Anti-Piracy Screens Are Unnerving. But, why?

Anti-piracy screens were a pretty popular trend on KZbin around a year ago. I’ve been interested in them since then, and today I’ve decided to dive into why exactly they’re so unnerving. Of course this is inspired by izzzyzzz and pixels after dark.
My Twitter:
/ gearisko
My Instagram: / gearisko
My business email: [e-mail]
My 2nd Channel: / @chrocilfer
Videos Used:
Anti-Piracy Screen Games (the first video in the compilation): • Anti-Piracy Screen Games
Donkey Kong Country 3 - Error Game Screen: • Donkey Kong Country 3 ...
Super Mario All-Stars (SNES): Anti-piracy screen regional differences (Loading Mario 2 /w 1180508F): • Donkey Kong Country 3 ...
Baldi’s Basics Kickstarter Anti Piracy/Error Screen: • Baldi's Basics Kicksta...
Nickelodeon Anti-Piracy Warning Screen (ULTRA RARE!): • Nickelodeon Anti-Pirac...
Nintendo GameCube Anti-Piracy Error: • Nintendo GameCube Anti...
Sonic The Hedgehog (1991) “Secret Anti-Piracy Screen”: • Sonic The Hedgehog (19...
Super Mario Kart Anti-Piracy Screen: • Super Mario Kart Anti-...
Songs Used:
Earthbound - One Fateful Night: • Earthbound | One Fatef...
Animal Crossing: New Leaf - 8 PM: • Video
Yume 2kki - Forest: • Yume 2kki OST - Forest
Yume 2kki - Flesh Paths World: Passage: • Yume 2kki OST - Flesh ...
Yume 2kki - Overgrown City (City Section): • Yume 2kki OST - Overgr...
#creepy #disturbing #scary #creepygame
Much like Nexpo, Scaretheater, izzzyzzz, pixels after dark, and others, I’ll be covering some extremely creepy game content! I hope you enjoy.

[@gearisko]

My Twitter: www.Twitter.com/Gearisko My Instagram: www.Instagram.com/Gearisko My 2nd Channel: kzbin.info/door/tUyST-e34_Ej8qZvXw-m5Q Videos Used: Anti-Piracy Screen Games (the first video in the compilation): kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z2mpop5upZ53Z9k Donkey Kong Country 3 - Error Game Screen: kzbin.info/www/bejne/e2HFeaWchcZqq9E Super Mario All-Stars (SNES): Anti-piracy screen regional differences (Loading Mario 2 /w 1180508F): kzbin.info/www/bejne/e2HFeaWchcZqq9E Baldi’s Basics Kickstarter Anti Piracy/Error Screen: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y6eag2CXmNSHaM0 Nickelodeon Anti-Piracy Warning Screen (ULTRA RARE!): kzbin.info/www/bejne/noXEfYuOe7B2d5I Nintendo GameCube Anti-Piracy Error: kzbin.info/www/bejne/sKLcgId-g7iooNE Sonic The Hedgehog (1991) “Secret Anti-Piracy Screen”: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bXbGd5euh9KaocU Super Mario Kart Anti-Piracy Screen: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hYjRgYmunJ6sgck Songs Used: Earthbound - One Fateful Night: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hIqco4GkirN1kKM Animal Crossing: New Leaf - 8 PM: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jqTKnamdaM1-bsk Yume 2kki - Forest: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y16wepSXfMiYhpo Yume 2kki - Flesh Paths World: Passage: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oYTdlYGko9OiZpI Yume 2kki - Overgrown City (City Section): kzbin.info/www/bejne/imjJpXSAn6amY9E

[@acclaimedbanana2895]

Howdy

[@Voidmanee]

In all respects, fuck your social media sincerely -Adam

[@crow_man72]

@@Voidmanee "In all respects, fuck your social media sincerely -Adam" - 🤓

[@krus7.]

What a good day to play mario kart

[@sensitiivv_]

You put the same link for DKC3’s anti piracy for Super Mario All Stars’ anti piracy.

[@bag.of.bones.]

those creepypasta anti piracy ones just dont hit as hard as the realistic ones. instead of trying to scare you they just make you feel like a terrible person. it gives "im not mad im just disappointed" and its a lot more scary somehow

[@Random-rv2xf]

9

[@limeadd]

@@Random-rv2xf yes

[@MG_Cappy]

Agreed.

[@Nockgun]

well if the character like angrily explains

[@limeadd]

@@Nockgun yea

[@flippy08100]

What makes the (real) anti-piracy screens so scary is the situation you’re in when seeing them, not only would it often happen to you when you were a kid after just getting a used copy but also you‘d realize it suddenly detects that you were doing something wrong and confronts you about it, despite the fact it’s a product you own that you thought you had full control over. It makes you feel like you’re being watched.

[@hexreapers162]

It feels out of nowhere. As a kid u see the media as something comforting that can take ur attention away from the world or fill the air with background noise, but then WHAM that repetition/expectation is broken by an unnerving silence (or loud noise if it's a weather/amber alert). It's so disconnected from both the source material and your own routine that it triggers some sort of fight or flight response. Almost like something is just out of sight toying with you. Honestly can't decide if the cut to silence or something loud is worse. Obviously the loud noise is sudden and gives a sense of immediate danger like a jumpscare. Though, idk, having the room go silent and it's up to you to figure out why is creepy af. Sometimes it can sneak up on you if it's a show or movie playing in the background.

[@flippy08100]

@@hexreapers162 yeah the eeriness of dead silence and a black/dark screen that seems sudden and inexplicable because it doesn’t have anything to do with the game or its plot is a factor too

[@christopher9727]

.. Do you know Jesus Christ can set you free from sins and save you from hell today Jesus Christ is the only hope in this world no other gods will lead you to heaven There is no security or hope with out Jesus Christ in this world come and repent of all sins today Today is the day of salvation come to the loving savior Today repent and do not go to hell Come to Jesus Christ today Jesus Christ is only way to heaven Repent and follow him today seek his heart Jesus Christ can fill the emptiness he can fill the void Heaven and hell is real cone to the loving savior today Today is the day of salvation tomorrow might be to late come to the loving savior today Romans 6.23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. John 3:16-21 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. Mark 1.15 15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Hebrews 11:6 6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Jesus

[@christopher9727]

... Don't follow the worldly trends follow Jesus Christ today There is no security or hope with out Jesus Christ in this world come and repent of all sins today Today is the day of salvation come to the loving savior Today repent and do not go to hell Come to Jesus Christ today Jesus Christ is only way to heaven Repent and follow him today seek his heart Jesus Christ can fill the emptiness he can fill the void Heaven and hell is real cone to the loving savior today Today is the day of salvation tomorrow might be to late come to the loving savior today John 3:16-21 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. Mark 1.15 15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Hebrews 11:6 6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Jesus

[@Dyumed]

It’s when your in your room at night and it goes dark, it’s like someone did it, and you are about to find out who. (Or at least that’s how it feels when your a kid)

[@blond_edsheeran]

I honestly find the real ones scarier and more unnerving than the fake ones. they try to hard to be scary and come up with something ridiculously over the top concept. the actual scary ones are the ones that are more simple.

[@Dreamcore_cosplays1]

You are so right! Like, the fake ones are waayyy over the top.

[@ThePhillyW]

for real, like the spongebob one demanding $500 💀 Edit: Holy shit thanks for the 33 likes

[@mariotheundying]

I think the only fun fake one I seen is "Piracy is no party" for Mario Party DS, tho maybe just early on and without the police stuff

[@lnvald]

agree

[@clurgee4923]

@@mariotheundying the Nintendogs one is pretty good too in my opinion... though a little bit dark. But the atmosphere and execution in it is crazy good, and seems like it could've legit happened.

[@Marchingvenusaur]

The fake SpongeBob one demanding you send money to the federal government for watching cable TV is so fucking hilarious

[@DKMarioplayR]

SpongeBob telling kids to pay their taxes.

