This isn't about censorship really it's about legality of downloading and why downloading illegally is done.

Syd Lexia wrote:

There seems to be an uneasy truce between the big ROM sites and the game developers where as long as they don't distribute Mario, Zelda, and other "protected" titles, the game developers won't go after them.

This is my biggest problem with the whole illegality of downloading.

I'm talking in the case of roms in general here. I have no problem downloading say NES, SNES, Genesis roms. Why?

Corporations don't sell those products anymore, this is my whole problem. They don't provide the products but yet expect to be allowed to sue someone who acquires it illegally.

Now i know what you may be thinking, it's a niche product and i am being highly unreasonable. Yes i am being unreasonable and unrealistic here but so are the companies.

If they don't sell you directly the product brand new through stores how else can you get it?

1. Through used. Now let's talk about used here. First off...the developer/publisher e.g. Nintendo doesn't even make money off this because it's a used sale. The games are rare and usually overpriced. Sure you may want some shit like Fifa 95, there's hundreds of copies of that going for like 1p on ebay. You want Zelda? Enjoy forking out 20quid USED for it online. The game wouldn't have been more expensive than that when it sold back in the early 90s new! So in this case why should i have to pay for overpriced products?

2. Online. I know as soon as you read this here most of you probably said: Wii Store. I won't accept that as an answer. If i want a product i don't want a shitty digital copy of it. Although i buy games on steam and a lot of them at that, it's not something i enjoy doing. With DRM etc. and the fact that with a flick of a switch steam can be switched off and my money has went down the drain. That is one reason why i don't accept it. I have no other choice. Have you bought a PC game in store/physical copy recently? You go home, put in the disc and link it to steam. So it's going through that anyway!!

If i want a product i want to purchase it in the way i want it. I want physical copies of the games and not digital uploads. It should be pointed out how lazy this actually is...you can get the roms online and set them up in a matter of seconds. Yet with Wii Store you get the exact same thing and have to pay.

I'm not saying it's not appropriate or legitimate. It totally is but as a consumer it's not how i want to receive said products. I enjoy the feeling of having the cartridge in my hand and sticking it in, having the artwork/manualls/box etc. With digital it is taken away.

Of course with roms you get the exact same thing, i don't get any box art etc. Even though the Wii Store is legitimate i still would take a rom over it, it's pretty weird when it comes down to it, it's literally the scenario broken down of:

I won't pay for the digital game in the store, i will download the game as a rom though, i ONLY do this because the games aren't supplied in the format i want.

That format is unrealistic but i still think it's a valid argument.

This extends beyond roms and into cds. CDs and DVD are totally different to roms as they generally are still in print. It's often the failure of chain stores to stock the products which is the problem.

E.g. Say the new Pearl Jam album came out, i would go into the store and buy it.
Pearl Jam obviously release on major labels so their albums are widely available.

Let's take another example. The album 'For Your Own Special Sweetheart' was released by Jawbox on Atlantic - a major label who hosted the likes of Led Zeppelin.

Yet i cannot buy this in store. Why? Okay you say Supply/Demand. If it's not popular they won't stock it. That is a stupid presumption. I don't expect orders of hundreds of copies to be shipped to the stores for sale. If they had literally 2/3 ordered then the small market could be satisfied, but no.

...and you think i am being unrealistic? I go into huge music stores like HMV with lists of albums to get. I approach the cashier and ask if they stock any of the listed albums and we are talking a long list.

Okay Jawbox aren't exactly hugely popular but what about bands like Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden. They are pretty well known/famous, yet hardly any of their albums are stocked. These are albums which are definitely in print and are essentially mainstream bands. No albums available. Pixies albums? None.

...and when they do have them they are sold for about 15quid...to put that into perspective they are sold for about half of that.

Don't get me started on out of print material...if an album has been released on a major label then there was been interest in it at some point unless the band was a total failure. With that in mind there will be an interest in that bands material. Putting it out of print is a disservice to consumers.

What do i do then? I download it of course.

tl;dr The problem also lies with the fact that major corporations do not adequately provide the products in demand. They don't stock them or make them difficult to purchase so the easier alternative is to download them. I find it absurd that you would sue someone for downloading a product which you don't supply yourself to an appropriate standard.

EDIT: Quickly take steam again. The fact that they can just pull the plug is ridiculous and controls the consumer. It's the only way you can receive those products and like i said physical links to steam but they control your right to use them.

Also i will throw out here the problems of digital vs physical.

Let's say i want a stick of gum, i walk into the store and lift the gum, the gum is 25pence. I pay 25pence directly or i receive change and then i leave the store with my product.

Buy digital (let's talk WiiStore and i believe Xboxlive store does something similar).

I go to online store i would like to buy Game X. Game X is 200 points. Okay but real currency isn't in points... you have to buy points duh!

Okay i will buy 200 points. LOL NO. You HAVE TO BUY 1000 POINTS.

B-b-b-but i just want the 200 point item. LOL TOUGH SHIT, buy 1000 points.

This is another serious problem. If i want shit i want to buy it directly and not have to waste my money paying more than i should/convert my money into a psuedocurrency.

I understand why they do it but to the consumer i find it to be a total farce.

EDIT2: Actually on censorship. I really wouldn't worry about it. These things never seem to get passed.