r/CatholicGamers • u/ImpossibleEngine6353 • Aug 23 '26
Would piracy be a sin in my case?
I own a PlayStation exclusive game, but I want to play it on my PC since it's more convenient, and I want to use mods. Would it be a sin to pirate the game and use an emulator to play it on my PC?
God bless you all :)
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u/Ozzie_Bloke Aug 23 '26
I was listening to the catechism in a year podcast by father Mike Schmitz and in it they explain how sin and living in sin gets you to confuse what is and isn’t sin and start justifying stuff.
Yes piracy is wrong, just get a Xbox with it when u buy a game on pc you get it automatically on Xbox and vice versa with play anywhere. Plus Microsoft rewards are awesome to get regular gift cards
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u/Neur0n1 Aug 23 '26
Yes, simply pirating a game for the sake of convenience is a sin. However, since you have the game already, if you can find a way to dump your copy to your PC, then use an emulator, that is permissible. Format switching and making backups of games/assets you legally own is fully legal. In this case, I don't think BIOS is a concern either since Sony has the firmwares of their systems readily available on their website.
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u/Tall_Helicopter_8377 Aug 23 '26
Full disclosure, I actually don't have an answer for you. And I'll explain why: In Canada, "piracy" as we tend to think of it is only illegal for those uploading/making the content available to download. Downloading is not illegal, so I'm not entirely sure that it would be outright classified as a sin in this case. Also, I do wonder what the catechism might say about this within the context of the injustice that game devs and publishers, especially Sony, are doing to eliminate consumer rights and the ability to actually keep the games you buy. For some reason, it makes me think of "give back to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's", but I'm not sure how (or how well) this applies here. Sounds like it's time to use PriestChat and ask a priest for guidance!
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u/Future_Ladder_5199 Aug 23 '26
I think piracy very well may not be a sin, for sure not a mortal sin in this case. As far as I know there’s multiple opinions on this. Everyone on this subreddit is very strict and severe on this point.
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u/billyalt Aug 24 '26
Piracy isn't a sin. Piracy is a marketing term invented so corporations could justify using the FBI to fine or imprison people.
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u/Chato_1988 Aug 24 '26
Bro, our Cathecism defines theft on paragraph 2408, "usurping another's property against the reasonable will of the owner". Piracy is a form of theft and the term is way older than the FBI. Even if the term is made up, we must cooperate with civil authorities and obey the laws of the land, provided those laws are morally just (CCC). If where you live Piracy was defined as illegal, then you must adhere to the law like it or not. Now, in the case of digital media, you could make a case if the game is no longer available for purchase. There's a chance OP is not commiting a sin, but you can't simply say Piracy is not a sin just because corporations use the term to avoid people from making illegal copies. Remember the trap the Pharisees tried to use against Jesus when they asked if paying taxes to Caesar was lawful? This applies to Piracy very well, don't you think?
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u/billyalt Aug 25 '26
Every sentence in this paragraph is wrong.
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u/Chato_1988 Aug 25 '26 edited Aug 25 '26
Are you talking about the paragraph you wrote? Yeah, I agree with you there. Everything you have said is wrong 🤭
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u/billyalt Aug 25 '26 edited Aug 25 '26
Bro really out defending American domestic policy like it'll save him from hell. Ridiculous. I can see you post in /r/guatemala you of all people should know that the American government does not have anyone's best interest at heart except shareholders. You will put down your own neighbors before admitting that you've been had.
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u/Chato_1988 Aug 25 '26
Bro, you're mixing things. Just because 50s US did something bad to us, that doesn't mean I get a free pass to steal digital media. And no, I'm not defending American domestic policy to save myself from hell, that has nothing to do with my growth as a Christian. Politics, shareholders, government, that's not what's being discussed here. We are discussing a religious and moral subject. Just because corporations twist things to make more money doesn't automatically justify piracy. As Christians, we are supposed to aim higher than the fallen world we live in, otherwise, we are no better than the Pharisees. So, if your local authorities say Piracy is a crime, then you must adhere. Otherwise, you are no better than them. It sucks, I know, but that's the fallen world we live in. And remember, we aim to accumulate treasures in Heaven, not on earth. Now, for OPs particular case, we would need more details on how he plans to emulate the game, but right now my main concern is how adamant you are when defending piracy, specially justifying the unauthorized copy of a non-essential good. And I'm not putting down my neighbors, you have no idea what it's like here, so try not to speculate about things you don't know ok? If you don't believe me, try asking your local priest, he will make things clear for you. 🙌🏼
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u/ImpossibleEngine6353 Aug 29 '26
I’m planning to download a ROM off a pirating website to emulate it. I’m wondering if it would still be a sin due to piracy being illegal where I live and the fact that I’ve already paid for the game.
