Did Piracy Help Increase Sales Of Under The Ocean?

Written by: QuintLyn Bowers (@QuintLyn) | April 9, 2012 1:30 pm

28 Comments

When it comes to video game piracy, everyone has an opinion.

And the conversation is generally circular. Pirates will say that they pirate because companies charge too much, or they’re fighting against DRM. Mainstream game companies say that they’re adding DRM to stop the pirates.

That hasn’t gone so well.

General consumers are just asking why they’re being punished for wanting to buy and play a game?

But then there’s the indie devs who, while they would rather not have their work stolen, will argue that piracy doesn’t hurt them that much and in some cases even helps them.

One developer, Paul Greasley took an interesting tactic of dealing with the whole piracy issue by adding a third option of downloading his new game Under the Ocean from the PirateBay and calling it “The Annoying Cockroach Edition”.

After being berated by a fellow developer for “promoting piracy” and hurting the industry, Greasley responded on his blog — WARNING: explicit language therein — that the most money he’s made on a game is due to Reddit taking notice of the Cockroach Edition.

He also said that his stance on the subject is that if you can’t afford his games, he doesn’t care if you pirate them.

Did Piracy Help Increase Sales Of Under The Ocean?

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Sharuko

I never pirate, but things like day 1 DLC and when companies go out of their way to milk as much money from you as possible, push me towards it.

Eventually all big name devs will have always online DRM. EA and Ubisoft is starting with it, Blizzard does it. And everyone will follow that trend.
- http://quintlyn.com/ QuintLyn Bowers
  
  Yeah.. Like I said. My interest in indie games just because they’re creative and artistic drew me in, but with them being there, DRM free, reasonably priced, etc. All the things that mainstream companies are doing are cementing me sticking with indie games for most things.
  
  It actually makes me sad because I have played some amazing games from mainstream companies. And I still love them, but I hate some of the tactics the companies are using.
- http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=518607879 Christopher Mitchell
  
  Things can change and this stuff doesn’t have to be in our future if gamers take the appropriate actions to get our voices heard. Pirating games doesn’t really accomplish anything if you are angry at a company but actually BOYCOTTING the game can do something. Pirating is not a form of boycott…
  
  For instance, I’m not going to buy a single EA game until they start doing things differently and even if they do I might STILL ignore them form now on anyways. I am also not going to pirate a single one of their games. That company is dead to me along with anything they make and thats the only kind of statement that will say anything to them. Saying “Oh I don’t like what EA is doing but I am going to play their games anyways but not pay for it” is not going to send any kind of good message.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Joao-Vicente/100000881627920 João Vicente

This is a interesting topic to me.

For me I played games like terraria and minecraft and well I didn’t pay
for it. And the reason is I simply cannot afford it. I know they are
cheap, but I can’t. Even if it was 1buck I could not.

Still, for this type of games, when I can I will buy/donate (in case of gemcraft flash games that I love),
not because I have to, but because I want to show support and tell them
I like the game. And because I feel like they deserved it.

As for big games, I actually don’t play really play them anymore. When I
used to, yeah I pirated some of them. Again because I have no money to
buy them with, but that I didn’t care as much because its big company’s.
http://www.facebook.com/Deemo91 Matthew O’Neill

Games i pirate are typically too expensive for what they are asking, ORR they are indie games that i am unsure of. I pirated Audiosurf and played it for a while before deciding to buy it on steam. I typically only use it for extended demo’s or really old games that i bought but no longer have the disks for, like age of empires and stuff
http://twitter.com/Mcnugglet Howard

Ridiculously stupid DRM like mike said, and if I didn’t have the money but really wanted it. Also if someone pirates an indie game, then they’re extremely lazy. Most indies average around 5-10$, get out and get some money.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Joao-Vicente/100000881627920 João Vicente

This is a interesting topic to me.

For me I played games like terraria and minecraft and I didn’t pay for
it. And the reason is that I simply cannot afford it. I know they are
cheap, but I can’t. Even if it was 1 buck I could not.

Still, for this type of games, when I can I will buy them or donate (in
case of gemcraft flash games that I love), not because I have to, but
because I want to show support and tell them I like the game. And
because I feel like they deserved it.

