how do u feel about piracy?

[Prince Vevit]

I don't make money, and I will only live this one sad pathetic life, so if I'm able to consume media I otherwise wouldn't be able to due to living in poverty, then I'm gonna consume that media.
Capitalism is a scourge on our existence as human beings and I'm so sick of the profit motif that has sunk its venomous fangs into nearly every aspect of creativity today.

Pay-walling certain content behind things like patreon is also just money based censorship, and I'm always one to say fuck you to censorship, (I'm talking artistic expression and integrity, not Japanese genital mosaics, that's fine) so another win for piracy there.

I do wish I had the ability to financially support creators of works that have put in genuine time and effort to create something I genuinely enjoy, since we are all stuck in a system we cant escape from, but alas, no money to give.

All in all, fuck yeah, piracy is great, denying money to big corporations is awesome, and if a product is genuinely good and beloved, the small creators will get paid and be able to feed their pets, just not by a money-less loser like me.

 

[p3ach1]

Profiting from piracy is immoral , as for the rest, I don’t care.

 

[Kazenaraka]

Piracy benefits the one with poor money, and to save money from poor marketing, one player can pirate a game and then earn a fan for the future, rather than one and done kind of buyer

 

[F4C430]

I usually play the pirated version first, and if I find it good, I will then purchase the legitimate copy to encourage the creators.

I agree with this but with the addition that it has to be priced "appropriately" and without shitty DRM. I put "appropriately" in quotes because of course it's subjective and everyone is going to have a different threshold.

 

[The Lewd Gamer]

For me this is a somewhat sensitive subject, since I am an indecisive and hypocritical motherfucker. I can't make my mind as to if I am ok with it or I straight up don't like it. Since I have pirated games and music all of my youth, because I never had any money to buy those products. Yet when I started earning money I stopped downloading for free and just pay for the games I want to play, yet (and here's the weird part) I just don't consume games I can't afford or think as too expensive. Why? you may ask... I actually don't know.
Why was piracy ok for me when I had no money, but as soon as I earned some money, I decided not to illegally play games that I couldn't afford. Isn't it the same with those particularly expensive games? Idk, that's why I see myself as indecisive in this matter.

Now... why hypocritical? Because I wouldn't like for a game I made with a specific price, to be reduced to $0 for some players. Yet I wouldn't make a game that was not for free, since for me it is a hobby. But being empathic with those that put their soul and sweat into it (not that I don't) and want to rightfully charge for it, and get no revenue for certain players (like me) just because the player can't afford/believes it's expensive/doesn't think the game's worth that much.

 

[40C72]

Piracy never has and never will be immoral--it is not theft.

This holds even stronger these days where 50% of software is subscription-based bullshit and overpriced and 90% of games, whether they're AAA, AA, or indie, are either mediocre or plain shovelware (and often overpriced too)
If something is a genuinely good product I'll buy it. For example, there are plenty of great singleplayer games that I'd buy a second time if I had to; you often know what you're getting with multiplayer-focused games, too. I paid for IDA (before Ghidra) and donate to free software that I use daily and appreciate

Simply put, if you have no doubts about the quality or usefulness of a product and can afford it (or if any sort of networking on legitimate servers is required), buy it to say thanks. If you have any doubts, pirate it. Nobody cares. Selling pirated work, on the other hand, is completely immoral and goes against what piracy is for

 

[Lewd Asshole]

Sometimes I even pirate free stuff.