A long while back, I used to pirate games to play them. I was a kid, I didn't have a job, I had no money to buy games and the only way I could get those was asking them for my birthday and Xmas, which I did every year. But games are expensive and I'd only get one or two at a time. So when I learned I could get games for free without asking my parents for money, I instantly went for it. It started with copying PS1 discs that I borrowed from friends, then I got a GBC flash cart, then an X-Rom for the GBA etc.
Nowadays I have a job, an OK situation overall, so I buy games. Not a lot: I've only got like 4-5 games this year, but that's as much I'll play. In fact it changes the way I play completely. When I pirated I used to be able to get every game I wanted, so I'd just download a game that looked good, and if I didn't like the first minutes of it I'd drop it and try another, then another, etc. and I'd never end up really playing a lot of games. Now I try demos, and whenever I settle for a game I just buy it and enjoy every single minute of it.
I have to say, I love this new way of gaming. I wouldn't go back to piracy for anything in the world, except maybe if they region locked consoles real hard (I live in China and have to import games no matter what). I no longer have to feel guilty for playing games without paying for them. Every time I buy a game I feel excited, impatient to receive it and delighted to play it. It doesn't affect my budget much since I buy only 4 to 5 games a year, but it also means I only get to play a select few games and miss out on tons of things.
Besides, I don't usually get games as soon as they are released, save for games I cherish particularly such as Skyrim - got it preordered from Play Asia. For lesser games (in my books) such as LA Noire, Gears of war 3, I get them months if not years later: lets me save hundreds. I'll probably be getting myself LA Noire for Christmas, for less than 20 bucks sealed. Yeah I play games later than most people. Sure I miss out on some titles. And I don't usually get to play with people online since they play games early unlike me. But heck it's a whole new world for me in terms of gaming.
Nowadays I have a job, an OK situation overall, so I buy games. Not a lot: I've only got like 4-5 games this year, but that's as much I'll play. In fact it changes the way I play completely. When I pirated I used to be able to get every game I wanted, so I'd just download a game that looked good, and if I didn't like the first minutes of it I'd drop it and try another, then another, etc. and I'd never end up really playing a lot of games. Now I try demos, and whenever I settle for a game I just buy it and enjoy every single minute of it.
I have to say, I love this new way of gaming. I wouldn't go back to piracy for anything in the world, except maybe if they region locked consoles real hard (I live in China and have to import games no matter what). I no longer have to feel guilty for playing games without paying for them. Every time I buy a game I feel excited, impatient to receive it and delighted to play it. It doesn't affect my budget much since I buy only 4 to 5 games a year, but it also means I only get to play a select few games and miss out on tons of things.
Besides, I don't usually get games as soon as they are released, save for games I cherish particularly such as Skyrim - got it preordered from Play Asia. For lesser games (in my books) such as LA Noire, Gears of war 3, I get them months if not years later: lets me save hundreds. I'll probably be getting myself LA Noire for Christmas, for less than 20 bucks sealed. Yeah I play games later than most people. Sure I miss out on some titles. And I don't usually get to play with people online since they play games early unlike me. But heck it's a whole new world for me in terms of gaming.
)