Cavalary: Yep. All those estimates of the supposed losses caused by "piracy", at the full value of all the copies "pirated". Most who take for free wouldn't buy if they had to, as most of what's taken is just stocked even more easily and carelessly as what those who buy piles of stuff on sale stock stuff they won't actually use, and even most of what is used would have been given up on if it had to be paid. And then, if a small part of it would have been bought, it would have likely been bought on a deep sale, probably at a later time. So losses are a just a small fraction of that estimate, and those aren't net losses, because, if what is "pirated" is good enough, "piracy" becomes free advertising. I mean, when you advertise, you spend money to show off your product in the hopes that people will buy it, but you don't know that they will. If your product is "pirated", it's shown off. It may eventually be purchased, by the "pirate" or by others who learn of it in this manner, or it may not be, but at least the showing off doesn't cost you anything.
To be sure, all true.
To be honest, most of the so called piracy I have done in the past is with friends and family, and involved virtual drive method where necessary and cracked exe, especially as the speed of my connection until recently, has made it too problematical to even really consider doing downloads of pirated games. Even my own games, I gave the same treatment to, where necessary, because I cannot abide risking a disc or having it whirring in the drive, etc.
But you know, getting something for free aside, I have always felt it too draconian and controlling to not be able to legally share with family & friends. Sharing to me is a very important part of life, makes the world a better place, and should be promoted in every quarter.
And you know what, a good chunk of the games I have bought from GOG, I first played by copies from friends & family. I have also bought many games two times over, some even more. And you can say the same for Music and Movies. I used to also buy a lot of secondhand games and books, all a loss to the game or book author (etc) in direct terms, until maybe a later date.
I buy ebooks these days, so they make a profit from every one I buy. They still want to steal you blind though, and gain large selfish profits. Once upon a time there used to be a healthy relationship between seller and buyer, where both realized there was a benefit to being fair. Now many sellers think they are superior and how us buyers should think ourselves lucky. They have forgotten they are nothing without us, and they have manipulated things to make that superiority more true. Steam is the perfect example of that. We no longer have any control and rely totally on their judgment and benevolence.
Me, I prefer a world based on Freedom and Trust and Sharing And Caring.