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.)
__________________
|