‘Gaming’ in Brazil Manifesto

Sorry usual portuguese readers of this blog. I promise i won’t change the prime language here, first for all the love we have been sharing, and also because my english isn’t good enough to try ironic jokes perfectly.

But this post must achieve international community! They must know our pain, our suffering, the torment of frustration that our subculture must pass to follow their achievements in Game Industry, especially us, Game Designers trying career! This manifesto has the purpose to show them how hard it has been for us, so in the next time they catch with a brazilian guy, they recognize him for the courage and determination, not only for his ‘always carnival’ mood, soccer abilities or misspelled english (stereotypes are bad you morons!).

First and most obvious problem: money and taxes. Do you REALLY think you can complain for a 800$ top-of-them-all video card? Let me present you some info. The money here in Brazil is named ‘Real’ (R$). Besides the stuck-up name, it has a low value in the international money trading things, what means that one dollar is equal to 1.8 Real, or more, when it should be 1-1. Second, the ‘not so rich but no so poor’ people here receives a month income that goes around 2 to 4.000R$ (1,5~3$). I mean, if you receive more than that you are a blessed one. If you’re a recent graduated student looking for a job who would pay you more than 2.000, i wish luck in your fools quest.

Entertainment, obviously, isn’t taken as a primary necessity, so, if there’s money left after the many months expenses you and your family have, maybe you can achieve some goods in this matters. But cheer up, there’s always hope for those who think about the future and save money. Lets presume that after a full year of hard savings, leaving morning cereals on the market, you gather 1.000 pounds! That should be enough for starting, shouldn’t it?!

Lets peek at some online stores. Lets, first, take a look at mostly desired Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 consoles! I could find the first one for 1.899R$ and the second one for 1.795R$, no games within. Ow shit, there’s go our hope for them.

But how about the most charming one Nintendo Wii? YAY! I could find one for 1.099R$ at MercadoLivre.com, unknown origin and no support, but thats ok, its cheap!!! Ask your parents for those 99R$ and go for it! Lets see… What cames with it? Wii Sports!! I can sense your eyes starting to shine!!

So, let’s suppose you got it. How about the OTHER games? Mario Galaxy for 179R$, No more heroes for 164R$, Endless Ocean 159R$… There was not a single game costing less than 150 real (notice that all of this prices are FAR lower than the one on usual stores). Would any of you all might gamers pay 150$ to buy a SINGLE game? With so many bad/boring games on the market, would you risk your hard money? Also, if you are really up to bad business, you could get the console and them pay something like 7 ~ 10R$ for a one day rent at the few store that works with video-game releases.

Fuck it the Consoles. Let’s go for PC Gaming! How about an Geforce 8800gt, hum? Found it for 980R$. And about the newly Geforce 9600 in a awesome low price! PC Alliance will be our best friend, let’s go for it! Hummm… 679R$. Ok, ok. Do we remember it now or leave to another time the sad fact that a video card alone does not makes a computer?

This abusive prices have a reason. Back in the early 80’s, there were a series of taxes imposted to all game industry products, to protect the national market that was beginning to grown. This ‘national industry’ broke up, ending before doing something really good to entertain us, but the taxes remained. The total charge for this ‘protection’ is totally outrageous: 257% over its original price!!

So. The only conclusion possible: No next gen games for us normal people! We can continue with our recent acquired Playstations 2 or go to the Lan to see people playing Counter Strike until now a days. Ah No! Justice just just prohibited it from being played, well remembered! Well, at least not until someone takes good sense to those taxes system we are fucked up, thats all. But y’know, there’s always an easier way to run from taxes. And there are some other points to take about it.

I HATE piracy. (even when involving small cats) You english spoken nations must have your share of hatred for piracy, i don’t doubt it. But you’re not so close and badly influenced by them as we are. I’ll simplify it: there are games being sold for almost 200 pounds. There are the same games, but in a ugly DVDR, being sold by 10~15 R$. Now, suppose you already gave all your economies to buy a console, so you only have two options: You don’t play until you get money again, or you fall to all that promotion game industry is doing all over everywhere to make you anxious for content, and goes for piracy.

