VIDEO GAME PIRACY
BLOOMBERG NEWS
Saturday, May 23, 2009
SAN FRANCISCO — Piracy, long a scourge of the music and movie industries, has beset one of the biggest video game releases of the year.
Electronic Arts Inc.'s "The Sims 3," scheduled to go on sale June 2, was downloaded at least 180,000 times from May 18 to May 21, according to BigChampagne, a company that monitors file sharing. That outpaces the 400,000 downloads over three weeks for Electronic Arts' "Spore," the most-pirated game of 2008.
"That's an impressive number," said Joe Fleischer, the head of marketing and co-founder of BigChampagne. "If people want the content and can download it on the Internet, which is pretty much all content types, they are going to do it."
"Sims" games have sold more than 100 million copies since 2000, more than any other titles for personal computers.
The availability of "Sims 3" on the Internet highlights the difficulty that video game companies have keeping products under wraps until the official release, just like their counterparts in film and music.
"That's the nature of the business these days," Evan Wilson, an industry analyst at Pacific Crest Securities Inc. "PC games are available before they are released. That's an issue they have been dealing with for some time."
Last year, piracy accounted for 41 percent of installed PC software, according to the Business Software Alliance.
On the Pirate Bay file-sharing site, users traded comments on downloading "The Sims 3,"
a game in which users build and maintain virtual communities.
"More Sims! Can't ... afford ... buying," a downloader named "Pengy" wrote in a comment on May 20.
"Great upload thanks," user "tj01" wrote on May 19. "Still going to buy it when it comes out though."
Copies of the game available on file-sharing Web sites aren't the full version, according to Electronic Arts.
"The pirated version is a buggy, pre-final build of the game," Holly Rockwood, a company spokeswoman, said in an e-mailed statement. "It's not the full game. Half the world — an entire city — is missing from the pirated copy."
The company chose to release the game without digital rights management, coding that makes software harder to copy. Electronic Arts came under criticism from users last year when "Spore," a game designed by "Sims" creator Will Wright, included protections that limited the number of copies.
The code was cracked, and "Spore" became the most-pirated title of 2008 with 1.7 million downloads, according to TorrentFreak.com, a German Web site that tracks downloads.
"The Sims 2," released in September 2004, was second with 1.15 million downloads last year, and Ubisoft Entertainment SA's "Assassin's Creed" was third with 1.1 million downloads.
The current number of illegal downloads of "The Sims 3" suggests lost retail sales of $9 million to date, based on the $49.99 starting price.
"The Sims 3" is the biggest computer game release of the year, Pacific Crest's Wilson said. He projects Electronic Arts will sell 2.5 million copies in June, fewer than the 3 million "Sims 2"
sold in the first two weeks, in part because of piracy.
The Entertainment Software Association, the trade group for the video game industry, estimates file-sharing costs companies billions of dollars a year.
The number of people who are downloading "The Sims 3" is impressive because the file is at least five times larger than a movie, said BigChampagne's Fleischer.
"It's an enormous file," Fleischer said. "You're waiting a long time to download this game."
------Yes-I-am-a-line-:)------
My personal Comment:
I love computer games XD!
My second Comment:
The Sims is always one of the greatest games in my entire life :)
My third Comment:
No worries Will Wright, I will definitely pay you even though I dled it :P
I am wonderfully glad and willing to pay for good games =) Sims, Hitman, Warcraft and more! :D
People like to be simple,
but a plain easy life is definitely not enough for me.
of course, i want to write a lot.
finally, a new entry!
I have so much to say yet don't know where to start
Still writing like a child eh?
the tone, I say, the paragraphing
------Yes--!--I--am--a--line--
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Dreaming my very self playing golf
cold drinks
in a car
The mild wind is breathing
HIT the ball
weeeee
------Yes--!--I--am--a--line--
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Then, he said "I just want to tell you, you are the best best best best, best roommate I could ever possibly have."
Then I told him he's stupid, and we chatted after the light was off, it was 2 am.
Then I smiled and accepted this wonderful complement.
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And then she came and hugged me "SEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEBBBB"
"Weirdo", "Warcraft Freak"
Then we had shrimps together, sometimes we had rice, and sometimes we had chemistry online tests.
Then I hugged her back.
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Then I told her, her hair was not the best.
Then we thought we got scholarship, but actually we didn't.
Then she told me to study calculus, telling me that 20 minutes ain't enough.
Then she got a boyfriend, but told us nothing.
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Then she asked her friend to drive me to toronto.
Then she helped my biggest opponent in that monopoly game, then I beat them.
Then I took her popcorn.
Then she went back to Jamaica.
