Video Game Piracy Is Good, Actually

I don't think video game piracy is as bad as people say, and I made a video essay to prove it.

REFERENCES

0:34 (Nintendo guy getting arrested for piracy)

Lukpat, Alyssa. “Hacker Who Sold Pirated Video Games Gets More Than 3 Years in Prison.” The New York Times, Feb 10, 2022. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/10/technology/nintendo-hacker-gary-bowser.html

1:25 (Joe Biden saying “piracy is theft”)

“US unveils strategy to fight piracy of intellectual property.” Yahoo News, Jun 22, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20100711184313/http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/afp/100622/usa/us_copyright_trade

1:31 (Anti-piracy ads featuring the first use of “Piracy is theft”)

“CLASSIC ANTI-PIRACY ADS.” World of Stuart, Accessed Jan 22, 2024. http://worldofstuart.excellentcontent.com/antipiracy.htm

2:24 (Dowling v. United States Supreme Court case)

“Dowling v. United States.” Library of Congress, 1985. https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/usrep/usrep473/usrep473207/usrep473207.pdf

3:00 (Axel Springer adblock lawsuit)

Cooper, Daniel. “German court says ad-blocking is legal.” Engadget, Apr 20, 2018. https://www.engadget.com/2018-04-20-german-supreme-court-ad-blocking.html

4:30 (WIPO document describing piracy as a monopoly)

“WIPO Guide on the Licensing of Copyright and Related Rights.” WIPO, 2004. p. 7. https://books.google.ca/books?id=LvRRvXBIi8MC

4:49 (Wikipedia overview of Pirate Parties)

“Pirate Party.” Wikipedia, Accessed Jan 25, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pirate_Party

4:52 (Wikipedia overview of copyleft)

“Copyleft.” Wikipedia, Accessed Jan 25, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyleft

5:35 (Anti-piracy ad that committed piracy)

Solon, Olivia “Rights group fined for not paying artist royalties on anti-piracy ad.” Wired, Oct 7, 2012. https://www.wired.co.uk/article/dutch-rights-group-fined-for-not-paying-royalties

5:40 (How the “You Wouldn’t Steal a Car” ad wasn’t pirating music)

Van der Sar, Ernesto. “Sorry, the “You Wouldn’t Steal a Car” Anti-Piracy Ad Wasn’t ‘Pirated’.” TorrentFreak, Jun 25, 2017. https://torrentfreak.com/sorry-the-you-wouldnt-steal-a-car-anti-piracy-ad-wasnt-pirated-170625/

5:50 (You Wouldn’t Steal a Car ad)

Haxorcat. “Piracy it’s a crime.” YouTube, Dec 4, 2007. https://youtu.be/HmZm8vNHBSU

6:08 (Study showing anti-piracy ads increased piracy)

Gault, Matthew. “Widely Mocked Anti-Piracy Ads Made People Pirate More, Study Finds.” Vice, Aug 2, 2022. https://www.vice.com/en/article/93aan8/widely-mocked-anti-piracy-ads-made-people-pirate-more-study-finds

6:28 (Jack Black anti-piracy ad)

NewLine. “TENACIOUS D - Jack Black on Piracy.” YouTube, Oct 2, 2006. https://youtu.be/-LkWKvMCzqA

7:00 (Online copyright history in the US)

Hollaar, Lee A. “Legal Protection of Digital Information.” Digital Law Online, 2002. http://digital-law-online.info/lpdi1.0/treatise17.html

7:03 (Official summary of the Berne Convention)

https://www.wipo.int/treaties/en/ip/berne/summary_berne.html

7:17 (China copyright overview)

http://btlj.org/data/articles2015/vol21/21_2/21-berkeley-tech-l-j-0795-0872.pdf

7:17 (Russia copyright overview)

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/russia-has-reportedly-legalised-piracy-in-the-face-of-economic-sanctions

7:35 (VHS copy-prevention and how people got around it)

12voltvids. “Macrovision vs a Time Base Corrector.” YouTube, Apr 9, 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XLGFU__0Wk

7:40 (Early computer cracking history)

Reunanen, Markku. Wasiak, Patryk. Botz, Daniel. “Crack Intros: Piracy, Creativity, and Communication.” International Journal of Communication, 2015. https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/3731/1345

8:39 (Database of Commodore 64 Crack Intros)

https://csdb.dk/

9:08 (Wikipedia overview of the DMCA’s safe harbor provision)

