Rant 519 / Deltree *.*

So I noticed Facebook is becoming more and more invasive these days. Not in terms of our privacy but it's appearing everywhere now, kind of like a fun version of Big Brother. Well, not so fun really. Despite being an almost unknown thing a couple years ago, it now contains more information about its users than anyone would have guessed when it started.

It's now even connected to Youtube. What next? Google? Maybe it already does and I never noticed. Or will it merge with Twitter? Oh wait, it already has a system similar to that.

In any case, we're already setting up the stage for a future where not only should you have your IC, you also need a FB-like account to establish your identity. Unsure if that guy is who he is even though the passport has his photo? Open Facebook. Want to find out what someone likes before buying a gift? Check Facebook. You basically tell the world everything about you right there. No need to ask what he/she likes, what he/she does and how often they eat. Everything is already or going to be on Facebook (or it's successor, if any).
















Settlers 7 was released on 23rd of March with the same form of anti-piracy measure as Assassin's Creed 2. Because of this, it hasn't been cracked but no one cares. Sales suck and Ubisoft is gaining notoriety.


Assassin's Creed 2 sold 1.6million copies in its first week. As far as I can tell from my searches in Piratebay, it still isn't properly cracked by hackers. First released in mid-November on the PS3 and 360, this game has hit 8 million in total sales this month.



Mass Effect 2 sold 2 million copies in its first week. It was cracked within a week. As of this month, 2 months after release, it has sold 6.6 million copies.



Left 4 Dead 2 sold 2 million copies... in its first two weeks. It was cracked within a month (3 weeks if I remember correctly). By February this year, 2.5 months after release, it has sold 2.9 million copies.

Notice any patterns? The trend I don't see that most anti-piracy advocates would imply to exist is that less piracy = more sales. Logically the longer it takes to crack a game, the better the sales should be, if they're right. The latter 3 games, the biggest hits in recent months, have just proven them wrong. Piracy doesn't make publishers lose sales, the talents of the developers and the marketing department do.

Just because I can't play a game without paying doesn't necessarily mean I'm going to fork out the money. Depending on how good it is, I can just move on to the next game. This argument may not be valid for everyone, but it definitely applies to me.