[@Cosmik60]

@@DKMarioplayR Can you assure me that Mr Krabs has been doing this?

[@atanaZion]

Isn't Nicklodeon cable TV??

[@muchotexto4248]

Days later, a man in florida is put on probation and is sevely charged 500$ dollars for every minute of TV he wasted on air He is being investigated for charges of extortion and impersonation of federal authority

[@YoudonknowwhoIam]

“Your cable TV provider forgot to renew their license to stream Nickelodeon, time to pay us $500 for watching Nickelodeon on cable while your provider forgot to renew their license”

[@OdaSwifteye]

I gotta be honest. The fake anti piracy screens overdo it. The real anti piracy attempts are scary enough.

[@Dante_Sparda_DMC]

Nowadays all it's all just fake antipiracy videos. I wish there was a way for me to find videos on real ones.

[@OdaSwifteye]

@@Dante_Sparda_DMC You and me both.

[@aroonus1050]

@@Dante_Sparda_DMC yeah i dont know which one is real or fake

[@berdlyistrans]

@@Dante_Sparda_DMC spyro 3 and earthbound

[@psplayer1344]

Yeah it's kinda stupid.

[@Shry99]

I think another reason it feels so scary is that As a kid the idea of being accused of something you didn’t do is part of what makes it so terrifying too… Almost everyone has had some experience with a parent or teacher punishing you for something you didn’t do but being helpless to defend yourself. Imagine that but it’s your favorite video game doing it.

[@LordBurger]

or perhaps when u get caught for doing it

[@Liu_Xiu]

It's like when I first played ddlc (Doki Doki Literature Club) and when Yuri was s3/f h@rming I just got terrified Also when I was younger I couldn't get it so I played a different version on Google and it was asking for my location and knew my name. It was so scared Also when a game just goes silent I just can't it's too scary. Or when there's an error or loud/static-y sounds

[@Shtickyaight]

Ikrr

[@Blue-fe4by]

What used to freak out me as a kid is when you'd put in a disc in the wii and instead of a happy jingle from whatever game you put in, you'd be greeted with a weird noise followed by silence and the screen saying "disc cannot be read". It gives me the same vibes as the FBI screen before movies or the other stuff ppl are talking about here.

[@oilineder]

dude oh my god i hated that

[@simone635]

oh my god it scared me

[@lilahrae4272]

the roku start up scares the shit outta me LMFAO

[@sunsetman22]

as a latin american, the FBI screen was funny as hell, seeing as how piracy is basically second nature to us and the screen would usually appear in movies my family bought from the nearby market lmao

[@sophiehurtado9718]

Omg I remember that screen scaring me for some reason and didn’t know why, still scared of it till this day almost 17 😂😭

[@imnotsobad1114]

Some fan made ones are trying way to hard

[@ugandandrip3568]

Fr

[@Speed_311]

Fax

[@AitoJaOikeaNippeliFaktaa]

true

[@Lainlainl]

@@ugandandrip3568 (furry r34)

[@ugandandrip3568]

@@Lainlainl What the hell

[@tomspicy]

i think it’s a feeling of thinking you’ve outsmarted the technology, but the game knows exactly what you’re doing. very creepy, almost like you’re being watched through the screen

[@daherotimetrio1632]

Well, if you think about deltarune, we use Kris as a vessel in order to play the game, this applies to the other games aswell, such as Mario, sure, I get that went completing a level, you don't control him after the cutscene ends, but still, any character that you play as is a vessel that YOU use to play the game, which means the character your playing as doesn't have control and YOU do (I'm sorry for writing a whole paragraph btw) Also, whenever an anti piracy screen happens, your barely in control of your character as they bring their own emotions, like for example, in the donkey dong country 3 anti piracy screen (what he shown on the video), the characters are doing something YOUR not doing, clearly something happened, and just like he said, they're forced to face an impending doom

[@collectiusindefinitus6935]

⁠@@daherotimetrio1632 I don’t quite think it’s losing control of the character and vessel that makes these scary, but rather losing control of the system itself. After all, you brought up deltarune, when Kris takes control, yes the player loses control, but also the game is still doing what it’s scripted to do, which is usually why I don’t find fourth wall breaks to be scary as they immediately remind me that I’m just playing a game. This is also why I find the over exaggerated fake anti piracy screens not to be scary as they’re just not believable. On the other hand, actual anti piracy screens means the system itself is not doing what you wanted it to do, it’s not just pretending to turn against you, but it actually is, and succeeds by preventing you from playing the game.

[@Shtickyaight]

Ikr

[@derberry4445]

It’s the fact that something so innocent and fun suddenly takes a serious tone with threats of real-world consequences

[@the_kleetus-yeeyee48]

And how it feels like the game is directly speaking to you or is even aware of you. Like a glitch that shouldn’t be seen, something bad or evil.

[@saturnsorbett]

I couldnt put it better man

[@christopher9727]

..... Jesus Christ saves He had mercy on me he can save all who all seek him today He made away through calvery repent of all sins today Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Come to Jesus Christ today Jesus Christ is only way to heaven Repent and follow him today seek his heart Jesus Christ can fill the emptiness he can fill the void Heaven and hell is real cone to the loving savior today Today is the day of salvation tomorrow might be to late come to the loving savior today Holy Spirit can give you peace purpose and joy and his will today John 3:16-21 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. Mark 1.15 15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Hebrews 11:6 6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Jesus

[@christopher9727]

Don't follow the worldly trends follow Jesus Christ today There is no security or hope with out Jesus Christ in this world come and repent of all sins today Today is the day of salvation come to the loving savior Today repent and do not go to hell Come to Jesus Christ today Jesus Christ is only way to heaven Repent and follow him today seek his heart Jesus Christ can fill the emptiness he can fill the void Heaven and hell is real cone to the loving savior today Today is the day of salvation tomorrow might be to late come to the loving savior today John 3:16-21 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. Mark 1.15 15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Hebrews 11:6 6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Jesus

[@baratobenito]

I was actually curious and you answered my question. I don't need to watch the vid anymore, thanks!

[@beardalaxy]

Ehh, the ones that lean more into creepypasta territory are just kind of lame imo. The whole point about the "creepy anti piracy screen" is that nothing genuinely scary is happening, it's just got an air of unfriendliness in an otherwise very happy and upbeat game. With these creepypasta ones it gets into the actually scary territory and the stories that accompany them are usually extremely generic too ("we found it in a dumpster and someone committed suicide!").

[@Marchingvenusaur]

Ikr the SpongeBob one outright made me laugh.

[@hcbs1986]

yeah

[@K1ng_Squ1dZ]

the SpongeBob story Reminds me of some shitty octonauts creepypasta I read. ThEy BoauGhT a VhS TaPe FrOm A sHaDy StOrE ThEy WaTCh iT AnD CapTaIn BaRnAcLeS StAbBed EvRy Other ChaReCtEr AnD JuMpEd ThRoGh ThE Tv!!1!1111

[@CrusaderKnight2000]

@@Marchingvenusaur Which one was that?

[@anothernobody1804]

@@K1ng_Squ1dZ hehehe

[@nicholaslienandjaja1815]

Reminds me of this infamous fake anti-piracy screen for Nintendogs: The puppy dies. The next screen shows its grave and a message saying, “Nintendogs cannot live in a pirated copy of the game”.

[@nicholaslienandjaja1815]

Also, I think I remember several fake Pokemon anti-piracy screens in which your Pokemon will either kill/eat you, run away, or die.

[@chaus1ku]

Oof that sounds really unsettling :(

[@Lulu-lt9qu]

and they make you attached to it too :(

[@hearts4melaniemartini]

oh that’s sad

[@averyboringthing]

thats the only good fanmade anti privacy screen thing ngl, it look so real that it make me scared even though nothing happend

[@pancakes8816]

I think anti piracy screens are creepy for the same reason those FBI warnings on VHS' were creepy. They invoke a feeling of wrongdoing, that and you except things to be smooth and easy. Like if I booted up, lets say shrek extra large. I expect a game about shrek, farting, and burping. I dont expect to see a low poly model decapitated with blood everywhere. (Shitty example i know) but the subvertation of expectations is like a jumpscare in a way. Just a slow burning one though

[@mranimation2005]

True

[@RemoWilliams1227]

Yeah

[@radiokunio3738]

Same slow burning horror hurts more, in a good way.