“Online Copyright Infringement Liability Limitation Act.” Wikipedia, Accessed January 25, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_Copyright_Infringement_Liability_Limitation_Act

9:32 (Illegality of fixing tractors and pacemakers due to copy-prevention)

Sydell, Laura. “DIY Tractor Repair Runs Afoul Of Copyright Law.” NPR, Aug 17, 2015. https://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2015/08/17/432601480/diy-tractor-repair-runs-afoul-of-copyright-law

9:46 (Dave Grohl on piracy)

Foo Archive. “Dave Grohl on downloading & piracy. (1997)” YouTube, Mar 6, 2017. https://youtu.be/C5RZDfF94Nw

10:18 (Music industry revenue stats, showing a convenient drop around the same time Napster came out)

RIAA. “U.S. Music Revenue Database.” Accessed Feb 5, 2024. https://www.riaa.com/u-s-sales-database/

10:20 (RIAA once tried suing LimeWire for more money than the earth had at the time)\

Acuna, Kirsten. “The RIAA Claimed LimeWire Owed Them 72 TRILLION Dollars.” Business Insider, May 23, 2012. https://www.businessinsider.com/riaa-claims-limewire-owes-trillions-2012-5

10:33 (Interview with StarForce about how Splinter Cell was uncracked)

Ciolek, Todd. “Interview: The Return Of... StarForce?.” Gamasutra, Jun 16, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20091110060020/http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=24035

10:46 (Tech website calling StarForce malware)

Doctorow, Cory. “Anti-copying malware installs itself with dozens of games.” Boing Boing, Jan 30, 2016. https://boingboing.net/2006/01/30/anticopying-malware-.html

10:52 (Court document for StarForce Ubisoft lawsuit)

Spence, Christopher. “Spence v. Ubisoft” United States District Court for the Northern District of California, May 24, 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20060415131316/http://eplaw.us/sf/UbisoftComplaint032406.pdf

10:55 (Ubisoft dropping StarForce)

Thorsen, Tor. “Ubisoft officially dumps Starforce.” GameSpot, Apr 14, 2006. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/ubisoft-officially-dumps-starforce/1100-6147655/

11:17 (List of problems with SecuROM, and additional EA lawsuits)

Kuchera, Ben. “EA hit with two more lawsuits over use of SecuROM.” Ars Technica, Nov 10, 2008. https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2008/11/ea-hit-with-two-more-lawsuits-over-use-of-securom/

11:28 (SecuROM requiring activation every 10 days)

Breckon, Nick. “Spore, Mass Effect PC to Require Online Validation Every Ten Days to Function.” Shack News, May 6, 2008. https://www.shacknews.com/article/52547/spore-mass-effect-pc-to

11:32 (Class action lawsuit against EA for using SecuROM)

Milian, Mark. “Spore SecuROM copy protection system draws lawsuit.” Los Angeles Times, Sep 25, 2008. https://www.latimes.com/archives/blogs/technology-blog/story/2008-09-25/spore-securom-copy-protection-system-draws-lawsuit

11:39 (Spore being the most pirated game of 2008)

Van der Sar, Ernesto. “Spore: Most Pirated Game Ever Thanks to DRM.” Sep 13, 2008. https://torrentfreak.com/spore-most-pirated-game-ever-thanks-to-drm-080913/

11:52 (Overview of Denuvo, including games that got cracked)

Purchese, Robert. “Don't call it DRM: what's Denuvo Anti-Tamper?” Eurogamer, Dec 19, 2014. https://www.eurogamer.net/denuvo-anti-tamper-drm

12:06 (Crackers bypassing Denuvo on Dragon Age Inquisition)

David, Eric. “Denuvo, the “uncrackable” DRM on Dragon Age: Inquisition, has been cracked.” Silicon Angle, Dec 2, 2014. https://siliconangle.com/2014/12/02/denuvo-the-uncrackable-drm-on-dragon-age-inquisition-has-been-cracked/

12:11 (Crackers bypassing Denuvo on Rise of the Tomb Raider)

Higgins, Chris. “Rise of the Tomb Raider cracked again, this time with Denuvo fully bypassed.” PCGamesN, Aug 8, 2016. https://www.pcgamesn.com/doom/denuvo-drm-bypass-voksi

12:18 (Hitman 2 being cracked before launch)

