Why do People Pirate Games?

That you sell games between 40 € and 60 € for a simple copy is a robbery.

Personally I do it if the game is pushing $60us and has no demo or refund policy. As for the denuvo situation, of course it's protest and i'd do the same if i liked the game.

Why, in my day, we had game demos to download to see if we wanted to hitch up the horse and buggy to buy a physical copy of the game, and sometimes, even magazines would make it easier with our ancient slow download technologies and let us try a whole bunch of demos on one disk!

Ya dang whippasnappas probably thinkin' "Early Access" be what I sayin', but I carntootin' ain't! Ye'd just git one mission or story, maybe even they nice enough to tease ya with some speedrunnin' by lettin' ya confangle with the 'hole game but it'd stop workin' and shut down after sum tyme.

Because, i can do that! Lot of new games are full trash, better check game before buy.

Sick of ridiculous always-on limited activations loot cratin' drm I'd bet.

If people are going to buy the game, they'll buy the game. Whether that's a pre-order, launch day or deep sale 3 years later they'll buy it.
Or they won't buy it.
Or they'll pirate it.
Person number two there isn't helping your sales at all, probably even hurting it.
"Why aren't you getting x game?" "Because it looks lame" "oh.. what else should we play?" Just one possible scenario.

Person three who pirated your game is a potential buyer still.
Does your game have a multiplayer campaign? Have to buy it.
Are there frequent updates/free (or paid..) dlcs? Probably have to buy it.
Is your game GOOD? Might just buy it.

1. Because games is expensive. Even 5 years ago. You paying for game money, that you can spend for food or clothing. Especially if that AAA games. Also, some people live in poor conditions and can't afford buy it. Especially in Russia. i know what i'm say - 10 years ago i was pirate too. If government makes economic is good and people can afford buy games - they will buy it.
2. Just for "looking at game". I can't know game if i'm just looking trailer or even look other walkthroughs. I need check convinient in this game, it's mechanics, physics (myself, not video and etc). Anyway, almost all games haven't demo versions, so only exit - is pirate version. I use this method so long and if i like game - i'll buy it in steam later on sales. If no - i'm just delete it.
3. Denuvo. Some people use principle: if denuvo - i don't buy it, cause i wann't pay developers of Denuvo. Maybe it's just because freezes and lags, maybe anything other.
4. Many DLC's. Some people makes mad when see how many DLC's to the game. In their (and my too) opinion game should be one-piece, include all addonsm if they exists. This modern fashion annoying me - if i buy game without dlc, i understand - this not full game, just apple's stub (like trademark apple). If you need whole apple, you should pay more. Sometimes this price is impressive. So, this is 4th reason. I bought in presale resident evil 7, but they even didn't give me soundtrack, i bought full version with all dlc (it's even don't released yet). But what is resident evil 7 without dlc's - just story without classic mercanaries modes and etc.

why people drive too fast ?
why ppl abuse others ?
insert sth here

Ever played Sims series? Sims 4 for example: Main game and all expansions 40€ each, DLCs 20€ each, item packs 10€ each. All in all, if you are ready to spend more than 300€ on one game, be my guest. I don't play Sims 4 that much to enjoy it fully with 300€. However, I used to play Europa Universalis IV and spent over 300€ on its expansions and dlcs. So there is your answer, simply not that into the game to pay so much just to fully enjoy it.

And piracy is not stealing, it's more like borrowing stuff. You could borrow first versions of Sims from your friend and play them on your own computer, but nowadays all developers are greedy so they use Internet connection on their game and make you buy tons of add-ons just to make the game full.

Anyway, if I really like something I buy it, as you can see from my Steam account. And if I don't, well, I don't regret buying it. ^_^

Debt. Consider the choices for most adults in 2017.

1. Pay for game, pay less toward debt. Play game, pay more interest.
2. Don't pay for game, don't pirate game, pay more toward debt. Pay less interest, but no game.
3. Pirate game, pay debt. Pay less interest and get game too.

When you're going to have to pay interest on whatever you don't pay toward debt, it becomes financially irresponsible not to pirate games.

That said, I generally do the financially irresponsible thing and just buy them on sale. On credit. Because I'm in poor health and will always be in debt, because I'm American, and that's what being in poor health means.

I mean, let's face it though, a company like Denuvo says stuff like they did, and most of now just make this face

--.--

and say "...whelp...."

when they get cracked repeatedly. Unless someone can manage to do something like WPA2-PSK does (yes, I know about KRACK), where there is a pre-shared key, there will never been an uncrackable game.

Because marketing can be very misleading, 2h refund period on steam is laughable. Sometimes it takes a lot more to realise game is not worth the money.

Because of overzealous drm games often run much smoother when cracked...

I got to a point where my backlog is so big, i don't need to buy new games when they come out. But in past got burned bad, mostly with preorders that cannot be returned.

