Filesharing sites going down , Good for pc gaming ?

[IonusX]

i stand with jim strling on this one. piracy wont ever go away. and while you cant justify the act of doing it beyond "its stealing hur dur". it doesnt make what companies are doing at the other end as a result and more correct. copyrights are my primary problem over all this but ill discuss them another time.
video game publishers exist only because they have developers convinced that the only way to heaven is through them. and with games like minecraft and alien shooter and etc. being sold independantly there isnt a need for them anymore. a publisher owns a developers soul now as a result. and if a developer can see whats in front of there face. then i firmly beleive morally justifying piracy will come down to being a bloody idiot or not. publishers need to go. or piracy will continue.

 

[Wyndru]

All Megaupload being shut down did was make competing filesharing sites excited.

And there are always newsgroups and IRC, the gov doesn't seem to ever touch those 2.

 

[PrincessFrosty]

Pirates steal because they do not care.

From what I see, the majority of people who pirate games are kids, who have no idea what its like to work and have bills to pay.

I am not saying "all" people who pirate games are kids, just the majority.

Once they get a job, have to go to work, see what the real world is like they start to understand why its important to buy games. If you want developers, you have to pay them.

As for the OP, I doubt megadownload is going to throw a kink in the system.

I don't think there's any data to actually back that up? In fact there is many independent studies into music piracy which suggests that pirates on average spend more on music than non-pirates.

More to the point, if a kid can't afford to buy games then what sort of effect is piracy really having on the industry. If anything, the games that kids can't afford when they're younger might be later bought once they have more money because they acknowledge the enjoyment they got from it.

I did an anonymous poll on hardocp forum about piracy and like 1% of people admiting to stealing just because they could, and there was a massive incidence of steam users who were buying back catalogues of games they had previously pirated on steam.

It also had a very high rate of correlation between the quality of a game and the willingness to pay for it, way higher correlation than any other factor, if people downloaded games and never even completed them they were unlikley to buy them.

I think there is a MASSIVE mis-understanding about what the "average" pirate is really like or how they behave.

Source - http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1625788

 

[Red Storm]

I don't think there's any data to actually back that up?

More to the point, if a kid can't afford to buy games then what sort of effect is piracy really having on the industry. If anything, the games that kids can't afford when they're younger might be later bought once they have more money because they acknowledge the enjoyment they got from it.

I did an anonymous poll on hardocp forum about piracy and like 1% of people admiting to stealing just because they could, and there was a massive incidence of steam users who were buying back catalogues of games they had previously pirated on steam.

It also had a very high rate of correlation between the quality of a game and the willingness to pay for it, way higher correlation than any other factor, if people downloaded games and never even completed them they were unlikley to buy them.

I think there is a MASSIVE mis-understanding about what the "average" pirate is really like or how they behave.

Source - http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1625788

A survey of a 100 votes from a PC gaming forum is not very helpful in any meaningful way.

Texashiker is right, the #1 reason for pirating is that people don't care.

 

[Bateluer]

So, how long before sites like Dragon Age Nexus, Elder Scrolls Nexus, and other sites that host user created mods and content get targeted for infringement or piracy?

Targeting MegaUpload for the actions of its users, especially when the majority of content on it was perfectly legal, is idiotic.

There are far more effective ways to combat piracy then the route these idiots are taking. First, you remove the barriers to ownership. Make the legal way the easy way. Right now, its a PITA to play a BluRay disk on my PC. Its a hassle and annoyance, and its entirely because of the included DRM. If I buy a BD at all, its when its heavily discounted and usually followed by my grabbing a 1080p BD rip from a torrent or transcoding it myself if I'm in the mood. DRM schemes like Ubi-Soft's limited activations, where installing new drives takes an activation are barriers to ownership. Remove them entirely. Instead of actively working against the community like Activision, let people create their own mods and content. It generates a market for your game that wouldn't exist otherwise and extends sales for a far longer period.

 

[PowerYoga]

well let me know when you guys figure out how I can share a 700 mg wedding video with 20 friends and family.

 

[you2]

I doubt it has any impact on pc gaming. Basically if an exec makes bad decision and produce lousy pc games (or games with drm of a nature to piss off buyers) and sales are not very good; they will blame theft.

I'm sure that theft does in fact have an impact on the money companies make but I'm not so sure that is the only (or major) cause of some of the recent poor performance execs see. However I am sure it is an easy target for blame

 

[Red Storm]

well let me know when you guys figure out how I can share a 700 mg wedding video with 20 friends and family.

Dropbox?

