10 Times Video Game Copy Protection Was Actually Fun

Piracy costs game developers billions every year. As such, many developers program anti-piracy measures into their games, which will attempt to block or ruin the experience for those who have picked up the title illegitimately. Just because you’re putting a stop to unlawful activity doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy yourself though, and so, for this video we’re looking at instances of developers having a bit of fun with their copy protection. Here are 10 Times Video Game Copy Protection Was Actually Fun!
VO: Peter Austin (@ThatPeterAustin)
Script: Simon Pike (@Sim198k)
#PrinceOfPersia #AlanWake #Skullgirls
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[@Sunprism]

I always like the Mirror's Edge copy protection. In a game about rooftop parkour, you're forced to slow to a walk the closer you get to a building edge, making it much more like a suicide simulator

[@shinjinaraku4251]

The chicken firing guns sounds like a mod one might download for laughs, except for the lack of damage.

[@BetterCallJamie]

Piracy yes is an issue for the smaller Devs, but when you get Triple A Publishers pushing for awful DRM mechanics, always online, VERY greedy microtransactions or massively overpriced games then when released are just awful or best of all "Live services" or Nintendo refusing to offer a solution to their back catalogue, then this publishers deserve everything they get. By the way, it's not Piracy that stops devs getting paid a fair wage it's greedy ceo's like Bobby Knobtic who keeps all the money for themselves.

[@ManuMora199]

I think you already did a similar video about developers and piracy measures, it was the first video I saw from Triple Jump

[@senatorcthulu1815]

Piracy is only an issue if you're an indie dev. Big companies make so much money these days, piracy isn't even a drop in the ocean.

[@monkaWGiga]

Hell even then most would rather you pirate than use a dodgy key reseller.

[@nobodyinparticular9640]

"Piracy is a serious issue" I'd argue the actual serious issue is how most games are nowadays, but you do you.

[@dmo848]

Never seen the chicken thrower before. Ahhh man that looks like fun

[@TheSpacepigeon]

Ever smacked a chicken enough in an older Zelda game? Those things are leathal!

[@12thMandalorian]

"A gaming manual" that is a relic nowadays

[@Justforvisit]

These chicken guns in Crysis must be a massive nod to the movie "Hotshots 2" and the legendary chicken arrow there :D

[@nBasedAce]

Way to schill for large corporations while not mentioning that the only thing that piracy affects is profits, not the salary of the workers. It is only devastating to indie developers.

[@willissudweeks1050]

0:09 thought this was gonna go dark

[@eddiehimself]

"Piracy is almost always a service-based issue" - Gabe Newell

[@mikeymondavi]

I remember losing my dad's manual to Sid Meier's Pirates! for the 68k Macs where when starting a new game if you answered incorrectly to where the Treasure Fleet to the Silver Fleet was at any given month/year it would throw you in a damaged boat and you'd start the game worse off. Ugh. Loved that game tho and the Gold and 2004 editions. Why hasn't that series been updated for the modern era?

[@rubenabajyan4126]

Certified Pirate moment

[@catriamflockentanz]

12:39 Problem: That would be Breaking & Entering and Property Damage. -And knowing John Romero probably excessive insults too.-

[@RhysCake]

Hair on fire? Never heard that one

[@sp00kyduck30]

Edward Teach was better known as "Blackbeard". He used to light parts of his beard and hair on fire and was one of the most famous pirates of all time. I hope this has helped! :)

[@dmo848]

I remember Alan wake with an eye patch. Then u had to patch the patch

[@gamerpone1792]

At least we can patch out copy protections lol

[@chillhour6155]

I think piracy has evend out in the last couple of decades or so with all the preordering

[@Shockwerk]

ALAN WAKE MAINITTU TORILLA TAVATAAN PRKL (and yes, I am a Finn. We like to get acknowledged and mentioned) I wrote this comment for fun. This was the result of thinking: "Well, it looks I am early, what should I write in my comment?" "First isn't an option" "Umm..." "Now I got it!"

[@miaukatze8269]

deae tonosama appare ichiban is an example of copyright protection because it won’t let you play the game.

[@PATRiKTMPL]

you missed gta iv's copy protection

[@Merricat_likesu]

I think they mentioned that in a previous video on the same topic.

[@kyleholloway3470]

When people pirate games from the likes of ea or activision, it actually warms my heart as they deserve it and more. Also, as a South African, I had zero interest in the 2010 world cup. I was just pleased it meant I got time off in my final school year.

[@EdwardElric6464]

They have done studies on the effects of piracy & it's not nearly as bad as you think. Most people who can afford video games/movies/music will choose to pay for if and when they can. I bought several albums and games & even movies after pirating them. Statistically I'm the norm. Piracy isn't a big problem but poverty is. If big companies spent more money helping the less fortunate instead of trying to stop people stealing, the world would be a better place.

