One of our residential Associate Editors, Dale North posed this question in his front page piece: "Would Sony be shooting themselves in the foot by fixing this piracy problem?" and while that question is the correct question to ask correlating to his PSP post, the question that popped in my head when I read his article was "When are we going to call piracy by it's rightful terminology..theft?" Whether piracy fuels sales or not of the PSP is irrelevant, what is relevant is the constant romanticizing of theft online as piracy. You are stealing something be it a game or application that you didn't pay for, right? Whether you feel the platform of choice is lacking in games, their software is priced too much, or the availability and ease of use of perpetuating the act of piracy easy, it still boils down to the same thing: stealing.


So easy to get..so tempting.

People tend to think that because it's on the Internets, it's not really an act of theft or that you are not essentially breaking the law. How can it be breaking the law when it's so bloody easy to do? So rampant? Let us make an analogy here: You go into a Best Buy or Walmart and their display case where their games are is open, for this scenario we will incorporate the notion that they have no security cameras or any form of a theft-preventive team in place. No one is around and it's a quick few steps to the exit. There are quite a few games that catch your eye and you know that if you were to pick up a few games and fill your pockets, none would be the wiser. What would you do?


Ninja Gaiden II? Wow..

Chances are, you would walk away..without those games in your pocket? Why? Is it because the act of theft on a tangible plane more real ? That if you can physically touch or grab it all the more damning to you morally? Why yes, yes it is. How about the opposite of that scenario? Let's rewind: you would take said games and walk out and enjoy them, snickering to yourself. Too too easy. What a loot I unearthed there, matey. It's not shoplifting or theft.. it's piracy. A better ring to it plus it has a sessy thing vibe to it.


260 Arcade Neo Geo Roms.. I can convince myself it's not stealing, darnnit!!

Say what you will about piracy, take any stand for or against it, but ultimately it's wrong. And like retail stores that adjust prices for shrink/theft, the only ones that tend to feel the sting of these acts are the consumers who don't partake and either the prices of the games themselves reflect this or an entire platform that is loved will cease to exist, Dreamcast anyone? I guess people that pirate can console themselves with the cliche' ready to be launched excuses. They should have better security, they should have more games then, their own library is pathetic so let me help myself with something else, it's easy, it really is legal! Well that's one way of seeing it, no doubt.

Another way is plain old stealing. You're not Johhny Depp on the Black Pearl. You're that petty shoplifter at Walmart that hasn't got caught thinking to himself: I'm not a criminal. They're stupid for leaving that display case open. I'm an opportunist.. I'm a pirate damnit! .