MacGamer has published a thoughtful editorial dealing with software piracy, a controversial element of the gaming community that has been present since the first 2400-baud modem or the easily-transported 'floppy' disk. Supplemented by quotes from game developers, the editorial discusses game piracy, its possible impact on the gaming community at large, and methods being used to prevent the illegal copying or use of such software.

While few developers are willing or able to provide hard numbers on the actual effects of game piracy, their emotions towards the subject are quite clear. Here's an excerpt from the article:

Everybody who uses a computer is probably familiar with piracy. I'm certain many old-school gamers out there remember how "borrowed" disks of Dark Castle and Crystal Crazy circulated throughout the dorm or remember trying to photocopy the manual of Prince of Persia to thwart the copy-protection scheme in place. As the computer industry has grown, so has piracy, locking the developers and the pirates in conflict, damaging the industry, the developer, and the end-user. According to the Business Software Alliance, losses from piracy exceeded $12 billion worldwide in 1999 and topped $59 billion for the past five years. And with CD-R drives and broadband internet connections becoming more and more commonplace, piracy is becoming more and more of a problem.

Editorial on Game Piracy at MacGamer

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