You know, its surprising how many people assume that because x number of copies are pirated, that is how many where stolen.
I honestly beleive that the majority of piracy comes down to three 'groups' and there is a degree of overlap between them.
1. The largest group wants instant content delivery, I'm pre-loaded, a pirated version is already out, why not just let me play now, or I'll just go get the pirated version. Same for movies, we want it now, not in six months when they decide to release it on Blu-ray.
2. Demo seekers, there used to be a day and an age where demo's meant something, these days not so much. People want to try before they buy, so they pirate, then decide if they pay full freight for it.
3. Low income gamers, a segment on the rise with the economic troubles. I can't afford to buy the game, but need a new game to play to alleviate the stress of a low income lifestyle, so I pirated it, and if I can afford, one day I'll buy.
Once you have eliminated these three from the pool of pirates, I wouldn't be surprised if your numbers (millions on PC, ten thousand on xbox) where equal. PC is the easiest platform for people to use suffering from the above set of afflictions. With record sales numbers being posted for most of the top pirated games, I don't think its as large a problem, and the real target should be the pool of people who pirate because of a sense of entitlement, which won't be more then tens of thousands, not millions.
I honestly beleive that the majority of piracy comes down to three 'groups' and there is a degree of overlap between them.
1. The largest group wants instant content delivery, I'm pre-loaded, a pirated version is already out, why not just let me play now, or I'll just go get the pirated version. Same for movies, we want it now, not in six months when they decide to release it on Blu-ray.
2. Demo seekers, there used to be a day and an age where demo's meant something, these days not so much. People want to try before they buy, so they pirate, then decide if they pay full freight for it.
3. Low income gamers, a segment on the rise with the economic troubles. I can't afford to buy the game, but need a new game to play to alleviate the stress of a low income lifestyle, so I pirated it, and if I can afford, one day I'll buy.
Once you have eliminated these three from the pool of pirates, I wouldn't be surprised if your numbers (millions on PC, ten thousand on xbox) where equal. PC is the easiest platform for people to use suffering from the above set of afflictions. With record sales numbers being posted for most of the top pirated games, I don't think its as large a problem, and the real target should be the pool of people who pirate because of a sense of entitlement, which won't be more then tens of thousands, not millions.