[@charmJL]

the fbi warnings were one of the creepiest parts of childhood

[@pancakes8816]

@@charmJL i was out here, young as fuck trying to watch lilo and stich and that warning would pop up. My timbers were shivered every time

[@destroyerkitty9434]

I personally think it’s the guilt. Think of a moment in your life where you were chastised by someone you like, being told that you are doing something wrong. Maybe a parent tells you they’re disappointed in you. Maybe your favorite boss tells you you’re a bad employee. Maybe your friend calls you out on something. It’s a gut wrenching feeling that makes your heart sink. Such a sudden and unnerving message that tells you that you’ve done something illegal and gives you shame for it… that taps into that very real emotion of guilt and shame.

[@mistahzeddtheabbasavant5368]

That is so true!

[@therealspeedwagon1451]

To me that kind of feeling is my worst fear. It just sends this almost primal fear running through my body and I can feel it at my very core

[@k1dofficial]

Or maybe it's because I don't wanna go to jail for eight years because of mario

[@Shrek_es_mi_pastor]

I don't know. They still feel a bit unnerving to me, but I never felt guilty about it. "Oh no! I just pirated a game! So tragic!!!"

[@alexf225]

@@Shrek_es_mi_pastor But... you wouldn't steal a car

[@Roo_Bear]

There's something about short repetitive noises and music just suddenly stopping that literally terrifies me

[@user-vi4xy1jw7e]

Doesn't take much to scare you. Lol

[@sopiegut]

@@user-vi4xy1jw7e you don’t get it

[@duncan3932]

Repetitive noises just sounds stupid imo

[@I-Just-Do-Stuff-Bc-Yes]

​@@duncan3932 yeah sometimes, but it can also be scary

[@AubztheRtist-rx6gc]

same

[@ASA-ux7cg]

Ok but like some piracy screens are just “Oh yeah by the way you have just committed a SERIOUS crime that, incase you don’t know what crime means, is ILLEGAL, and will be met with PUNISHMENT in a court of law, like JAIL TIME/PRISON, good luck dealing with that you 8 year old kid lmao”

[@mr.incognitoyt2235]

Yeah. Beta Mario has it the worst

[@alexanderyt4610]

Metal gear solid and spyro and also the stanley parable

[@Moald]

@@alexanderyt4610 The Stanley Parable has a piracy screen?

[@alexanderyt4610]

@@Moald A piracy ending, its kinda like the metal gear solid 1 one were they just lock you up in a room and just start lecturing you (if i remember right)

[@Moald]

@@alexanderyt4610 its called The Serious Room and its used for people who try to use the console commands

[@SpringDavid]

Someone will one day make a "piracy screen" that makes the entire game a creepypasta

[@rachelisverycoo]

This will age so well.

[@SpringDavid]

@@rachelisverycoo like a bottle of milk. (It didnt age like a bottle of milk, fuck sonic gather battle)

[@realtek2514]

Sonic gather battle

[@kaxcommentssomethingREAL]

@@realtek2514 fr that game is seriously terrible lmao

[@SlavTiger]

@Rogy elaborate

[@ApexGlitchVR]

I got an anti piracy screen on not a game but on WebToon, it had a 🚫 mark saying “it is a serious crime to pirate comics, the police have tracked you down and you are going to jail” something like that. It scared me so much I deleted WebToon. All I did was buy the next episode for 3 coins of “Ingrid The Plague Doctor” Edit: no clue why you guys are still replying to this, it’s over with and I’m perfectly fine.

[@Fruity-Pebbles]

NOW I AM SCARED TO USE WEBTOON 💀

[@palfixeye1844]

Wait what why would you be in trouble?? Also if that happened to me when I was younger I would have actually peed and cried ain’t no way 😰

[@ApexGlitchVR]

@@palfixeye1844 I ALMOST DID LOL

[@db5094]

Wait how do you even pirate ON the app?

[@ApexGlitchVR]

@@db5094 buying another episode for coins instead of waiting

[@fllooploop]

This gives me the same vibes as when I accidentally switch to the static channels on my tv when I was 8

[@layzerlovers]

same that happened to me *A LOT*

[@hcbs1986]

FINALLY SOMEONE ELSE RELATES TO THAT

[@ingloriousMachina]

Or when the VHS has stopped rolling and it goes to static afterwards.

[@ThatOneLebaneseGuy]

HOLY SHIT AT LEAST IM NOT ALONE HERE

[@sarinabina5487]

WAIT NO LITERALLY ITS THE EXACT SAME VIBE

[@BAIGAMING]

The worst was always the "PS2 disc read error", somehow it managed to everything so depressing - the visuals suddenly got so sad going from bright vibrant cubes to red dark and grey cubes, and the music would go from exciting to gloomy.

[@MinillaGaming69420]

When I was, like, 5, I would always hide in the bathroom when the PS2 Error came up lol.

[@opadrip]

Shit gave me nightmares as a kid

[@ophhate]

It was only scary because i didnt know if my game or ps2 was fucked. We werent rich for multiple

[@morosexualidiot]

IK it scared the shit out of me

[@anothermiddleschoolburnout8816]

The PS2 disk read error will always hold a special place in my heart and leave it feeling constantly terrified

[@livingweaponnightmare]

The overly horrific ones are overdone, they're actually less scary. I think the more horrifying ones are the ones that suggest you've committed a crime and could get in trouble and lose access to your system.

[@SoggySlopster]

Nah, as a kid if you see the word prosecution and court you’re like uhhh huh? But as an adult it means more and scares you more. The off visuals are more scary to kids

[@cez_is_typing]

@@SoggySlopster even if you don’t understand the exact wording, kids are still scared of doing something wrong. I was also kinda creeped out by those “you wouldn’t steal a car” ads because I knew what crime meant and I knew that it meant it was wrong

[@official-obama]

@@SoggySlopster YOU WILL GYRE AND GYMBLE IN THE WABE.

[@iinraged2258]

Correct me if you did, but I’m surprised you didn’t mention the part that makes these the most disturbing; the fourth wall break. The reason these feel so unnerving is because the last thing you expect while playing these games is to get addressed directly as the player. Not only do these screens stop gameplay to address that you’re playing, but to tell you that YOU personally have done something bad. It’s similar to when games call you by your real name, all comfort of anonymity is gone, and that’s what makes it feel so uncanny.

[@Sleepy-Lunatic]

Yeah, I’m surprised that nobody has mentioned it. The feeling that the game is aware that you pirated it unsettles you a lot aswell. Willing to bet that the sm64 and Mario party DS ones are the best ones at this.

[@phillipbrown9228]

You can watch a video about the psychology of fourth-wall breaks, if you want.

[@mellwrrld9206]

i saw one that wasn't an anti piracy screen, but instead a health warning for ring fit which told the player they're having a heart attack (of course it was fake but still FUCKING HORRIFYING) and i think shit like that is WAY scarier than a spooky face telling you to report yourself to nintendo or whatever

[@HBIsBlessed]

that one scared the crap out of me as well, its so unnerving

[@collectiusindefinitus6935]

Saw that one too, I think what makes it work so well is what makes analog / digital horror really work for me, not the machine turning evil, as that just isn’t too believable, but instead the machine doing what it’s supposed to do, and the situation itself being the horror factor. I think this is also what makes EAS alarms scary (well, on top of the fact they’re supposed to make you alert).

[@Shtickyaight]

Yeaa

[@alexmark6580]

For me the CreepyPasta loses all sense creepiness after it crosses the line of trying to imitate a realistic Anti-Piracy Screen. Maybe cause I'm jaded to all of the CreepyPasta tropes (black/bleeding eyes, glitching, chromatic aberration around the game screen, it's all the same. Subtlety can go a long way in keeping the tension.

