The Many Faces of the Piracy Scene

When individuals change the environment they live in, they eventually adapt to their new environment. For example, city people are used to a fast pace, and people in small towns are used to a slow pace. If a city person moves to a small town, they will eventually adapt to their new lifestyle, just as a small town person will adapt to the city. If someone is not happy in their present environment, they can move to one they like better.

The piracy scene is very similar to society. Within one scene there are countless smaller scenes, each complete and functional in their own way, but very different. There are different pirates for each different type of media, who have specialized skill sets and a varied level of commitment to their trade. Each corner of the scene is completely different than the other.

Game pirates (those who specialize in cracking and releasing PC games in either International Organization for Standardization [ISO] or ripped form) are under a large amount of stress and pressure. Games are fast and hard hitting, and require a tremendous level of dedication. With few games released each year, the competition is huge. Crackers go days without sleep because they love the rush of piracy; however, all of the high stress and work they invest can easily turn into a waste of time if another group releases the game first.

Application groups may have a release for weeks or even...