Piracy of new Games today on the ZX Spectrum and Next

[oO cozy Oo]

I did this as a Kid back in the 80`s, some of my friends had well off parents so they had all the best games. I would borrow them and do a tape to tape copy, most of the time it did work
I was so young I did`nt care really, young and free.But now as I`m an adult now and know the wrongs and rights, Is it still bad of me to get software which I did`nt pay for? If some of the games on the next and zx spectrum offered free demos and the games where good I would pay. But most do not and watching a game on Youtube is`nt the same.I have found a site where I can get all the games for the Next and Spectrum and I have been playing them and to be honest and I know people have spent a long time making these games but Its not like they are Xbox or PS4/5 and some of them are £14??? So is it bad of me to keep them? Don`t flame me as I think we have all done it in the past.........Do you still pirate games???

[Daveysloan]

[oO cozy Oo]

I know the games that are only a donation or a few $ £ or Euro is fine, Im getting at the ones that are Plus £10 or more....

[Einar Saukas]

But now as I`m an adult now and know the wrongs and rights

If you know...

Is it still bad of me to get software which I did`nt pay for?

... then why are you asking?

[segasonicfan]

Einar makes a good point.

Personally, I think it has to do with if you can afford it or not. As a kid, I had to live off of $20/week (somehow!) lol, I had no money for games and downloaded what I could. As an adult, if I have a stable income and my rent is paid, what's a few bucks for an awesome Speccy title? and it supports the making of more games

oh, I forgot to say daveysloan's image is absolutely priceless. Reminds me of the intro skit on that episode of IT Crowd.

-Segasonicfan

[stupidget]

When I had a PS1 and a PS2 I used to play mainly 'backup' games. I would spend ages in various newsgroups downloading BIN files, applying various cracks to them, burning them to DVD's as some painfully low speed to only find that games like Final Fantasy X would get to a certain point in the game and start streaming off the DVD, making it pretty much unplayable. It was only when I had a PS3, and the fact that Firmware checks were done over the internet, that I stopped pirating games. I know you can jailbreak a PS3 but you're limited to a certain FW version and these days I just can't be arsed. I managed to jailbreak both my PSP and Vita's but that was more to see what all the fuss was about.

These days I've got a digital only PS5 and I really have no intention of attempting to jailbreak that.

Getting a threatening letter from FAST (Federation Against Software Theft) back in 2000 probably helped in me seeing the error of my ways

What I used to find is that if I was playing a 'backup' game and I couldn't get passed a certain part I'd just stop and play something else. What I find these days is that I think 'Well I've spent £70 on this and I'm going to get my monies worth' unless it's something truly dire. I've completed more games on my PS4 & PS5 than I ever did on the Speccy, PS1 or PS2.

It's the same with VIdeos/DVD's. BITD our house was filled with copied VHS tapes and DVD, but with the advent of streaming services it's very much a case of 'can't be arsed with the faff'.

[segasonicfan]

I relate to playing the P?s? out of games just because they cost me a lot. "I spent so much on it, so I better finish!" Even if I'm not enjoying it at all anymore

I love that speccy devs give the option of smaller donations. It's a win-win if you don't love the game (and if you do, can chip in more like I did for Castlevania

[AndyC]

It's worth bearing in mind that nobody is making a profit on these games. It's done as a labour of love and has inevitably cost the developers far more in time and effort than they could ever make back. Pirating them is really just a bit of a kick in the teeth for doing something generous to the community in the first place.

[Alessandro]

Completely agree with @AndyC. No one in their right mind would ever think about making a profit out of Spectrum games - apart from the proverbial pack of Rolos (or whatever candies you fancy, Ricolas and Golias in my case).

[Nienn Heskil]

Yes, you're practically Hitler. Yw

[catmeows]

No, I don't but I'm in my late 40s, having a good job.
On other side, I don't understand why anyone is selling Spectrum games this days.

[Alessandro]

On other side, I don't understand why anyone is selling Spectrum games this days.

Well it's not "anyone", the majority of contemporary authors (including yours truly) just encourage you to give a small optional donation.

Anyway - I shall give my motivation for it. When I put Italia 1944 on sale back in 2021, it was mostly as an experiment - to gauge whether people would have given even as little as € 3 for it - and for all the effort I put in it, it was my most ambitious project at the time. I also planned to reinvest the money I got from it for supporting other developers on itch.io - call it a sort of circular economy if you wish. There was also a time when I gave all proceeds to charity, namely to the UNHCR. Of course that's just my point of view, but since you ask...

