The "Freeola Customer Forum" forum, which includes Retro Game Reviews, has been archived and is now read-only. You cannot post here or create a new thread or review on this forum.
Inspired by Jubba's comments in the ipod thread, I decided to open a thread about media piracy; software, movies, TV Programmes etc.
My view is that there are easy ways to justify piracy and it's pretty commonplace because it's easy to do. But if you look at it objectively it's still the same as stealing, albeit not stealing anything physical.
I used to be happy doing it too, I admit. Swapping Spectrum or C64 games in the school playground was easy for anyone who had a midi system with a double tape deck and with a bit of stopping and starting you could easily get 6 or more games on a C60 tape.
At the same time Video tapes and recorders made it easier to get to see films not long after they were at the cinema, with even a local video rental shop distributing copies of Robocop and Gremlins long before they were on TV or available to rent. It was also useful for seeing banned films, which allowed me to watch Zombie Flesh Eaters courtesy of someone in the charity I worked for and Clockwork Orange, which quickly got copied many times.
Nowadays its digital copies from the internet which are the easiest to get hold of. Just downloading a bittorrent client and going to google will get most of the games, movies or TV series you could wish for.
The issue, though, is this. If you're stealing intellectual rights rather than physical material it does seem to muddy the waters of what is right or wrong.
For example, if you download and watch a TV series that you can see on TV already, is that wrong? How about if that series was available on a channel you didn't have? If you then deleted the file after watching wouldn't that be the same as going to a friend's house to watch?
Likewise with films, if you go to the cinema and watch Avatar, for example, then download it and THEN go and buy it when it finally comes out, is that wrong?
With games I would think most people would download them and not go and buy the originals afterwards. My first PSP was hacked and easy to use with copied games, but I didn't bother with the current one as I wanted to support what Sony and the developers were doing with the cheaper games to download. Same with the app store, there are some fantastic apps at great prices from small developers who would suffer if people pirated their games.
As a big supporter of small developers I'm concerned over the affects that piracy on PSP, iPod and even consoles has on the company and on prices for those who choose to pay for them.
My view is that there are easy ways to justify piracy and it's pretty commonplace because it's easy to do. But if you look at it objectively it's still the same as stealing, albeit not stealing anything physical.
I used to be happy doing it too, I admit. Swapping Spectrum or C64 games in the school playground was easy for anyone who had a midi system with a double tape deck and with a bit of stopping and starting you could easily get 6 or more games on a C60 tape.
At the same time Video tapes and recorders made it easier to get to see films not long after they were at the cinema, with even a local video rental shop distributing copies of Robocop and Gremlins long before they were on TV or available to rent. It was also useful for seeing banned films, which allowed me to watch Zombie Flesh Eaters courtesy of someone in the charity I worked for and Clockwork Orange, which quickly got copied many times.
Nowadays its digital copies from the internet which are the easiest to get hold of. Just downloading a bittorrent client and going to google will get most of the games, movies or TV series you could wish for.
The issue, though, is this. If you're stealing intellectual rights rather than physical material it does seem to muddy the waters of what is right or wrong.
For example, if you download and watch a TV series that you can see on TV already, is that wrong? How about if that series was available on a channel you didn't have? If you then deleted the file after watching wouldn't that be the same as going to a friend's house to watch?
Likewise with films, if you go to the cinema and watch Avatar, for example, then download it and THEN go and buy it when it finally comes out, is that wrong?
With games I would think most people would download them and not go and buy the originals afterwards. My first PSP was hacked and easy to use with copied games, but I didn't bother with the current one as I wanted to support what Sony and the developers were doing with the cheaper games to download. Same with the app store, there are some fantastic apps at great prices from small developers who would suffer if people pirated their games.
As a big supporter of small developers I'm concerned over the affects that piracy on PSP, iPod and even consoles has on the company and on prices for those who choose to pay for them.
Page:
There have been no replies to this thread yet.
Inspired by Jubba's comments in the ipod thread, I decided to open a thread about media piracy; software, movies, TV Programmes etc.
My view is that there are easy ways to justify piracy and it's pretty commonplace because it's easy to do. But if you look at it objectively it's still the same as stealing, albeit not stealing anything physical.
I used to be happy doing it too, I admit. Swapping Spectrum or C64 games in the school playground was easy for anyone who had a midi system with a double tape deck and with a bit of stopping and starting you could easily get 6 or more games on a C60 tape.
At the same time Video tapes and recorders made it easier to get to see films not long after they were at the cinema, with even a local video rental shop distributing copies of Robocop and Gremlins long before they were on TV or available to rent. It was also useful for seeing banned films, which allowed me to watch Zombie Flesh Eaters courtesy of someone in the charity I worked for and Clockwork Orange, which quickly got copied many times.
Nowadays its digital copies from the internet which are the easiest to get hold of. Just downloading a bittorrent client and going to google will get most of the games, movies or TV series you could wish for.
The issue, though, is this. If you're stealing intellectual rights rather than physical material it does seem to muddy the waters of what is right or wrong.
For example, if you download and watch a TV series that you can see on TV already, is that wrong? How about if that series was available on a channel you didn't have? If you then deleted the file after watching wouldn't that be the same as going to a friend's house to watch?
Likewise with films, if you go to the cinema and watch Avatar, for example, then download it and THEN go and buy it when it finally comes out, is that wrong?
With games I would think most people would download them and not go and buy the originals afterwards. My first PSP was hacked and easy to use with copied games, but I didn't bother with the current one as I wanted to support what Sony and the developers were doing with the cheaper games to download. Same with the app store, there are some fantastic apps at great prices from small developers who would suffer if people pirated their games.
As a big supporter of small developers I'm concerned over the affects that piracy on PSP, iPod and even consoles has on the company and on prices for those who choose to pay for them.
My view is that there are easy ways to justify piracy and it's pretty commonplace because it's easy to do. But if you look at it objectively it's still the same as stealing, albeit not stealing anything physical.
I used to be happy doing it too, I admit. Swapping Spectrum or C64 games in the school playground was easy for anyone who had a midi system with a double tape deck and with a bit of stopping and starting you could easily get 6 or more games on a C60 tape.
At the same time Video tapes and recorders made it easier to get to see films not long after they were at the cinema, with even a local video rental shop distributing copies of Robocop and Gremlins long before they were on TV or available to rent. It was also useful for seeing banned films, which allowed me to watch Zombie Flesh Eaters courtesy of someone in the charity I worked for and Clockwork Orange, which quickly got copied many times.
Nowadays its digital copies from the internet which are the easiest to get hold of. Just downloading a bittorrent client and going to google will get most of the games, movies or TV series you could wish for.
The issue, though, is this. If you're stealing intellectual rights rather than physical material it does seem to muddy the waters of what is right or wrong.
For example, if you download and watch a TV series that you can see on TV already, is that wrong? How about if that series was available on a channel you didn't have? If you then deleted the file after watching wouldn't that be the same as going to a friend's house to watch?
Likewise with films, if you go to the cinema and watch Avatar, for example, then download it and THEN go and buy it when it finally comes out, is that wrong?
With games I would think most people would download them and not go and buy the originals afterwards. My first PSP was hacked and easy to use with copied games, but I didn't bother with the current one as I wanted to support what Sony and the developers were doing with the cheaper games to download. Same with the app store, there are some fantastic apps at great prices from small developers who would suffer if people pirated their games.
As a big supporter of small developers I'm concerned over the affects that piracy on PSP, iPod and even consoles has on the company and on prices for those who choose to pay for them.
Page: