The Vancouver Sun reports on the growing concerns over video game piracy in Canada. The Toronto based Entertainment Software association of Canada noted video game piracy is a big problem with a study indicating that while 17 percent of Americans admitted to owning a pirated video game, double that amount admitted to owning a pirated game in Canada.
"It's a difficulty within our industry," said Daniel Brady, general manager of Burnaby-based Blue Castle Games, which makes games for five different platforms. "Piracy is more prevalent in the PC games, and there is a certain degree of protection in consul games. But as consoles are around for a while, people figure the machines out and piracy really takes off."
Danielle Parr, executive director of Toronto-based Entertainment Softwear Association of Canada, said video game piracy is a growing problem, costing North American companies $3 billion globally. Here at home, Canadians are worse than their American cousins when it comes to waving the skull-and-crossbones flag. A recent ESAC survey of gamers reported 17 per cent of Americans admitted to owning a pirated video game, while exactly double that number, 34 per cent, of Canadians confessed.
"In other industries, you have revenue from other sources -- concert tours, movie box office -- but the only way the video game industry can make money is by the sale of entertainment software," Parr said. "Piracy really has an impact."