[voxeltower]

My games are free with the option to donate. I do it as a hobby and I don't intend to make 8-bit games for a living in 2023.
If you feel like buying me a beer for playing my game, I'll be happy to drink it.
But I also understand developers who put a price on games (even if it is small), because when games are free players tend to see that they are bad games by default, while if they pay (even if it is very little pay) they get certain value and tend to play them longer and see them for what they really are.

[catmeows]

I also planned to reinvest the money I got from it for supporting other developers on itch.io - call it a sort of circular economy if you wish. There was also a time when I gave all proceeds to charity, namely to the UNHCR. Of course that's just my point of view, but since you ask...

Ok, taking few extra bucks and pass them further makes sense. What I meant, that considering how much time you invest into programming, design, drawing pictures, making final build etc etc etc, making games for retro platform is probably even less profitable than writing poetry. (Well, I'm not sure, perhaps you can make some money by making games for NES or Gameboy).

[XTM]

I've completed more games on my PS4 & PS5 than I ever did on the Speccy, PS1 or PS2.

That's because in case of these modern games where you don't really have a "game over" anymore, it is not a question IF you can complete them, but WHEN.

[stupidget]

The point I was trying to get across was the fact that if I’d not paid for the games I’d have been less inclined to finish. The fact that any games I’ve played on my ps3,4 & 5 have all been paid for then I’m more likely to finish them because they’ve cost me hard earned cash. Playing copied games cheapens them to the point where I used to think ‘well, I’ve not paid for this so I can’t be arsed to finish it’.

Yes many modern games are far more story driven and essentially give you unlimited attempts to compete them, but for me I want to see how the story pans out. The Last of Us 1 &2 are utterly brilliant games and I finished both because I was utterly engrossed and to a lesser degree I felt the same with Diablo 4. Had I not paid for these games and got the slightest bit bored/frustrated playing them then I’d have probably dumped them and played something else.

[Jbizzel]

I don't think you should steal the work of these little guys.

Play the entire spectrum back catalogue for free if you want.

There is no reason to pirate these games from very small teams.


At the end of the day collecting is an instinct. You make a pact with god - I will not die if I have a massive collection of stuff. It's hardwired into your caveman brain. But then you are like a drug addict never enjoying your collection, only collecting more and more. In the end, death comes despite your kingly pile.

Pay for it, and play it properly.

I have made a couple of games, nothing special. I have seen some of them posted online without even a mention of me. Feels like crap.

When someone downloads a free game you spent months making and then messages to say 'make this list of changes, then you will have a good game' - IE: please spend months making a game exactly to my taste and then give it to me for free....

Feels like crap too.

When you make a little game and a couple of people 'buy you a coffee ' ect it feels amazing. Not the money, but the appreciation.

It REALLY motivates you. Like, ok, I'm making another game and it's going to be even better than the last.

I find some pirate site with my game there for download and I think "I'm going to sell all my spectrums and delete my retro based accounts and do something where I feel valued."

It feels like crap.

[oO cozy Oo]

@Jbizzel I Know if a game is worth playing its worth buying. But I`m not on my own as I`ve had PM asking for the links, other people feel the same I think and its a same but thats the world we live in

[Seven.FFF]

If you're a retro enthusiast then the devs are your people. Why would you crap on them? It's like going to see a band, and sneakily breaking their guitar. Just don't play the game if you don't want to buy it.

[Dr beep]

Mostly my games come for free.
I got requests to release games on tape so now I have done a mix of free games and games for sale at Cronosoft.

Personally I think users may give a bit more feedback on the games they get for free. It takes me more time to code the game than it takes for you to load the game.

[Jbizzel]

Mostly my games come for free.
I got requests to release games on tape so now I have done a mix of free games and games for sale at Cronosoft.

Personally I think users may give a bit more feedback on the games they get for free. It takes me more time to code the game than it takes for you to load the game.

One of the best experiences I had was with Colour Beyond Time - a text adventure I made. I had lots of really interesting feedback on that game, not just from spectrum users but from other text adventure forums.

I made every change that was suggested (except one - you know who you are ), fixed every bug found. I really enjoyed the engagement and it fired me up to work harder on it than if I was simply doing it for my own amusement.

Meaningful feedback is the best!

[Nitrowing]

I buy the odd Spectrum game even though I never play them - sometimes they look like so much effort has gone in that I'm basically buying them a coffee to say "Thanks".
I've been burned by the music and games industries by paying top whack and receiving utter sh*te (Fallout76 ??) and find myself much less conflicted with running my "evaluation copy" of Baldur's Gate 3 - if I'd paid £50 for that I'd have been ripped off, it's a £30 game max.

[Jbizzel]

I wait for every game to be out a long time, then buy it second hard at it's "true value".

Soon this will be impossible as the age of ownership comes to an end.