Orland, Kyle. “Hitman 2’s Denuvo DRM cracked days before the game’s release.” Ars Technica, Nov 12, 2018. https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2018/11/hitman-2s-denuvo-drm-cracked-days-before-the-games-release/

12:48 (Compiled evidence of Denuvo causing bad performance issues)

Machkovech, Sam. “Evidence continues to mount about how bad Denuvo is for PC gaming performance.” Ars Technica, Dec 26, 2018. https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2018/12/evidence-continues-to-mount-about-how-bad-denuvo-is-for-pc-gamin -performance/

12:48 (Comparison of performance of games with and without DRM)

Hruska, Joel. “Denuvo Really Does Cripple PC Gaming Performance.” Extreme Tech, Dec 27, 2018. https://www.extremetech.com/gaming/282924-denuvo-really-does-cripple-pc-gaming-performance

12:56 (DMC5 ran better after removing Denuvo)

Parlock, Joe. “Capcom removes Denuvo DRM from Devil May Cry 5.” PC Gamer, Feb 10, 2020. https://www.pcgamer.com/capcom-removes-denuvo-drm-from-devil-may-cry-5/

13:00 (Resident Evil Village ran better after cracking Denuvo)

Wilde, Tyler. “The cracked version of Resident Evil Village runs better, testing confirms.” PC Gamer, Jul 14, 2021. https://www.pcgamer.com/resident-evil-village-drm-denuvo-stuttering/

13:00 (Resident Evil Village ran better after removing Denuvo)

Lane, Rick. “Capcom removes Denuvo from Resident Evil Village.” PC Gamer, Apr 10, 2023.

https://www.pcgamer.com/capcom-removes-denuvo-from-resident-evil-village/

13:07 (Tekken 7 director blaming Denuvo for performance)

Palumbo, Alessio. “Tekken 7 Director Says Denuvo DRM Is Causing Performance Issues In The Game.” Apr 15, 2018. https://wccftech.com/tekken-7-denuvo-drm-performance-issues/

13:30 (Devs commonly removing Denuvo after it gets cracked)

Orland, Kyle. “After cracks, developers remove Denuvo DRM from their games.” Ars Technica, Dec 9, 2016.

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2016/12/after-cracks-developers-remove-denuvo-drm-from-their-games/

14:05 (Warez group CODEX disbanding)

Van der Sar, Ernesto. “Iconic Game Cracking Group CODEX Shuts Down.” TorrentFreak, Feb 24, 2022. https://torrentfreak.com/iconic-game-cracking-group-codex-shuts-down-220224/

14:07 (Warez group member who got arrested for hacking Denuvo)

Cito, Arne. “Denuvo files lawsuit against DRM Hacker “Voksi”.” GameZone, Jul 26, 2018. https://www.gamezone.com/news/denuvo-files-lawsuit-drm-hacker-voksi/

14:50 (Tim Cain, creator of Fallout, on piracy)

Cain, Timothy. “Piracy.” YouTube, Jan 15, 2024. https://youtu.be/AnhAzecN150

16:11 (EU research paper showing no impact on music sales from piracy)

Aguiar, Luis. Martens, Bertin. “Digital Music Consumption on the Internet: Evidence from Clickstream Data.” European Commission, 2013. p. 16. https://www.scribd.com/document/131005609/JRC79605

16:29 (EU research paper showing a positive effect on video game sales from piracy)

van der Ende, Martin. Poort, Joost. Haffner, Robert. de Bas, Patrick. Yagafarova, Anastasia. Rohlfs, Sophie. van Til, Harry. “Estimating displacement rates of copyrighted content in the EU.” European Commission, 2015. p. 149. https://felixreda.eu/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/displacement_study.pdf

16:49 (Research paper showing positive effect on video game sales from piracy)

Bastard, L. Bourreau, Marc. Morou, Francois. “The impact of piracy on physical purchases and pay-downloads: A comparison of four cultural industries.” Revue Economique, Jan 2014.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/288206476_The_impact_of_piracy_on_physical_purchases_and_pay-downloads_A_comparison_of_four_cultural_industries

16:49 (Research paper showing increase in box office performance from piracy)

Lu, Shijie. Wang, Xin. Bendle, Neil. “Does Piracy Create Online Word of Mouth? An Empirical Analysis in the Movie Industry.” Management Science, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2019.3298

16:49 (Research paper showing box office performance went down after piracy website takedown)

