Video Game Piracy:: Multi-Dimensional Brand-Level Security Strategies Required

Brand Killer Robots reveal::

Anyone who has worked for a video games publisher knows about the impact that piracy is having on the industry. They know that there are a million different ways to prevent the criminals from stealing or forging their wares, all of which have failed to make any significant impact - relatively speaking.

Publishing people also know that unless they remain focused on their core task, that of building great games, the issue of security is largely irrelevant. No game, no publishing business, no need for security!

Analysis, conducted in 2002 and financed by one of the UK's leading publishers concluded that there are three parts to security in the video game publishing industry.

Part 1 being technological solutions to security, Part 2 specifying the use of the power of media communications, in conjuntion with strategic relations with partners, the police and governing bodies with Part 3 offering a product management solution. The analysis concluded that publishers had been more successful combining part 1 and part 2 elements to form security strategies for combating piracy, as opposed to simply implementing part 1 and part 2 strategies separately. Furthermore, the analysis revealed a new dimension that is largely innovation driven, in the sense that if game content was launched in the marketplace at such a time and at such a velocity it could undermine the efforts of pirate organisations.

Furthermore, the analysis concluded that for publishers to stay ahead of the pirate distribution curve, that they must position their production operations "to make more games faster". With more games hitting more windows in the marketplace, the advance of pirates would be dramatically repelled. Furthermore, the analysis concluded that object orientated techniques, agile project management methods, centralised automated compilation and art rendering and design and franchise reusability be implemented in order to proliferate the delivery of products, along with investment in R&D in the area of high-value, low aesthetic content design.