[@magpierrot]

The SpongeBob one was pretty creepy to me until he read the backstory. It was so ridiculous it immediately lost all sense of scariness for me

[@Moald]

@@magpierrot I don't think any of these are scary because they try too hard to be scary

[@K1ng_Squ1dZ]

creepypastas on video games or shows have been run into the ground. they've been overplayed for atleast 7 years.

[@K1ng_Squ1dZ]

​@@Moald I agree

[@gamrknight8060]

I think it would be better if they didn't just hit you with the cold water immediately, have them fuck with you at the start, make it so the game starts and plays fine, until it slowly degrades more and more until it becomes unplayable

[@LillianGraceFullofficial]

Piracy screens are like video game’s amber alert. no other way to put it honestly.

[@the_mariocrafter]

*emergency alert system

[@LillianGraceFullofficial]

@@the_mariocrafter k

[@Black-bk4xf]

@@LillianGraceFullofficial - 🤓

[@kermitenthusiast485]

Forgive the ignorance, but what's an amber alert? We don't have them in Ireland (to my knowledge)

[@Black-bk4xf]

@@kermitenthusiast485 guy who wrote the comment didn't make much sense, basically yk how there's alerts when a child gets kidnapped? That's basically what it is

[@Skipatronic]

One time as a kid at my grandparents house I was playing Sonic 1 and somehow triggered the anti piracy screen and it scared me so much I got my grandpa. He freaked out and said "the police better not come because you wanted to play games!"

[@tetrasonic91]

sonic 1 has an anti-piracy screen?

[@Skipatronic]

@@tetrasonic91 I think it was more of an illegal operation screen with code

[@tetrasonic91]

@@Skipatronic ohh yeah the illegal instruction error you mean? thats just because the game has crashed you were probably in labyrinth zone when that appeared or the cartridge was dirty or not inserted properly

[@fragunn9978]

I’m kinda disappointed that you didn’t mention the very real anti-piracy measure in Spyro 3. Sure it’s not a screen but it is very iconic and slightly unsettling

[@user-jl7cz2pe6d]

Or the Earthbound anti piracy which is surprisingly similar.

[@kaelell4697]

What happens in both of em?

[@bulbybuds]

@@kaelell4697 spyro 3 progressively makes the game harder to play (deleting things you collected, making you take damage randomly, etc), and earthbound crashes and deletes your save file right before the final boss

[@kaelell4697]

@@bulbybuds OH SHIT I mean the earthbound one is kinda funny

[@ExaltedUriel]

@@bulbybuds EarthBound also increases the enemy spawn rate to absurd amounts, including putting enemies where there normally should be none or having stronger enemies from later in the game appear much earlier. So you'd have to play through a much more difficult and tedious version of the game, before it crashes and deletes your save right before the final boss. lmao

[@Nickolasthegamer492]

Honestly, I wanna see more calm/simple anti-piracy screens, still scary but not creepypasta scary.

[@spamtong.spamton235]

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!

[@gunmunz]

Alot of the time they make the game progressivly harder turning the pirated game into a demo. Like spyro 3 erases eggs(your McGuffin for progression), Batman: Arkham Asylum has batman drop like a rock when gliding, GTA4 will constantly have the 'drunk' effect on (shaky screen and you can't drive for shit and Game Dev Tycoon has piracy make a bigger and bigger cut into your profits.

[@AroShadeWeaver]

I think I remember for jsab there being a piracy screen being instead of the "you a criminal piracy is bad and you'll go to jail and F yourself" stuff it's more like "yeah I did the same thing as a kid, it's fine"

[@BestBoiFu]

Not a antipiracy but a anti mod one was spyro 3 on the ps1 Bassically if u had a modded ps1 U could unlock ur region Spyro 3 after boot up would call for the region code that in the normal case would fail since the only time that can be called out is by the console itself on startup before the game gets loaded but since ur console is modded it will not hesistate to accept the call for the code and since the game could call the code now knows its an modified console and will show u a black screen with a forbidden symbol with the following text Software terminated console MAY have been modified call (insert regional number sony blah blah blah) or in Japan 強制終了しました。 本体が改造されている おそれがあります。 So far I know this can happen with these games Crash Bash Dino Crisis Doko Demo Issho MediEvil 2 PoporoGue Resident Evil 3: Nemesis Resident Evil: Survivor Spyro: Year of the Dragon Tomba! 2: The Evil Swine Return Um Jammer Lammy Vandal Hearts II Wild Arms 2 Yu-Gi-Oh! Forbidden Memories The code in question is called libcrypt mostly use by sce(sony computer entertainment) and bandai namco

[@pudd1ng_bunn182]

@@gunmunz idk the first two game names but I'll add them anyways (saw em on a top ten list) Game 1; the game freezes and repeats "pirate" Game 2; indi game dev gives you a heart to heart speach A Zelda ds game (spirit train?) Runs forever

[@HennessyHendrix]

real anti-piracy screens are scary for the same reason the power suddenly going out is scary. it rips you away from whatever you were invested in, and everything else around it; ur alone again.

[@FosterTheBullet1]

I remember, as a kid, getting a deep unnerving feeling when seeing anti-piracy screens or even “disc cannot be read” and I feel like there was something more too it than just being unexpected or unfriendly. I think a big reason was the abrupt silence especially when you are alone. I think another aspect is that it almost makes it feel like the game/game system is secretly conscious and watching you and it’s telling you you did something wrong. Also you had full control over the game, getting to select any mode you want and fully control everything, up until that screen takes over and now it’s like the game is saying “you don’t control me anymore”

[@stapoldy_propaganda_account]

that reminds me of how sometimes, the tv in my house as a kid used to glitch, and when it did there would be a black screen with text in the corner that said someth along the lines of, "your tv has encountered an error. if this message continues to appear you may have to perform a factory reset." and then occasionally there would be a screen with this weird twisty 3d looking graphic that seemed to be of piped twisting around each other, and it just said in white text underneath: *error!* i don't know what it is, but the abrupt emptiness and lack of sound or anything, especially on the pipe screen, always unnerved me. it just said clearly, "something is wrong. something is broken."

[@Viviantheamphibian]

This comment is better than this whole stupid video

[@Jtplaysgames21]

“It’s nothing personal kiddo, but if we don’t scar you for life you might pirate a game again…”

[@Speed_311]

XD

[@Bro-cx2jc]

Arr...

[@DrRobertBeatles]

@Dio brando average money corporation fan:

[@stampysaithelavacat1991]

I read this in a pirate voice lol

[@Kingvrone]

It kinda sucks though cause most of the time it's out of your control like "yay! Daddy just got me the new Mario cart!" Sike! Daddy got a fake copy in order to save some money and now you've got nightmare foder for days. It especially sucks when the TV just so happens to be in your bedroom. You sit there staring at the black screen expecting dead eye peach to come after you for something that wasn't your fault.

[@applebottomjeans7455]

"Those who have stared at the image long enough has claimed to see spongebob blink" Bootleg Spongebob: *proceeds to do just that*

[@xanana3217]

I thought I was the only one to see that and it fucked me up

[@Cassi_no_E]

For a second my heart sank into my stomach when i saw that

[@KamisFIVEX]

Fr@@Cassi_no_E

[@BlaBoy17]

@@Cassi_no_Esame

[@fabianowls]

I found it hilarious

[@BabyCharmander]

Man I thought this was going to be an analysis of real anti-piracy screens, not ridiculous fake ones. :/

[@TylerMcCrackerJacker]

I KNOW RIGHT? Not these lame ass tryhard creepypasta ones

[@YouTubeUser-zh9os]

fr the first 5 minutes I was 😨😲, then the rest of the video I was: 😐😴

[@Supersoldier2012]

Same

[@Kai_On_Paws_4298]

Me too. FUCKKKKKKKK

[@kageyamasmiling]

examples? im interested too

[@KitsuneYojimbo]

I think my personal favorite anti-piracy measure was from a very old computer game called La Abadia del Crimen (Spanish for The Abbey of Crime). No bells and whistles, none of this creepy stuff as shown in the fake ones. Just a voice in saying "¡Piràta!" (Pirate!) over and over in a gradually deepening voice before the game closed itself.

