A discussion of software piracy

[IronCladChicken]

I was just reading the The Inquirer that the release version of Vista is apparently already available to download illegally - I was just checking this out (to save me from doing any actual work - I've an MSDN account so I was just being curious - so ner )

At the same time, I noticed Culture Shock was also listed on a couple of sites (the download included the game with crack) and had apparently been available at least since last Wednesday.

I'd guess the copy protection is there to dissuade the more casual users piracy attempts - But then again I guess P2P software is used by a lot of casual users these days too?

[Johnny Walker]

I guess there's nothing they can do, there hasn't been a game that's not been pirated. The only thing you can do is to try and persuade people that it's worth the money!

[thebob]

Anyone who pirates this should be ashamed, its hardly expensive, I'm a student and can afford it!

[Guybrush_Threepwood]

Yes, it's a shame how people refuse to buy even a good game for 8 bucks..
I mean, this price's ridiculous, EVERYONE owning a pc can afford it!

[Emily]

The whole situation makes me very sad.

[0renji]

Not cool. Very very uncool. I admit to having a sort of criminal code of honour regarding this - I won't go into details but pirating from a small-ish and amazing company like Telltale or Double Fine is really terrible. Especially since Episode 1 is so cheap! Who are these pathetic individuals who can't afford £6?

[antom]

I'd be tempted to get S&M from a P2P site as I'm completely broke as we speak and NEED a Sam 'n' Max hit but I think that waiting for my first paycheck will be far more rewarding. Plus, I'll hopefully get a nice shiney CD in a lovely box to grin at in the new year...

Plus, the demo showed the sheer quality of the product and it'll be worth every penny

[elsenator]

Obviously, i think it's pathetic and discouraging if people would want to pirate Culture Shock, or any of the coming episodes for that matter. But i don't think TellTale are loosing that much from it. We tend to equal each illegal download as one lost sale, but i don't believe that is the case. Actually, some of them might actually lead to purchases and word-of-mouth PR which, in turn, will lead to more sales.
I'm not trying to justify downloading Culture Shock illegally, because that is not my mentality. I'm just trying to put things in perspective, and perhaps soften the blow a bit. We all knew it would happen at some point, so i like to find the positive sides of it.

Also, Culture Shock is so darn cheap you would be a fool not to buy it and support Telltale.

[numble]

Maybe a well-timed joke about the problems with game piracy in a future episode could make the pirates feel guilty about stealing the game and pay the low-price it costs to support Telltale.

[Erwin]

I blame Monkey Island. That game romanticized pirating!

--Erwin

[thom_h]

Originally Posted by Erwin

I blame Monkey Island. That game romanticized pirating!

--Erwin

Hahaha!

[Alucard]

unfortunate but inevitable
I think most gamers do have a conscience though.

[Emily]

Originally Posted by numble

Maybe a well-timed joke about the problems with game piracy in a future episode could make the pirates feel guilty about stealing the game and pay the low-price it costs to support Telltale.

I like this idea.

[MeaningOfLife]

There's ups and downs about pirating softwares (Note: I am not saying I am for nor against pirating).

For example, to some people that Sam & Max Episode 1 demo seems too short even for a demo. I can say that some people may have played a pirated copy of the episode 1 all the way to the end and they like it so much that they're buying the full season.

At the same time, there's always way poor, poor little kids who doesn't have access to credit card or know anything about the hard working labor of programming, developing, designing a video game, no matter how long the game is, those people who work on the game deserve a share of the profit from the software, but yet, they just don't understand that concept. The only concept they know is INTERNET = EVERYTHING IS FREE.

[jannar85]

Can't you figure out which code has been used on that pirated copy? Then you can ban it and the guy or girl who pirated it?

It's sad though.

And I've seen people up to fifty years old, who downloads pirated material as well.. so there's no excuse that the downloaders are kids.

[Trixie]

Originally Posted by Emily

I like this idea.

Make the episode and make the criminal end some somewhere all people are very scared, like a army camp with a sargent that treats all like they should kill themselfs! that will make a laugh!

[TheGreyMatter]

Originally Posted by Trixie

Make the episode and make the criminal end some somewhere all people are very scared, like a army camp with a sargent that treats all like they should kill themselfs! that will make a laugh!

hhmm.... Weird al's videoclip - Don't Download This Song... hhmm...

[Sir Lemming]

Well, say goodbye to anymore generous giveaways.

[Alucard]

hmmm?
I don't see how the fact that the game has been pirated has anything to do with the give aways. I would think give aways would encourage those who are too poor to pay the paltry fee per episode to earn their game.

[Hero1]

The people that are downloading illegal copies and not buying the game are having a detrimental effect on the future of Sam & Max. If we want games like Sam & Max to exist we have to support a company like Telltale. It's really quite sad that people would put up a game like this for illegal download.