5 ms·

If that 90% figure is accurate, that's really fucking depressing. That's a beautiful looking game. I sure hope they're getting enough sales to make some decen

If that 90% figure is accurate, that's really fucking depressing. That's a beautiful looking game. I sure hope they're getting enough sales to make some decent money.

jcl 16y ago
90% seems to the rate everyone comes up with when they actually measure it, judging from various independent games blogs and feedback from acquaintances in mobile gaming. I wouldn't be surprised if the rate holds for AAA titles as well. On the flip side, I recall at least one set of statistics showing that most pirates don't run a game more than once. Presumably most pirates pirate huge numbers of games and simply don't have the time to play them all in depth -- which certainly supports the idea that they wouldn't pay for them if piracy weren't an option.
- commandar 16y ago
  I've known a number of people through the years that would pirate hundred of movies, and only ever watch a handful of them. I've definitely seen the odd sort of compulsive hording you're describing.
  - ericd 16y ago
    It's not that odd, it's basically building a huge on-demand video library. Since videos take such a long time to download, you have to decide to get them long before you decide to watch them. Thus it makes sense to batch DL them all and then decide later.
    - commandar 16y ago
      Well, I've heard that rationalization, but the people I'm talking about tend to have literally hundreds of movies on hand, most of which they'll never actually watch. Actually watching them seems to be far less important than just accumulating as much as possible.
      - NonIdentifiable 16y ago
        I have almost 900 GB's worth of movies on hand. I have watched every single movie I have stored on my file server. I only bother to rip the movies I like... and re-watch them every so often. It is nice to have an on-demand library available.
- parfe 16y ago
  Sounds like the downloaders are treating the game as a demo. If I get a game for free I'm more willing to stop playing if it sucks. If I pay I'm going to see if I can get into it.
lionhearted 16y ago
> If that 90% figure is accurate, that's really fucking depressing. I think the focus needs to shift from, "This sucks," to, "This is what it is, how can we deal with it?" Like a lot of other industries, games are going to need to evolve. Server-side data and good online connecting is a way. Platforms like Steam that take the hassle out of online buying is a way. Alternative monetizing might be a way. Tasteful sponsorship and in-game advertising? At this point, piracy is what it is, and it's not going away. Time to start thinking about ways to monetize those pirates.
- protomyth 16y ago
  The sad part is the evolution to "can't trust the public". So DRM or "can't play unless connected to our servers" becomes the norm.
- lemming 16y ago
  Machinarium is actually available on Steam. I guess I'd like to think that for a lot of people piracy is simply easier than the legal alternatives - this is true for a lot of people outside the US for movies, for example. If I want to watch movies at home I either have to buy them or walk 15 mins to a video store to get a scratched DVD from a lousy selection. I'm pretty staunch about not pirating but it tests my patience when with bittorrent I'd be watching anything I like in far less time. However due to being on Steam buying this game can't get much easier and people still pirate it. I agree the focus has to change but it is still a shame, this game is beautiful. I think the amnesty sale is a great way to draw attention to the issue (and the game too).
- theBobMcCormick 16y ago
  IMHO, bums me out about it is that it looks like a really creative, artistic game from an obviously talented team. And while I don't play many games anymore, I used to play a lot of games like that, and I hate to see the art form die out. And IMHO, it will die out if the developers aren't making any money. Or at least, become so damn rare as to be all but extinct.
r0s 16y ago
That figure doesn't reflect the number of sales that hypothetically would happen, if piracy somehow was not possible.

If that 90% figure is accurate, that's really fucking depressing. That's a beautiful looking game. I sure hope they're getting enough sales to make some decent money.

jcl 16y ago

90% seems to the rate everyone comes up with when they actually measure it, judging from various independent games blogs and feedback from acquaintances in mobile gaming. I wouldn't be surprised if the rate holds for AAA titles as well. On the flip side, I recall at least one set of statistics showing that most pirates don't run a game more than once. Presumably most pirates pirate huge numbers of games and simply don't have the time to play them all in depth -- which certainly supports the idea that they wouldn't pay for them if piracy weren't an option.

commandar 16y ago
I've known a number of people through the years that would pirate hundred of movies, and only ever watch a handful of them. I've definitely seen the odd sort of compulsive hording you're describing.
- ericd 16y ago
  It's not that odd, it's basically building a huge on-demand video library. Since videos take such a long time to download, you have to decide to get them long before you decide to watch them. Thus it makes sense to batch DL them all and then decide later.
  - commandar 16y ago
    Well, I've heard that rationalization, but the people I'm talking about tend to have literally hundreds of movies on hand, most of which they'll never actually watch. Actually watching them seems to be far less important than just accumulating as much as possible.
    - NonIdentifiable 16y ago
      I have almost 900 GB's worth of movies on hand. I have watched every single movie I have stored on my file server. I only bother to rip the movies I like... and re-watch them every so often. It is nice to have an on-demand library available.
parfe 16y ago
Sounds like the downloaders are treating the game as a demo. If I get a game for free I'm more willing to stop playing if it sucks. If I pay I'm going to see if I can get into it.

lionhearted 16y ago

> If that 90% figure is accurate, that's really fucking depressing. I think the focus needs to shift from, "This sucks," to, "This is what it is, how can we deal with it?" Like a lot of other industries, games are going to need to evolve. Server-side data and good online connecting is a way. Platforms like Steam that take the hassle out of online buying is a way. Alternative monetizing might be a way. Tasteful sponsorship and in-game advertising? At this point, piracy is what it is, and it's not going away. Time to start thinking about ways to monetize those pirates.

protomyth 16y ago
The sad part is the evolution to "can't trust the public". So DRM or "can't play unless connected to our servers" becomes the norm.
lemming 16y ago
Machinarium is actually available on Steam. I guess I'd like to think that for a lot of people piracy is simply easier than the legal alternatives - this is true for a lot of people outside the US for movies, for example. If I want to watch movies at home I either have to buy them or walk 15 mins to a video store to get a scratched DVD from a lousy selection. I'm pretty staunch about not pirating but it tests my patience when with bittorrent I'd be watching anything I like in far less time. However due to being on Steam buying this game can't get much easier and people still pirate it. I agree the focus has to change but it is still a shame, this game is beautiful. I think the amnesty sale is a great way to draw attention to the issue (and the game too).
theBobMcCormick 16y ago
IMHO, bums me out about it is that it looks like a really creative, artistic game from an obviously talented team. And while I don't play many games anymore, I used to play a lot of games like that, and I hate to see the art form die out. And IMHO, it will die out if the developers aren't making any money. Or at least, become so damn rare as to be all but extinct.

r0s 16y ago

That figure doesn't reflect the number of sales that hypothetically would happen, if piracy somehow was not possible.