As for big games, I actually don’t play really play them anymore. When I
used to, yeah I pirated some of them. Again because I have no money to
buy them with, but that I didn’t care as much because its big company’s.
And because some of them F the consumers right in the a**. I’m looking
at you capcom.

But Its the same thing for music. While I don’t download music usually,
except for anime music and game covers and a few more (because I just
don’t listen to bands anymore (no idea why though)), I downloaded 5 NPH
musics from youtube. Legendary theme, WK, SN, starchild and OQ3.14. They
are 1 buck, but at the moment I can’t buy them. But when I can, and I
hope its soon, I will. Because I love NPH and want to support it. Not
because I have to. I could download the rest, But i want mike and josh
to know there’s 1 more fan. And because they deserve it for the amazing
job they do.

And while I know pirate games/music/movies etc its not ok, I don’t think
its not such as big deal as some company’s make it seam. Maybe if they
weren’t such douchbags for the consumers, maybe more people would buy
the games.

Here’s my question to you mike.

While you deserve the money for your music, what do you think its
better, to let more people listen to and appreciate it, even if they’re
just downloading it, or have less people know and enjoy them if they
simply can’t afford it?

In a ideal world I would guess you would want for everyone to enjoy and
buy them, but this is not a ideal world. But since you put the musics on
youtube for everyone to listen to them for free, I will assume (maybe
wrongly) that you prefer the second choice.

So long story shot… I pirate a few games. Not because i’m a douche and
don’t appreciate the effort put into those games, but simply because
its the only way I can experience them.

PS: Pirate games to trial them out is also a good thing in my opinion.
- iamthemikeb
  
  —————————————————–
  While you deserve the money for your music, what do you think its better, to let more people listen to and appreciate it, even if they’re just downloading it, or have less people know and enjoy them if they simply can’t afford it?
  In a ideal world I would guess you would want for everyone to enjoy and buy them, but this is not a ideal world. But since you put the musics onyoutube for everyone to listen to them for free, I will assume (maybe wrongly) that you prefer the second choice.
  —————————————————-
  
  In a perfect world, we would give the music away for free. Unfortunately, the world is slightly less than perfect, so we put it online, in full, to be listened to for free.. then we sell it for 99 cents per track. Making the music actually costs us money, from software to mastering to the actual time that we use to make it. Since the music is available online for free, the money people throw at us is a token of thanks.
  - http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=518607879 Christopher Mitchell
    
    It also helps that these days posting free stuff on the internet gets hits on a site and hits on a site = ad revenue so a lot of people can post stuff for free and still get some money to pay for costs. I guess we pay with our eyes then since the old economy saying “there’s no such thing as a free lunch” lol.
RJTravis

I really never understood why people pirate games, I find it just like walking into someones house & taking the tv out…..

I would really like to see pirating a game get you put into jail every time.

I can understand a hungry person stealing a apple to survive but to steal a game just to have fun should land you in the gas chamber your a burden to the rest of the world.

I support Anti pirate.

Most people that will pirate a game will also hack it online to ruin other peoples fun.

If you don’t have the money get a job if you have a job get a better one if it can’t support your gaming.
- http://www.facebook.com/people/Стефан-Костов/100000669456799 Стефан Костов
  
  Where i live 90% of the people pirate games because they cant afford to buy them. The average salary is around $200 a month, so buying a game is actually really expensive. You’ve got to ask yourself “hmm do i want to have food this month and pirate the game, or should i just eat out of the trash and buy it”. I can see that pirating may look stupid to someone living in a country where people make more than a thousand dollars a month, but not everyone has the luck of being born in a rich country.
  - Roblerw
    
    I know Is really easy to forget about the less fortunate people and just write them off as lazy or leaches and thieves. However, the fact of the matter is that the price of not just entertainment but Life is not the same outside of US.
    
    Remember, the internet is World Wide and this isn’t a Perfect World.
  - http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=518607879 Christopher Mitchell
    
    Assumptions are lovely things to throw around on the internetz. I don’t have to make over a thousand dollars a month to be against pirating. I understand that pirating is never going to go away and it doesn’t necessarily injure large companies, but that doesn’t mean I have to think its ok or accept the excuses of people who just want to get their entertainment for free.
    
