Thinking of downloading a game illegally. But, wait! I have a decent excuse.?

Question

Ok. It's been more than once that I went out to buy a game only to find out that it runs like crap on my computer. I've learned my lesson by now. I always try the demo beforehand. However, not every game has a demo. That's when I go to check the system requirements. Sometimes I am so close to running the game but I might be missing one small thing that might allow me to run it anyway, but I can't be sure. Sometimes, I know that I can run the game, but I end up having to play it at like a 640 by 800 resolution to get a good framerate. Well, long story short, I figured that I could illegally download the games just to test them out. Then, if it turns out that it runs fine, I could go out and buy the real thing a few days later. Only problem is, I'm not sure what the chances of getting caught are, and if I was caught, what would happen? I hear that you have to do something stupid to get caught, but I could be a stupid guy. What do you think? (sorry if I shouldn't be talking about this)

Answer 1

You don't have to do something stupid to get caught. You simply have to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. You can have one game, or a hundred. There are ways to get things from the web safely, and ways to not. (Peer to peer is a 'not'.) I could go on, but that's not the point of the question.
The odds of you getting caught this one time aren't very high, but there will never be a guarantee that you won't. The odds will differ depending on what program you are using, what protocol and port you are using, the internet provider you are using, if you are using an anonymous proxy server, if the provider keeps logs, and if you are using an encrypted connection to the provider. (so even the filenames and such can't be monitored by ISP or anyone else)
The people that say 'You have to be stupid to get caught' are the same people who simply use torrents or peer to peer. Neither of which are safe, but used because, well, it's easy!
Unfortunately, the question of course boils down to an ethical one, and there is no good answer for that besides the one that you are willing to accept. I can honestly say I know where you're coming from at least. I've been in the same situation where everything on the box makes it seems like the game should be running on my computer so fast that the computer will push me out of the chair and play for me because I can't keep up. Then I install it, and it won't play for beans. "No pixel shaders? I need a new video card? F this game"
Anyway, think about the security points above. Be safe, and good luck.

Answer 2

well... i mean i think your chances are pretty small, because its just like downloading music, everyone does it, adn only few get caught... all i can advise is that you just be careful, even though they can catch you without giving out an email address or any private/personal information i would advise you to avoid any sites that make you do that.... i dont know what the penalty is for downloading illegally, but my guess is that its the same punishment as stealing and shoplifting.... just be careful.... best of luck...

Answer 3

But, if you download the game illegally, and it runs fine and you like it, where is the incentive to go buy a legal copy?

It's a quandry, I know, and you sound like an honorable person, but why open yourself up to temptation like that? Why don't you just upgrade your computer if you are only missing "one small thing"?
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Answer 4

bah, you won't get caught. the chances are slim to none.

But if you have doubts, the best thing to do is just to upgrade or get a new computer, just think of it as an investment for the future.

Another thing to do is to have a friend download it for you and then have them burn it for you, that works fine.

Answer 5

How about....Dont it's illegal for a reason..its your choice but also your risk