High Life / A WEEKLY FORUM FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS : Teens Add to Piracy Problem : Computers: Many believe they are performing a service by copying games, but software companies want them to understand that it is illegal.

Every year, teen-agers cause millions of dollars of damage in the privacy of their own homes. Knowingly or not, by copying computer games they are contributing to a common problem that plagues the industry.

Their crime--known as software piracy--is defined as the unauthorized duplication and use of software. Because piracy is a violation of the U.S. Copyright Law, their punishment may take the form of imprisonment and up to a $50,000 fine.

But the legal threat hasn’t been enough to suppress pirates’ activities.

Sierra On-Line, a publisher of such popular computer entertainment games as the King’s Quest series, suffers greatly from piracy by its largest clientele--teens.

“Copying games is a casual thing and it occurs frequently,” said Robert Koeppel, representative of Sierra On-Line, which is located in Coarsegold, near Fresno.

Though some teens may duplicate software for profit, most just make copies for their own use.

“Pirates have to understand that games are not created by themselves,” said Koeppel, who added that development of a software program involves hours of programming and can cost more than $1 million.

“Games are not created effortlessly,” he said.

The days of one programmer single-handedly creating a computer program are long gone. In the ‘90s, teams of programmers, artists and designers work countless hours to create a single program. Sierra On-Line alone employs 400 workers.

“Creating software is much like creating a work of art,” Koeppel said. “It takes a lot of emotion and dedication, and it’s very tough to accept that people are stealing it.”

According to Koeppel, the main problem is pirates view corporations as faceless monoliths instead of real, hard-working people.

“It’s only fair that people who work hard to create these programs are paid,” he said.

In the early ‘80s, some software companies combatted pirating through “on-disk” copy protection. Inside the computer game small codes were programmed that prevented users from copying the software.

However, this copy protection spawned myriad problems.

“On-disk copy protection was abandoned because it was inefficient and became . . . a nuisance,” Koeppel said.

It became a problem when different levels of computers arrived in the marketplace, bringing with them compatibility problems. Computers with faster microprocessors were unable to run a program that had copy protection. Furthermore, it didn’t take pirates too long to “crack” or disable the copy protection, thus rendering it useless.

Computer users complained about the nuisances, and software companies finally acquiesced. Instead of on-disk copy protection, the newer games rely on a document. Users are asked to quote a particular line from the game’s document to continue playing.

But pirates have learned to foil document protection by eliminating the protection through reprogramming and editing.

And most pirates don’t consider their actions illegal, instead believing that they are doing the computer-user community a service.

“The inflated prices that (the companies) charge for software are completely ridiculous,” said “The Besieger,” a teen pirate who attends Woodbridge High School in Irvine.

He claims he is “serving justice” by distributing the games through his networks.

According to him, there exist two avenues of software piracy. People may either directly exchange games with friends, or:

“There are chains of BBS (electronic bulletin board systems that users may connect with through modems over the phone lines) that have pirated stuff,” he said, going on to describe some “elite” boards that deal primarily with pirated software.

These “elite” underground boards are heavily protected against the authorities, and one must have the proper connections to become a member.

Before a pirate can gain access to a board, he must be given the new user password, referred to as NUP by members. That is followed by a system password, changed frequently to confuse the authorities.

The majority of members in a bulletin board system are male teens, according to The Besieger, and all use aliases to protect their identities.

Once inside the system, pirates have access to the latest games, but they also must reimburse the bulletin board by contributing other software games. Among the more popular pirated games are Leisure Suit Larry, Space Quest and Wing Commander.

“It sure beats shelling out $40 or $50 for a dumb game,” The Besieger said.

Countered Koeppel: “The price is because creating a game is a huge project that requires a lot of money and time.”