    Allow me to explain my situation, I make almost $600 a month, my rent is $400 a month (in a 2 bedroom apartment I share with 3 other people…). That leaves me with <$200 for food, gas, and all my other bills I can't even list here. Main part of the story here is: I don't pirate music, movies, or games. If I can't afford something I do without, that is kinda how a moral world works. This is also why I am a VERY well informed consumer because my money is precious and I will not spend it on just anything so I make educated choices on what I buy for entertainment.
    
    P.S. If you want free entertainment I hear playing outside is free…
    - http://www.facebook.com/people/Zach-Bernel/601828116 Zach Bernel
      
      Except that software is not a scarce product, scarcity is forced by copyright and drm. If something truly is below the threshold for you to ever buy it (not worth your opportunity cost) they are never going to get your money. So pirating is a gain for your personal wealth while costing the creators absolutely nothing. A truly moral world would allow a gain that causes no harm.
      
      I am assuming two major things though. 1) Games you want will continue to be produced and be of = or > value than former releases. 2) Piracy is an afterthought and not a consideration when determining opportunity cost (game vs food, ok; game v night out, well I can just pirate the game and have both, not ok)
- VT100
  
  > I find it just like walking into someones house & taking the tv out…..
  
  So you think that when someone makes a copy of a game, it disappears from the original owner’s computer? You really need to learn a few things about how digital copying works.
  
  At most, pirated copies are “lost sales”, and even that is only true in a small faction of cases. Most people who play pirated games would never have been buyers in the first place (because they’re kids / teens, with no source of income, living countries where the average salary is sometimes less than the price of an American or European game).
  
  And, in my experience, most online cheaters are spoiled brats who have never had to worry about money, and feel entitled to having an advantage over other people, because they’re used to it in the real world.
  
  People who profit from the work of others (i.e., people who sell pirated copies, sometimes pretending they’re originals) should obviously be prosecuted. But if someone can’t afford to pay for my game, I couldn’t care less if he makes an unlicensed copy or not. In fact, I hope he does, because it adds exposure to my game, which will increase future sales.
  
  Even Microsoft understand this; they’d much rather see 50% of the people on the planet using unlicensed copies of Windows than see any of them switch to Linux.
- Jeremy Whallon
  
  I can only hope and pray you’re locked away so the rest of us can breathe a little easier.
  - RJTravis
    
    your a foolish person to think its ok to steal anything in this world that you don’t need you want to steal? they should cute off your hand then if you get busted.
- http://quintlyn.com/ QuintLyn Bowers
  
  Oh man… No. I’d never want pirating a game to land someone in jail every time. If for no other reason than the logistics. So someone pirates a $10-$60 game. He’s arrested and put into jail.. For what? 5 years is supposed to be the desired amount of time. Per game.
  
  So now WE.. The tax payers are paying for his room, board, healthcare, television, gym, whatever else people get in jail…. for five years. Seriously… I’d rather eat the cost of the game and give the devs the money myself.
  
  And that’s actually what’s happening. Every time there’s an indie bundle out there, the average person pays a reasonable amount. And then other people put in enough money to have bought HUNDREDS of copies just for themselves. So you can almost see it as those of us that pay over the minimum or the average amount for a bundle are just going ahead and paying for those kids who are pirating.
  
  That said, as other people have pointed out. There are other reasons for pirating than just because you don’t want to pay. Several indie game developers have recognized this and have spoken about it.
  
  One of the biggest reasons being that people in some countries can’t afford to pay because they do live in pretty poor countries… Or, the way in which developers are asking us to pay are not available in their countries.
  
  Others are that they may be kids who do not have access to a credit card. And while it’s not good for kids to steal and should be discouraged, there are developers that are just happy someone wants to play their games.
  
  And as far as the gas chamber comment… A little full of drama there, don’t you think?
H The Man

Another really nice system I’m seen some companies use is the “pay what
you feel it’s worth” method. So if you can get the game off the official
(and clean) site for free if you want, or you can send them $5 or $10
bucks for it. It’s up to the user to decide what the game and supporting
the developers directly is worth.

As for your question; there are a few things which … encourage… me to pirate.

First is borked DRM. If the systems you add to your product to make it
more difficult to pirate actually just make it harder for a legitimate
customer to use the product, then I’ll be more likely to download.

