sliderider wrote:

"3) It's possible people already decided not to buy their game but seeing it shared made them want to try it. So sales may have […]
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"3) It's possible people already decided not to buy their game but seeing it shared made them want to try it. So sales may have stayed the same.
4) It's possible after trying a shared copy people decided to buy one. So sales may have gone up."

Once you have the free copy in your possession, what incentive do you have to go legit? Most people who download copies do so because they have no conscience about who they are hurting by doing it so they will most certainly not part with any money once they have the game unless they are forced to. They have this entitlement mentality that they are entitled to the work of others without compensation and that the only ones hurt by torrents are big, evil corporations. They don't know, and likely don't care, that corporations are made up of people who depend on the sales of the corporations products to feed their families. Not just the programmers and artists, either, secretaries, janitors, publicists, advertising people, and many others. these are regular people just trying to make a living and you are depriving them of that by downloading illegally.

As far as your argument about copies not affecting sales, if the copies were not available, then many people would have bought it through legal channels because that would be the only way they can get it.

Some games I tried out because a friend gave me a copy that later made me buy the game (Rome Total War is an example). I prefer to have the real disks of games that I like, preferably at least 3 copies of them, actually.

sliderider wrote:

Once you have the free copy in your possession, what incentive do you have to go legit?

Asked in a topic called "The Joys of Physical Media". Bragging rights that you own the disc. When you show someone your game collection they can look at a box, not just a folder on a hard drive.

sliderider wrote:

They don't know, and likely don't care, that corporations are made up of people who depend on the sales of the corporations products to feed their families. Not just the programmers and artists, either, secretaries, janitors, publicists, advertising people, and many others. these are regular people just trying to make a living and you are depriving them of that by downloading illegally.

Shared copies don't negate actual sales. The company isn't deprived of anything. Notice in examples 3 and 4 the company already wasn't going to get any money from that consumer. In example 4 the company made an additional sale due to a shared copy.

sliderider wrote:

As far as your argument about copies not affecting sales, if the copies were not available, then many people would have bought it through legal channels because that would be the only way they can get it.

I disagree. There are many games that are perceived as not worth the money. There are also many business practices which gamers would rather forgo playing a game at all if it meant endorsing that practice.

The 19th-20th century can thank their gods that the EULA warriors hadn't arrived yet. Can you imagine proposing a concept as simple as a *Library* today.. "What!! but every book loaned is a lost sale!!! You have no right! Wer'e suing!"

I saw somewhere, i cant remember exactly where, but someone proposed a copy-write change, where the more money you made, the faster the copy would expire. The whole system needs a re-design but that wont happen because SO much money is in it.

Isnt it interesting how money seems to ALWAYS be the root of all evil?

That's interesting. Though I would make it cost variable. Have a sliding scale of how much it would cost to renew a copyright based on profits. This would be recalculated and paid every 5 years. If not renewed the title becomes freeware. In addition it should stipulate that an official unlock patch must be released by the time a copyright expires.