Some personal thoughts on piracy (warning - long post)

[BeefJerky]

The push to release special editions and bonuses only for pre-ordering are generally a disservice to the industry. It rewards impulse buying instead of testing and reviewing something before buying it.

Technically, that's only a disservice to the customer unless the product isn't a bug-filled mess. It's great for the industry. They get to make half-finished games and shove them out the door and get that money going 'round and 'round in the economy and you get to white knight on their forums attacking otherwise sensible consumers who actually think buying a PC game on release date might be a good idea. It's like a whole second game included right there in the box!

Or should I use the demo as intended - a preview of the full game - and assume it's a buggy mess that isn't worth it?

Using a demo to preview the full version of a PC game?



What is this, 1989? I'll have you know developers are working very hard on getting your game functioning properly 3 months after the sale date while you're playing that demo. You know, they'd have money to fix this stuff on time if it wasn't for those pirating scumbags.