Have you ever STOLEN a game?

[Starcade]

Well, with all these massive collections you would think some of you are up to no good (just kidding) but have any of you ever actually stolen a videogame?

I can honestly say I have not, unless you consider playing burned dc games stealing, but i am talking about actual physically jacking a game!

[GENESISNES]

i have stolen a game MAP for i think mario is missing for NES at goodwill. cmon! its just a slip of paper!

[scooterb23]

I guess at a technical level, I have stolen a game...

When I bought my 3DO used, I opened it up, Way Of The Warrior came popping out at me!

The store had just gotten the system in, hadn't tested it yet, so I bought it, and they threw in a longer warranty...

I almost brought it back, but then I realized, that the store never knew they had the game! So I didn't feel so bad then :)

[Charlie]

I never have. Stealing is wrong. Why is it wrong? Because the bible says so? No. Not stealing proves we're better then animals, period. Also, we have laws against stealing. I also don't copy games and I don't even use emulation. I own some NES multi-carts but I'll bet good money that Nintendo is responsable for over half of them so whooopty friggen do.

[Captain Wrong]

I have a story similar to Scooter's and another that was a little more deceptive on my part.

Thrift store NES deck, no controllers or cables, you know the kind, but it did have a copy of Tetris in it. I really don't know if it was supposed to be there or if someone else stuck it in there, but I don't believe it was priced. Anyway, got the whole mess for $3 and felt ok about it.

Same thrift store, I'm buying a fish tank this time and I saw a Colecovision deck, again loose. It was also unpriced. I put it in the fish tank as a matter of convience as I was still shopping. When the checkout guy was ringing me up, he must not have noticed it or thought it was part of the fish tank because that's all I got charged for and I didn't bother to point it out.

If I had any bad Karma coming, I think I may have counterbalanced it by donating a ton of stuff there over the summer. So I haven't techinallly stolen, but I may have been a little less than honest.

[Charlie]

LOL, I'm in constant fear of bad Karma. I found a $50 bill by my car a few years ago at the Mall next to my car when I got out, and I waited for like an hour for someone to come and claim it. When the person with the car parked next to me came out, I said "Did you drop something?" "You didn't by any chance find a fifty did you?"

Money isn't everything my friends: Honesty is.

[Arqueologia_Digital]

Never stole a game...i´m lucky (my room is a mess)

[nesman85]

the only time i've "stolen" a game is when i had some games rented from the video store and forgot about them, then by the time i remembered, the late fee was higher than the game value so i just kept them and didn't pay it.

[Sothy]

I traded a kid some pogs and slammers for an NES set.

Got it home and it had Donkey Kong Classics in it.

Got in a whole bunch of trouble and his mom told everybody I was a thief.
Gave the little fuck his game back, shouldnt have though. Different story if they had been nice about it.



Also later I was maybe 13 or something this kid I knew through another friend stole from me a couple times I know he did and a couple other people even told me about it but I had no proof.

He stole my black light from another kids house and that was the last straw.

weeks later hes showing everybody his new SNES game Mario Kart, just got it all proud and shit had it in his back pack.

We wind up at Burger King together with some other people.
Im left alone with his back pack and take the game out and put it under a floor mat in the playground thing next to the ball pit.

Not trying to steal it just getting revenge, figure someone else can find it.

Hes crying and shit its great.

couple days later I am by there again and for the hell of it check and it is still there.

Traded it for a dime bag of weed.

Stealing is wrong and I wouldnt do it as an adult but every kid does it sooner or later.

Karma is a bitch though.

[Charlie]

I don't know if I believe in Karma or not. I guess maybe. I don't know.

I mean, I had a really bad 2002. My father in law died, my brother and me still aren't on speaking terms, I punched out my father (he called my wife a 'spick' for the record, even though she is whiter then bleach), and found out my wife can't have kids. I dunno, maybe all those things happened because I was an asshole. Or maybe those things felt so bad because I was an asshole. I know that I got treatment for depression at the end of last year and my 2003 has been pretty ok (explosive hemmeroids aside).

