DS Daily: On preventing piracy

[wraggster]

Piracy, me hearties, has become a prominent issue for the DS, and one that is probably here to stay -- indeed, illegally downloading games to play on a flashcart has become almost socially acceptable in some places. And here's the biggest problem: it's not very hard at all to indulge in the practice. (Perfectly legal) flashcarts are available widely and cheaply, and ROM sites are a single Google search away.

In other words, finding solutions is difficult, to say the least. Chrono Trigger demonstrated that built-in piracy checks don't exactly last long, though Level 5 might have hit upon a semi-solution with Ni no Kuni: The Another World: deny the pirates the awesome spellbook that is required to play. Put yourselves in the shoes of a videogame publisher on the verge of releasing a major title: what anti-piracy measures would you take to try and protect your game?

http://www.dsfanboy.com/2008/12/11/ds-daily-on-preventing-piracy/

[gutbub]

Digital Distribution only. I would release my game through Steam, and maybe D2D, and nowhere in retail. I realize not everyone has high speed internet so some people would have to wait a while to download, but that's why the game would preload. Most Valve games online use VAC to make sure you're using an authentic version of the game for multiplayer.

Digital Distribution would probably lead to more identity theft, but if I make games, where people get their money from isn't really my concern.

It would take a while, but I'm sure it would start a trend, and eventually the majority of games would be released through DD only.

[robman84]

I would also suggest legitimate digital distribution coupled with a realistic price differential to the packaged retail version. Apple's app store had led the way with a dead easy way to buy apps for mobile devices from multiple vendors. It is so simple that most of my recent spending has been on digital delivery content through app store and the wii store thing. I'm also lining up some xbox live points from Santa. Whilst I will always want some software in retail boxes (Ico and SOTC for example) I am seriously running out of space!

[spinal_cord]

A lot of people would say, don't bother doing anything.
Pirates don't buy games, preventing them from pirating will not make them buy the games. In the same way, people who buy games don't pirate.
The piracy numbers for the most part would have no effect on on profits, as if they couldn't pirate games, they would simply go without.

[kojiro7]

Games should be cheap to prevent piracy but that will never happen because there are rich and stupid people out there who buy expensive games and are happy.So we choose piracy.I will never give 60euro to buy a new game no matter how good it is,and besides most games have only a good presentation to show,gameplay is of low quality,not like the old times.We want cheap and good games not stupid movie wannabees games

[TheJoe]

As I'm against copyright, I don't make anything under copyright. It's always CreativeCommons/GPL so I won't be doing anything to protect my metaphorical games from piracy.

[rigor]

"Put yourselves in the shoes of a videogame publisher on the verge of releasing a major title: what anti-piracy measures would you take to try and protect your game?"

I am not in the shoes of a videogame publisher, nor it is my job. That's not my problem. It is their own faults if they can't succeed to make good anti piracy systems.

[rancor01]

>>A lot of people would say, don't bother doing anything.
Pirates don't buy games, preventing them from pirating will not make them buy the games. In the same way, people who buy games don't pirate.

Best answer. I have to admit I am a hardcore pirate. The only reason I have a DS is because I knew it was the easiest system to copy games for. I have a white DS lite, and a Cyclo DS. I have never bought a game, yet I've played thousands. If it werent so easy, I would just find something different to do. Gaming isnt that important to me, and honestly if all gaming companies went out of business and ceased making games, I really would care as theres such a back catalogue of games I havent played it would take a lifetime to get through them all.

bottom line - I pirate, I never buy games, if I were forced to buy new games I would merely find a new hobby.

actually I take that back. I do buy used Gamecube games on Amazon.

[jesus 666]

Pirates don't buy games, preventing them from pirating will not make them buy the games. In the same way, people who buy games don't pirate.
The piracy numbers for the most part would have no effect on on profits, as if they couldn't pirate games, they would simply go without.
I'm sorry but what you've said here is completely and utterly ridiculous.

pirates don't buy games because they don't have to, if they wanted a game and couldn't get it free you think they would go entirely without?!?!

