Voting with your wallet - Localization

[Yeargdribble]

I'll preface this by saying I'm generally against game piracy. I go the great lengths to own a legit copy of any game I can. I believe that we vote with our dollars and I especially like the idea of financially supporting developers that are making the kinds of games I like...even more so when they are small or indie dev studios.

However, I've just finished Hotel Dusk and want to play Last Window. Last Window was localized for Europe, but not released in the US (I guess there weren't enough guns and military junk... or perhaps just too much text to appeal to the broader US audience). Of course considering Cing went under I don't necessarily fault them for this as I don't know the particulars. I am not likely to pay the substantial cost to import a copy of Last Window, but I'm going to play it.

Where the quandary really shows up is with games like Mother 3. Do you import the game in Japanese just to feel good that you have a legit copy so that you're perhaps not technically breaking the law when playing a translation? Doesn't this mean you're voting with your wallet in support of a company that refuses to provide the game for you. When the money gets to them from your import purchase they don't know that it was from a US fan. They are having their cake and eating it too.

I understand that there are practical business reasons for not localizing some games, but I have to say that I cease to feel guilty about pirating a game when the studio doesn't release it in my region. The second Last Window hits the US (on the 3rd of never) I'll buy my legal copy. The second Seiken Densetsu 3 gets a legit localization I'll fork over my money for that even though I finished it around a decade ago.

[NeoCracker]

I'm with you, I won't pay the extra prices for importing.

And i'm especially with you on Seiken Densetsu 3, cause that game is the .

[Slothy]

Pretty much agree with you. Frankly, I see no reason to even purchase an imported copy unless it were in english and reasonably priced. Especially when it comes to older titles because unless it's still being published you're really just buying a used copy that supports no one but the guy selling it.

The way I see it, piracy when, there's no option to legitimately support something in the first place, can't really be considered piracy.

[Yeargdribble]

Pretty much agree with you. Frankly, I see no reason to even purchase an imported copy unless it were in english and reasonably priced. Especially when it comes to older titles because unless it's still being published you're really just buying a used copy that supports no one but the guy selling it.

The way I see it, piracy when, there's no option to legitimately support something in the first place, can't really be considered piracy.

With Last Window it could be argued that the price is reasonable (around $50 at some places) for an import EU copy. I kinda don't feel that it's reasonable, but it could be argued that I should be honor bound to pay significantly more than the average DS game cost since it is at least available in English.

[Slothy]

I guess that combined with the developer apparently going under makes the morality of it less clear cut. Frankly, I probably would pirate it myself if only because I doubt many of the people who worked on it will get much support from another sale now, assuming it's even still in production, and I can't see myself paying $50 for any hand held game (just way too much if you ask me). But if you wanted to have a physical copy I'd say you probably won't get a better price for something that will probably only get rarer from here.

[Loony BoB]

I rarely pirate games these days. Most of the games I play are on consoles and I don't like the idea of chipping personally. As for PC games, I only pirate games that I am interested in but not going to pay for. If I do enjoy a game enough, I buy it anyway - as was the case with Crysis.

I think they should release more demos like they used to. This is something which can allow people to try a game before they buy it. If they did this with more PC games out there, I'd definitely pirate even less.

I think I've pirated about 3-4 PC games in the last three years, and have probably downloaded a couple of ROMs. I only recall one of them, though (FFV, which I will inevitably buy at some point as I really enjoy it, but hopefully not on the existing console options).

If there is a game that is simply not available in my area, I will first check to see if it's going to be available in my area (ie is in development or is an inevitable release on PSN etc) and if not, then I'll pirate it. A good example of a game not available where I am is Xenogears. It's available in North America but not Europe. I have no idea why this is.

[Madame Adequate]

With digital distribution and a globalizing economy, as far as I am concerned there is no excuse not to release things worldwide. Why do you think even Final Fantasy has simultaneous global releases now, when Squaresoft used to be among the worst offenders? I have no sympathy for those who don't adapt to the situation and I have no compunction about pirating something that they aren't giving me a legitimate avenue of purchasing.

[sharkythesharkdogg]

I agree with everyone here about pirating video games that simply aren't made available to through reasonable means. Whether it's a release limited by region, or if it's simply such an old game you can't find it. Usually at that point the system it's on is also a relic.

[Old Manus]

What about pirating games that are simply not worth the 40 quid investment? I'm looking at you, FIFA $NUM/Black Cops

[Yeargdribble]

What about pirating games that are simply not worth the 40 quid investment? I'm looking at you, FIFA $NUM/Black Cops

This gets into a grey area (that I think I have already flirted with). What a game is worth is extremely subjective. You could justify every instance of piracy by following this line to its ultimate conclusion.

Red Dead Redemption isn't worth $60. I'll pirate it.

Super Meat Boy has old school graphics and isn't worth $15. I'll pirate it.

The reason I find this most suspect is that a non-developer is far from the best person to judge how much the work of countless people is worth.


Where my particular situation specifically departs from this is that I don't think the cost of importing on top of the game's retail price is worth it for me to grab Last Window legitimately. Simultaneously, I feel that I'm punishing a publisher for not putting the game out in my region. I don't want to reward them with my cash if they don't want to release in my region. As someone noted, this is a little more borderline considering the company went under and that's probably largely to blame for the lack of NA localization.

However, to me that essentially moves it into the dead console category. I pirate very old games and games that are very rare without much guilt. I'm not exactly helping the publishers or developers when I spent $80+ on a GBA or DS game simply because it's rare as crap due to a limited production run. Hell, buying second hand doesn't do them any favors either.


I'd love to move more toward digital distribution (as much as I love boxes) simply because I'll be happier giving more to the makers and less to the retailers. It sickens me that a retailer gets roughly 12 bucks from a 60 dollar game.

[sharkythesharkdogg]

Then there's the old "rare" games that some collectors jack the price up on.

I'm looking at you Super Mario RPG. A used copy averages $50 bucks. What?!?

Go price a new copy in the box.

EDIT: yeargdribble beat me to this point, but it's a valid one

[Slothy]

It sickens me that a retailer gets roughly 12 bucks from a 60 dollar game.

Not only that but they'll happily buy it back from you for half what it's worth if you're lucky and resell it at $5 off the price of a new copy.

[Loony BoB]

I agree that they can overdo it, but at the same time I keep in mind that these same retailers are the ones that allow people in my locality to have jobs. Not only that, they allow me to get physical copies of games easier and faster (early pre-ordered deliveries excepted). And despite their pricing, they still close down fairly often, showing that despite what money they are supposedly making, they certainly aren't paying their employees a bucketload of cash so I'm not sure where the supposed money they are laundering is going to.

Just playing devil's advocate, really. Sometimes these 'evil' retailers can be pretty handy.

[Peegee]

Imagine if Super Mario Bros 2 were never translated and imported from Japan to be playable in the SNES - what would you do? The only way is to buy a famicom and the game cartridge nowadays, or download a rom which takes a few minutes.

I'm not saying the reason to do it is cost (then you would basically say piracy is okay bc you are poor/lazy), but that I like to use nonsense to justify your position

[nik0tine]

I justify piracy the same way I justify driving a car or not voting. It may be harmful en mass, but no individual act of piracy has any apparent consequences. Therefore, I pirate without a guilty conscience.