“Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law without contradiction” – Immanuel Kant
People who pirated Game Dev Tycoon were ironically plagued with piracy within the game. The developers created the cracked version themselves, hoping to draw attention to their perspective on the situation. It was a funny ploy, but the numbers were surprising. The developers revealed that over 90% of the people playing their game hadn’t paid for it.
This isn’t sustainable.
And according to Kant, it isn’t moral. A decision to pirate cannot become a universal law. Were everyone to pirate all of the media that they wanted, there wouldn’t be anyone to actually support the industry.
I fear the situation will become a Tragedy of the Commons. Choosing to pirate your media means you are free loading off of everyone else that has paid. You are depending on others to pay for the things you enjoy and to support future projects.
There are a lot of excuses and some justifications for piracy. I realize that every downloaded copy doesn’t equate to a lost sale. But whatever the reason, there is a better solution. Don’t buy it. Don’t use it. Creators hear the message from pirates that what they created is worthwhile, just not worth paying for. By not buying it, you send the message that the producers are doing something wrong, be it oppressive DRM, high prices, or poor quality.