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Kid pirates Xbox 360 games, gets banned, tells BBC photo

The BBC is hilarious when it tries to cover technology news, because it clearly has no idea what it's talking about, especially with videogames. Case in point: A kid got banned from Xbox Live because he was pirating a game. Not only does the BBC let him look sympathetic and act like he didn't deserve it, but they give him a column to cry about the situation!

"At first I was in shock," explains BBC Radio One listener Raz. "I mean it's always at the back of your head using pirate games you know there's that possibility but you haven't heard about it, there's been no warnings and you haven't heard it happen to anyone in the last two years.

"I wasn't expecting it. I was just like, 'OK, what do I do now? Is this just a joke?' So I thought, 'Let me restart the Xbox'. I restarted, signed in again, same message. I did that three times, same message. I was pulling my hair out thinking, 'No, why me?"

Why you? Um, maybe because you, I dunno, pirated Xbox 360 games and then was stupid enough to log onto Xbox Live!?

"It's like telling someone their dog's just died," he continues. "... I've probably saved about £600 and I've copied roughly 30 or 40 games. A lot of them I've downloaded or I've taken off friends that have downloaded themselves. To be honest, I've contemplated whether to move to Playstation 3 or buy another Xbox. I wouldn't do it again but I really don't know if I'm going to get the Xbox again now."

Yes, how dare Microsoft refuse to deal with people who steal from their publishers!? The outrage! Seriously, this article is unbelievable, and I'm amazed the BBC is hosting it. I could understand if he was banned for no reason, as happened to me once, but to whine because you ripped Microsoft off and got caught is ludicrous. I'm sure Roman Polanski's thinking "Why did I do to deserve this?" as well.


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81 comments | showing # 1 to 50

Carl Sagan's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/11/2009 14:42
Carl Sagan
Wow. I can't believe this was published.
PreacherMan89's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/11/2009 14:43
PreacherMan89
Haha, damn. That is fail.
fuze54's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/11/2009 14:45
fuze54
BBC = joke topic thread
I mean seriously, these idiots are just bogging down human evolution. Where is natural selection when you need it?
TimmiT9's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/11/2009 14:47
TimmiT9
Non-gaming sites doing gaming articles never dissapoint on being retarded.
Most of the time.
KelvinG's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/11/2009 14:48
KelvinG
Arrgh.....
Amnesiac's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/11/2009 14:49
Amnesiac
The gene pool. It needs to be cleaned.
Dexter345's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/11/2009 14:49
Dexter345
Hahah, "Why me?" Dumbass.
CtMythic's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/11/2009 14:50
CtMythic
My cousin chipped his release 360 when it red ringed for the 4th time, it hasn't done it since. About 2 weeks ago, it was banned from Live even though not one pirated game was played on it. He has an Elite with a similar chip that wasn't caught, so he uses that instead. I think that although this 'Raz' person is clearly an idiot who got what he deserves, piracy isn't Microsoft's main target in this recent ban wave, preventing superior hardware making there console obsolete is.
mxdirector's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/11/2009 14:51
mxdirector
@CtMythic
agreed. look at what they did with third party hard drives.
They dont want users doing shit with their console.
ThaJinx's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/11/2009 14:54
ThaJinx
Thank God. I read this article this morning and thought I had woken up to a world that had gone mad; it felt like my brain had bled out of my ears in my sleep. Easily the dumbest column I've ever read; they wrote the word "piracy" into the article themselves, so why the sympathetic portrayal in the form of giving the guy the space to state his own case?

@CtMythic
See, that is a fair thing to complain about. There should be some investigation and discretion involved, I agree. But that's not really what the BBC's article seems to be about. "Woe unto me, I openly admit that I stole games but then I got banned" sounds a lot like "BAWWWWW" to me.
Clayton S Chan's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/11/2009 14:54
Clayton S Chan
The link to the Beeb article appears to be busted, so here's the one I found.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/technology/newsid_10000000/newsid_10002900/10002915.stm
Harris Hatsworth's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/11/2009 14:55
Harris Hatsworth
While the article is an embarrassment it does a good job showcasing the pirate mentality. He says "I've save 600 pounds" while anyone not clouding themselves with cognitive dissonance would say "You stole 600 pounds worth of games".
KingSigy's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/11/2009 14:55
KingSigy
Haha, this is hilarious. Damn BBC, your comedy is so funny but your serious articles fail.
Wheatspin's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/11/2009 14:56
Wheatspin
@mxdirector: The reason they banned 3rd party hard drives was to keep pirating down. Idiot.

@CtMythic: You're just plain dumb.
WormFOODx's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/11/2009 14:56
WormFOODx
@mxdirector and CtMythic
Exactly. They voided their warranty and only warranties that are valid can play on Xbox Live. It is just one way they attempt to make a tamper free online service.

