After our guy disappeared, it became really difficult to find another den of piracy, but things finally cooled down a little, and we found this downtown gallery filled with pirates. Among them was our guy, who still remembered us and gave us MechWarrior II for free. But now the CD was in vogue, and by the time Baldur's Gate came out, it was cheaper to buy the original than to pay for five copies.
Around the same time, my family and I were visiting Miami, and on our last day I bought some games at a place called Electronics Boutique. With the peso equal to the dollar, games were cheaper in the U.S. than in Argentina (this ridiculous policy finally caught up with us). Those original multi-CD titles are my most appreciated game-related possessions, and the boxes decorate my home office. My wife calls them "dust collectors."
We now trade 3-to-1 with the dollar after our currency was devalued in 2001. Argentina has been improving financially since then, but imports are again quite expensive: I would need to spend around 10 percent of my middle-class salary to buy a single PC game. Additionally, the darker side of capitalism rears its head when retailers - aware that people in the upper-upper-class will pay whatever they charge for games - price games well beyond the exchange rate. Since a broadband connection costs around one third of what one game would, I go that way.
All of this is because I'm completely addicted to PC gaming. I can't let the hobby go. Ironically, since I've become more knowledgeable about the inner workings of the game industry, I'm more aware of how damaging piracy can be, especially for small studios, and I feel guilty for what I have to do to play games. Game studios don't really take Argentina - and other third-world markets - into consideration when balancing their budgets, but it still feels like I'm trying to justify my actions. I just wish there were a way for me to enjoy my hobby without taking food out of people's mouths, but a lot above me would have to change. I hope it does someday.
Leonardo Pose is a student who lives (and pirates games) in Argentina.
