Research firm Envisional claims that the illegal downloading of video games has gone up by 20 per cent in the last five years. The statistics published by the company also revealed that 2010’s top five games were accessed illegally almost one million times.
The gaming industry is not only concerned but also wants to highlight to gamers that piracy of games can cause harm to the future of console games.
Chairman of the association for UK Interactive Entertainment (UKIE), Andy Payne said, “Some 200 to 250 people sat in a studio for two years building the latest Modern Warfare 3. This costs real money,”
Statistics published by UKIE in January 2011 showed that for every game sold four are pirated illegally, which costs the UK video game industry over £1 billion per year.
It’s important to note that while the number of pirated games may be rising, the games industry has been experiencing much more significant growth. Over the same five-year period as 2011, the average annual growth rate for the games industry was 9.1%, so pirated games have decreased as a percentage of overall sales.
Many gamers use illegal downloads as a try before you buy method. To satisfy gamers’ demands, publishers need to provide more game demos and pre-release products so they feel confident enough to buy from the start.
The UK government is currently looking to implement the Digital Economy Act which, it hopes, will stem illegal downloads of games as well as movies and music in the UK using warning letters and the threat of disconnection to deter pirates.
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