RPG Illegal File Sharing Hurts the Hobby

[jeff37923]

I ran across an excellent article by Andrew Bernstein of Polymancer magazine about illegal file sharing and its effects on the RPG industry. Its worth a read.

http://www.polymancerstudios.com/index_files/Page3251_w12_part1.htm

 

[RangerWickett]

Piracy is wrong, but it's not worth the effort to curtail. Publishers are better served working on quality products and customer service than they would be trying to combat piracy. However, periodically sweeping filesharing programs to look for scans, and then asking the site to take down those files, is fine.

 

[shaylon]

Well Put, RangerWickett. I completely agree with you on that point.

-Shay

 

[philreed]

I don't think the file sharing/piracy will ever be resolved. It's just one of those annoying headaches we have to try to deal with.


Off topic:

That's got to be the biggest signature block I've ever seen.

 

[Glyfair]

I don't think the file sharing/piracy will ever be resolved. It's just one of those annoying headaches we have to try to deal with.

I somewhat agree. With the increase in technology, and the focus on privacy (which has positive benefits, but also hellps protect pirates), tracking them down is harder and harder.

However, if we could help build ethical behavior in society, then it could be reduced significantly. It's not a matter of catching the pirates, it's getting people to realize that it's not right to download and use the products (or even put them up to share).

 

[philreed]

However, if we could help build ethical behavior in society, then it could be reduced significantly. It's not a matter of catching the pirates, it's getting people to realize that it's not right to download and use the products (or even put them up to share).

Exactly. Unfortunately, we live in an age when people from all levels of society strive to bend laws and ethics to suit whatever their needs are at that particular time. While I am no where near a saint I'm often offended by the actions of people from all walks of life.

 

[Alzrius]

I was watching one of those investigative specials on music piracy a while back, and they concluded by saying that given how things stood today, it was probably inevitable that music would one day be completely free to everyone. That makes me wonder about RPG PDF files also...though quite obviously that'd seriously hurt the small PDF publishers if they couldn't release products for pay anymore, so that's probably not realistic.

Likewise, has anyone thought of possibly combating file-sharing programs by release bogus files with the names of their products onto them? I heard that some music companies are doing this, uploading MP3 files, with the file names listing them as popular songs, while the actual file is blank. The people who just leech files and then turn around and spread them around don't listen to them to find out the difference, and pretty soon people just stop trying after they've downloaded bogus files a few times.

Public service announcement: Don't steal RPG products. Become a reviewer, and they'll give them to you for free.

 

[Dragonblade]

I generally don't allow anyone to play in my game unless they physically own at least a PHB.

And although I pretty much allow any feat or prestige class from any WotC book, I require my players to own the book that contains the feat or class that they want to use and they must physically bring it to the table when they play.

The turning point for me came from a Dork Tower comic in Dragon magazine, where the players were lamenting that their favorite RPG company was going out of business. They couldn't believe it considering they all had downloaded their products and thought they were great.

I never really liked it when my players got a class or feat off of a downloaded PDF. But that comic inspired me to really put my foot down. No illegal PDFs allowed when I DM. I don't even allow the SRD. You want to play something? Then you buy the book its in and bring it to the table.

 

[jgbrowning]

I was watching one of those investigative specials on music piracy a while back, and they concluded by saying that given how things stood today, it was probably inevitable that music would one day be completely free to everyone. That makes me wonder about RPG PDF files also...though quite obviously that'd seriously hurt the small PDF publishers if they couldn't release products for pay anymore, so that's probably not realistic.

In ways our "almost instant" distribution systems are returning us back to pre-industrial days. There is irony there.

All in all, I agree with Phil. Something to get used to, say a bit about here and there, but generally just ignore and get on with supplying the people who will pay me with stuff they want to pay me for.

joe b.

 

[jgbrowning]

I went and read the article. It was pretty good except for:

"If file sharing is so bad then why are so many blank CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs, and burners out there for sale? Why did Adobe make Acrobat anyway? Why did they make scanners? Why make file-sharing programs and high-speed internet so widely available? Aren’t the people who do these things just as guilty? To that last question, the answer is no. Building the technical means to make copies is not the same as sharing a directory. All of those technologies have legitimate business and personal uses."

Bullocks. Directory sharing programs have as many, if not more legitimate business and personal uses than physical medium "directory sharing."

After all, copying your yearly report onto a CD and giving it to your business partner is just the same as letting your business parter access the directory containing the yearly report. Copying onto a medium is directory sharing to begin with.

joe b.