If a game is prohibitively expensive, is it ok to emulate?

First off I checked the faq to see if this topic is against the rules but it wasn't clear if its ok to discuss piracy vs how to pirate. Obviously I know you can't talk about how to pirate stuff because thats bad. I just want to discuss the moral aspect. 
I like to think I have pretty high moral standards when it comes to this kind of stuff, aka I don't pirate stuff. But some times it seems like you have no other option. For example, I love the show "Top Gear" but its a british show and the only way I can see it here in america around the time it airs in the UK is if I download it. Now I would gladly pay the BBC for the privilege but they would rather make me wait a year or more to see a butchered version of the content on BBCAmerica.  

I'm going to say it's not okay.

The only scenario when its ok to pirate.

You've already owned the game but lost it (or gave it to a cousin in which case its pretty much the same)

Why even make this thread? 

Go for it. It's like voting. You can't make a difference anyway.

I don't see an issue with it. 100$ for a game is way too much.

Is it ok to download the bluray version of something if you own the dvd version?

piracy is STEALING if you STEAL a game you are STEALING a car

piracy is STEALING if you STEAL a game you are STEALING a car

This reminds me of something.

Go for it. It's like voting. You can't make a difference anyway.

Out of print? Whatever.

Emulate if you want to emulate. Don't emulate if you don't want to emulate. It's as simple as that.

Emulate if you want to emulate. Don't emulate if you don't want to emulate. It's as simple as that.

If the game is no longer purchasable, why not? Is it any different from emulating a game from DOS from way back in the game?

i can see why people pirate in poor countries, or if say that country makes games prohibitively expensive. lots of ways to play games you want to without emulating, or pirating it. its really up to you. morally we know its wrong, because morally stealing is you know wrong. doesnt mean you cant do it. overall, morals are only useful in a certain sense not in the sense you might imagine or believe in :p

emulate it now, but buy it if it ever does come on PSN or something.

Buying a game used or pirating it is exactly the same thing as far as the developers are concerned, since in both instances they get sweet fuck all. One way you get to keep your money, the other you don't. If there was some way to buy it and support the people that made it, then obviously do that first, but since you can't do that any more it's silly to waste that kind of money unless you want the thing sitting on your shelf.

If a game hasn't been re-released and the only way to obtain it is by paying laughably inflated eBay prices, then I don't think there's much of a problem..  Buying it on eBay isn't supporting the developers anyway.  There are a lot of games that badly need re-released and just don't run on modern systems.. Monkey Island 3 is a great example.

It isn't legal but somehow I find it to be morally ok.

Nope.  Just because it exist doesn't mean you have the right to own it.

Do what you want, fuck the haters.

The publisher isn't going to get the money either way you go. You will either pay someone a silly inflated price or you will get it for free. Just emulate it.

@crusader8463: Devs don't get much of the money?

Legally no. Morally? Deciding if something is moral isn't something I need to think about, I assume you've already decided and are looking for people to agree with you. Do what you want it's your conscience.

Here's a thought. You obviously feel bad about doing it, which I find pretty dumb personally, but if you really do feel bad about taking something without paying for it then don't use Ebay. Many developers sell extraneous crap on their websites like t-shirts and stuff. Download the game and buy a shirt or something. That way your conscious and your wallet are sitting pretty and Konami or whoever gets a cut out of it. Ironically enough, it doesn't look like Konami sells anything on their website other than games, but you get the idea.

@armaan8014 said:

@crusader8463: Devs don't get much of the money?

Not when you buy something off e-bay.

You need to go with your gut.  If you feel it's okay, then do it.  If not, then don't.  If you don't feel it's okay but want to do it anyway, then do it and feel bad about it.  None of us have to live with your conscious so it doesn't matter what we think and our opinions won't make it any more right or wrong.  It's all on you.

@crusader8463 said:

@armaan8014 said:

@crusader8463: Devs don't get much of the money?

Not when you buy something off e-bay.

ahhh ok. I didn't know you meant that

The second hand value does not go down with these more collectible games. Buying Suikoden 2 off eBay is an investment that will be returned upon 1:1 or better unless a PSN release appears, which is unlikely because it's probably too 2D for SCEAs taste.

It's also a hella fine game.

Save up. You'll feel better about it with the real physical deal.

/former "shit where did my paycheck go?" collector

If the creator doesn't have a viable way to purchase the game, I say emulate. It's not stealing in my mind if the product is something the manufacturer isn't interested in selling. This isn't like stealing a car, it's more like picking up an outdated electronics article from the junk yard. Stealing implies that the product is available for sale.

Reasons justifying it:

1. The developers aren't gaining or losing money in the secondhand market.
2. I get to play great games for free

1. Piracy is illegal in almost every country due to international copyright law.
2. Stealing is wrong, if you like a game pay for it. Even if it is secondhand.

I like to think I have pretty high moral standards when it comes to this kind of stuff, aka I don't pirate stuff. 

no.

I'm going to say YES, just keep your mouth shut about it. The publisher/developer don't get your money if you buy it used anyway, so who cares at this point.

In my opinion, emulation has nothing to do with how expensive a game is. It depends on how much a person is willing to pay for it, based on how much they like it.

It falls into a moral grey area. There will always be people who insist that it's 'theft' (a completely inaccurate term) and, of course, there will always be people telling you to go right ahead and download as much as you can.

Honestly you just need to weigh up each individual situation and decide for yourself the appropriate course of action. If a piece of software has been officially discontinued and is no longer supported by the developers it's reached the point where you're really just waiting for the copyright to expire before you can legally share it.

If you want my opinion I wouldn't be averse to emulating it, though I would definitely purchase the game if it were to become available via PSN or another distribution service in the future.

 http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/extra-credits/2653-Piracy

Best way I have ever seen piracy explained.

since your 100 dollars doesn't go to the people who made the game, then I'm inclined to say piracy is less wrong in this case. It's still illegal and you could face the consequences of that down the road, but I don't have any moral objections to stealing 100 dollars from collectors charging exorbitant prices for software.

If it's not purchasable on the B2C market then I say it's ok.  

What's the rationale people use to say that it's wrong to emulate out-of-print games? No matter where you buy a game used, the publishers/developers are never going to see a cent of that money- it should be an incentive to make all old games available on digital services for reasonable prices.

No.

No.  The fact that you say you would buy it for $10 on PSN tells you exactly why it's not OK to emulate, even if it's old or rare.  It still has value and the people who own it could rerelease it if they want.

No.  The fact that you say you would buy it for $10 on PSN tells you exactly why it's not OK to emulate, even if it's old or rare.  It still has value and the people who own it could rerelease it if they want.

Prior to Virtual Console, XBLA, PSN, Steam etc., there was at least some justification for emulating games that you could otherwise never play or purchase, but now the games you emulate could easily come out on some service.  Online sales, importation, updated versions of old games and rereleases are ubiquitous.