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AITAH for pirating games before buying them? (lemmy.world)

submitted 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Nowadays, the absolute vast majority of games that I play are shit tbh.

This is why I pirate games first to try them out. I wanna be very clear that if I think a game is good I buy it, no questions asked.

However, since most games don't have demos or trials, I don't want to feel like I've wasted money so I look to piracy so that I can try them out before making a purchase.

AITAH?

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (3 children)

you are robbing the creator of what the item is valued at

If I value the item at $0 then I have robbed them of $0.

why wouldn't I just get a copy of a game, underpriced it, and sell it as cheap as I wanted?

We already do that. It is called piracy. We take it and sell it for as cheap as we want ($0).

the value of the currency is deflated by those actions because there's nothing stopping everyone from from just adding millions to their accounts

I don't care if the value of IP is deflated. I already believe it to be zero so that doesn't change anything. Ideas should be free to be shared.

And before you say something like, "then nothing new will ever get made" just remember you are on Lemmy. The developers make it because they want to, not because of the money. People can still make things without profit incentive. In fact I think the world would be a much better place if we had less creations focused on making money and were left with only creators who are driven by passion rather than profit.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 10 months ago

You can also steal physical items and claim their value is 0. What does this have to do with IP specifically?

[–] [email protected] -1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

If I value the item at $0 then I have robbed them of $0.

Luckily we live in reality, where thieves don't get to arbitrarily determine the values of their plunder.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

Pirates absolutely can and do arbitrarily determine the value of their plunder. As evidenced by this post.

You can disagree with it, but piracy will always be a part of reality.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

FOSS is made because people want it to be made and made available. People who make games and art vary between it purely wanting to be made and wanting to make a profit off of that. If you're dense enough to think saying you value something at $0 and then still enjoying it like the other people willing to support the IP, then you're an asshole.

There is a balance between what the creator is allowed to value their idea and what people are willing to pay for that idea. If they can't find a middle ground, then the transaction shouldn't occur. If you force that transaction by stealing their idea and efforts, you're being a thief. What you use to justify your actions is up to you, but you're a thief nonetheless.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

If you're dense enough to think saying you value something at $0 and then still enjoying it like the other people willing to support the IP, then you're an asshole.

This isn't even a coherent sentence. But I'm assuming you mean I'm an asshole for enjoying something without paying when other people do pay? Except if I enjoy something I do pay for it. Just because I don't think people should own ideas doesn't mean I don't support creators when I enjoy something.

If you force that transaction by stealing their idea and efforts, you're being a thief. What you use to justify your actions is up to you, but you're a thief nonetheless.

And no, by law I am not a thief. A thief is someone who commits theft, and theft is "the felonious taking and removing of personal property with intent to deprive the rightful owner of it." Copyright infringement does not deprive the owner of it, it is simply a copy. At least in the United States where I live copyrighted works are not considered stolen property. You can call me an asshole if you want but by definition I am no thief.