 

[Wyndru]

well let me know when you guys figure out how I can share a 700 mg wedding video with 20 friends and family.

You can host the files yourself. And if you don't want to pay for a domain name, just install apache and share your IP with your friends and family.

 

[JamesV]

So, how long before sites like Dragon Age Nexus, Elder Scrolls Nexus, and other sites that host user created mods and content get targeted for infringement or piracy?

I think alot of people are intentionally forgetting common sense. Megaupload and all the similar sites have had illegal content since they appeared. I know this, you probably know this, and for certain they knew it. The question is how they handled illegal content - did they regularly review files and delete illegal content? Seems like a no-brainer for that kind of site.

People bring up YouTube, and how it has copyrighted content, but if 20% my 100 or so shortcuts to songs don't result in "This video has been removed due to copyright infringement", it is an odd week. Google not only removes the content, but displays the message to show they are doing something (where Megaupload would just say "File doesn't exist").

As for things like user made mods for Elder Scrolls games; Bethesda isn't going to sue their users for using the tools they gave them, and other organizations can't sue 'for them'. The real problem can occur when someone uses copyrighted material from outside the game, like a favorite song - does Bethesda get sued for providing the tools that allowed a user to infringe? A slippery slope, with perhaps a huge detriment to gaming.

 

[SunnyD]

It won't make a difference. Just a little harder for people to find what they want until the next "easy" alternative pops up.

 

[HumblePie]

I've used Megaupload in the past for only a few things. Every time it was not for anything pirated related. Usually I would send files to friend for configuration settings for various things. Like when my friend was having problems configuring his game and keybindings. I just used Megaupload to send him my .ini files so he could use those instead. I've had friends get corrupted files or other various problems. It was a great way to send them a fixed file when free email services would filter those out.

However, gmail rarely filters anything out I want to send like that so I haven't touched Megaupload in years. It did have a few non pirated related uses. People who used Megaupload for those reasons, which I think were pretty rare, are the only ones who are hindered by the site going down. Pirates will just move on to a new venue of distribution. Most, if not all, use multiple venues in the first place. One going down doesn't stop or even slow down pirates.

 

[Grooveriding]

They'll never stop it. I used to download stuff when I was a teen with my $900 USRobotos 14.4/16.8 HST modem from BBS sites. Organizations like the RIAA MPAA etc. are in some sort of dream world where they have no context of the reality of the internet. They actually believe with enough lobbying they can stop the floodgates that were opened over 20 years ago. The chasm is ripped wide open now and they'll just find themselves running around sticking their thumb in one hole while the pressure blows another open somewhere else.

I think this is a lot of the true reason megaupload was shut down It was about to threaten their bottom line, which entertainment recording and production industries are all worried about in relation to piracy. Profits from hard copy sales of music and movies have plummeted. Most music artists get a lot of their revenue now from concerts and merchandise, not album sales. Likewise have you noticed Blockbuster dropping off the face of the earth ?

In answer to your question, no it's not good. It's never good when any form of draconian laws or actions take place to stop one illegal thing while causing numerous legal pursuits to also be censored in the process. All the megaupoad situation will likely stimulate is the next Kim Dotcom to have the good sense to become a national of a country that does not have an extradition pact with the USA and to keep their servers hosted in a country like Sweden. Try to remember that in many countries it is not illegal to download copyrighted material if you do not use it for profit or public exhibitiion; so a lot of this 'illegal' activity is only illegal in certain regions - similar to the use of recreational drugs. This is a global issue and US jurisdiction will only go so far as people who make the mistake of having their operations have any ties to US soil.

Viva la usenet! Viva la revolucion!

 

[PowerYoga]

You can host the files yourself. And if you don't want to pay for a domain name, just install apache and share your IP with your friends and family.

See, there's the problem with your solution. Either I PAY for a domain name to do something I used to be able to do (legally) for free or I have to setup a server (and potentially get a warning from my ISP because they frown on server hosting) to share that huge file, and potentially go through the nightmare of teaching my mother to do something more than read emails.

Before I can just upload it to megaupload and give friends and family a link. Your solutions are NOT a replacement for the convenience that we all lose due to draconian censorship.

Edit:

Dropbox has a 2 GB limit I believe. The wedding videos alone are 2.5 gbs total (granted I can delete some junk), not including the high res pictures taken with a SLR and 3 other point-and-clicks.

 

[Red Storm]

Dropbox has a 2 GB limit I believe. The wedding videos alone are 2.5 gbs total (granted I can delete some junk), not including the high res pictures taken with a SLR and 3 other point-and-clicks.

It's closer to 3GB after a few referrals.

