Ok so I’m about to go on kind of a tangent here. It’s not something that applies specifically to the indie games market — like what we cover here on DIYgamer.com — but rather the entire industry altogether. In fact, it expands to nearly all forms of software, media, and digitally distributed material. It affects the big, the small, and everything in between. It hits people and companies where they least expect it (like the iPhone) and in places where it’s so common that some companies just don’t even try anymore (PC). I am, of course, talking about “piracy” or the theft of content through the internet.

Pirates, the iconography holds a special place in a lot of gamers’ hearts. It’s so much more to us, as a community, than the simple intrinsic historical value. It has spurned epic debates, made awesome video games, and expanded stories in ways that would have otherwise seemed dull or pointless. Pirates, as an icon, are one of the few things, the truly few things, that stand as a symbol to unite gamers of all nations… as cheesy as that may sound.

So why the hell are we openly giving the name to these thieves?

Look, I know the historical context of pirates generally, in a vague sort of way, lends itself to thievery. After all, pirates were thieves among other things. But today they are endearing and bring fond memories to millions of us. I can’t even begin to explain the hours of joy I had playing Sid Meier’s Pirates when it was first released. In giving this name, this symbol, to people who are openly destroying our medium we are only empowering it.

Pirates have almost no negative connotation in today’s society. Sure there are Somalian pirates, but that often gets lost due to the overwhelming popularity of the term coined by countless movie, music, and game franchises. The kind of stuff that people loved. In fact, when asked, a few illegal downloaders actually told me that they loved the label.

And yet, here we are, giving it to people who often openly and proudly admit (in anonymity of course) to stealing. Why?

I’m not going to presume that I, or this site, can change the mindset of the entire industry. After all when one of the most popular torrenting sites is called the PirateBay (is that still around?), it’s bound to be an uphill battle. However, I do feel like it would make some strides into the effort to curb piracy by simply calling them something else, like, oh I don’t know… thieves?

Thieves is a good word for it, don’t you think? I mean, by every defiition of the word, that’s what these so-called pirates are. They are thieves who steal people’s property without paying for it. Sure it may be a little unconventional and everybody may treat it like a second-rate crime, but it’s still a crime. We may not be able to legally pursue everybody — and really I wouldn’t want to waste tax-payer money on it — but changing the perception of what it means to illegally download a piece of software may go farther than even the very best of the DRM schemes that companies cook up.

Right now, in the mindset of millions of gamers, being a pirate is not a bad thing. I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s considered cool, hip, or groovy; but it’s certainly not frowned upon amongst inner circles of gamers. And that, dear readers, is where the main problems stems from. For until you can change the mindset, you have no hope of addressing the problem at its core.

So let’s take back the word. We made it ours over the years and then gave it away to a group of people who make us all look bad. Now there are are rampant DRM schemes that are only hurting us, the loyal paying customers. The least we can do is strip the symbol, our symbol, away from the people responsible for this. If for nothing else than to give them some sort of idea about what they truly are…

Feel free to give me your own thoughts, whether you disagree or agree in the comments section. I’m am very curious as to what you may think.