TL;DR - an indie game developer released a cracked version of their own game (a game developer simulation) anticipating piracy. Users of the "cracked" version still don't get the hint when they can't beat the game due to piracy affecting their in-game progress.
Quote:
Pre-empting the game's eventual appearance on file-sharing sites, Patrick and Daniel Klug uploaded their own cracked copy of the full game. But within the code lay a few extra lines.
Those who play the pirated version are warned that their own attempts at creating games are being hampered by piracy. Profits for each project will be less than those who own and paid for the full game.
Those who play the pirated version are warned that their own attempts at creating games are being hampered by piracy. Profits for each project will be less than those who own and paid for the full game.
...
Quote:
Despite repeated warnings that piracy was killing the player's in-game career, many users did not get the hint. Messages began to appear online from owners of the cracked copy, asking for help in avoiding the situation.
"I can't progress furher... HELP!" one user wrote. "Guys I reached some point where if I make a decent game with score 9-10 it gets pirated and I can't make any profit.
"It says blah blah our game got pirated stuff like that. Is there some way to avoid that? I mean can I research a DRM or something?"
Said another user: "Why are there so many people that pirate? It ruins me! Not fair."
"I can't progress furher... HELP!" one user wrote. "Guys I reached some point where if I make a decent game with score 9-10 it gets pirated and I can't make any profit.
"It says blah blah our game got pirated stuff like that. Is there some way to avoid that? I mean can I research a DRM or something?"
Said another user: "Why are there so many people that pirate? It ruins me! Not fair."
Quite the social experiment.