Truth be told, all of these arguments are just a ringing indictment of capitalism.
Yup, here I go.
So, back in the day, you grew your own food, made your own clothes, built your own home. You almost always had more than you needed for you and your family, and if you were a peasant you probably were treated very, very badly by your lord or other superior because that's often what lords did. Money existed, but you did not absolutely require it in order to make ends meet most of the time. The reason a lot of peasants starved is not because they couldn't produce enough, but because the people in charge of taking care of them did not do an adequate job.
Skip a little bit, and capitalism developed. Workhouses, the printing press, child labour, factories, the whole nine yards. People suddenly had to go to work every day in order to earn pay. This pay was then used to buy food, clothing and other household necessities. You didn't usually build your own home, especially in a city, and in a lot of places you had to rent. You lived or died by how much money you could make, and you could go to prison for things like going bankrupt, failing to pay tax, or faling to pay rent if it went on long enough.
Now you have today's day and age. People believe that going to work to get paid is the only way to live, and unfortunately they're right. Nobody buys their own building materials anymore and nobody owns land free and clear...or rather, few do. Food is grown, true, but most people aren't farmers and simply don't have the space, the means or the expertise, so they pay others to do it for them. Conveniences abound, but every last one of them requires money. You can be fired for missing work too many times, no matter what your reasons. Unions help in this regard, but even they aren't perfect. You can, of course, still go to prison for not paying your taxes if it's severe enough. Of course, the people who have managed to seize control of the large majority of the power (i.e., the money) are able to dictate to the rest of us how much things cost. We have very little vontrol over inflation because many things we are forced to buy are things we cannot or ought not live without. Items are sold at several times their worth and production cost (including the workers who paid them, many of whom are chronically mistreated and abused, I might add), and the net result is that most people, unless they find a lucrative job, get lucky or both, struggle most of their lives just to keep their heads above water. 99% of the people control 1% of the wealth, and 1% of the people control 99% of the wealth, give or take a little. That's our current capitalistic setup for you.
So why did I get into this?
Because a lot of people think capitalism is right, or necessary, or the least of many evils. I want to debunk those arguments. And yes, there is a point here concerning rules/pirating games and whatnot.
1. Capitalism is necessary because if things were free, no one would work and nothing would get done
Studies have proved that this is largely untrue. People who are given their basic needs (read: not everything they want, but food, shelter, necessities and a bit left over) still very often want to contribute meaningfully to society. Of course, you'll get a few people who want to do absolutely nothing, but they are a minority, and we shouldn't act on those people.
2. All the things we need cost money
Yes and no. 3d printing is a very real technology which is going to do a lot for replication of basic components. Most people own tools that go unused 98% of the time. We waste so much food on this planet that, if properly distributed, we could feed everyone in the world two or three times over, and that's with current technology and faulty agricultural methods. We could provide the entirety of the world's energy needs using sun and wind alone, but geothermal energy is also available (we're working on this, sort of). There are a lot of ways that we could better treat the planet and, incidentally, better provide for all of its inhabitants. Some of them will undoubtedly cost time and money, which is why no one wants to do it. Short-term cost, long-term benefit. Yes, I've studied this.
3. We have to have money. Without money, no one would do anything, and all goods would be meaningless
This is an extension of point 1. Assume for a moment that everyone was provided with free education, free health care, and enough means to either buy or grow the food that they need (it's not as far-fetched as it sounds, I promise). There would still be jobs that needed doing, and those jobs would still give money. The only difference is that said money would no longer be 100% necessary unless you wanted more than food, shelter, necessities and the odd extra. In that world (and here's where I bring it back), game developers might still be asking money for their stuff (ditto artists of all stripes, writers, etc.), but they would not have to. Their money-making would not make the difference between whether they ate or whether they pinched pennies at the end of the month. I know a lot of people - I am among them, in fact - who would happily do things for free if I knew it would provide me no financial imposition and would not hurt me. and if you want present proof of a small piece of this concept, look at Aprone, who makes fun audio games and asks us to pay for a Kaldobsky gamer account only to keep cheaters away. While I suspect he wouldn't flat-out say no to our money, it's clear that Aprone is not out to make a buck. And good for him! Now obviously, some devs are out to get a return for their investment, and in the current climate, that's totally understandable...but it need not always be this way.
In fact, I hope it isn't always this way. I hope we can one day pursue leisures without wondering whether or not we'll eat in three months. I hope for a world where people aren't denied health care because they don't have money, or aren't stopped from higher education for the same reason. It may not come in my lifetime, and most are automatically distrustful of the entire concept, but give it some thought.
And before you go:
1. Food scarcity is a myth
2. Poverty is solvable in most cases
3. Oil and natural gas are slowly killing the planet, and
4. approximately 89% of the world's money (including debts and loans) is virtual, and does not, in fact, exist
Thanks for reading. Sorry if I wandered far afield, but I hope you got something from this, anyhow.
Check out my Manamon text walkthrough at the following link:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/z8ls3rc3f4mkb … n.txt?dl=1