[@wowzerz9382]

the fake ones are so overdone its not scary, it makes the feeling "im not mad at you for pirating our game, im just dissapointed." alot scarier

[@Mystik_Music]

those copyright warnings before you watch a dvd scared the shit out of me as a kid and anti piracy videos, real or fake, manage to envoke those childhood memories within me. Also, the steady buildup in these videos to the piracy screen is unerving and makes me anxious

[@MmmMmph1968]

When I was young I always got scared of those custom loading screens on dvd's, usually having a character or object important to the movie spin in place. I guess the fact that it just appeared in the darkness and started moving without any sound freaked me out.

[@batbat4043]

@@MmmMmph1968 some movies i used to watch at school had that too but the reason i was scared was because a wierd logo came in a green blue and yellow background and it would blast loud music i would love to see it again tho

[@MmmMmph1968]

@@batbat4043 We had dvd's of the Peanut's holiday specials, and after the special features (a 15-minute documentary about how it was made), a logo for Trailer Park (some company) would appear silently and it scared me really bad, and I still don't know why.

[@batbat4043]

@@MmmMmph1968 that would not scare me but i think the logo i saw was called brein tv ( brein means brain ) and now i am going to search for it

[@batbat4043]

@@MmmMmph1968 i found it quickly and its much different than i remember would you like to see it ?

[@Gabtool]

God I hate anything to do with dark screens and creepy/no music with text like that. It’s such a weird unnerving feeling and I think you’ve perfectly put why I find it so disturbing. Why am I watching this video so late at night

[@Supersoldier2012]

It unnerves even me

[@3ericw]

I actually have a theory on this. There's a fear or creepiness associated with busy places that you experience at night in an empty setting. Things like airports or malls late at night when empty. Or empty old multiplayer maps. It's called Kenopsia. My guess is these screens with little color or happy music feels extra creepy due to the void of what's normally there or expected

[@Supersoldier2012]

The scariest thing what I saw is Tails doll fan art. It's bloody creature with claws and evil smile.

[@ArthurGamer20101]

Blue Screen Of Death in older windows.

[@ikawba00]

Yes, like a horror movie disc i inserted into a device by the TV. It played part 1 and then cut off suddenly. So i left to ask about part 2 and the person I borrowed from said part 2 is in that disc. So we ended up putting the disc back in. It had this glitchy start and then the movie started as usual once stable; there was indeed a part 2, it was just oddly cut off after an absurdly creepy scene. And what i was told after the movie: the old movie was a series of 6 parts, and that incident with the part 1 cutting off could have been just like the original series. It was a strange night, I'll say. Horror movie discs seem to act up with only me.

[@YourFavTherianVixx]

1:30 the worst mistake is thinking your parents won’t get you a hacked copy.

[@candicraveingcloude2822]

The game cube one is creative but also unrealistic because to me the point of anti-pairacy is preventing you from playing the game not " destroy the machine" if it was a situation where you didn't know it was pirated you're kinda screwed. But i like how it gives the option to say "yes this is a valid disc" as if it thinks it could be an error with the game. What happens if you did press yes? Would it accuse you of lying or say something like"please restart the system and try it again, if this screen shows up again, you may need to replace the game as it could be pirated or badly damaged."

[@superknux13isaid]

there's also two versions of the gc antipiracy screen where if you pressed yes, it would take you to some sort of disc verifier, with both passing and failing the verification

[@theeclipsemaster]

@@superknux13isaid yup. But still, if you didnt know it was pirated, you're toast

[@theeclipsemaster]

@Alt Account Number 20 complete a CAPTCHA

[@Ph0b0s_CH]

Kind of on the topic of “destroy the machine” Iirc Capcom’s CPS3 arcade boards have this feature where if it detects pirate copies of its games, or if you’ve been tinkering with the board in some way, shape or form, it activates a kill switch that sends a jolt of electricity to the motherboard making it absolutely useless. Tl;Dr Capcom has an arcade board that kills itself if it detects piracy

[@PrestonGarvey69]

Now I'm scared of buying vintage games

[@michakrzyzanowski8554]

You know what's even more terrifying? A Blue screen out of nowhere

[@min2793]

happens to me sometimes

[@venezuelanomori15]

I HATE those I stayed up playing some random game on my laptop one night and it blue screened out of nowhere Almost gave me nightmares

[@gwenboudreaux6080]

Bruh I agree When I play on my mom’s desktop, it used to show that LITERALLY out of nowhere.

[@JohnFloss]

i hate the blue screen, one time i got a virus and it would show that every 20 minutes. I got used to it though so it wouldnt even be that bad however after getting it fixed it felt like i was a new man

[@St4rk1ds]

The warnings or blue screens on tv still terrify me (I get anxious all the time)

[@ezkkjj]

i like how spongebob blinks after it says “people who look at this image long enough claim to see him blink” got me lol

[@yofiisreal-ih3dn]

i hadnt paid atention

[@cinemint]

The grand irony is that all these ROMs had to be pirated in order to make these videos

[@SurmenianSoldier]

Or they could've just modified the hex values that makes the console think that the ROM was pirated.

[@AdamOwenBrowning]

It's quite difficult to find illegally distributed copies of most popular games that will trip any piracy detection. You have to do that yourself, manually "break" the games again lol.

[@3MB3Rx134]

If I ever make a game I will make the anti piracy screen as horrific as possible so when people show it off they will think it’s too scary to be real but when someone actually buys a fake copy they will sh*t bricks

[@TightSweaters4]

You. I like you.

[@scmbgoogle7790]

Add g()r`/ stuff, red or black eyes, jumpscare, uncanny glitch sounds, and a message " YOU¡ITSILLEGALTOPIRATEGAMES!WHYDIDYOUEVENPLAYTHISRJWAAAAAAOSOAOAOADWKCKGE¡¡¡!!!!!'"

[@Kai_On_Paws_4298]

Yes.

[@PMIII]

More like sh*t your soul

[@grape_protogen]

An idea I've thought of. Kind of has to tie in with worldbuilding of the game I've imagined overtime, where there are many universes resting upon a giant multiversal tree, and your home universe is on an outer branch. You play through the very beginning of the game as normal, and before you get into multiverse travel, you meet up with an important NPC (preferably one with a lot of knowledge on the multiverse as a whole.) The important NPC, as per normal, explains the multiversal tree and how the branches work, then slowly begins to trail off and discuss what unknowable horrors lurk below the tree. Immediately after that, they inform you that some disturbance, an error in the fabric of reality, has disconnected the branch. "...You wouldn't happen to know why, would you?" "Not like it'll matter in a minute." Cut to black with glitched sound. Briefly show a heavily darkened, glitched and distorted face of said NPC screaming in agony; the glitchy sound briefly intensifying before the game closes itself. Future attempts to open the game will then briefly display said NPC'S agonized face in 3 different states of decay, each in a different pose, after which the game will close again. After those 3 attempts, the game will no longer boot up, even with a legit copy.

[@quONITHS]

I remember when I was a kid. I use to get nightmares about Minecraft and Roblox having anti privacy screens. I think it first originated from my old 3DS I used to have and seeing videos like these on KZbin back then.

[@Dragondacrafter]

I once had a nightmare that I was playing bee swarm simulator and a popup suddenly appeared that said "ITS TIME FOR YOU TO LEAVE." Before I could click anything, I got terminated. The worst oart was that this happened after I got unfairly banned for a day.

[@MitoNova583]

I'd argue Skullgirls has one of my favorite *genuine* anti-piracy tactics It's not even an actual screen or something that admonishes you for a crime, you just get this very nonsensical question in a pop-up box after finishing Arcade Mode, & someone who screenshotted it while asking what that meant was ousted as a pirate by the devs

[@linenist1900]

How’s that work?

