The Problem with Paysites October 20, 2008

If you’re just tuning in and haven’t got the slightest idea what exactly I’m going on about, these articles should clue you in (and don’t forget to pay the rent on that rock you’ve been living under):

Why do people hate paysites? (Which kinda looks like a Swiss cheese right now)

The MTS2 Mission Statement

Paysites are a problem, if only because a lot of people appear to feel very passionate about them. And where there are hot topics, there are flames. Believe it or not, but people are tearing each other apart over this issue. And since I am now a newfangled website owner, I feel I have a responsibility to do my tiny part.

What exactly is the problem with paysites?

If you ask me, the problem is two-fold. First, there’s the practical issues:

The EULA (End User Licence Agreement) can be read here in its entirety, and mind the bolded parts. Ironically, this seems to be the least of the problems. EA, as it stands, simply does not care about paysites, the reason being that from their point of view, it’s still free publicity. Yes, paysites are breaking the rules. It’s just that Maxis/EA doesn’t enforce their own rules. Compare it with a millionaire catching a burglar in his house but letting him go because he’s got enough money to begin with. The burglar gets away, but that doesn’t make him innocent.

I’ll leave it at that concerning the legal bits. I’m not a lawyer, but I did learn to read.

Problem number 2: the Sims 2 is meant for children. Yes, I am an adult and so are many, many Sims players, but we must never forget that Sims was meant for those who are just too young to enjoy a good Bethesda or Blizzard game. Apart from the ethics of dangling shiny stuff in front of a 12-year-old and then telling she can’t have it unless she coughs up, there’s another problem: credit cards. Even if junior were willing to fork over 15 dollars a month for a subscription, there would be no way of doing it. I don’t know a whole lot of parents who would lend their kid their credit card to pay for a bunch of pixels. So, paysites actually manage to take the game away from its intended audience.

In any case, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out the practical issues regarding paysites. When talking about facts, you’re either right or wrong and that’s the end of it. But there’s also the ethical discussion. And that’s where things get sticky. This is where I have to stop giving facts and switch to opinion. The rest of this article contains my personal feelings, so don’t take it as gospel.

Many people will argue that, apart from the EULA issue, paysites do nothing wrong. They earn money doing what they love. This is true and that’s a wonderful thing, but let me try and explain this with an analogy:

I’m a writer at heart. If I could quit my job and become a full-time writer just because people like my stuff and want to pay me for providing more, that’d be a dream come true. The thing is, when I write a story, I do it from scratch. I create characters and stories using only what’s in my head, I write it down using only words I have learned to use properly. Suppose I were to find a fairytale, change the characters and story just enough to make it something else and publish that. Know what that’s called? It’s copyright infringement and very, very illegal. Now suppose I publish that same fairytale for free on a fan fiction site. That’d be okay.

It’s the same with paysites. Without the Maxis-provided code, they’d have no income. Without free programs like SimPE, they’d have to stop a making wallpapers. They don’t create things from scratch, they use what’s already out there. Charging for that is simply unethical.

And here’s another idea: paysites actually help the community. I never quite understood this point. How are they helping by shutting out poor people and young children? How are they being part of the community? (As a matter of fact, the CEO of TSR, one of the most successful paysites around, doesn’t even play the game) A community is by definition a group of people united by a common interest or goal. That common interest used to be ‘enjoying a game’. Now, I’m not so sure anymore. For some, it’s still that. For others, it’s ‘making money of a game I enjoy’, or just ‘making money’ and still others want to ‘pay for my website by selling content so I can keep making content for a game I enjoy’. Ouch. I see no common goal here. Close, but no cigar.

But isn’t the stuff they create worth the money? In some cases (but not all): yes. I subscribed to Simslice some time ago (that subscription is now canceled and I donate to MTS2 instead) and the things Homeslice created were very amusing and well-made. But that’s beside the point. It’s not that their work isn’t worth the money, it’s that they shouldn’t be charging in the first place.

Okay, but where does that leave you and me, the casual gamers and small-time website owners? Okay, so paysites are the supreme evil in the universe and must be destroyed by the powers of good, got it, how?

Tricky. The most obvious solution is by a dumb stroke of luck also the best one: stop giving money to paysites. If you are tempted to buy (not ‘donate for’, buy) a particular item, go over the Content List and see if you can find it or something similar for free. Chances are, you will. In most cases, better stuff can be found for free.

Don’t link to paysites. Every link is a gate for potential customers.

And if you absolutely must have that pay item, there’s always the options of… not paying for it. Read on, my curious pirate-to-be.

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