Peukert, Christian. Claussen, Jörg. Kretschmer, Tobias. “Piracy and box office movie revenues: Evidence from Megaupload.” International Journal of Industrial Organization Volume 52, May 2017, p. 188-215. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijindorg.2016.12.006

16:58 (Summary of multiple studies showing various effects on sales from piracy)

Danaher, Brett. Smith, Michael D. Telang, Rahul. “The Truth About Piracy.” Technology Policy Institute, 2016. https://techpolicyinstitute.org/publications/intellectual-property/copyright-and-piracy/the-truth-about-piracy/

17:52 (Study of beef jerky sales in the US. Someone made a whole ass website for this shit)

Charlie. “Global Beef Trends & U.S. Meat Snack Forecast: A Comprehensive Analysis.” Jerky Brands, Aug 9, 2023. https://jerkybrands.com/jerky-blog/global-beef-trends-us-meat-snack-forecast-a-comprehensive-analysis/

17:55 (Graph of incest in the US. Really makes you think)

“How Common Is Incest? Meta-study on Prevalence, Variety, Effects, and Demographics.” Bedbible Research Center, Feb 17, 2023. https://bedbible.com/incest-statistics/

18:25 (Neil Gaiman on piracy)

OpenRightsGroup. “Gaiman on Copyright Piracy and the Web.” YouTube, Feb 3, 2011. https://youtu.be/0Qkyt1wXNlI

19:44 (THQ blaming poor sales on piracy)

Garratt, Patrick. “THQ blames Iron Lore closure on piracy.” VG247, Mar 1, 2008. https://www.vg247.com/thq-blames-iron-lore-closure-on-piracy

19:49 (Crytek spending a ridiculous amount of money just to get their game pirated anyways)

Murray, Sean. “Crytek Paid Over €120k For Six Months Of Denuvo DRM For Crysis Remastered.” TheGamer, Nov 25, 2020. https://www.thegamer.com/crytek-paid-denuvo-crysis-remastered-leak/

19:54 TIME (Crytek not making PC exclusives because of piracy)

Caron, Frank. “Crytek swears off PC-exclusive games due to piracy.” Ars Technica, Apr 30, 2008. https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2008/04/crytek-swears-off-pc-exclusive-games-in-piracy-wake/

20:01 (Crytek measuring how many people pirated their game)

Thang, Jimmy. “Crytek's Piracy Crysis.” IGN, Aug 28, 2008. https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/08/28/cryteks-piracy-crysis

20:06 (Crysis piracy, and the 15-20 number the CEO throws around)

Ocampo, Jason. “Cevat Yerli Q&A; Crytek's CEO looks back at Crysis, talks about the new game Warhead, and discusses the company's future as a PC developer.” IGN, Jun 26, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080906070707/http://pc.ign.com/articles/884/884757p1.html

20:18 (Crytek presentation with Crysis and Crysis Warhead sales numbers)

Yerli, Avni. “CRYENGINE 3 – THE NEXT GENERATION OF INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT AND REAL‐TIME 3D TECHNOLOGIES.” Crytek. May 26, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20130116071355/http://www.zuse.hessen.de/mm/Konrad_Zuse_Kongress_Yerli_Final.pdf

20:18 (Wikipedia article of highest selling PC games, which Crysis is clearly on)

“List of best-selling PC games.” Wikipedia, Accessed Jan 27, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_PC_games

20:32 (Crysis website detailing Warhead’s SecuROM DRM)

“Crysis Warhead Copy Protection F.A.Q.” MyCrisis, Sep 18, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080920111134/http://www.mycrysis.com/newsdetails.php?news=29380

20:41 (Crytek trying to transition to only making free to play games)

Yin-Poole, Wesley. “Crysis maker Crytek turning into a F2P only studio.” Eurogamer, Jun 8, 2012.

https://www.eurogamer.net/crysis-maker-crytek-turning-into-a-f2p-only-studio

21:05 (Interview with Crytek CEO over unpaid wages and almost going bankrupt)

Yin-Poole, Wesley. “"The transformation was painful. We paid the price".” Eurogamer, Aug 8, 2014. https://www.eurogamer.net/the-transformation-was-painful-we-paid-the-price

21:16 (Crytek delaying employee wages during financial trouble)

Dayus, Oscar. “Crysis Developer Allegedly Hasn't Paid Some Employees for 6 Months.” GameSpot, Dec 12, 2016. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/crysis-developer-allegedly-hasnt-paid-some-employe/1100-6446173/

