Chipped Consoles, Pirated Games Costing Billions, Jobs Lost

In the UK the gaming industry is losing £1.45 billion a year thanks to chipped consoles and pirated games according to the Association of UK Interactive Entertainment (UKIE).

The organizations estimates come with the understanding that for every single legal game purchased, one illegal version makes it’s way to the market.

The study includes all major consoles; Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PSP, DS and PC, all of which have fallen prey to game pirates.

Not only is the practice of modding a gaming system illegal since pirated games must be purchased for the gaming console, but Michael Rawlinson, Director General for UKIE told bbc.co.uk:

“When people play a pirated game that money goes to a criminal, not to the industry.

“That takes away jobs from young developers and graphic designers, so it actually stifles creativity and stops new games coming out.”

Rawlinson goes on to add:

“These big games, you get 20 to 50 hours game play, which is tremendous value for money.

“A game like Call of Duty could take two years to make and cost millions of pounds. So there are huge sums of money involved in individual games.”

For many modders, the idea of taking apart their systems and creating low cost gaming options is a challenge as much as it is a money saver, but in any case, large fines can be pushed on those gamers if they are caught.

So what do you think about system modding? Leave us your thoughts in our comment section.