POLL: Bootlegs / Reproductions: What is allowed

[dsheinem]

it's also a very different culture there.

From everything I've heard here, it sounds like a pretty horrid place and I am not sure why we'd want to model anything we do after them.

Since when are you the type of person who'd make an opinion on hearsay? Yeah, shadiness isn't sugarcoated. (A) that's not always a bad thing, (B) that is only present in a small fraction threads either in the war-room or things gone wrong in the marketplace.

I've met a TON of really genuine and good guys on that forum.

It just sounds like anytime they get mentioned here it is because there is some giant controversy there (e.g. the thing with Chris, people getting banned for incurring the wrath of some influential member, etc.). I do know that they have a robust system for keeping track of scammers and what not and I DO appreciate that as I remember referring to their board a few times back when I was a mod, but it seems like a pretty toxic "tip toe or else" environment on the whole from what people here have said about it.

It also sounds like they might be overly-sensitive to thinking about games as an investment and thus overdoing it when cracking down on the stuff that is the subject of this poll...

By contrast, there's nothing but almost universally positive comments from folks here about the shmups board, nintendoage, sega-16, etc.

[dsheinem]

In my view, not having to worry about reproductions passed off as authentic is a greater good than the free exchange of reproductions.

This ship has sailed. If you are smart, from here out you'd always want to check the details of MUSHA or Earthbound (or similar) before buying it. That would be true rather it was being sold here or anywhere else and even if there was a policy saying selling repros/bootlegs was not allowed.

[pepharytheworm]

I have a feeling some of the posters in this thread have been ripped off by a bootleg before

[mjmjr25]

It also sounds like they might be overly-sensitive to thinking about games as an investment and thus overdoing it when cracking down on the stuff that is the subject of this poll...

By contrast, there's nothing but almost universally positive comments from folks here about the shmups board, nintendoage, sega-16, etc.

I think you're onto something with the investment piece. I'd argue it's about protecting an investment and let's face it, some games are collectibles now, and like ANY collectible that one owns it's only natural to want to protect it. I don't think it's exclusive to the neo community.

I heard plenty of lame / annoying things about those other forums you mentioned posted on this forum. I enjoy shmups, but it's often referred to as elitist and i've seen folks post they are intimidated to post there, etc. Similar commentary about NA as well. No one talks about Sega-16 though.

In either case, hearsay. I'm a member on all those boards aside sega-16 and would argue against the "things i've heard" in many cases. I don't think shmups is elitist at all, they are simply passionate about their genre and it's like walking into any niche - need to wade in and see what's going on. Same applies to neo or any other forum.

[dsheinem]

In either case, hearsay. I'm a member on all those boards aside sega-16 and would argue against the "things i've heard" in many cases. I don't think shmups is elitist at all, they are simply passionate about their genre and it's like walking into any niche - need to wade in and see what's going on. Same applies to neo or any other forum.

Fair enough. I was mostly just explaining my hesitancy to look to them as a model for our own policies based on how I perceive their reputation...but I'll grant you that I have limited grounds for that claim.

[mjmjr25]

I have a feeling some of the posters in this thread have been ripped off by a bootleg before

Astute. We all have at some point or another and not just video games. Not the point - at all. The conversation is about this community playing an ancillary role in the proliferation. No one's butthurt, we don't buy games to invest and we don't buy anything we can't afford. That's not the conversation. We'd like to know what we do buy, here or elsewhere, is original...if it looks original.

[dsheinem]

We'd like to know what we do buy, here or elsewhere, is original...if it looks original.

And, because of the world at large, you can't know this anymore here or anywhere else, regardless of any new policy we put up.

[mjmjr25]

Tada, circles!

Well, i'm on the minority side of this. I accept that. I'll continue to voice it when it comes up in other areas, but I think we're just in a dance at this point. Imma go burn a copy of Ballz onto a GD-Rom and call it a night.

[Onyxthecat]

Tada, circles!

Well, i'm on the minority side of this. I accept that. I'll continue to voice it when it comes up in other areas, but I think we're just in a dance at this point. Imma go burn a copy of Ballz onto a GD-Rom and call it a night.

I second that. Cant have too many copies of Ballz.

[pepharytheworm]

Tada, circles!

Well, i'm on the minority side of this. I accept that. I'll continue to voice it when it comes up in other areas, but I think we're just in a dance at this point. Imma go burn a copy of Ballz onto a GD-Rom and call it a night.

I get your point, I haven't ever bought a repo even though I have had interest in some. Even if bootlegs will exist with or without racketboy's involvement you don't want us to contribute to the growing problem. I get that.