The second is when a company treats their paying customers like crap and
are just trying to squeeze as much cash out of them before they change
products. Things like charging for launch day DLC or patches to fix your broken-ass game.

And the third is just plain spite. If a company acts like an ass to
their fan base, or goes back on their word, then I’m much more likely to
look at the $60 price tag on their latest product and go ‘eff them,
I’ll just download.’

Then there’s something I’ll occasionally do which is technically
pirating but I don’t see it as such. Downloading things I’ve already
bought. Way back when I downloaded games/no-cd-cracks because I hated
keeping the CD/DVD in the drive all the time. And I’ve downloaded
movies/music because it was faster than ripping/encoding them from my copy for
use on my portable player.
MarcAndersson

Game´s I realy would want to have pirated now that I know what kind of shity DRM they had me deal with. GTA IV, Dawn of War II (Steam account + Windows live + “Their own custom crap-account”).

I always buy the games these days but sometimes I wish I hadnt. DRM is the reason I would go pirate a game if it means I need 3 diffrent accounts + Im being tracked and then the game is still not working well.
Deathstar2x

These always-online-DRMs is like unskippable trailers for movies—

It punishes those that purchase the item while the pirates get the better deal.

I know people who play single player games due to having only wireless/laptop and this is truly a game-breaker for them. I can see why they would pirate the DRM stripped version.
http://twitter.com/TheOpapanax Most Morbid One

I haven’t pirated a game in many years. I guess I don’t feel the need to because I’ve grown a bit more to the paying people for their product and being able to. Different from when I was a kid and trying to get my hands on every game. That’s when DL pirated stuff was cool for me..

F2P has kind of squashed that out as well. I don’t think I’d pirate a game today, I can pretty much say I wouldn’t. If I thought they were trying to charge too much for it or that it wasn’t worth the money spent. I just wouldn’t play it.

I can see how some people may not be able to afford all the games they want. I don’t know anyone how pirates myself right now. Music is so easy to get a hand on now, you can pretty much hear or see anything you want on the fly.

I do stream movies maybe once in a while and that’s a form of pirating too. /shrug.. idk,
http://twitter.com/HallusH HallusH

“i’ve no idea” #iseewhatyoudidtheremike

i remember that i’d to pirate few games to make them to work after i went and bought the actuall box. like way back when they made you have a cd of the game in the drive.

but since steam / origin solves in some way the drm / used games. i find that some what ok.
but yet still steam goes offline. can’t play any of the online games.

on the other note an none US customer. game publishers that dont make the game available everywhere in the same time. already puts a bulls target on that game.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Ronny-Sunrock/100002737688676 Ronny Sunrock

TBH Best way to fight “pirates” are the same methods they used in the 1600. By killing them.

Just put togather a professional assasin team and that goes around the world killing the major big pirates and then display there cut off heads in the town square.
Krzysztof Kotarba

… origin
Crilor

What makes me pirate games? Money, to be exact the lack of it. I live in a poor country in western europe. Minimum wage (just so you have an idea of wages in general here) is 475€/month. AAA games usually sell for 50/60€. That is more than 10% of minimum wage here. Being a student without proper means of income means that i must save for a long time if i really want to purchase a game. I understand why games cost so much (EU’s open borders) but if i want it and i can’t afford it i have to pirate it.
- Crypticm
  
  this except for the poor country part and Europe pricing.. And I usually pirate games to try them out , game demos by the company are not very good at helping you find out if you like it or not.
  And if i like a game when i have enough money i do go out and buy it.
  On a tight budget i cant just go and buy a game i like becuase of the brand/ how it looks so i might download it play it for 2-3 hours. If i like it then i’ll go buy it , if i feel its bad or not worth the money i don’t buy it and uninstall it.
  Plus i don’t think pirating as stealing it not as if Im hacking into the company and taking the game by force. No all im doing is downloading it from someone who bought it and then took off the drm , so I am pretty much just borrowing it.
Andres Blanco

Besides the obvious DRM, that we all hate, if Origin was the only way for me to get digital games (thx you Steam) the fact that even if I live in central America, and while there has been a 2 year long thread on EA´s forums about my, and many others, countrie(s) being charged in euros while it should be US dollars… that is a total lack of respect for you customers, I even tried the cx care once… big mistake.

Did Piracy Help Increase Sales Of Under The Ocean?

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