Well, that has happened before. When I first signed up for this forum, I remember there was a rule that you couldn't use curse words. I thought that was dumb, especially since I was a teenager at the time, and as a result, I don't think I really started posting until that rule was lifted. Not because I can't hold a conversation without cursing, far from it, in fact. I just saw it as unnecessary, and I don't do well when I feel I have to mince words or risk some sort of rejection or punishment. I don't know why the rule was changed, or even when it happened, but I do know that it was decided in a reasonable fashion, with the community's involvement.
Now, as to the topic at hand, I can personally relate to a lot of what's being said here, and I can also see this debate from quite a few angles. I definitely think that a lot of people have been making light of how easy it is to ask someone to buy you a game, or other nonessential piece of software. I don't think I'd have the nerve to do that, and perhaps my view is skewed because I'm from the US, a developed country. And in some ways, I think that would make me feel even worse. Anyone can experience hardships, and many people, even in developed nations, can live in poverty. However, my empathy, or pride, or both, would never let me accept something that I know is not essential for my survival. it's one thing when a friend buys you a gift, because you're friends, and you're invested in the other person's happiness. That is its own reward, and of course I would feel good if it made the other person feel good to buy me something. Of course, I think we all experience that moment of wondering how much the other person really spent on that gift, although knowing exactly how much in the case of a game can be both good and bad because you wince inwardly at thinking that they probably could have spent their money on something more worthwhile. Honestly, I grew up in a household where I had all the things, but my family was never there for me emotionally. They were incapable of it. I grew up surrounded by everything a child could possibly want, but it was a lonely, empty existence. Material possessions mean very little to me as a result, so what grabs my attention about a gift isn't the fact that it cost something, but that someone cared enough to think of me and what I might like.
I bring all of this up because many people have a different perspective. While I am perfectly willing to show patience and wait until I can buy something, or suffer in silence rather than ask for something I actually need, not want, there are those who grew up the opposite way as I did. My best friend is one such person. To him, because he didn't have much of anything when he was growing up, stuff means a great deal to him. Stuff that is given to him by those he cares about carries special significance. I'm always more than willing to buy him things if it's within my means to do so, because he's not in a position, either financially or geographically, to have it quite so easy as I do. As a result of the physical distance between us, what I've been able to buy for him are games and other software, and he appreciates all of it. Yet, there's always this voice in my head that says, "you've seen how the other half lives. What makes you think you deserve any handouts?" I imagine I can't be the only person who has had such an experience. And knowing, and caring deeply for, someone in a situation that frankly, not enough Americans give enough of a crap to pay attention to, has shaped my perspective and opened my eyes about many things over these past four years.
TLDR: Asking someone for something can be rewarding, but probably more so if you have a trusting relationship with the person you're asking. My friend has said repeatedly that he wouldn't ask just anyone, because lots of people would look down on you for trying. I get that a lot of it is in how you ask, but there is also a lot of entitlement floating around, and I think it can, and should, boil down to how well you can gauge the other person's reaction. Giveaways and what not are great, and very generous acts of kindness. I'm extremely pleased to see that such things are going on here on this forum. However, if it comes down to asking someone, one on one, you have to show a great deal of vulnerability and faith. I don't think most people in this day and age will do that, especially not with all the Go Fund me scams and so on that you read about.
In short, the whole idea of asking and receiving is wrapped up in a lot of confusing emotions for me. And cracking can sometimes seem like a better alternative than getting ensnared in that web. However, these days I mostly stick to open source projects where I can, and I have a huge respect for that movement because it is more helpful than a lot of people realize. As for audio games, most are reasonably priced, and if I feel that a company is overcharging for a game, I simply won't buy it. Call it petty if you like, and obviously one woman's boycott doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things, but honestly, I won't support a company if I'm either not interested, or I feel that they won't deliver. But I'd say that once I got my own bank account and had control of it, I've always purchased the audio games I wanted, because it really is a niche market and nobody is going to become an overnight success selling them. It's a matter of respect for me, in other words. I mean, of course we have successful developers within the community, but they have to earn respect, and that can be a gruelling process, especially with all the letdowns we've had over the years.
The glass is neither half empty nor half full. It's just holding half the amount it can potentially hold.