Now I can wait for the point where seemingly interesting game is cheap enough it wont bother me much. Even when it turns out to be not fun for me.

I miss the time where licence was tied to physical copy and you could simply return/resell it.

Living in a country where 60USD or euros or whatever is a lot (I still dont understand how prices became so freakin high, in my mind 30 should be a "normal" full price) it is prolly because of money. That being said, ofc not all games cost that much, you can wait for discounts and buy them cheaper (hopefully avoiding shaddy reselling sites and supporting the developers).
Being a student, if I do pirate something, ofc I try and buy it if I like it in any way - which is another reason, seeing if you actually like the game.

There are people who feel like all developers are greedy assholes so they do it out of a sense of defiance...
I'm all for piracy to try stuff out and pay for it later to support good games, or developers you like. it is bad when people who actually do have the cash to spend on games, choose not to - because why should they? That's a mentality problem.

Ultimately pirating isnt good if you only pirate, it can be good to check stuff out and reward good games once you actually play them. No, pirating isnt the same as stealing, as in you arent actually taking something from someone with it being a digital copy and all - you are getting it without paying (it`s a subtle difference which I may be doing an insufficient job of explaining).

If I was a developer, I'd be ok with some kid/someone with insufficient cash pirating my game if it improved their life a little - I'd hope that they'd buy it when they could. As I said, in the end it all comes to what mentality you have.

I used to do that when I had a lot of time but I didn't have cash (as a student). Now I'm paying back by buying stuff I'll never have the time to play! :P

I think it's because they can and there is (almost) no risk of being caught and accused. And as for music and movies, this is only digital copy and no one loses anything (I know, that it's no truth, but most people who pirate games thinks this way)

It's easy. If you have to go into Walmart and steal it, you bet that % would be very low basically what it is now for shoplifiting. Clicking a link online and it's anonymous? Also the "crime" is basically going unpunished so... yea that's why

Generally, when it comes to piracy, it's a question of pricing. People either think it's too expensive or (probably the most common issue) people can't afford it.

As people get older and thus get more spending power due to higher income, you will see piracy going down.

-To get the game for free
-To try the game before buying it (check how is it like, how well it works, optimization...)
-To avoid shitty DRM platforms like Uplay

For all the reasons that people usually do something that's mildly illegal or mildly immoral: because it has some benefit to them, and because they can find justifications to do it or just don't think about it as problematic.

Usual excuses (for all these behaviours) are:

• Other people do it.
• It doesn't really hurt anyone.
• These people deserve it.
• Punishment is unlikely.

But really, in a lot of cases people don't even think it's an issue. The actual excusing and thinking about it comes only if the issue is raised. It's like eating meat: if you're used to it, you don't think about it. It's only when you're confronted by someone saying it's a bad thing that you start thinking more actively about why it's perfectly okay to continue.

"Why do I have to pay if Internet can give it to me for free"
the answer that most of my friends will saiy
it makes me feel alienated because I might be the only one among my friend who buy games

A few reasons:

• Testing out the game: Is it good/Bugs/It runs/Worth the money...
• To experience the full content without having to pay ridiculous console prices (expansions pass for cut content, DLC, Pre-order DLC).
• When I don't have the funds yet to make the purchase.
• To cirumvent DRM, which I think the only thing it does is annoy owners.
• The rare cases of the game running better.

Plenty of times I will still play the pirated version even when I own the games, no DRM and no silly pre-order content being locked away. I will always end up buying the games I played anyway... sometimes they just ask too much for what it is worth to me or I disagree with their content policy (lootboxes and other nonsense) and don't feel like paying them the full amount. There are games/pubs/devs I boycott and would never get the games if they weren't bundled or if I got them gifted.

I sometimes get a comment because I played a pirated game... its usually enough to tell them I own plenty of games on different platforms so I'm not the 'freeloading scum' they think I am. I would even go further and say: that most people who pirate games buy what they enjoy or when they can... so I don't believe that usual stereotype they put on those people is correct at all. I'm a member of a so called piracy forum and everyone on there has thousands of games bought. We love our hobby, we invest a lot into it.

I used to pirate a lot but since i got steam there is no reason for it.. Untill i wanted to play Mass Effect. Bought 1-2 and then i ended up pirating all the games since the DLC fiasco. Screw you EA!

Some people cant buy gamed online (for example kids/teenagers), some dont have money, some others deno the game to se if it's worth and if it runs on their pc. Lot of things make people pirate games.
I was a pirate years ago when i had no way of purchasing games in my country (Argentina) but nowadays i prefer buying them, i give the games more time and respect than with pirate games.

I only pirated a game a few times. It was for games I wasn't sure about if I'd like them and there were no demo's.
Some games I didn't enjoy, so removed them, others I did enjoy and went on and bought the game.
But since the refund option on Steam, I don't need to pirate games anymore to test them out, as I can just get a refund if I don't like a game.

Why do people game pirates?