While I don't wholly advocate illegal activities for personal and financial gain, I can understand why pirating is such a big problem, not only for video games but for traditional office based products as well that are used by the everyday consumer.

Take for example Office 07:

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/products/FX101211561033.aspx

Individually, the most basic version costs $149.95 US for just word, excel, and powerpoint, yet for students, they can get the whole ultimate student package for:

http://www.theultimatesteal.com/store/msshus/ContentTheme/pbPage.microsoft_office_ultimate

$59.95, a product that normally would cost over $600. Why the hell is there a $600 increase in cost for everyone else? I don't expect Microsoft to be selling it at a loss to students so there is no explaining it.

And what about regional pricing on video games? why is it that a game priced at $50 in the us and 35 pounds in the UK cost $110 in Australia? the value of the Aussie dollar has been averaged over 90 us cents for the better part of 12 months now, and yet we still pay more than a double?

Piracy will never end until this crazy profiteering and pricing discrimination ends, and it won't end until corruption watchdogs realize that the software industry is largly in collusion to geep prices high.