This is sort of where I draw the line on ethical piracy. Some countries and people go to great lengths to prohibit the viewing or listening of their movies, shows and songs. Whatever. It's your right I guess. I just don't get it personally. To be so restrictive for something is now free. The work was done, so now it's just about enjoyment and quality of life.
As a basic human being, I think we should all want to make life better. For us. For everyone.
So along those lines, if you're blacklisting my country because some guy didn't get what he wanted or whatever government level bullshit you peddle, then yeah, time to unfurl my Jolly Roger!
Because I don't pirate games to get a DRM free copy, I pirate games to try them out. GOG offering DRM free games doesn't change any aspect of my piracy what-so-ever.
Game comes out on GOG that I want? Cool, time to pirate it, play it, and make sure it A) runs correctly on my PC, and B) make sure the game isn't flame-broiled arse. If it's good and I enjoy it, then I will buy a copy and not a minute before.
When I was a broke teenager I pirated games. But back then there wasn't any online play (80s).
Now I primarily pirate movies and TV shows. And most of that is ripping DVDs and Blu-ray discs, which I still buy when I really like something. Then supplement with torrents.
But I've never debated the ethics. Was it Thoreau that said something that the effect of, if you engage in civil disobedience, even against unjust laws, you must be ready to accept the consequences.
Gotta love that Rossman has pivoted from "failed business owner" to "basically James Stephanie Sterling but with less nazi imagery"
Shit like this REALLY annoys me. I am all for a discussion of the ethics of piracy... if people actually understand what ethics are (and, as has been demonstrated countless times, people don't). But shit like this is about deciding when it is "fair" to pirate content and when not. And, considering it is Rossman, I assume he is goign to talk about how you should support companies that care about your rights or are small businesses and fuck larger businesses and the New York City government.
But the reality: Whether you think piracy is or is not stealing is irrelavent. It is piracy whether you are pirating a game from a toddler with leukemia or Amazon after they rebranded to having the website be a giant picture of Bezos's dong. It just becomes a matter of if you think that matters or if it is okay to hurt/"hurt" one of those companies.
Which almost inevitably becomes about defining The Tragedy of the Commons.
At the end of the day: it is piracy. We are pirates. Fucking own up to it.
She's always used "ironic" nazi imagery. Officially it is "more Soviet Union" and clearly done as a gag for some reason, but it would not be out of place to have Hugo Boss measuring her inseam while she records. Something that has irked a lot of us for... over a decade?
I pirated a certain 'crash cars and shoot'em up' game because, even though I own it on Steam, the gameplay (especially the launcher) absolutely sucks.
No more automatically downloading online content when I don't even play online and no more updates breaking my mods. It's worked out so well that I'm looking at pirating other games I already own.