will be too late for the publishers and developers, and even if they pursue legal action then, they will still lose many millions of pounds in the process. They need to act NOW to avoid a financial disaster. If that happens, game production could be halted indefinitely. ULP! Fight harder people!!
So you know the right thing to do, buy your games legally from SR or any other reliable company. Never forget that if we obtain our games freely or as copies, then this will ultimately be the downfall of the gaming industry, and that would be a disaster beyond our comprehension. So don't be tempted to opt for the cheaper or easier option, buy your games properly, and that way we could soon be sampling the excitements of GTA 4 or MGS 3. The future holds some wonderful gaming feasts for us, and we would be fools to shun such delights. Long live games!!
Thanks for reading
Brew