Although today I went to get Medal of Honor Frontline for the Cube for 19.99 at Target and they were sold out... hey wait a second, at the hotel in Mexico I didn't leave a tip for the maid!!!! OHHHHHHH KARMA, YOU ARE A DIRTY BITCH! HOW I HATE THEEEEEEEEEEEEE *sobs*

[hydr0x]

mh didn't really steal something, but 2-3 years ago, don't know exactly a friend gave me his brothers final fantasy vii to test my bleem copy :D, i didn't have a psx or psx games back then (i still don't have a psx though i do have all ff, bof, cv and beatmania *ouch*) and i just forgot to give him it back and he also did LOL , so i still got a mint ffvii, pal, german for free :)

[Mr-E_MaN]

I have never stolen a game. I couldn't do something like that. It would eat me up inside everytime I looked at it.

[Tritoch]

I can honestly say I have not, unless you consider playing burned dc games stealing, but i am talking about actual physically jacking a game!

Isn't that physically jacking a game too though? It takes effort to burn/download/otherwise pirate a game, and it IS STEALING in almost every instance no matter how anyone tries to rationalize it.

As far as the game inside a system thing goes, if they price a NES at $5 and a game is inside it I consider that part of the deal. It's not the buyer's fault if the seller doesn't know everything they're selling when they price it. If you consider that stealing the game then you'd have to extend it to other stuff too, like things stuck in the recess up under the NES (saw a condom once in there!) and the dust inside.

That's just like getting a great deal on eBay. It's not the buyer's fault if the seller doesn't do any research before they put those 5 SNES RPGs up with a BIN of $7.50. LOL

[Raedon]

The first time I tried to shoplift I got caught (i was 8 or so.. it was candy..) and I was so ashamed I never did again.

I did, however, buy a Virtualboy at a pawn that came with a boxed Wario World game. When I got home there were three wario world carts in the box.. I never took the other two back.

[maxlords]

I don't think I've ever stolen a game before...not physically at least. I used to go and open all the SNES and Genny boxes at the rental stores and take all the posters and maps they left inside em when I was a kid though :) Other than that...only emulation, and as I rarely play emulation outside of MAME (which I only play cause arcade games are unfeasibly large and expensive to own), I don't really consider it stealing in the same way that those who play all their NES games on DC and such are.

[Moose]

There have been a couple of times now that a friend of mine let me borrow a game or two and then moved away. I've lost contact with them, but should I run into them again and they remember/care I have their games, then I guess I will give them back.

[omnedon]

Isn't that physically jacking a game too though? It takes effort to burn/download/otherwise pirate a game, and it IS STEALING in almost every instance no matter how anyone tries to rationalize it.


When you download something you are not depriving someone of any physical prperty. When you "jack" a game, you do deprive someone of their paid for property. It's very simple to understand. Downloading something may be a theft of intellectual property, while jacking a game is not, as the copyright owner still got paid for the item.

Very different types of law breaking. Saying they are the same does not make them so.

[EnemyZero]

can't honestly say ive ever stolen a game...i was temped to take the Zelda limited edition gamecube title since i work at target in the electronics department but i stoped myself and pre-ordered to get it....but yeah on many occasions friends of mine left games at the house and sometimes they'd come like a year later and be like ooo isnt this mine? so after 1 or 2 times i just kept them hid so they'd never remember :P

[Achika]

Is it stealing if you tell someone their cart is worth way less than the DP guide values it? Maybe nothing at all, since 'no one plays these old things anymore'? I've done that more times than I can count on my hands. Other than that, I've never physically taken a game from a store or someone's place/person.

[ClubNinja]

The closest I get to this is similar to the game-in-NES story, but a little different.

I picked up a boxed Starpath Supercharger at a flea for $5. The kid selling it said that there was a game inside (the pack-in Phaser Patrol, I assumed.) He also said he had a few more of the cassette games somewhere in the booth, but couldn't find them. I waited while he dug around a bit, until he suggested I come back later - "they've got their books and cases and everything, and you can have em for a couple bucks each when I find them."

Seemed ok to me.

So, my buddy and I leave the flea without going back to the kid's booth. About five minutes away, while in the car, he opens up the box to see what this weird Supercharger thing is that I bought, and finds game cassettes 1 through 8 in there (including a nice Rabbit Transit.) I was thrilled. And I just kept driving.

