Star Scene

By Tarek Tutunji

The good people at Star Scene have told me that I’m supposed to inform you that “the opinions of individual bloggers in no way or form reflect those of star Scene”

Now that we’ve got that out of the way

Let’s talk about Piracy.

No, Not the yo ho ho, involving multiple violations of international law, screaming frenchmen, and awkward hostage situations kind of piracy, although that does sound awesome.

Instead, I’m talking about the bread and butter of the average Lebanese teenager; video games, DVD movies, and probably every single software found on every single Lebanese computer!

Most of us use pirated softwares without knowing it. Do you think this is a legal copy of Microsoft Word I’m typing in? Do you think that’s air you’re breathing right now? Hmm…

Reality checks aside, piracy is the only way that most Lebanese citizens and youths can get access to a broad experience of cultural and entertainment products of the civilized world. As a younger version of myself, cracking and updating games were how I spent 30% of my free time. 5% was spent on actually playing the game and the rest was spent looking at pixelated pictures of what I assumed to be naked women.

The world is at times livid with issues of copyright infringement and illegal downloading, but the fact is without it much of the transfer of head blowing zombie killing rampages from the developed to the developing world would never happen, and I think that is a world we all don’t want to live in.

I’m not saying that the people who produce music and gaming works of genocidal proportions do not deserve to get paid for their troubles. It’s just that there are ways to do so which allow CD’s to come at lower prices.

The recent emancipation of music through online stores selling tracks for a dollar is a great start, but more than that the Arab world has something to teach the musicians in the West. If you want money, you have to make it through concerts and marketing. Arab musicians are hopelessly aware of the fact that as soon as they publish a song, it’ll be peddled the next day under the Barbir bridge in a push cart by a man wearing sandals . They know that they have to get their money by holding concerts, meeting their fans, and selling all the remaining shards of dignity they have. Hey, no one said the entertainment business was easy.

As for the gaming world, things are a little bit tougher. One promising venue is that companies are increasingly starting to use product placement in their games, and I think if that can bring the cost of the game down to just below the price of unicorn powder, it should be pursued. By doing so, they will sell more games and reach a wider audience thereby reinforcing the product placement value of their game.

I know I’m going to regret my words in the future, most likely when the zombie I’m bashing is dressed in tacky Nike clothes and squirts Pepsi instead of blood.

You could also find Tarek at his blog

Photo by Fadi Abou Ghalioum