So, i hear piracy is really hurting the industry...

[@Li3n]

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...copyright-industries-show-terrific-health.ars

Pity the poor people who work in the US "copyright industries." Battered by a decade of digital piracy and facing even more of it thanks to cheap computers, fast Internet, P2P file-sharing, and online file lockers, the US creative industries teeter on the verge of collapse. You can tell because the industry:

• Pays better than most American jobs
• Has outperformed the US economy through a horrific recession
• Sells record-setting amounts of product overseas, earning more foreign revenue than the entire US food sector or US pharmaceutical companies

Things are going so "badly" that a major new report commissioned by copyright holders says that these "consistently positive trends solidify the status of the copyright industries as a key engine of growth for the US economy as a whole."

Some nice graphs in the link too.

Oh, and then there's this: http://torrentfreak.com/piracy-may-...tm_campaign=Feed:+Torrentfreak+(Torrentfreak)

 

[Chibibar]

Interesting. If the product is good and affordable, people will pay for it.

Look at all the iPhone and Droid apps sales. Look at the digital music that are selling $1 a song.

 

[AshburnerX]

It's always been apparent that more people would be buying stuff from them if it was cheaper and easier to get ala cart. It just took a decade of intense piracy to show them that they had to change their industry to match the public's expectations.

 

[Shegokigo]

Yet new games are still coming out with$59-69 price tags, then anywhere from $5-50 in "DLC". I don't think they learned shit.

 

[Chibibar]

Yet new games are still coming out with$59-69 price tags, then anywhere from $5-50 in "DLC". I don't think they learned shit.

Nope. And you see these indie's game coming out like 10-20$ and selling like hot cakes.

 

[GasBandit]

I always feel a little bit sullied when I play a "free to play" game, because I'm not stealing it from them.

 

[sixpackshaker]

Or piracy can get you whipped my your Family Court Judge Father...

*snip*

I won't link the video, it is child abuse. Just Google Judge William Adams.

 

[AshburnerX]

Yet new games are still coming out with$59-69 price tags, then anywhere from $5-50 in "DLC". I don't think they learned shit.

No, they've actually learned a lot, it's just mostly in the MMO market, Indie business, and in the distribution of games. Virtually all MMOs are going F2P with a cash market because it's ultimately more profitable to let people pick and choose the features they want (or pay a sub fee and get them all). Indie devs are staying indie (and in business) thanks to the low entry fees for digital market. Valve has basically INVENTED the entire concept of digital downloads for games and has gone from a much loved indie developer to a juggernaut that basically owns 80% of the digital marketshare.

Yes, the console market is trying to close itself off but that's already showing signs of failure.

 

[Chibibar]

No, they've actually learned a lot, it's just mostly in the MMO market, Indie business, and in the distribution of games. Virtually all MMOs are going F2P with a cash market because it's ultimately more profitable to let people pick and choose the features they want (or pay a sub fee and get them all). Indie devs are staying indie (and in business) thanks to the low entry fees for digital market. Valve has basically INVENTED the entire concept of digital downloads for games and has gone from a much loved indie developer to a juggernaut that basically owns 80% of the digital marketshare.

Yes, the console market is trying to close itself off but that's already showing signs of failure.

Yea. the MMO market going F2P is not new (well the concept itself) Asian countries have been using this for a while now and just caught on state side.

 

[Shegokigo]

No, they've actually learned a lot, it's just mostly in the MMO market....

I have to stop you right there. How would piracy even come close to effecting the MMO industry?

 

[AshburnerX]

I have to stop you right there. How would piracy even come close to effecting the MMO industry?

Your right, it doesn't. The successes have been in how to better monetize content without greatly effecting their customers, as well as in how to take advantage of the auction systems.

 

[Shegokigo]

Now that sounds about right. I love how so many people were believing that WoW was going F2P at Blizzcon. Hilarious.

 

[AshburnerX]

Now that sounds about right. I love how so many people were believing that WoW was going F2P at Blizzcon. Hilarious.

It's going to happen sooner or later, and it's honestly the best move they could make. With their amazing amount of content, I could see it being a big success.

 

[Shegokigo]

Yeah, it only works with games that have smaller pops. At this time, WoW is already making millions based off it's micro transactions even WITH it's subscription cost.

 

[@Li3n]

I have to stop you right there. How would piracy even come close to effecting the MMO industry?

I don't know, it's not like i know a gazillion people that started playing on pirated Lineage II servers (or how they pronounced it, Line Age... took me a few seconds to realize what they where talking about).

And yes, the experience is not the same, but neither is for games that have MP (unless you're on consoles, did you guys hear about Skyrim?).
Added at: 09:17

I always feel a little bit sullied when I play a "free to play" game, because I'm not stealing it from them.

What's even worse is that you can't even find a cracked version, all the torrents just have the normal installer...

 

[Chibibar]

I have to stop you right there. How would piracy even come close to effecting the MMO industry?

well, you have people who are making private servers. I do believe there are private servers for almost any MMO out there so far.

I think maybe someday WoW may go F2P (at least longer than 20 levels) + micro transaction, but I think it will be well after Diablo 3 release and see how the auction house fare.

 

[Bowielee]

well, you have people who are making private servers. I do believe there are private servers for almost any MMO out there so far.

I think maybe someday WoW may go F2P (at least longer than 20 levels) + micro transaction, but I think it will be well after Diablo 3 release and see how the auction house fare.

Well, with it being free to play up to level 20, I don't see a full F2P model too far behind. Blizzard's obviously dipping their toes in to feel the water.

 

[Chibibar]

Well, with it being free to play up to level 20, I don't see a full F2P model too far behind. Blizzard's obviously dipping their toes in to feel the water.

totally agree. I am thinking that with Diablo RMT success/failure may help the WoW side on moving to F2P (this is TOTAL speculation with no basis other than what I think it might be.)

 

[SpecialKO]

Virtually all MMOs are going F2P with a cash market because it's ultimately more profitable to let people pick and choose the features they want (or pay a sub fee and get them all).

Weeelll, that's a bit wide. It would be more accurate to say that in a recession market subscriptions of any kind, MMO or otherwise, tend to suffer as people become more price/value conscious.

 

[Necronic]

So what exactly is "the copyright industry"? These aren't the manufacturers of products are they? These are teh paper pushing lawyers behind them, right?

 

[Chibibar]

So what exactly is "the copyright industry"? These aren't the manufacturers of products are they? These are the paper pushing lawyers behind them, right?

I personally think that is what they are Instead of spending tons of money trying to "catch" these people and of course missing a lot with dead people "downloading", or throwing a book at 13 year old girl is fruitless. Personally if you make a quality product and set a good price people WILL buy it. Of course when people have shoddy games and sales are not "good" they blame pirates, oi!

 

[SpecialKO]

No, it includes product manufacturers. The report AT is commenting on is from the "copyright industry", and it's basically anything that deals directly in the production, marketing, development or sale of copyrighted materials. They do break it down by degrees, but it's extremely broad.

For the record, I'm not too fond of the AT article either, since the ability of an industry to out-perform the US economy is not a direct reflection of the extent to which it has or has not been harmed by piracy. But I get where AT is coming from, and I agree that the brazen claims of "we're dying 'cause of piracy so pass all these laws for us!" argument is pretty ludicrous.