Posted December 20, 2008
I came across this very deep (long) and engrossing article on piracy which, to be honest, feels a lot like a breath of fresh air amidst a massive, unsurmountable heap of FUD.
[url=]http://www.tweakguides.com/Piracy_1.html[/url]
His explanation for DRM is that it stops people from pirating it within the first few weeks, driving people who would otherwise pirate it to buy it (citing Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory as an example, which went uncracked for over a year!). This sales method is also illuminating because it means that much of the reasons why games sell is pure marketing. If a game were sold on its own merits, it would make consistent sales, especially within a year or two when the userbase of people who can actually run the thing on their computers increases.
I find the economics of piracy part most interesting, because it relates to the gaming world as well. Apparently, just 4% of PC games on the market turn a profit, and 15% break even.
To be honest, IMHO, I couldn't care less about massive gaming companies like EA, but I can see how, realistically, independent gaming developers or smaller companies can be really hurt by piracy.
I just wanted to see what people thought. I find the prediction of future business models rather interesting as well - as gaming companies stop focusing on the PC and start specialising on what the PC does well (and without piracy), we'll be seeing more online-only games, casual games, episodic content or advertising supported free games. It doesn't have to be that bad anyway, as any Trackmania fan will tell you!
[url=]http://www.tweakguides.com/Piracy_1.html[/url]
His explanation for DRM is that it stops people from pirating it within the first few weeks, driving people who would otherwise pirate it to buy it (citing Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory as an example, which went uncracked for over a year!). This sales method is also illuminating because it means that much of the reasons why games sell is pure marketing. If a game were sold on its own merits, it would make consistent sales, especially within a year or two when the userbase of people who can actually run the thing on their computers increases.
I find the economics of piracy part most interesting, because it relates to the gaming world as well. Apparently, just 4% of PC games on the market turn a profit, and 15% break even.
To be honest, IMHO, I couldn't care less about massive gaming companies like EA, but I can see how, realistically, independent gaming developers or smaller companies can be really hurt by piracy.
I just wanted to see what people thought. I find the prediction of future business models rather interesting as well - as gaming companies stop focusing on the PC and start specialising on what the PC does well (and without piracy), we'll be seeing more online-only games, casual games, episodic content or advertising supported free games. It doesn't have to be that bad anyway, as any Trackmania fan will tell you!
Post edited December 20, 2008 by adricv