I made up for it two weeks later, though. Same kid was freaking out because his Gameboy Color was stolen. I found it on the ground a few vendors down, and returned it to him. I'm a nice guy. Although, he then encouraged me to take a free Sega CD game from him as a reward. I told him not to worry about it, but as we left, he hands my friend a copy of Sol-Feace to give to me. Ah well, I won't complain ; )

[Tritoch]

When you download something you are not depriving someone of any physical prperty. When you "jack" a game, you do deprive someone of their paid for property. It's very simple to understand. Downloading something may be a theft of intellectual property, while jacking a game is not, as the copyright owner still got paid for the item.

Very different types of law breaking. Saying they are the same does not make them so.

You're still depriving someone of physical property by taking away their money. If the game's still in production you're depriving the publishers of money, and if it isn't then you're depriving the second-hand shops (eBay, used game stores that struggle as it is, etc.) of money they would've earned through resell/listing fee/etc. They paid for the opportunity to earn that money just like the consumer paid for the opportunity to play the game, by either paying the developers (marketing, coding, etc.) or paying to set up shop/online site/etc. I don't see a difference as you're still stealing from SOMEONE.

Now, if you've exhausted every single resource and still can't find a particular game...that's a different story. Same with many arcade games that simply aren't in any stores anymore.


So, my buddy and I leave the flea without going back to the kid's booth. About five minutes away, while in the car, he opens up the box to see what this weird Supercharger thing is that I bought, and finds game cassettes 1 through 8 in there (including a nice Rabbit Transit.) I was thrilled. And I just kept driving.

In that instance it's the kid's fault for not knowing they were in there. He sold it to you, you bought it...end of story.

The fact that he didn't INTEND to actually sell those games with the system doesn't matter IMO.

[Arrrhalomynn]

It's not really stealing and it's also not a game, but it was dishonest what I did.

When I bought my xbox there was an action going on with an xbox, 3 games and a dvd-remote control. I think it cost 300 bucks. I also got myself morrowind with it and an advanced scart cable. The total would come to something like 390.
The cash register would automatically recognize the items scanned in and calculate the discount. But the (new) girl scanned them in the wrong order or something, so I got the discount twice. 340 turned up at the cash register and I immediatly knew it was wrong. I was still thinking if I should say something, but she was already like:'here's the receipt, let me see if it's alright'. Then she checked it for some time, and gave it to me. I paid the 340 and left.
Then I felt bad for 'stealing'. Especially because I expected the girl to get in trouble. But my greed won over my morals.

[ghsqb]

I haven't stolen in the traditional sense, that is physically taking something without paying.
I would have to say that I have stolen however as it pertains to copying PSX games.
Ditto if you consider emulation stealing.
The PSX scenario I won't even try to justify, I have a problem calling the emulation stealing.
For example, Body Slam for INTV is not abundantly available, when it is, it tends to be too expensive for my liking.
So, I have the rom and I can enjoy the game, I have purchased both Intellivision Lives and Intellivision Rocks, so I do still support the developpers, but until such time as I can justify laying down the price for the cart, or until I find one cheaper, I play the rom.
Its all about what you can live with, justify to yourself.
You've seen it already in this thread, some people consider theft what others consider seller beware.
As an aside, I wonder how many of these same people have no qualms downloading MP3's because "CD's are too expensive", "Record companies are too greedy" or "I don't wanna pay $17.99 for 1 song..."
Again, people will go to whatever means they can to justify their actions.
Food for thought?

[Bratwurst]

I don't believe I could ever justify stealing anything unless it were an eye for an eye scenario. Whenever I'm handed the wrong cash at a register though, I make a point of ammending the error and handing back what isn't mine. Those cashieres replace missing money out of their own pocket, and I benefit from my honesty greatly on return trips.

[omnedon]

You're still depriving someone of physical property by taking away their money
No.

No, you are depriving them of a possible sale. You are not stealing their physical property. The store (or whoever) paid for that property, and they still have that asset, in reality, on the books.

When it's downloaded, it is more analagous to a volunteer run distribution system.

As far as used game sellers go, a time is going to come soon, when the quality of the "volunteer run distribution system" software will be superior to the scratched and worn used inventories. (in many cases it already is, as I've bought a few non functional used CD games)

I question the wisdom of a business model that is faced with this reality.