21:33 (Hunt Showdown becoming profitable for Crytek)

Francis, Bryant. “How has Hunt: Showdown become one of Crytek's biggest games?” Game Developer, Mar 17, 2022. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/production/how-has-hunt-showdown-become-one-of-crytek-s-biggest-games-

22:12 (Crytek getting raided for software piracy)

Adams, David. “Far Cry Developer Raided” IGN, Feb 4, 2004. https://web.archive.org/web/20050913053827/https://pc.ign.com/articles/490/490038p1.html

22:16 (Crytek’s response to the raid, saying it was a false alarm)

Adams, David. “Crytek Responds to Raid.” IGN, Feb 5, 2004. https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/02/05/crytek-responds-to-raid

22:25 (Crytek CEO saying employees “applauded the decision to not pay them”. It is really funny how mad he gets during this interview)

Yin-Poole, Wesley. “"The transformation was painful. We paid the price".” Eurogamer, Aug 8, 2014. https://www.eurogamer.net/the-transformation-was-painful-we-paid-the-price

22:40 (One third of game devs impacted by layoffs last year)

Farokhmanesh, Megan. “Mass Layoffs Are Causing Big Problems in the Video Games Industry.” Jan 18, 2024. https://www.wired.com/story/the-video-game-industry-is-just-starting-to-feel-the-impacts-of-2023s-layoffs/

22:46 (Epic Games layoffs)

Parrish, Ash. “Epic Games cuts around 830 jobs.” The Verge, Sep 28, 2023. https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/28/23894266/epic-games-layoffs-fortnite-unreal-engine

22:48 (Niantic layoffs)

Rousseau, Jeffrey. “Pokémon Go maker to close LA studio.” Games Industry.biz, Jun 29, 2023. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/pokemon-go-maker-to-close-la-studio

22:51 (Microsoft layoffs)

Warren, Tom. “Microsoft lays off 1,900 Activision Blizzard and Xbox employees.” The Verge, Jan 25, 2024. https://www.theverge.com/2024/1/25/24049050/microsoft-activision-blizzard-layoffs

22:56 (Chart showing 16,000 devs got laid off from 2023-2024)

Fenion, Wes. Litchfield, Ted. “The impact of 16,000 games industry layoffs, in one chart.” PC Gamer, Feb 7, 2024. https://www.pcgamer.com/the-impact-of-16000-games-industry-layoffs-in-one-chart/

23:21 (Bobby Kotick’s 400 million dollar payout)

Larkin, Lilly. “Bobby Kotick leaves Activision Blizzard with $400 million payout.” TheThaiger, Dec 22, 2023. https://thethaiger.com/world/news/574955/

23:26 (Tim Sweeney’s net worth. They really used the worst photo ever for him, and I love it)

“Profile: Tim Sweeney” Forbes, Accessen Jan 26, 2024. https://www.forbes.com/profile/tim-sweeney/?sh=5ed4c18d67b3

23:45 (Fortnite making approx. one bajillion dollars)

Obedkov, Evgeny. “Fortnite generated over $20 billion in lifetime revenue, according to its co-creator Donald Mustard.” Game World Observer, Nov 21, 2023. https://gameworldobserver.com/2023/11/21/fortnite-revenue-20-billion-epic-games-donald-mustard

23:59 (Gabe Newell on piracy)

tazgecko. “Gabe Newell on Good Game.” YouTube, Jul 20, 2009. https://youtu.be/pLC_zZ5fqFk

25:18 (Court case documents for Sony v. Connectix)

“Sony v. Connectix.” U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Feb 10, 2000. https://web.archive.org/web/20070228070634/http://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/ca9/newopinions.nsf/0/66b3a352ea33712988256952007578c2?OpenDocument

25:19 (Court case documents for Sony v. Bleem)

“SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT AMERICA, INC. v. BLEEM, LLC.” United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. Feb 14, 2000.

https://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar_case?case=11837224078052556056&hl=en&as_sdt=6&as_vis=1&oi=scholarr

25:23 (Book about legal battles in computer history, talking about Sega v. Accolade)

Graham, Lawrence. “Legal Battles That Shaped The Computer Industry.” Quorum Books, 1999. p. 112. https://archive.org/details/legalbattlesthat0000grah/page/112/mode/2up

25:25 (Galoob Toys v. Nintendo article. What the fuck kinda name is “Galoob”?)

