Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT
Yes, I completely accept that what you say is true, but the issue is that you still have to take the conscious decision to do it.
The fundamental problem, as I've said before, is that stealing intellectual property (computer software, CDs, DVDs, etc) appears to have somehow become "socially acceptable", even "admired" perhaps, among at least a portion of the younger generation today. When I was a kid, me and all my friends used to go out and buy "45" RPM records virtually every week, and use a significant part of our "pocket money" to do so. Many kids today seem to think that they have some "God-given right" to download for free whatever music they wish, rather than paying for it. And that's despite the fact that stores such as iTunes make it very easy to buy music legally, and it prices which are far lower in real terms than we used to pay for our records back in the '70s.
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Well, let's examine piracy of computer games. Most games- whether Playstation or Nintendo, cost $35 and up. I don't give my kids $35 each for pocket money for a week, so when they buy games it is paid for by me. And I don't see the utility of many games <G>. Assuming most kids are similar, I can readily believe that there is a big incentive for pirating these games. That's why there is a big business in mod chips and the like.
And there is a very simple solution- these companies could cut prices on games. If they were more affordable they would sell more of them. Just like movies- if a DVD is $8 or $9, the incentive to pirate it is much less than if it costs $20 or $30. Just common sense. This is the digital world, and anything can be copied.
BTW, back in the 70s I used to pay 7 bucks or less for an LP. When cd's came out, that price jumped to 15 or 20, and prices are still high, given manufacturing and distro costs. If I buy a cd at a place like Meijer's, it's usually $14.99 or $15.99.