I despise anti-piracy adverts. I despise pretty much everything to do with the notion of "fighting piracy".
No, I don't hate artists, writers, filmmakers or game designers. I want them to do well for themselves.
But the entire pirate witch hunt (and I mean it, that's what it's escalating into) seems to me so much worse. Not because of any kind of legal reason, but because it's just so fucking stupid. Most these people don't have a clue what they're talking about and the rest are just assholes.
Really, from DRM to most anti-piracy adverts, it all feels like an attack on the viewer's character and an accusation against their morality, even once you ignore the parts that are outright propaganda.
With DRM, you essentially accuse your entire market of being thieves- AFTER they've paid for the product. If a car dealer started doing exactly what game publishers do with DRM, he'd basically be hiring a guy to follow you home after you buy the car, to make sure you don't try any funny business like lending it to your non-car-owning sister or something. It does exactly fuck all to the real "thieves" and only inconveniences the paying customer.
And the anti-piracy adverts. The unskippable ones that run before DVDs, and films in cinemas?
Preaching to the converted. It's just glaring angrily at paying customers and saying "I've got my eye on you...". It's also fucking annoying. No, these people are not going to kill your industry any more than cassette tape recorders destroyed the music industry back in the '80s. As Gabe Newell said, "Piracy is a service problem.", and if people aren't paying full price to see your damn movie it's not because they want to kick you in the balls, it's because something else is deterring them. Perhaps it's your prices. Perhaps its the fact the movie sucks ass. Perhaps it IS your annoying, morally-accusing adverts- pirates can edit those out, you know.
In my entire film-watching, music-listening, game-playing "career" as a law-abiding consumer, I have exactly once seen a *good* example of anti-piracy measures (Valve notwithstanding).
It was an advert that played on a rental DVD I got from LoveFilm (speaking of which, how does the rental industry not hurt the film/game industry in the same way piracy and preowned supposedly do?).
It simply said, "By purchasing this DVD, you are supporting the UK Film Industry! THANK YOU!". I felt all warm and fuzzy and really did feel sad that the film was a rental rather than one I'd actually bought.
That's how it's done, people. Don't treat paying customers like shit because you need a scapegoat for your shoddy service. Thank those customers for their commitment and help.
Your customers are not beneath you, consumers are not livestock and they do not depend on you. Some of them are smart and most of them don't like being screwed around.
Be nice to them. Don't rip them off. Let them know you appreciate their business.
Put customer loyalty before excess profits and do business with a smile, a handshake and a bit of good old fashioned integrity.
Bad service is piracy's greatest advertisement.
Sometimes I swear I'm practically the only person in the world who understands how to run a gorram business.
Aaand I'm done.
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