I'm with M$. Ban them. If you want to pirate that is at your own risk, but do so knowing you will never be the same again and will have less features.
ace of knaves's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/11/2009 14:56
ace of knaves
Wow, what a whiny little bitch.
Sharpless's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/11/2009 14:58
Sharpless
Yeah, that's an absolutely ludicrous article. I wonder if they'd be as sympathetic to someone who'd pirated either music, movies, or BBC television programs.
Trebz's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/11/2009 14:58
Trebz
When one of my dogs dies, I'll say it's as if someone told me I got banned from Xbox Live.
JulianProxy's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/11/2009 14:58
JulianProxy
I look at it this way: it's not like they disabled his console from playing pirated games. They enforced their terms of service for something other than his Xbox 360 this time. I rarely say it (though I do more often for the games division), I side with MS on this one.
Anastu's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/11/2009 14:58
Anastu
@Amnesiac

Needs more chlorine.
urahara's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/11/2009 14:59
urahara
Hmm after reading the actual article BBC link that works I've a few points to add.

1) Raz is 25, and dumb.
2)He uses arguments that other people cant afford the games so he shouldnt have to pay...therefore is a moron.
3) Newsbeat is a news site aimed at under 30s (not that successfully I admit,and is more a comment place (like Destructoid but with less knowledge) rather than the news section.

TBH he's a dumb moron who managed to get his side of the story out there. The fact it makes it obvious that he's a dumb moron crybaby is due to the fact that he shouldn;t have been doing it.

If Newsbeat had interviewed someone who modded their console for a different reason, then we wouldn't have cared either way, but at least Raz wouldn't be on my list of people to ban from the internet forever.

Note to self make list of people to ban from the internet write the word Raz, get a nice hot cocoa.
Bigmoose85's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/11/2009 14:59
Bigmoose85
I support this kid
GamesAreArt's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/11/2009 15:02
GamesAreArt
@harris my thoughts exactly
Zergling Love's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/11/2009 15:08
Zergling Love
I support this thief, also Roman Polanski. Seriously, free Polanski. The man settled with the victim there is no reason to go after him, even the victim says so.

To support him I bought all of his movies on DVD.
timtheterrible's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/11/2009 15:09
timtheterrible
Dead link is dead.
DaedHead8's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/11/2009 15:10
DaedHead8
What Sharpless said.
akathatoneguy's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/11/2009 15:11
akathatoneguy
I hope that none of you criticizing this dude are the same people who excuse piracy of PC games for any of the stupid reasons such as "this is how I fight against DRM, dur-hurr".

Saying you can't afford games, they're too expensive, MS is evil or any other dumb thing as a justification for pirating games is no dumber of an argument than saying it's okay to do it because you disagree with DRM that only exists because people pirate games.
Cataract's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/11/2009 15:19
Cataract
"... I've probably stolen about £600 and I've stolen roughly 30 or 40 games."

Fixed.
Jaffacakelover's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/11/2009 15:22
Jaffacakelover
Sweet zombie jesus!
It's a good thing that article doesn't have an 'add comment' function.
YDI YOU MASSIVE TOOL!
Diverse's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/11/2009 15:25
Diverse
"Is this just a joke?"

Yeah, Microsoft went out of their way to pull a prank on you! Good show.
Tarvu's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/11/2009 15:26
Tarvu
The guy's an idiot. People are within their rights to chip their consoles for this purpose, but they need to understand that they they exchange their right to play online with the console.
KwikPwn's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/11/2009 15:26
KwikPwn
This just in: MS doesn't like it when you steal their software. What a shitty pirate.
DinnertimeNinja's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/11/2009 15:27
DinnertimeNinja
Wow. This isn't like some young kid getting a pirated copy from a friend and then getting banned or something possibly not warranted like that.

This is a 25 year old MAN who stole 30-40 current gen games BY HIS OWN ADMISSION and says he didn't expect any repercussions.

I can only assume that his Xbox Live behavior was EQUALLY as retarded and I thank Microsoft for performing a service that ultimately benefits us all.
Everyday Legend's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/11/2009 15:39
Everyday Legend
Ahh, the civilized western world, always quickest to give a megaphone to the retarded kids.
Korolev's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/11/2009 15:40
Korolev
This is serious business.

Oh at first it's banning pirates. Soon enough they'll be putting robbers in small, confined cells with metal bars, segregated from the public! Then they'll pass laws saying that you can't punch old ladies in the face!

This is all a plot by the government to implement some sort of Orwellian nightmare state! The horror of it all!

I mean what's next, the coppers are going to come after me because I stole that Ferrari!? I mean, I was never going to buy it anyway, right, so no sale lost! Or what about when I steal electricity - I was never going to pay for it anyway!

