Source: cottonbro studio- Pexels
Before I begin my post, I just want to put the disclaimer that "Committing Piracy is never good. Stealing and downloading things illegally is wrong." I do not encourage anyone to break the law so I just want to make myself clear. Each countries have varying anti- piracy law but with how these laws are usually more bark and no bite, it can be just a nothing burger for many people most of the times as there are only a very few case of piracy that is punished. Despite that, it is still unethical to pirate any forms of media because behind every movies, every songs and every video games are the authors, artist and creators that have spend their time and energy to create them and by buying their work shows our appreciation for their hard work while helping them sustain their livelihood. However, given out how game preservation is going, piracy is unfortunately the only way to preserve some of the video games so even if it means breaking the law, it is something that I believe to be justifiable.
Just last month, Sega has delisted over 60 games on console and PC digital stores, some of which includes Crazy Taxi and Jet Set Radio. Games that I used to play and place an important part in my childhood but since it becomes delisted, the only people that could still play this games are those that have downloaded the game before they becomes delisted and sad to say, I am not one of those cause I have only learned about it just a few days ago. So for other people like me that have missed the opportunity to purchase the Sega games, our only option is to illegally download the game. So even if people were to decide to pirate those games, I can't really put the blame on them when the companies that owns the rights on those games does not allow for those games that is made decades ago to be sold. I also don't think that it is morally wrong to pirate a game that people cannot even financially support even if they want and have the means to just because the publishers stop selling the games. It's really insane how in order for people to play and preserve old games, they will need to actually break the law.
Source: Stanislav Kondratiev- Pexels
Some might say, those were old games and even when their gone, there will be more and better games that will replace them but more than a game, it is an art and a piece of history which has become the foundation for the modern game and for that to be inevitably lost, unless otherwise people will dirty their hands just so that they could play it is just very sad. In fact, there were some games that even pirating is almost impossible such as P.T which is a a teaser for a Silent Hills game but was removed to the digital store upon the game's cancelation due to the split between its publisher Konami and the game's director Hideo Kojima and that was a piece of history that just gone.
And there you have it. Pirating new games is something that I do not condone but when it comes to old games that people have no means of acquiring legally, I will much rather prefer if people will pirate them rather than for those games to lose forever and there was nothing sadder than losing a piece of art, a piece of history to the fabric of time. It's happen before, it's happening today, and it will happen tomorrow unless we do something about it even if that something is to break the law.
Thank you for reading my post and see you on the next one!
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