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

submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year 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 1 year ago (1 children)

I dunno about that. Another person can describe a game however they see fit, and they may even be thorough, but what someone might define as clunky controls might feel fine to me. I can't know how a game feels to play unless I play it for myself. Most of the games I regret buying were games I bought based on what youtubers and reviewers were saying

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It's not perfect. Nothing is. But it does make for a pretty informed decision. As long as you don't abuse it, there's always 2 hour refund policies as well. I don't think it makes the OP an asshole to pirate a game as a demo, but I've been burned so few times by this strategy that I've never considered some other means of trying out a game to be necessary. If you're really unsure, you can wait for a sale, too.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

If OP doesn't spend money, and pirates the game, the devs get no money If OP Doesn't spend money or pirate, the devs still get no money. It doesn't actually matter to them whether or not you have the game, only whether you pay

And you should pay if you think it's a worthwhile experience, but piracy frees you from gambling on the marketing tactics made by corporations. I don't even know for sure that the reviewer I'm listening to isn't sponsored by the devs. If a person cannot afford to buy a game, they should just pirate. It's a sale the devs would have never made to begin with. If a person needs to make sure their money is being well-spent, it's the same thing with a bit more financial give. Ultimately, game devs can either release demos, or let pirates do it themselves

I just think of all the poor souls who actually spent money on Arkham Knights or Babylon's Fall

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

You'll know if the reviewer is sponsored by the game, because they legally have to disclose it. ACG probably takes one or two steps more than necessary to prove he's incorruptible.

The type of person who buys Arkham Knights or Babylon's Fall despite the plethora of warning signs is either such a fan of Batman or Platinum that they can't help themselves, or they're like my friend who needs to see every major shit show in gaming. Neither game sold many copies.