Groves, Martha. “Embattled Galoob Toys Wins Infringement Suit Brought by Nintendo.” Los Angeles Times, Jul 6, 1991. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-07-06-fi-1498-story.html

26:02 (NES Classic is just an emulator)

Vogel, Mitch. “NES Classic Edition Will Feature a Brand New Emulator Developed by NERD.” Nintendo Life, Aug 26, 2016. https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2016/08/nes_classic_edition_will_feature_a_brand_new_emulator_developed_by_nerd

26:03 (PlayStation Classic is just an emulator)

Orland, Kyle. “Sony using open source emulator for PlayStation Classic plug-and-play.” Ars Technica, Nov 9, 2018. https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2018/11/sony-using-open-source-emulator-for-playstation-classic-plug-and-play/

26:07 (PaRappa the Rappa PS4 is just an emulator)

Orland, Kyle. “Hackers find “official,” usable PSP emulator hidden in PS4’s PaRappa.” Ars Technica, May 9, 2018. https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2018/05/hackers-find-official-usable-psp-emulator-hidden-in-ps4s-parappa/

26:52 (1000 games disappearing from Nintendo online stores)

Scullion, Chris. “These are the 1,000 digital-only 3DS and Wii U games disappearing next week.” VGC, Mar 22, 2023. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/features/analysis-digital-only-wii-u-3ds-games/

26:52 (Nintendo FAQ about their eShop closures)

“Wii U & Nintendo 3DS eShop Discontinuation Q&A.” Nintendo, Accessed Jan 26, 2024. https://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/57847/~/wii-u-%26-nintendo-3ds-eshop-discontinuation-q%26a

27:27 (Spec Ops: The Line gets Thanos snapped out of existence)

Borger, Will. “Spec Ops: The Line Will No Longer Be Available in Online Stores, 2K Blames Expiring Partnerships.” IGN, Jan 30, 2024. https://www.ign.com/articles/spec-ops-the-line-will-no-longer-be-available-in-online-stores-2k-blames-expiring-partnerships

27:47 (Steam changing regional pricing)

Ferdinand, Pam K. “Steam Is Changing How Players Pay for Games Around the World.” GameRant, Oct 26, 2023. https://gamerant.com/steam-regional-pricing-us-dollars/

27:50 (Steam prices for Black Ops in LATAM (Argentina) and MENA (Turkey))

“Call of Duty: Black Ops: Steam price history.” SteamDB, Accessed Jan 26, 2024. https://steamdb.info/app/42700/

28:02 (Regional pricing changes on Steam fucking over Argentina and Turkey)

Wolens, Joshua. “'Today is the end of Steam': Argentina and Turkey floored by new Steam price hikes as high as 2900%” PC Gamer, Nov 21, 2023. https://www.pcgamer.com/today-is-the-end-of-steam-argentina-and-turkey-floored-by-new-steam-price-hikes-as-high-as-2900/

28:02 (Average salary in Argentina at $421 USD)

“Cost of Living in Argentina.” Numbeo, Accessed Jan 26, 2024. https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/country_result.jsp?country=Argentina

28:02 (Average salary in Turkey at $133 USD)

“Turkey Monthly Average Gross Wage.” Trading Economics, Accessed Jan 26 ,2024. https://tradingeconomics.com/turkey/wages

28:11 (Interview with Gabe Newell, talking about piracy and porting Valve games to Russia)

Tufnell, Nicholas. “Interview: Gabe Newell.” The Cambridge Student, Nov 24, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20170315050543/http://www.tcs.cam.ac.uk/interviews/0012301-interview-gabe-newell.html

28:22 (Games commonly getting translated by pirates)

Dino, Gino. “Pirate Translators: Why Fans are Localizing Games without Permission.” Slator, Sep 3, 2015. https://slator.com/pirate-translators-why-fans-are-localizing-games-without-permission/

28:50 (Internet Archive being sued for copyright infringement)

https://torrentfreak.com/publishers-sue-the-internet-archive-over-its-open-library-declare-it-a-pirate-site-200601/

28:57 (Real PlayStation anti-piracy ad that aired)

bylaracroft. “‘Piracy Kills Your Heroes’ PlayStation Advert.” YouTube, Jun 13, 2020. https://youtu.be/a622i1WDS1w

Video Game Piracy Is Good, Actually

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REFERENCES

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