I don't see a difference as you're still stealing from SOMEONE.


I never once said that one was stealing and one was not. I said they are different. Just like murder is different from disconnecting a patient's life support. Because the result is the same, does not make the act the same.

All of that said, I'm not buying any sports games, because I don't like them. Since I am depriving game sellers and re-sellers of those sales, I hope that doesn't mean I'm a thief.

Time will tell.

[Tritoch]

...I have a problem calling the emulation stealing.
For example, Body Slam for INTV is not abundantly available, when it is, it tends to be too expensive for my liking.
So, I have the rom and I can enjoy the game...

Like I said before, when a game is nearly impossible to find I don't have a problem with downloading the game and playing it. If I make a reasonable effort to find a game and I can't, then I won't hesitate to download and play it. I would feel obligated to purchase it later if I ran across it though.


No.

No, you are depriving them of a possible sale. You are not stealing their physical property. The store (or whoever) paid for that property, and they still have that asset, in reality, on the books.

I wasn't trying to imply that you steal physical property already in their possession. What you are doing though is depriving them of the money YOU WOULD'VE GIVEN THEM if you hadn't gotten the game for free last night on putpublishersoutofbusiness.com. In the end they're still losing something.


As far as used game sellers go, a time is going to come soon, when the quality of the "volunteer run distribution system" software will be superior to the scratched and worn used inventories. (in many cases it already is, as I've bought a few non functional used CD games)

I question the wisdom of a business model that is faced with this reality.

I question the business model too, for that reason and the fact that pirating is so rampant.


I never once said that one was stealing and one was not. I said they are different. Just like murder is different from disconnecting a patient's life support. Because the result is the same, does not make the act the same.

All of that said, I'm not buying any sports games, because I don't like them. Since I am depriving game sellers and re-sellers of those sales, I hope that doesn't mean I'm a thief.

Time will tell.

I wasn't implying that they aren't different, nor that the act wasn't different either. I was emphasizing the fact that the result is the same while stating that the act itself is just stealing using a different method.

It doesn't mean you're a thief, because you don't have any interest in playing the game in the first place. Ergo, you aren't depriving anyone of anything as you never would've bought it anyway...whether a downloadable ROM is available for it or not. If you suddenly got the urge to play Madden and downloaded it off the 'net though, then that would be stealing even if you didn't ever plan on buying it because the only other way to play it would be to buy or rent it.

Honestly, I'm starting to rethink whether downloading out of print games is actually stealing or not. On the one hand the publisher/asset owner isn't making any money off of the game anymore, but on the other hand there's always a possibility they'll use it later ala the NES games in Animal Crossing or Activision Anthology. It's a tricky moral question.

[omnedon]

With out of print games, it's all a difference that makes no difference. When all you are doing is stealing intellectual property, and the only legal way to buy the product DOES NOT REIMBURSE the intellectual property owner (used game sellers), it's a no harm no foul.

Selling software from this alternate distribution system is outright piracy, and should be prosecuted.

All that said, I buy originals, carts and otherwise as much as I can. I'm a collector! :-D

I just like to clarify, when I can, the difference between types of theft. It's an interesting argument. :-D

[kainemaxwell]

Psyically stealing I never have. I do emulate many games for systems and for those systems and games I do, I have intentions of buying said games 9mainly for NES, SNES or Genesis titles).

[drumguy79]

I stole some $ from my job to buy Duke Nukem next door at the Best Buy... still feel bad about it.

[Starcade]

Guys, Guys, Guys, I'm not talking about emulation, I said STEALING..as in, you see game you want in gamestop *SWIPE* it's yours...that kind of stealing! :roll:

[Alex Kidd]

Well, let's see...
For consoles, I've never stolen a game from a store, but I DID KINDA steal a game from my friend, but he desrved, sorta...
See I loaned him Shining Force and Shining Force II
I only got Shining Force II back
He lost Shining Force somehow... and knowing this guy, I know he didn't claim to lose it to keep it for himself, he's pretty scaterbrained at times.

