[pest]

Ed - I said what I did because your conclusions had absolutely no connect with the article you provided as "proof". I am not saying your conclusions are wrong, but they are still different from mine. A 15% increase in profits after the release of multiple completely new gaming systems isnt exactly raping, plundering and pillaging. That is most likely an average increase, and contrary to your opinion, they should be allowed to make a profit. Console games are just as easy to pirate as pc games, but most likely done less than pc games because of a younger. less computer savy audience and the fact that a pc is not a prerequisite for console games.

Another flaw in your conclusion - an increase in profits does not = piracy doesnt have a significant impact on sales. If pirating was completely eliminated, I bet (pure speculation) that for every ten copies of a game pirated now, 3 or 4 would actually be purchased. That is significant. Anyone that has ever downloaded games knows that you will dl damn near anything if it is free, you get much more selective if you have to pay. On the flip side of that, if you didnt get anything you didnt pay for, you would definately have to buy more if you wanted to continue to play.

These are just my opinions and are probably wrong, but at least I didnt give you a link to a story about woodchucks and offer it as validation.