[@Halloween_Eve]

@@linenist1900 basically some games have steam verification files or connect to the steam servers or their own servers and if it fails to connect most of them crash the game without anything just the game goes poof a hat in time does that but in skullgirls it is far more better but ineffective at gaining money because you finish the whole game but get trolled by the devs if you post about it some games put an error code spesifically to catch piraters online

[@accountlol7409]

I’d argue I think it was sims 4? Where the game would get very pixelated to look like it’s bugged is the best one because of how similarly effective it was It’s kinda funny how people just show that they pirated a videogame honestly

[@arthurconanthebarbarian1288]

I used to sht myself bad as a kid when seeing the old windows turnoff screen. It went like "Now one is allowed to turn off the computer power supply." with that dramatic ASS dot, written in mean-looking orange letters, glowing alone on a black screen. The emotion it gave was a mix of seeing a decomposing corpse and being spoken to by a ghost.

[@arthurconanthebarbarian1288]

The letters were unusually stretched, which, I guess, made it more uncomfortable and brought in the 'corpse' parallels. You can look it up but odds are you remember it. The message of the text was localized. Fascinating what psyche can come up with.

[@NetBattler]

Should've took a shit before playing video games

[@saltdad5263]

which windows release? xp or something? i need to look this up, im interested. i mostly use linux these days so i always get really interested hearing about spooky stuff happening in windows (i dont get that spooked feeling in linux since i can just fix everything in the command line in another tty, i kinda miss it lol). reminds me of so many childhood memories of me getting scared when my dads windows 98 tower would change the screen resolution and use 16-bit color when running an old game lmao.

[@simpy5499]

@@saltdad5263 I found it. Try googling "it's now safe to turn off your computer". It's from 95 era, from what I can gather.

[@saltdad5263]

​@@simpy5499 OHH yeah that is pretty intimidating lol, its funny how tech limitations can make stuff like that look so unintentionally creepy. weirdly it actually looks very similar to my acer laptops secure boot error screen with the stretched out text, black background, and this really compressed stretched out image of a pad lock that always gave me the creeps while i was installing linux and the screen would trigger if i screwed something up (you can just look up "acer security boot fail" and youll run into some images of it).

[@eessndjd]

11:48 bro got anti piracy'd while speedrunning 💀

[@Flying_noodlesOSC]

Rip

[@endgamerplays]

To me, these anti-piracy screens just feel like those “if you bought this book without a cover, it may have been reported as unsold and destroyed” paragraphs on the first page of books before the book actually starts.

[@navyboieatscheese2017]

true

[@unicornman147]

If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as "unsold and destroyed", and neither the author nor the publisher has received payment for this "stripped book".

[@jermfanaccount]

@@unicornman147 i remember reading that in a Goosebumps book once years ago when i was a kid. needless to say, it kinda freaked me out. like, the idea of having a "stripped book" and not knowing about it was just freaky.

[@userequaltoNull]

@@jermfanaccount oh god, every Goosebumps collection I've ever seen had at least one book without a cover.

[@Sickcrazyneet]

I don't know why so many fan made ones have to go super creepy pasta mode when a message pop up would just be enough

[@ThatCubeKidd]

4:40 that Baldi character’s name is Bad Sum.

[@mayzar8646]

The song in the background is also called badsum

[@thewiseowl8804]

Before watching the video, the screens are creepy because: - They catch you off guard/jumpscare you - You feel watched because the game caught you - You did something illegal which brings it’s own set of emotions - Any rare, odd visual or audio is a new experience and feels out of place

[@swisserty]

Oh everyone!!! Hear ye hear ye!! The wise owl wants you to scroll down 17 comments before you watch your intended video so you can read his points first!!

[@thewiseowl8804]

@@swisserty I wasn’t implying that at all, I just wanted to put down my immediate thoughts and people happened to take notice. idk what you mean by “intended video”; your language and conduct seem unbalanced.

[@swisserty]

@@thewiseowl8804 unbalanced old wankhestimo, listen here old wise cracking hooter, get your own smarmy language banked down or i will be forced to reol

[@elliesillyiams]

@@swisserty shut up

[@lucy-rr9ch]

@@swissertythey were just explaining why the screens are so scary or unsettling

[@sermicha5324]

Opinion: Fake Anti-piracy screens are usually very underwhelming, and rarely recapture the feeling of seeing a legit one. I get they are just made for fun, but still. Like others have said, legit screens are usually unnerving because they invoke a feeling of guilt in the player (“It is a serious crime” is a classic). Fake anti-piracy videos are usually just disappointing to me. Ironically, it loses a lot of the creepiness when there is generic creepypasta imagery and slowed/pitched-down music. Of course it would be scary if I were a kid in a dark room and I didn’t expect it, but otherwise it just doesn’t hit the same as a blank screen with nothing but text accusing you of committing a serious crime. There are some fake anti-piracy screen vids that come close to the feeling you get from legit screens, but when they go overboard it starts to lose impact.

[@Blendz_]

ngl most of them are just fan fictions lmao

[@Somespideronline]

@@Blendz_ that's a funny way of spelling "creepypasta"

[@Blendz_]

@@Somespideronline Yes

[@IoIxD]

The Super Mario Kart one was so close to being decent but then,,, but then he say "GET OFF MY TRACK" and he haves BLOOD EYES AND THE TRACK IS RED!!!! SCARY!!!!!!!

[@mihaimercenarul7467]

@@Somespideronline creepypasta is fanfiction tho, so he is not wrong, especially those that are about "deleted episodes" or cartoon characters taking a dark and edgy turn, it's fanfiction.

[@KJaxDragon]

Free idea: luigi mansion: he enters the mansion. 15 Pirate ghosts appear out of nowhere. Luigi gets hit with a sword. He gets dizzy. While it says THIS COPY IS ILLEGAL.

[@s.i.m.poster6823]

5:54 I automatically knew it was fake because watching pirated film isn't a crime, pirating is. Even if it WAS A crime, and this really showed up on TV, I'd be shocked at first but then dismiss it due to the cash envelope thing, clearly a scam. I don't know why the creator added that part.

[@merpaderp.___.4648]

I remember one of my teachers for one of my senior year electives mentioned this. He's so laid back and casually admitted to watching pirated footage of a few movies with his wife. He was afraid he'd get reported after that, but of the students in that class mentioned that it's completely legal and now he tells all his classes you can't get in trouble for watching pirated film lol. Best thing I learned senior year hands down.

[@swolejeezy2603]

Maybe the creator intended this to be a broadcast signal intrusion? That would make more sense

[@Oscribus]

he clearly said that this was fan made, dude. are u deaf?

[@cristiantobar9136]

And there's a creepypasta image of bootleg SpongeBob

[@legoboy7107]

Fun fact for anyone interested, the guy who made that last one of Super Mario Kart is actually a really good Mario Galaxy modder making a fantastic mod of Galaxy 2. If anyone's into the Galaxy games I'd highly recommend checking it out.

[@MmmMmph1968]

"You didn't collect all the stars" "Now everyone in the observatory will die" *general creepypasta stuff*

[@mihaimercenarul7467]

Yeah, fantastic galaxy 2 mod that is edgy and tries to be creepy by mentioning death and other things like slurs and ultra violence, like most of the pokemon rom hacks.

[@THEOPDESTROYER777]

Fuck piracy screens, as a kid, when i put a disc into a gamecube and it failed to read it properly and it just went to the menu instead, that sound that plays scared me so badly it was insane

[@AdamBloxz]

That spongebob bootleg blinking thing scared the shit out of me lol

[@smileygladhead]

Thought it was just me tbh

[@selcouth444]

I looked away so quick

[@hardcase7753]

the vibes were rancid

[@SpiderPigRex]

When I saw him blink I looked away

[@MrSpyCrab1]

Jesus Christ i thought i was the only one. Holy shit nearly shit myself

[@Tylerpack09]

I like the idea of a programmer at nintendo getting overly pissed off about people pirating a game they spent time on, so they make the most over the top anti piracy thing, and then accidentally make a creepy pasta.