Now, in accordance to his Scatterbrained-ness he forgot I had a loan of the Genesis 6-Pak off of him, so I just never reminded him!
I figured it was a fair trade... almost... damn I miss Shining Force...

As for PC stuff, I often steal demo discs from magazines, but never have stolen a Full Version game

Video Games are too hard to steal unless you're in a cheap second hand shop (which we don't have any of around here)

Alex Kidd

[brandver3]

Oh man, i'm going to be the bad guy here.

I have stolen lots of games. I used to work for K-mart and it was so easy, i just couldn't help it.

I was poor and my addiction just got the best of me.

I don't want to list though so don't ask, it's long.

I'm over it know and i am a fine upstanding citizen, now i make sure i pay for everything, maybe because subcounsiely (sp?) i'm trying to make up for what i did then.

[toddst]

I have never stolen a game. However, I am going over to Christian Scott's apartment later today--he'll never miss a few 2600 carts. I think that it's time to change my ways. I've been honest for way too many years.

-Todd

[christianscott27]

little does toddst know...like strongbad, i remain forever 1 step ahead of you.

i worry a little about people doing just that type of thing everytime i host a trademeet but i mostly trust people and accept the risk.

heres a story i've told a dozen times

there was used gamestore that sold 2600 games for a dollar, never had anything but commons. one day i went in and the owner wasnt there just his dumb help. i asked if they had any new atari stuff. the kid pulled out a shoebox with some serously rare avalon hill, xonox and others. i picked up a dozen of the rarest for a dollar each. later the owner tried to buy them back, claiming they were for a friend a should not have been out, i never returned to the store. later he was closed down, partially for selling burned games and dvds, does that mean two wrongs make a right? i dunno but tormac is mine.
________
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[toddst]

Actually, Christian, you did go back, but you were wearing a fool proof disguise. You took off your glasses and wore a hat. Not only did they not recognize you, but you also couldn't see well enough to tell which games they did have.


-Todd

[christianscott27]

yeah :) tis true, luckily even with my diminished vision i was able to scoop up that AVI NES game. however that was after the store moved to a new location and over a year had passed, that one got shut down too.
________
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[ghsqb]

Oh man, i'm going to be the bad guy here.

I have stolen lots of games. I used to work for K-mart and it was so easy, i just couldn't help it.

I was poor and my addiction just got the best of me.

I don't want to list though so don't ask, it's long.

I'm over it know and i am a fine upstanding citizen, now i make sure i pay for everything, maybe because subcounsiely (sp?) i'm trying to make up for what i did then.


"A" game? Try several js_wink.gif
I practically plundered a local K-Mart for about 2 years back in the early 80s. Had a nice little "system" all worked out. My crowning achievement was smuggling out Star Raiders (for the 2600) - that big, oversized box with the controller!

Hey, I was addicted and poor - cut me some slack icon_confused.gif

LOL any wonder Kmart went Chapter 11?

Seriously though guys, kudos to you both for coming clean.

[Six Switch]

I have never done such a thing.

Here is what I have to say:if you get somthing good or something good happens to you then something bad MUST happen to even out the earth or something.I know that is all bs but that is what has been happening to me in the past few months. :roll:

[Jeff-20]

I rubbed off the ink on an over-priced thrift store cart so that the manager would be forced to reprice it. He did. I think it saved me 4 or 5 dollars.

Now I'm going to pack a black marker and some ink remover in my pocket whenever I go to thriftstores!

[dreamcaster]

I haven't really stolen anything major. I think maybe I took the posters out of a couple gaming magazines I borrowed from the library.

I did however get a complete Atari 2600 JR. with 7 games for free off a guy at school a couple years ago. I convinced him that they weren't even worth five cents and so he gave it to me for free! :D

Oh, ans when I was really young, I got Nigel Mansell's World Championship Racing for SNES. My parents told me it was the last in the shop, and the box was completely crushed. It pissed me off, because all my other SNES games had absolutely pristine boxes. I decided to go down to my local video hire store and swap my box for the box they had (which was perfect). But when I got home I tried to remove the "$6 OVERNIGHT" sticker, but ended up tearing off some of the box! >:( I figured, though, that a box with some of the front missing was better than a crushed box!

I then went and sold my SNES and all the games a few months later - biggest mistake ever! :(