This poor young man is a HERO being OPPRESSED by BIG GAME INDUSTRY! How ELSE could he possibly accrue the 30 to 40 games EVERY SINGLE PERSON NEEDS in order to sustain themselves!? Games are a vital part of a daily diet didn't you know! It's not like you could just...... not have them!
chrissmith9c's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/11/2009 15:45
chrissmith9c
hahahahaha best pirate story ever
Nitex's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/11/2009 15:50
Nitex
Well anything against MS I support! Pirate away good men of the sea!
Drowning Rabbit's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/11/2009 15:53
Drowning Rabbit
@DinnertimeNinja

I don't know who I'm more appalled at... The BBC for running the story, or for the guy going to the BBC and then publicly stating that he stole at least £600 of software.
Mr Pibb's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/11/2009 15:53
Mr Pibb
I love this bit:

"I still think they should lower the prices. There are 16-year-old kids out there, they don't earn money so they go screaming to their parents saying, 'Can you buy me this game?' Fair enough, one game once in a while but the amount of games coming out, good games, everyone wants to play them all. And for them to pay £50 a game?"

This is what I hate most about pirates, their bullshit excuses and ridiculous sense of entitlement.
Your Moms Hot Lover's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/11/2009 15:54
Your Moms Hot Lover
If I was MSoft I'd push to get him arrested. Seriously. There is no difference between stealing games and any other form of property.
dolson's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/11/2009 15:55
dolson
Yeah, good luck trying to steal PS3 games, buddy. Most stores have security cameras these days.
The-Excel's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/11/2009 15:57
The-Excel
He should be canned just for having the gall to confess to his crime on a public news station.
Kaggen's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/11/2009 16:00
Kaggen
Haha oh god, the stupidity... tears run down my face as I laugh at this kid :D I can just imagine the sadface when people downloaded Modern warefare2 like two weeks before launch and logged on xbox live. Oh god I love stupid kids, what would the world laugh at if they didn't exist ^^
Im OK's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/11/2009 16:00
Im OK
If only more pirates would get the banhammer like this (or worse), especially when something this amazingly hilarious comes out of it. Oh the delicious, whiny tears of ultimate butthurt on display here, how glorious they are.

This child (and he is a snot-nosed little child, no matter his physical age) is the among whiniest of whiny little douchebag bitches. Boo hoo, he got caught. I love it. My schadenfreude is most satiated.

Really, I'm glad the BBC was retarded and ran with this, in this case. Anyone with a shred of common sense can only read this and laugh uproariously. Anyone who actually takes this seriously, or somehow feels sorry for this asshat, is likely just another fuckwit pirate who fully deserves to have liquid, greenish-yellow shit sprayed full blast into their gaping mouths.
Im OK's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/11/2009 16:07
Im OK
Also,

To be honest, I've contemplated whether to move to Playstation 3

Yes, because Sony will like it so much more when he starts pirating PS3 games. Oh, I fervently hope to see another story from this same kid in a month or so, wondering why, oh why, he got banned from PSN.

This kid is a true gem.
Cartman's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/11/2009 16:15
Cartman
I saw a pirate on the train the other day.
mrsatan's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/11/2009 16:26
mrsatan
@Wheatspin Are you kidding me? You can't do anything to a harddrive that makes it more secure against piracy. Microsoft just wants the sales from their official licensed products. Who would buy one of the official drives, when you could just pop in one from an online store for cheap.
mistic's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/11/2009 16:27
mistic
Yes, because Sony will like it so much more when he starts pirating PS3 games. Oh, I fervently hope to see another story from this same kid in a month or so, wondering why, oh why, he got banned from PSN.

afaik you can't even play any copied games on the PS3 due to the absolute mental security-settings that Sony had put on there... guess they learned their lesson with the PSP...

as for this guy... I really can't describe how pissed of this type of people make me... I work my ass off, but since I'm paying of our appartement and I'm trying to save a little money, I really can't get a LOT of great games out there... only game I bought this last 2 months was Forza 3, no Borderlands, no MW2, not any of the other great ones that has come out in recent weeks... And I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in this situation, yet I refuse to pirate these games since it IS theft. Some of these jerks even boast about it when they play online, and then I really wish M$ and Sony would implement a feature where you can 'tag' someone so they know that they should check this guy's xbox/ps3 out and then they can ban him for 9999 years :-)

BBC should really take better care about what filth they put online... I think it's an outrage that a 'news'-source like this is actually rooting for pirates. Everyone should print that article and if ever one of your friends gets in trouble for pirating, you can cite the BBC and show that companies should NEVER punish somebody for stealing from them :-)
brainderailment's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/11/2009 16:30
brainderailment
They didn't even take the time to edit his column.

"I mean it's always at the back of your head using pirate games you know there's that possibility but you haven't heard about it" <<<<What the fuck does that mean?
&
"It's like telling someone their dog's just died,"
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