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Then what, warcraft of course.
Then we skipped class the next day.
One watched slamdunk dragonball with me till 7am.
Another one was writing his philosophy paper while I was making my biology poster.
Another one cooked for me, still remember the taste of the mushroom cream shrimp pasta.
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Then I need to study.
Then I went to the third floor "may I have the notes please?"
Then they woke me up and we went to creelman.
Then we had exams coming imminent.
Then we studied down stairs.
Then they asked me questions, so damn many stupid questions.
Then yet, the lady of kindness still thinks she is the smartest.
Then I took the that philipino chinese back to toronto.
------Yes--!--I--am--a--line--
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Latin - Welcome the arrival of the light from the sun.
Pop - Let us enjoy the leisure of the morning.
Rock - We can be a little bit crazy in the afternoon I guess.
Soothing - How comfortable to have mild wind in the dawn.
Jazz - Red wine, dinner, with Candles and The Lady before the day ends.
------Yes--!--I--am--a--line--
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"I am happy." He said.
Yeah, "I am satisfied." I replied.
Why not. I'm the lucky and gifted one.
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He is much better than he ever used to be.
Not bad, another alter-ego, I believe.
------Yes--!--I--am--a--line--
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HEY! SOUTH PARK > FAMILY GUY!
------Yes--!--I--am--a--line--
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I have grown, and am still growing.
"The happiest day in my life" is not "the day I die" anymore.
I now know what I want, I now know, I know.
------Yes--!--I--am--a--line--
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I was sitting on my bed.
A curely hair came into my room, sitting on the ground, leaning the door of my closet.
A monkey doll sat on my roommate's bed.
A single eyebrow, or whatever it is, with the piercing, pulled a chair to the centre of the room.
Conversation started.
------Yes--!--I--am--a--line--
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Neverwinter night 2 is a fantastic game if you ignore the control, graphics and high requirement.
------Yes--!--I--am--a--line--
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Cath is still the same.
Bryan is still gay.
Henry is still a pile of shit.
Crystal is still stupid.
Sashimi is still delicious.
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Kenny and Stanley, it's good to see you again.
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Damn, why did I pay for mushroom head...
she wasn't even mushroom head anymore...
Goddamn it...
------Yes--!--I--am--a--line--
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"This one's called analogic. Yeah it sounds fun, it's like the logic in your ass."
------Yes--!--I--am--a--line--
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Crystal said "the target is not uni, but knowledges and contributions beyond it..."
Very true, very nice. Finally I can see that she have grown.
Even though that's merely a tiny bit.
But more await.
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Can't believe that someone wanted to hold her stinky hand.
The humiliation of the man kind.
------Yes--!--I--am--a--line--
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"No one mess with me, or Coffee (tm) on his/her face."
------Yes--!--I--am--a--line--
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Yeah, we will decide what is our very own christmas tradition.
Will we skate? Will we count down?
A christmas meal is a must, however.
------Yes--!--I--am--a--line--
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Report:
1) Derek wanna stay in CIC for another year...
2) Joy, Emma, Helen said they will visit me...
3) Jason said hi...
Conjection/Foreseeing:
1) Joy and I will slap Derek in the face... XD
2) Emma will possibly be the only one I will meet... XD
3) Hi! to Jason... HELLO!! XD
------Yes--!--I--am--a--line--
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Philosophy, just one thing, I will be back, seriously.
------Yes--!--I--am--a--line--
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Lexi
Claire
I will always like the picture you gave me. It is just beautiful!
------Yes--!--I--am--a--line--
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When was that?
Before one of the 104 moved to 107.
Two 103 and a 104 were chatting, another 104 was snoring like a dead pig.
We had music on, small cups of red whine.
------Yes--!--I--am--a--line--
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Pig will always be my sunkissed trampoline
She goes up and down in my heart
Turned into jelly beans
*laugh*
Wished she's here beside me.
It makes my night even more wonderful
and starts my good morning when I open my eyes.
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*Sigh* she can't appreciate Hawaiian/Jazz/Latin/Beatles etc music.
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But of course, that is her herself, and is what I obsessed with.
------Yes--!--I--am--a--line--
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"WE ALL LIVE IN THE YELLOW SUBMERINE, YELLOW SUBMERINE, YELLOW SUBMERINE"
------Yes--!--I--am--a--line--
------ A wonderful night?
Shall I wait?
4 more months.
Or, I already have one,
with such memories.
And of course
I genuinely wish you,
to have this,
a very good night.
And Thank You, thank all of you
who involved in this entry,
making my night so spectacular
THANKS!
Your friend, I believe.
Sincerely, Seb
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Yes, it's surreal 