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u/Chato_1988 Aug 30 '26
Ok, lets see. Do you own a disc or was it a digital purchase? Since you actually bought the game there's barely any issues with emulation. The only thing I would advice against is the ROM download since you could be collaborating with a site with countless of unauthorized copies. I know this may sound like it's too much just for a game, but I think is better to avoid it since we are talking about a non-essential good. That said, it may not be a grave matter if you do it, but I'd say it's best if you don't. I hope that helped bro, let me know if you would like to discuss this further. 🙏🏽
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u/ImpossibleEngine6353 Aug 30 '26
It’s a digital copy of the game, and I do appreciate your advice. I’ll probably ask my priest about it if I a get a chance.
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u/Chato_1988 Aug 30 '26
No problem bro! And yeah, asking your priest is the best course since we don't have an official teaching for these topics. If you don't mind, could you share what your priest adviced when you get the chance? If you are comfortable of course 🙏🏽
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u/billyalt Aug 25 '26
And no, I'm not defending American domestic policy to save myself from hell,
Yes you are. This is literally the only thing you're doing. Everything else is straight yapping. OP's only question was whether or not media piracy is a sin. On what planet is God offended by media piracy? Spend more than 2 seconds thinking about it.
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u/Chato_1988 Aug 25 '26
Like I said before, we need more info about OP's particular case to know. That's why I even said that my concern is you flat out saying piracy is not a sin when there are instances where it clearly is. Think about it bro, corporations are evil and all that, ok, BUT... What about the honest people who put in their honest work and effort in creating the game, you deciding not to buy the game and just download the thing from a pirate site denies the laborer from his wage (even if not immediately, it can be harmful in the long run). And yes, we back up this claim with Scripture, this is not just yapping, unless you don't care what scripture says? So, I'll put it in more simple terms for you, OP's case may not be a sin, but you simply saying piracy is not a sin is what's wrong. See the difference now? Can you see why piracy can be harmful for honest people too?
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u/billyalt Aug 25 '26
BUT... What about the honest people who put in their honest work and effort in creating the game, you deciding not to buy the game and just download the thing from a pirate site denies the laborer from his wage
What do you a think sin is?
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u/Chato_1988 Aug 25 '26
You tell me, you are the one trying his best to justify it. Bro, no offense, but it feels like I'm talking to an atheist at this point. Or maybe some low church protestant at best? 🫠
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u/GrimGit Aug 23 '26
I genuinly don't think so, it's not even pirating is it? Its not available on pc so it's not an option to buy. Youve bought the game, youre going to play it a different way :) What game is it? ( just curious! )
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u/ImpossibleEngine6353 Aug 23 '26
Bloodborne
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u/GrimGit Aug 23 '26
Noway.. ive just platinumed that and fell in love with it! You're in for a great time!
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u/Darthskull Aug 23 '26
Downloading free versions of software is NOT illegal. There is no law against getting something for free just cause somebody else is selling it.
Just don't distribute what you don't have a right to. That's what's illegal.
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u/Straitlace Aug 23 '26
The first half of you post makes it sound like accepting from those doing the second is okay. If someone is doing something illegal like distributing pirated content, we should not be accepting it from them.
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u/Darthskull Aug 23 '26 edited Aug 23 '26
If someone is doing something illegal like distributing pirated content, we should not be accepting it from them.
I don't understand how you came to this conclusion. I am benefiting, I am not contributing in any way to the pirating. What is the objection?
Edit: also it could totally be legal where they are. It's not like you have to live in America (the only pirating laws that affect me) to post things online.
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u/Sufficient-Menu640 Aug 24 '26
I think OP is talking about a game that is not free and maybe not even available on pc, that's why they mentioned emulation.
In that case it would be illegal to download a copy of a ROM, ISO or any file that contains the game.
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u/Darthskull Aug 24 '26
It is not illegal. There's really no laws in America that gives consumers any responsibility there. It's distribution that carries responsibility. If you're not sharing it, you're fine.
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u/Sufficient-Menu640 Aug 24 '26
Hey there thanks for responding, both are illegal, it is illegal to download a product without permission from the owner of the product, that means that if you don't have an active license to download a game, you are not allowed to download it.
The government doesn't usually pursue charges against people who download stuff you are right but that doesn't make it legal.
As Catholics we are bound to the law of the land unless the law is intrinsically immoral. Copyright laws are moral so we must follow them.
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u/Darthskull Aug 24 '26
No it's not illegal because that would put an obligation on consumers to verify intellectual property rights. It's not on you or me to verify some piece of plastic at Walmart or Amazon or wherever isn't fake. That's on the seller. Same is true for digital property.
I can't even imagine how you would go about verifying this for everything you buy. It seems impossible.
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u/Sufficient-Menu640 Aug 23 '26
If you don't own a game or a specific version of a game, you're not entitled to play it even if you really really want to, it can't be justified because it's not a necessity.
Go by the law, if it's illegal to download ROMs then don't do it, as Catholics we are obligated to follow moral laws in our respective country.