[@sparkypikachu7776]

Okay, I'm not going to lie I'm dissapointed that you didn't put that you were talking about fake screens in the title. Seems VERY misleading and kinda seems like clickbait is a way..

[@2fatkid537]

he wasn't tho he talked about fake ones at the end and the very first one was just a hook for the viewer

[@lucasjaramillovargas9422]

the sonic anti piracy screen just feels wholesome because it feels like sonic is actually talking to you and is giving you good advice

[@melissar942]

Pirating is nO gewd

[@Phantom_Prodz]

No

[@walmart_enjoyerwalmart_e-mo4cj]

Sonic says If you use an illegitimate copy of a game, or pirate it, that schmidt, well that's no good!

[@aidenkarma3844]

Fr

[@Brizzle12341]

I think the main scary thing with anti-piracy screens is if one gets triggered accidentally. If you actually pirated the game, you might be a little unnerved, but you probably at least considered the possibility. If you're playing a legitimate copy, or at least one you assume is legit, it will throw you off and unnerve you a lot more.

[@walmart_enjoyerwalmart_e-mo4cj]

It's probably really rare to get an anti piracy screen on a legitimate copy. I've only heard something anti-piracy related happening on legitimate copies of the Japanese version of Mega Man X, and it's not even a screen.

[@onesyphorus]

its the unknown that scares ppl the most yeah. its like if u knew thered b a jumpscare, you wouldnt even watch it in the night for starters

[@RickyRockstarTNS]

@@walmart_enjoyerwalmart_e-mo4cj I started seeing these screens on legit store bought copies years after playing them and never seeing them. When the games or console become dirty, sometimes it begins to trigger these screens in error.

[@walmart_enjoyerwalmart_e-mo4cj]

@@RickyRockstarTNS oh but how does the game being dirty even trigger anti-piracy measures I wanna know

[@RickyRockstarTNS]

​@walmart_enjoyerwalmart_e-mo4cj the dirt or a corroded pin can cause the console to access the wrong data sector. Cartridge tilting can do it too.

[@speeningfish]

Just imagine what if a horror game’s piracy screen would be like

[@Simon123Pik]

Oh no 😨

[@TopTabron]

I generally find the cursed peach at the begging to be really funny Also the Donkey Kong Country 3 gave me nightmares for some reason It’s just the look on their face It creeps me out Along with the music I understand why I would get freaked out by this

[@beardalaxy]

Same here, probably because of how many vinesauce corruption streams I've watched

[@istalo1]

The background screen is reutilised from the Game Over screen, but it still feels unnerving, there's something about the SNES DKC trilogy Game Over screens that feels creepy as shit to me. Even after all these years and having grown up it still makes me feel somewhat uneasy.

[@Ijjklll]

At the begging?

[@flaminfetus]

The subtlety is what makes them good. The modern ones try way too hard and just become creepypastas.

[@asheep7797]

@@Ijjklll yes, in his massage.

[@thewolfleader500]

"Many people who stare at the image for long enough claim to see spongebob blink." SpongeBob: 😶😑😶

[@alexanderyt4610]

I did not see it blinking tbh

[@КотВасилий-м7н]

7:38 watch at 0.25

[@TommyCraft5]

I saw him blink as weel

[@oliverr3008]

Same😂

[@nicoliam1431]

that scared the shit out of me

[@ramih1973]

7:46, I saw him blink!

[@cr_chain]

Fr or did u just see the blink that was there on purpose

[@tootsie_]

A lot of SNES games had similar piracy screens to the DKC trilogy, since most games could detect when a 3rd party disc reader was being used with a simple check. The game would ask for a bit of RAM from an address that wouldn't exist on a cartridge due to the size. A disc reader, since it had to have enough RAM to store the game several times over, would return a number the game doesn't expect. The first time in programming history where a checksum error is kinda cool

[@strikareay9987]

I actually found out that the Baldi in the anti-piracy screen is actually called ‘Checksum’. I like how it has a double meaning, it’s the checksum of the game, but also the fact that the game is about sums (Math shit) And Checksum *is* technically different from Baldi, only difference being the colour of the shirt

[@Bro-cx2jc]

Super Metroid would only give me an anti piracy warning if I loaded the game with certain cheat codes turned on. If I disabled them it would start up fine, and then I could instantly re-enable them.

[@tootsie_]

@@Bro-cx2jc since cheat codes are outside of the parameters the devs expect, maybe the cheat accidentally makes the checksum fail? Very strange.

[@Bro-cx2jc]

@@tootsie_ I dunno. I don't speak programming or whatever language so I can only assume, maybe cheat codes particularly modify some kind of value that gets checked alongside the checksum. Does that happen? Or is it only the checksum that is verified?

[@tootsie_]

@@Bro-cx2jc honestly, don't know. If i was a smarter boy who wanted to dive headfirst into the assembly code that duct tapes old nintendo games together i could probably figure it out but that sounds like a whole lot of effort, but it's likely. Either that, or the game genie was poorly maintained and it was messing with the pins in the same way as dust would.

[@aweirdjojofanrero6098]

It has a very uncanny feeling, no one really knows why

[@boken3496]

Because they're not funny messages or something innocent

[@SurmenianSoldier]

Mr Incredible says: Man, that was uncanny!

[@saltdad5263]

i think it has to do with the sudden change of mood and atmosphere in (usually) bright and cheery games, and how bizarrely confrontational it feels to the point its incredibly intimidating. kinda has the same vibe as those ominous game over screens that made a lot of people really uncomfortable as a kid. it just looks so out-of-place, which is probably why it makes a lot of people so uncomfortable

[@imselfaware419]

You can't speak for everyone

[@redstonecommander5190]

Game cube antipiracy screen is probably the most terrifying the darkness with the creepy pixelated imagery along with the error message coupled with the ominous and eerie music can put you on edge expecting an apparition

[@fluffcake]

Fear tactics are quite effective on the younger generation.

[@theotherdashmelted]

true

[@shockedbaby2590]

As someone part of the younger generation, I agree with this statement

[@proudbeanerii3810]

Yeah because you guys are so edgy to the bone that the only thing that will bother you is people finding out how messed up your head is do to a bunch of edgy and dark videos binge watch as teens.

[@AdornedProduct1]

@@proudbeanerii3810 it really ain’t that deep 😹😹😹

[@Haelinzzi]

@@proudbeanerii3810 it isnt that deep bro

[@SilverSlugs16]

There was a huge thunderclap outside my window right at 1:02 when peach showed up as a floating head. This anti piracy is no joke 💀

[@avi_mation]

Damn id call the police

[@mihaimercenarul7467]

it is a joke, you scared child

[@agentpeter307]

Wowie

[@HighestReal.]

@@mihaimercenarul7467 I mean obviously you can't get a joke because it flew right over your heaf

[@HighestReal.]

@aayanvibes_editz 💀

[@ArchivedSwedenball]

Fun fact: the anti piracy screen in Donkey kong country 3, the background image is actually the image that shows up in the game over screen

[@GloboxMoment]

fun fact: the sky is blue and fire burns

[@Majokodomo]

Likewise, the music used in that screen is the boss music from the game! ^-^

[@imselfaware419]

@@GloboxMoment fun fact: that meme is dead

[@GloboxMoment]

@@imselfaware419 ????? what part of what i said was a meme

[@loganmaki2767]

2:06 WHAT IS THAT MELODY⁉️⁉️⁉️

[@yumeharold]

certified banger

[@Luis04464]

Out of jokes, it's fire

[@shahidahabdullah4640]

certified hood classic.

[@thegaming._.squaad]

wee hee hee bow

[@asierx7047]

As someone who uses _[Completely legitimate Non-Emulation Software]_ on a daily basis, i can say the first handful of piracy screens i ran into unnerved me, but i quickly got desensitized. Especially since the most common piracy screen is the japanese "this game is forbidden in the United States, Canada and Mexico" since i _don't live there_

[@herimperialcondecension]

you know what scared me more as a kid? the home screen for most consoles. no im serious, they scared the ever loving shit out of me.

