unknown@ucscb.ucsc.edu (The Unknown User) (09/19/90)
From ucdavis!csus.edu!decwrl!sdd.hp.com!caen!uwm.edu!ux1.cso.uiuc.edu!uxa.cso.uiuc.edu!jb10320 Mon Sep 17 23:50:24 PDT 1990 > But I have a question for ya all. The pirate mentality is, I think, an >adolescent mentality. The young are easily motivated and impressionable. >Therefore, shouldn't it be possible to do SOMETHING to change these kids' >attitutes towards what most consider a crime? > Part of the problem is that most kids don't have the money to spend on $50 >video games (although new Nintendo carts can cost that much). The high cost >of software drives the kids to pirate. And of course the software industry >blames the pirates for the high cost of software. Somewhere, this circle >has to be broken. > And Taito is starting to do this. If anyone from Taito is reading this... > BRAVO! Heh.. I remember even back in the Atari 2600 days, there was a device to copy cartridges.. Heh.. I never got one though. Your first paragraph ends with a statement that says a lot... "...towards what most consider a crime..." Piracy is obviously technically a crime, but so is speeding. Look at how many people speed all of the time! (guilty blush!) I will add one thing first.. People who pirate and try to MAKE MONEY off of it are scum. But people who pirate to test out programs are ok, as I will further describe. I used to pirate with absolutely no chance of actually buying a program. My views have changed slightly though, and not because I've "grown up" or anything like that. I still pirate, but now to test things out. And don't anyone say that going to a dealer and playing something for 10-20 minutes will give you a good enough idea in all cases whether it has true long time playing value. Also, downloading a program is a lot more conveeeenient (Who could it be, SAATAN? ahem..err..back to the discussion) than going to a dealer. Also cracked versions are often better than the originals because they are either hard-drive installable or in some cases put on 3.5" disks when they would be on 5.25" disks in the original format. (PRINCE OF PERSIA is one great example) I have played a lot of games and have a 'queue' of programs I am going to buy eventually.. I've already bought a few, but the queue contains mainly the Taito games for the GS. And I will say again that I'm not paying for the programs because I'm trying to UNDO the "wrongdoing" of piracy, I am paying because the programs are WORTH being paid for. I truly pity the person who paid for the piece of crap GAUNTLET GS! [Alien Mind was supposed to be Gauntlet GS, but the author wasn't the first one to seek the rights.. Pity huh? It woulda been great.] In fact I think that if it were not for piracy I'd be a better programmer! I'd be writing more programs rather than playing games! -- / Apple II(GS) Forever! unknown@ucscb.ucsc.edu \ \If cartoons were for adults, they'd be on in prime time./