But for your specific scenario, I would just burn DVDs and send them out (especially when dealing with tech-illiterate folks).

 

[CPA]

Companies like to blame piracy.

However 90% of the people that pirate stuff, cant afford to buy them.
Which means they only lose out on $, from about 10% of all the stuff downloaded.

Also you cant kill piracy....
back with caset tapes, people would still make "copies" and give to friends ect.
You could "buy" games from some dude that made a liveing off of makeing copies and selling them in a neighborhood. Thats what it used to be like before the internet.

If piracy goes off the internet, Im willing to bet you anything, you ll see these people "pop" up all over the place, makeing a liveing off of pirating stuff.

As is atm, its just "free spirited" people that do it for fun, non profit mostly.
Take it out of the internet, and they create a market place for people selling physical exsamples on the streets.


Megaupload going down is bad because it hurt all those that didnt use it for piracy.... and those that did will just find a new place to pirate stuff. So it mainly hurts those that didnt use it for piracy.

so, pirates, can afford computers and month internet access, but they can't afford a $40-$50 game? Bullshit.

 

[Childs]

well let me know when you guys figure out how I can share a 700 mg wedding video with 20 friends and family.

Youtube, Vimeo?

 

[SMOGZINN]

so, pirates, can afford computers and month internet access, but they can't afford a $40-$50 game? Bullshit.

It is not so much as unable to afford it, it is that most 15 year olds don't have the ability to buy things at that price range at will. They pretty much have to wait until a parent is willing to buy it for them. 15 year olds are not well known for their patience.

 

[PowerYoga]

It's closer to 3GB after a few referrals.

But for your specific scenario, I would just burn DVDs and send them out (especially when dealing with tech-illiterate folks).

I'd hate to explain what the hell a dropbox account is to my parents and aunt/uncles who can barely open emails. Think I'd rather go to a dentist for a root canal.

the most obvious solution is going to boil down to, but burning DVDs and sending them in snail mail is not free either. (and god forbid you pay for those padded envelopes so your dvd arrives in 1 piece, they're like $2 ea) Which is unfortunate because they all know how to read emails and after a few painstaking days, I finally taught my mother how to click on a link in an email.

Again, not a good solution but quite possibly the only one after the media companies are done taking down every file sharing sites.

The only thing the site takedown will stop is normal people from using useful services. Pirates will just go back to using IRC, usenet, torrents, or whatever other things they were using before the whole takedown. I can't imagine any of these sites staying profitable or remain operational after 99% of their userbase leaves because they can't share files anymore.

Youtube, Vimeo?

Haven't thought about that, but this part is putting me off:

"In order to watch a private video, your contacts must already have a YouTube account. If they don't already have an account, they'll first need to sign up for an account. Once they've activated their account, they'll then be able to sign in and watch the private video that you've sent them. If they do not sign into their account before watching the video, the video will not load"

I have no desire to teach my mom how to setup an account or what a "login" is. How private are the videos? I'm not too keen on having wedding videos on one of the most visited sites on the internet.

 

[tornadog]

I cant see why Joe Public should even be bothered with this. Game publishers, game devs, music companies, artists, movie companies, actors are all making money whether their stuff is pirated or not. If they are not making money, its not cause of piracy, its cause they put out a product that was terrible. Piracy is a just a word these folks like to use to cover up the fact that their product was plain bad.

 

[SMOGZINN]

Again, not a good solution but quite possibly the only one after the media companies are done taking down every file sharing sites.

You could give JustBeamit (link is to the Lifehacker story about the program, the actual site is blocked at my work) a try. I have it saved for exactly this sort of thing, but have not tried it out yet. So, give it a try and report back to us?

 

[Wyndru]

It's closer to 3GB after a few referrals.

But for your specific scenario, I would just burn DVDs and send them out (especially when dealing with tech-illiterate folks).

This, no one wants to wait for 2gbs to download just to watch a video. Or at least convert them to inet friendly sizes so you can host them on dropbox.

To be honest though, your family sounds as tech illiterate as mine and megaupload wouldn't help them with that either. My mom would get the file, not know where it went, not be able to open it, etc...

I just ended up hosting my own website where I can post pics and videos. I even recently added it so they can upload too.

 

[NTAC]

I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of porn videos suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened.

 

[Gothgar]

The people who pirate would probably never buy the game anyways, or will buy it once the game goes on steam sale or something anyways.

 

[Ns1]

The people who pirate would probably never buy the game anyways, or will buy it once the game goes on steam sale or something anyways.

and this gives them a right to consume it for free

:thumbsup: