The total revenue of the video games market is expected to grow rapidly and soon reach the value of around $209 billion. When we observe so much growth, user concentration, and revenue, there are groups or individuals who are looking for opportunities to gain profit in some way or the other. This is where the concept of game piracy comes in.
Just like with music, movies, TV shows, and other forms of digital content, there is a rapidly rising market in the gaming niche that has been ‘cracked’ for anyone to access games for free. Game piracy is fresh among several platforms, including PCs, mobile devices, and even consoles.
It is difficult to understand whether or not game piracy actually affects the global trade in legitimate gaming software. It is clear that downloading and running a pirated copy of a game will expose your system to multiple risks, including penalty fines and dangerous malware.
What are Pirated Games?
Grey and pirated markets have always been a step ahead of legitimate digital content distribution channels. In its simplest sense, pirated games are those that have been potentially ‘cracked’ by bypassing the DRM or Digital Rights Management. DRM is the technology designed to protect copyrighted content.
When piracy providers do so, they enable users to access and play game titles without paying the distributors or developers. In most cases, in-demand titles are singled out for this process as they become available for purchase.
Top Reasons to Stay Away from Pirated Games
1. Malware
Usually, threat-inducing people tend to use some popular games and the attention of free content to encourage users to download software that has been malware-infested. They do so by sharing messages on social media, P2P torrents, through SEO, or phishing emails.
Usually, malware is created to bypass conventional security filters. It might also require the user to deactivate their anti-malware software altogether. It might also ask for excessive permissions to run. To top it all, malware is also hidden in mods, referring to additional files required to play continuously.
Some of the common types of malware spread through game piracy are:
- Banking trojans: Designed to steal personal and financial details.
- Botnet malware: Will turn your device into a zombie computer to be used in other attacks.
- Cryptomining malware: Will run down the device while running up massive energy bills in the process.
- Info-stealers and Keyloggers: For listing all sorts of personal information from devices or machines.
- Ransomware: Locks you out of the machine and demands a fee.
2. The Game Does Not Work As Intended
Game piracy serves as a great way to access sought-after titles for free. However, the reality is quite different. It will not function properly on the device, console, or PC. There could be glitches or bugs that might affect the overall performance of the game. Eventually, the game might stop working altogether.
In some situations, you could experience compatibility issues. For instance, if the users are using pirated gaming software to access the Steam library, they will be identified as non-Steam games. Therefore, users will not be able to access the full functionality of the platform.
3. Adware
While not as dangerous as malware, adware can cause a nuisance to your console or PC. New browser windows and continuous pop-ups will fill the victim’s screen with a series of videos and static advertising. This might make the normal use of the PC or mobile device difficult.
4. A Ban on the Gaming Platform
There is also a possibility that the legitimate developer might be able to track pirated software back to specific PCs and devices. They might either temporarily or permanently backlist linked accounts. This is a specific risk on gaming consoles like Xbox, where users are known to be proactive with such efforts in the past.
5. Unwanted Attention from Law Enforcement
It is important to understand that supporting game piracy is illegal. Based on the jurisdiction in which you live, it could lead to hefty fines or even jail time, especially if the use of cracked software is traced back.
6. Third-party Cryptomining
On the internet, there are far more dark places than just adware. Crypto miners turn out to be one of the worst threats that gamers have to face. As modern games require top-notch software and hardware components, gamers tend to be perfect targets for cryptocurrency freeloaders.
These cybercriminals look for the latest video cards and advanced computing machines. Pirated games are great for hiding crypto miners because of their advanced system requirements. Before you know it, your computer will end up mining cryptocurrencies for an illegitimate third party without even noticing.
7. Unsafe Search Engines
Most gaming freaks turn to specialized, official game stores, like Steam, to obtain official game releases. However, you will not come across a virus-free game in official stores.
This is why greedy gamers leverage search engines to create illegal copies of the games they are typically after. What they are not aware of is that hackers know this fact and are biding their time by designing several fake websites providing unlocked game versions.
In most cases, these websites feature fake download buttons that are highly unsafe. The main issue here is that these offerings are infected with different types of malware, like Trojans. Cybercriminals use these infected files to reach the first page of search results. Once these files are downloaded, when the user starts using these files, they infect all devices with Trojans, spyware, malware, and ransomware. These steal users’ passwords, data, credentials, desktop files, and everything else stored on a device.
Conclusion
Pirated games might seem like an easy way to save money. Still, the overall risks tend to outweigh the benefits. You will expose your device to harmful malware and miss out on support, official updates, and multiplayer features. Most importantly, game piracy undermines the efforts of game developers with every release.