I just registered to jump into this discussion.

I have been a user of pirated software for 11 years now, and I'm not about to ditch pirated software soon.

It's not about the suckiness of the software, or the support for the little people. It's all about accessibility. I was not raised in any well-to-do environment. Even before the 1997 financial crisis, games still cost 2.8 times the amount than with US dollars. That meant that any new games at the time that normally retailed for US$30 to US$50 were still costing around RM100 here, it was and still is too pricey.

Because of pirated software, I was acquainted to the Need for Speed series since its early years when The Need for Speed: Special Edition was released in 1996. Because of pirated software, I was introduced to C&C: Red Alert in 1996, and inadvertently explored the rest of the entire C&C series the following years. Because of pirated software, I was able to identify virtually most classic Sim games between the DOS version of the first SimCity to SimEarth to SimGolf when I obtained an illegal Sim game compilation in 1998, and the first generation vanilla The Sims and expansions from 2000 to 2003, all without feeling like I wasted my money in the long run.

I had tried to support original software at one point. When I wanted a Best Seller CD of the Windows SimCity in 1998 from PC@Home(?) at the former Hankyu Jaya in Bangsar, I had to fork out about RM25 to get it. Suffice to say, that was still rather pricey for a 7-year old game, and didn't encourage me to pursue original games. Furthermore, I was intimidated by the prices of newer games, which still hover around the RM120 range. Another discouraging fact is that the same games depreciate and lose 50% of their value in just five years, so you stand to lose a lot of money in the long run if you own any such games.

Again, I decided to give original software a shot. I dropped by Mid Valley last month and came across the EA Classic repackaging of SimIsle, a 1995 game that should had been in a bargain bin price (RM10), but is still sold at a whopping RM38. The game was sold at roughly the same price in another mall that I didn't bother to remember. It's ridiculous! Compared to the SimCity game I got in 1998, games became more expensive because of the weakened ringgit!

I'm not prepared to take the first step until the software prices go down to around the RM50 range. Do what you guys must, but still I owe a lot to pirate software to turn to the other side in the near future.

Regards.

This post has been edited by Parrot: Apr 11 2007, 08:45 PM

DotA is only a map that requires at least WarCraft III, an unfree game. DotA AllStars requires an additional Frozen Throne expansion pack, another unfree software.

This post has been edited by Parrot: Apr 11 2007, 09:35 PM

I was ten in 1996. I graduated from college in December 2006, but it's not easy to find a stable job with only an IT degree.

When I do actually begin earning a relatively good salary, I might change my stance, but for now, this is my view of things. I'm actually eager to start buying some original software and even a game console if I receive enough money (Spore, in particular, comes into mind).

I'm just annoyed by the fact that the value of the ringgit is shit, the software's pricing is ridiculous high, the number of software available is limited, limiting the demand for original software in Malaysia. Not much has also been done to clarify the prospects of cheaper original software if software piracy in Malaysia is addressed, so I have every reason to be suspicious that software companies will not fulfill their promises to lower prices even after every software pirate in the country is driven to the sea.

This post has been edited by Parrot: Apr 12 2007, 02:08 AM

Well, my allowance was basically enough for meals and transport during my school and college years. The rest were deposited by my parents to a bank account for a rainy day. I never questioned it, so I usually spent what I was given on things that I needed. Any money that I managed to save from my lunch and transport allowance were used to buy pirated games.