[@Turnaround72]

The fucking ps2 one was terrifying

[@summer8941]

PS1 at full volume 💀

[@venezuelanomori15]

Dude, corruptions for game consoles absolutely terrified me when i was a kid, especially when i was alone Even with other people, it terrified me

[@admiralrusnew2954]

the only thing that scared me was when the console wouldn’t go off

[@JinxCloudDrop]

7:28 I SAW HIM BLINK WHAT THE-

[@boredsandwich_2]

?

[@BAM-Edits.]

It didn’t?

[@pokemonfanwsbgalt8574]

Oh god...

[@Your_localMcdonaldsWorker]

Its edited in there so its meant to scare u

[@JamesnLollify]

"An irregularity has been detected" will haunt generations

[@ceecue5367]

Gives me the same feeling when a TV is turned off after watching it for long hours in a dark room. There's just silence...

[@willymillynilly4501]

I know it isn’t an anti-piracy screen, but I always felt so scared when my Wii game discs wouldn’t work. It’s literally the least scary thing in the world, but it just creeped me out when I was a kid.

[@DaCaptainDerpy]

I've never seen an anti piracy screen with my own games.

[@absolutelygoobing]

Maybe because YOU DIDNT PIRATE THE GAMES 🤓🔫

[@Supersoldier2012]

Same, but I played pirated sw battlefront II. There's was impossible mission

[@BestBoiFu]

@@Supersoldier2012 Wait fr?

[@Supersoldier2012]

@@BestBoiFu yes, it's real

[@__1_645]

12:05 BRO WAS SMOKING THEM

[@stepoface]

I think the scary thing is that it feels like a 4th wall break, like the game is sentient and knows all your secrets, even that you stole the game. And when you just unknowingly bought a bad copy it almost feels like you are getting in trouble without knowing why, like the goverment wants to get rid of you or something.

[@lolzazn]

its like the game knows it's a game lol

[@kraft.singles]

You are so evil for editing that SpongeBob blinking in

[@Croissant-cp1yt]

so real

[@baythemanokit266]

6:20 WHY DO YOU HAVE TO DELIVER IT TO THE MINKSOFF THEATRE OF ALL BUILDINGS

[@bakedbeans3739]

Fun fact: on the first one, if you listen to the song at the screen where peach is in the fail animation, (and it says its pirated) its a slowed down version of the fail song in the battle gamemode.

[@Shtickyaight]

Where

[@ThaCataBoi]

3:21 …that’s the game over screen. That’s why they’re in distress and staring at an unseen evil.

[@kazzag7211]

10:14 thie isnt scarier than " Fun is infinite " that can be triggered with messing with the sound thing look it up if you dont know

[@Lego-Batman18]

7:33 Bro His eye are blinking HIS EYES ARE FUCKING BLINKING

[@Echo-we3qt]

It's edited btw, he always blinks no matter how long u look at it

[@Lego-Batman18]

@@Echo-we3qt oh

[@nekuromant]

I was like tf?

[@womankisser1]

THIS SCARED THE SHIT PUT OF ME

[@angelamiracle5860]

@@Echo-we3qt OH I GOT SCARED ONG

[@DeepWeeb]

I think one reason why anti-piracy hoaxes became so popular among Nintendo games because of the company's strict policies on the illegal distribution of their software, and their fans being conditionated into feeling fear and guilt for daring to pirate their games (can you believe there's people who insist in having people *buy* WiiU and 3DS eShop games before their closure instead of just hacking their systems?)

[@ScarletAmethyst]

I can believe that may be a reason given that Nintendo is very strict on ROMs or ISOs as well fan-made games featuring their content like AM2R and Super Mario Bros. 64 (C64). Still, there is a giveaway on the screens being fake. The most obvious is searching for the game on TCRF which lists if it has anti-piracy (for example, Super Mario Kart doesn't have them) or region checks (most SNES/SFC games check the region so a PAL cart wouldn't work on an NA SNES). The other tell is the game crashing/freezing followed by a message which a real game wouldn't do when it crashes. The last giveaway is the anti-piracy being on a game that is on the GameCube, Wii, and 3DS which usually don't have anti-piracy. Among Nintendo systems, the systems that used anti-piracy were the SNES/SFC, N64 (like Ocarina of Time), and Nintendo DS. The SNES/Super Famicom was notorious for the cartridge copiers that allowed coping games and the same for the DS with the flash carts so the games tried to counter them by checking the SRAM (SNES) or if it was running on a flash cart in the case for the DS.

[@DeepWeeb]

@@ScarletAmethyst Well yeah, it's very easy to disprove any and all of these hoaxes thanks to the datamining community. I think these creepypastas do a complete disservice to those people as they spread misinformation as wildfire (remember Fingore? the alleged lost enemy from New Super Mario Bros., a game that has been dissected to death for the last 15 years and yet no proof of its existence before and after?

[@onedaybecca]

oddly ive never heard of "anti-piracy" screens somehow, even though ive played multiple consoles since 2010but if i saw peach looking like that id shit myself

[@cpt_bobby]

9:35 “im late for work, i gotta go fast!” “wait i forgor my wallet 💀”

[@DNoobious2]

LOL IT MADE MY NIGHTMARES GO AWAY

[@thevillager9370]

5:00 Baldi getting fired at 3 AM (real) (happened at 3M) (thanos appeared)

[@YourAverageHandleName]

That’s not baldi. That’s badsum

[@MrBlack-wl3vk]

Gone wrong

[@cycrothelargeplanet]

Amazing idea for 3am youtubers

[@Profkol0rado]

@@YourAverageHandleName ThAt'S nOt BaLdI ThAt'S bAdSuM 🤓

[@rblxdani]

There’s something eeire about playing retro games after watching this video like Super Mario 64, just so scary.

[@T_E_G]

The thumbnail literally reminded me of those CapCom games of ResidentEvil and DinoCrisis. They still to this day also make me uneasy, just the backgrounds of pure chaos, fire and blood stains is enough to tell you the story.

[@WD_RatLad]

7:35 heh, good one, but you did catch me off guard the first time I saw it.

[@specopsreaper0799]

Fr I saw it coming and it still scared me

[@popycorn3005]

it caught me off guard

[@BobBob-ye4vz]

=(

[@stuffonmyduck8551]

I saw it on the corner of my eye while I put KZbin on miniplayer genuinely caught me off guard

[@ReirtoRRNTX]

Yeah like at first time i didn't notice But like just recently at that exact time, i see it blink and like an ad immediately came and like it loading in black screen because my internet like slow at the time Really scared me

[@unfunny2386]

I think part of it is that most people know that getting in trouble is not good, and when someone, especially a young child, sees these screens that, at the very least, imply that they are doing something they shouldn't, it strikes that natural feeling of unease and guilt you feel when you get into trouble.

[@XViGames0]

4:32 Ah yes, yellow text on yellow background, they did a great job designing it, it's very readable

[@-syo-]

2:25 horrifying, its so lofi, ig the reason the screens are scary its bc its lofi and creepily nostalgic and kind of a liminal feeling

[@cessnacitation-x]

"it's so lofi" you have no idea how much I hate you. you probably say "uhh, it's giving.. aesthetic 💅💅" unironically

[@Oscribus]

@@cessnacitation-xfr man😬

[@thatmeatguy8418]

I like the SpongeBob one because the harsh "you are going to jail" language and the demand to send money via cash in an envelope to random address gives me the same vibes as those spam emails were they say thier the FBI and you need to pay money. It's like some scamer hijacked a TV station and is trying to scam kids out of money.

[@thatmeatguy8418]

Which also explains why it's so unnecessary creepy because it's ment to scare people into paying money not be an actual anti-piracy screen

[@Tf2gamer019]

Sonic: dude not cool 😐 Mario:i know where you live