Once you goes for it, its over. You’re addicted. The more you play, the more you want to experience, thats exactly what the makers are trying to do with your will. The more you spend on piracy, the few you save to buy original. The few you buy original, the less the evil publishers get. The less the publishers get, even less money goes to the original developer, what means less and more concentrated investments on the big and bad companies. And it leads to the almost catastrophic troubles anyone would have to open a company focused in producing games. Those problems, in the end, means trouble to a recent graduate find a good job and spend in original games. Samsara.

Piracy isn’t something to fight against with legal threats or moral campaign, you either lose or win to it. It’s a service, an illegal, bad quality, with no certain of how many asians were killed and how many made their lives of the process, but it is a service that provides you with the same final good you’re searching for. And for the people who wants to be up to date, it’s sad but there’s no running from it.

Now, how much sad is really that?

1st. Who are the people who sells home-made versions of your most beloved games? Do you think they are graduated, multi-language trained, charming people with a nice smell? No, they are not. Piracy is a criminal activity and it is (sometimes) hunted by police. Let’s put it in a nice way, they aren’t the kinda of people who takes morality over money, they are neither gamers, nor internet users, nor geeks, nor nothing even close to this. They just don’t care if the product they sells is marijuana or video game, and the approach is basically the same.

Knowing this, lets presume a usual conversation :

“Hey, do you have Bioshock?” - “What’s the name again?” - “Bioshock, that fps game, with very pretty art and complex narrative, y’know, it wons several awards for its innovation aspects…” - “Hey José, do you have… what was the name again?” - “Bioshock.” - “Bii.. Bii.. Biowchaqui! Do we have Biowcháqui?” - “WHAT?” - “The guy here is looking for this game, Bietcháqui.” - “Never heard. He must have the wrong name.” - “No, we don’t have it.” - “Oh… Ok…” - “How about, hum, a japanese game, Katamari Damacy?” - “Cá what?” - “Forget it. Do you have any recommendation?” - “We have this one here, you’ll sure like. It’s a new game, totally awesomenes, gunshots, war, very real, Cáu o Dutí.”

It’s really frustrating. Don’t even think about finding underground rpgs, japanese games, or recent not-blockbuster releases with them. Maybe they have it, but the trouble to explore several sellers and explain what’s the game about don’t pay the 190R$ difference. You said what? Technical support for your console broken by piracy content? hahahahahahahaha! One more year without morning cereal fella!

And them comes the second ’solution’ for us: downloads. And with it also cames a thousand of other annoying troubles, including viruses, bad releases that you only discover after the 4,6 gb download, fake downloads that leads to porn…

In a big resume: Piracy sux. It sux thousands times more if you are stuck to it as your only option. It makes it even worse when you know that your future working market is suffering hard from it.

‘I don’t buy piracy, i support the game industry and my love is all that matters to make the world a better place!’. Ok, that’s beautiful, almost let me to tears. But you are a hero in a desolated land, with no beauty princess to be rescued.

Good news? There are some people working hard to survive with their companies, some tough fellas going against all the probabilities, doing independent content without almost any support. There are also some freaks like myself trying to develop skills and knowledge of the theory behind art, design and programming games, people that goes to university and stay there even after discovering that most part of the teachers don’t know a thing about what they should be teaching. There are some rebel focus here and there, maybe when they grown up and can fight the media and their lame coverage of video game culture, somethings may go nicer. But, for now, you should be proud you international game community thing, next time you catch with a Brazilian doing games, praise him for his foolish determination!

Felt bad for our condition or amused for our enthusiasm ? Send me consoles and games for free, cause we already have enough tears but no next-gen experience! I’ll make sure i invite all my friends to play along and make Brazil a happier place.

You tell me now, how is gaming in your country?!

Thanks to Yves, who told me some more info about the taxes and the hole part of piracy in our market! Thanks dude! :D