[@damendred1]

There's been tonnes of studies , and the vast majority show that piracy costs developers billions. But people always trot this out. No most pirates don't go out and buy the real copy, not even close. It hurt the PC market the most, and it pushed the market towards more free to play online games and "MMO's" because they aren't affected by piracy. When I had less money I used to pirate games sometimes too so I get it, but I just hate when people try to pretend them not paying for games is actually some how 'helping the industry'.

[@ModeSOLOgaming]

I only download games that are (mostly) unavailable in a storefront. I've got entire rom sets or NES, SNES, GB, GBC, GBA, and Genesis. Yeah, I know a number of games from each of those libraries have been made available through the years, and yes I have bought my fair share of them, but when a lot of games are widely forgotten, and left to be lost to time on the aging system they were released on, of course I'm gonna do what I have to do.

[@illogicalbobcat8365]

Would argue that piracy is not in fact a serious issue, but an excuse to tell shareholders.

[@jasonjones7461]

For mainstream or triple AAA studio releases piracy is generally not a big deal to their bottom line. But...when it's an obscure indie game it becomes devestating pretty quick. A friend of mine is a game developer, a low resource one man indie game studio that released his survivor horror game series "Silver Falls" on 3ds, WiiU, and Switch. In the very beginning after an already disastrous launch of his first game "Silver Falls 3 down stars " (it was made with 3ds Unity engine...) While he was desperately working as fast as possible to get out update patches to fix the glitches and issues he became aware of significant piracy of his game...at first he was like, oh wow fans care and are modding and fixing the glitches themselves....but then it became obvious they were just plain stealing the games and distributing it illegally. It very nearly permanently derailed his entire career and the Silverfalls series would've never been redeemed....scary thoughts!

[@nobodyinparticular9640]

@@drizztdourden666 the serious issue is all the bs these videogame corpos do to scam us out of out money

[@Shifty1897]

Whatever helps you avoid the guilt and sleep at night

[@wanderlustwarrior]

*That* sounds like an excuse broke or cheap people tell themselves.

[@illogicalbobcat8365]

Exact same excuse people tell themselves buying used games at Gamestop instead of supporting the creators.

[@JuanGomez-ke5py]

2:50 what a weird coincidence a ton of the new update yeah I'm pretty sure more people will take the new take the pirated

[@hayden7525]

With how games are nowadays, I pirate everything

[@Megaritz]

This is a pretty fun video overall, but the extreme harshness of your anti-piracy stance is very strange and makes you look silly.

[@sorahearts3317]

I love when pirates get outed.

[@boboso4705]

Piracy is not as serious issue as this vid says. Sounds like typical corporate garbage talk

[@richardwilliams877]

Piracy is a service issue. :D

[@stephenhendsbee4131]

😅😢

[@omgsam7185]

if it wasnt for piracy, many video games would have been lost to time, and these big companies themselves end up using pirated copies of their own games. Rockstar games is well known for it so is Ubisoft. Piracy is almost always a service-based issue. Provide a good service and people will not pirate your stuff. Plus, the only reason I pirate is to make sure I spend my money on something worth while.

[@ozhowlett]

People who are ok with piracy clearly have never worked in a creative field. Yes there are some occasions where piracy is ok, for example you have tried every legal way to purchase a game but its not avaliable on any legitimate store front, but if you can purchase it, then purchase it.

[@aliensweathands]

👽

[@jonpotter9510]

How many times do people have to repeat variations of “piracy is good actually!”? :D :D :D I’ve pirated plenty myself and do not judge others for doing so but I don’t act aggressively superior about it. I did it because I didn’t want to spend money, simple as that.

[@PAINNN666]

Pirates are cool. Copying is not theft)

[@OteimPrincewill]

Hard disagree, PIRACY IS NOT A SERIOUS ISSUE

[@deonteosayande-gg4fv]

1st lol

[@mattalan6618]

no one cares and the world is still spinning

[@WhatIsMatter101]

@deonteosayande-gg4fv Now give yourself a gold star medal then use it as a 5 point suppository.

[@Soonjai]

And in China a sack full of rice fell over.

[@Shockwerk]

I hate those comments that read "first". Finland has the same thing. Lot of the youngsters in my homeland use "eka", a slang word for "ensimmäinen", meaning first.

[@deonteosayande-gg4fv]

Dang it once again lol

[@JD1010101110]

This is economically illiterate. There is no direct cost of piracy unlike say shoplifting which involves a lose of stock thus a cost, as not only was no sale made but that same item can not now be sold to someone else. This isn't the case with piracy as piracy doesn't cost the company anything as IP can be copied infinitely (from the legal perspective) without diminishing the original stock. This is why all IP goes into the public domain after a specific number of years. Piracy only loses a potential sale, but there is there is little evidence that those who pirate would of purchased the same game at the current price point, only the lowering of the equilbrium price will. So piracy has never cost a games developer anything, it is merely the free rider problem, in the same way that many corporations like Activision, Microsoft or CULTAHOLIC VENTURES LIMITED avoid paying their taxes and free ride on the benefits of the state such as justice systems (to enforce IP) infrastructure, etc.

[@mattalan6618]

i always thought that pirated copies of Alan Wake were fun. in those versions you got to wear an eye patch