The kind of people you're talking about, those who care so little about the games that they could completely go without them only make up a fraction of people who pirate.

[spinal_cord]

pirates don't buy games because they don't have to, if they wanted a game and couldn't get it free you think they would go entirely without?!?!


Actually, I know people who stay clear of consoles that are hard to hack, for the very reason that they can't get free games for them. They do indeed go without.

What the media publishing companies need to realise, is that no matter how hard they try, people are going to copy their games and all the anti-piracy measures they take, only make it harder for paying customers to play their games. Think of all the PC games you have bought, then had to download a patch for it to get past their stupid anti-piracy crap just so you can play the damn game you paid so much money for.

[TKhaos]

pirates don't buy games because they don't have to, if they wanted a game and couldn't get it free you think they would go entirely without?!?!

You assume all pirates have enough money to purchase games. Not everybody who is a pirate has alot of money. If pirating magically became impossible, I would no longer be able to play lots of games I cannot afford because of school or having to eat. I pirate because its the only way I can enjoy some games. But hey, I may be a minority because I had an extra $30 laying around and decided to buy an R4 to play many games instead of one new one that may have been not worth the buy. Would I stop pirating if I had the money? Maybe, when games cease to be shovelware or overhyped cinematics with some gameplay thrown in and start to have actual depth to them. Until that time though, its either pirating or no games at all, unless you count freeware games.

[jesus 666]

You assume all pirates have enough money to purchase games. Not everybody who is a pirate has alot of money. If pirating magically became impossible, I would no longer be able to play lots of games I cannot afford because of school or having to eat. I pirate because its the only way I can enjoy some games. But hey, I may be a minority because I had an extra $30 laying around and decided to buy an R4 to play many games instead of one new one that may have been not worth the buy. Would I stop pirating if I had the money? Maybe, when games cease to be shovelware or overhyped cinematics with some gameplay thrown in and start to have actual depth to them. Until that time though, its either pirating or no games at all, unless you count freeware games.I assume nothing, I already mentioned the people you're talking about, the point of this discussion was that Spinal said that pirates don't buy games, and if you stopped piracy they still wouldn't buy games so the company is not losing any money, which is ridiculous.

for every one person who's only interested in free games there'll be 4 who originally bought games until they realised they didn't have to.

Saying piracy doesn't cost companies substatial amounts of money is ridiculous.

[mattsaysfooey]

I have about 3 real games for the 360 but 40 games altogether. 4 Real games for the ps2 but about 38 games
altogther. No real games for the DS but about 50 altogether. The only thing that makes me buy a game is secure online + good online multiplayer. But all around spinal cord is pretty much right very rare I buy a game I just go without if i can't load it. Speaking in numbers alone I would say spinal is correct at least for me.

[Smurph]

Games are expensive when you have no job, but I'm going to try my damndest to buy legitimate copies of games (I like to collect), even after my DSTT arrives in the mail.

Usually the only times I'll pirate are when the game isn't available new anymore, and purchasing a used copy is prohibitively expensive ($150+).

[jesus 666]

I have about 3 real games for the 360 but 40 games altogether. 4 Real games for the ps2 but about 38 games
altogther. No real games for the DS but about 50 altogether. The only thing that makes me buy a game is secure online + good online multiplayer. But all around spinal cord is pretty much right very rare I buy a game I just go without if i can't load it. Speaking in numbers alone I would say spinal is correct at least for me.

OK, if we're giving examples I'll give one.

last year my sister bought an R4 after someone had showed her it at work, I then bought it afterwards and showed it to my friends, snap back to the present time I now have six friends all of whom originally bought DS games who now have R4's and it's never occured to them to ever buy another game since.

I think something one of my friends said whilst taking the piss out of me for buying a real copy of Elite Beat Agents is quite enlightening, he said in shock "why the hell are you buying something you can get for free?!?!!?"

One of my other friends however specifically bought his DS due to the R4 so he wouldn't be counted as losing Nintendo any money (in fact he bought the DS proper so they made more out of him then they would have anyway)