Well, I think the two of you combined put the finger on the spot. A lot of people that don't have the money to buy something, or think it's not worth their money, might still illegally download some piece of software and use it. If they could've done without, I have no moral issue with this. However, if they are actually enjoying the game, or it's useful for their business, then a reward would be on its place. With torrent downloads (and its alternatives) it impossible to check this, so the profiteers can also do so freely.

Plain and simple, Socrates: game developers are companies that pay people their salary and make a living out of creating games. If they don't get paid for their creations, the company will seize to exist and we would be stuck with amateur/hobbyist games. That won't result into Battlefield 3. So how do we make sure these people will still get rewarded?

(Note to the Dutchies: downloading music and films is legal in the Netherlands, but downloading software is not.)

I download software all the time. But I pay for it ;)

As far as Battlefield3 is concerned: I can do without that no problem :D

But that's OT.

Knowing that it is very difficult/costly to check for pirates (Hadopi law in France: a total failure), why not just changing how things work, so that it is:
- more simple
- less expensive for everyone
- more friendly
- more profitable for artists?

I do not care at all for blockbuster games either, but that's off-topic. :D

There is no problem with this. People are willing to donate money if they think they profit much from a game or something else.
Think of what patronage is in the field of art (is that the right word ? it is called "mécénat" in French). Some rich / less rich people donate money to be associated to an artistic creation/discovery (get that painting back to the museum for example).
Why not have this too for music, cinema, etc.? Some projects already exist, I can cite KickStarter; donators might be cited in the credits or get a special item when the main creation is published (for free).

There is so much to do! I find it amazing that majors are still there...

It is quite possible to code single or multiple use copy-restricted files which is essentially implemented on mac/Apple systems. It also can be done in Windows. While it is not actually done, it is possible. IMO, some software aka iTunes constantly tries to do this, at least on my son's laptop. Which means that what you cite here as a feature is actually some not implemented but possible to implement mechanism similar to a lock on the box which is now unlocked just because there are no hinges. Well, those hinges can be placed at any time and there is nothing wrong with do it IMO. I do it all the time at work so students cannot copy/read what they are not supposed to.