Can Piracy be Alright “Sometimes”?

I’m sure that most of us have heard the old adage, “It’s okay to lie, sometimes“, but how well does that same mentality carry over to piracy? Is it okay to pirate sometimes? Personally, I’m not quite sure the “sometimes” idea works, because if it’s wrong to do something, can it ever be right? It seems a bit unlikely, but it could depend on the situation… one I’m not sure piracy ever fits into.

For as long as there have been virtual goods worth stealing, there’s been piracy. Twenty years ago, piracy wasn’t quite as common as it is today, and the reasons shouldn’t have to be explained to anyone. Piracy today is so accessible, that many people end up downloading copyrighted goods for free and don’t even realize they are breaking laws.

I think it’s safe to say that the general consensus is that piracy isn’t good for the industry, but what if it was? In some strange regards, of course. One indie game developer, Jeff Vogel, wrote a similar thought on his blog, and stated that for his games, piracy has actually helped him, because exposure for the most part is good.

He goes on to mention that he understands that the recession is a real thing, and people are poor. That’s true. There are far more people who can hardly afford a game than those who can. Unemployment is high, and let’s face it, many, many people who actually have jobs aren’t making enough to get ahead, and certainly not enough to splurge on “luxuries” such as a new game.

Is there a double-standard here? What Jeff is essentially saying is, sometimes it’s okay to steal games, and sometime’s it’s not. Fair enough, I can’t argue with that. If you are legitimately unable to pay for his game, then he’s not going to hate you for downloading it anywhere. But if you actually can afford it, then you’re a “jerk”, as he says, and to an extent I’d agree, since it seems like a less-reputable thing to do.

What are your thoughts on this?

If you like PC games but you usually pirate them, I want you to start actually paying for one game a year. Just one. Please. You should do it because you need to do it to help something you like to continue to exist. Sure, you might find that doing the virtuous thing feels surprisingly good. But, in the end, you should do it for the reason anyone ever really does anything: Because it is in your best interests to do so.