Videogames piracy - Why so much hate?

[Tonus]

But I didn't expect to see comments in forums saying "Pirates should be hanged because they are the reason PC ports suck nowadays!".

That's just hyperbole. Or if it isn't, it's a ridiculously extremist view.

I think that software piracy is theft, in that you are getting the use of something that its producer expected to be paid for. I think that most arguments in favor come down to justifications for why it's okay to take it without paying, but you're still getting to enjoy/use something that was intended for sale.

Piracy can have the beneficial effect of forcing an industry to change some behaviors and make things better for consumers. Shareware and trial versions of software allow us to try the software before we spend any money, for example. User-based services like Steam allow you to take your games library from one computer to the next, which is far superior to the old "lock it to a specific computer" system that it has replaced.

The software industry has, IMO, more tools for effectively dealing with piracy than the music/movie industries do. The ability to tie usage/ownership to online accounts --especially "always on" requirements-- will continue to expand and make piracy practically useless for the average person. I think we may already be long past the time when you could just copy discs and write down a serial number or unlocking code (or for us old-timers, just copy the disc).

Platforms that allow large numbers of users quick and inexpensive access to small games (such as mobile apps, or social-media apps) may also become the future of gaming. Linked through user accounts and cloud-based or always-on connections, its easy to make sure that nearly all of your customers are paying customers, or at least enough of them to make it worth the effort of developing a popular game. And then there are the free-to-play games, which seem to be growing in number. Most appear to be supported via micro-transactions, which has me thinking that we may soon see a bubble that will grow for a few years and then burst, taking a lot of developers with it.

I think that like the music and movie industries, video games are able to combat piracy just enough so that it remains a very profitable industry as long as you have a good product and a solid business model. The likelihood that piracy will make or break anyone's chances seems very remote to me.