ShotX Studio’s rogue-like shooter, Danger Gazers, is currently available on Steam, and has been available since January 2nd, 2020. You can pick up a digital copy for only $9.99. However, for gamers who can’t afford it, the developer decided to give the game away for free on torrent sites.

Over on the Crack Watch sub-reddit, ShotX originally made a post sharing a torrent for his game Danger Gazers. The mods had the post removed because it contained a torrent link (even though it was to his own game), but he made an edited post to explain why he posted it up, writing…

“Just a reminder as to why I’m sharing a torrent of my own game: There are people who can’t afford the game, some want to play the game before buying, some that never buy games. Just trying to help those people out and make the best of the situation. There are a lot of ways to show support if you want to without buying the game, such as spreading the word about DG, sharing the torrent, feedback, whatever it is you can come up with. And finally, I hope you have fun and enjoy the game! “

He also thanked everybody who showed support for him and also went out and purchased the game after he shared the torrent link.

His magnanimous gesture did not go unrecognized. Other sub-reddits such as /r/Piracy also spotted his act and called him “wholesome”.

They shared the filename of the torrent in their thread and also linked to the Shotx itch.io page for those who want to support the developer directly, or the Steam store page for those who would prefer to purchase the game through Valve’s platform.

The reality is that Gabe Newell was always right about piracy: it’s a consumer issue, not a security issue.

Most people who would like to buy a game would if they either had the means or monies to do so. If they don’t have the money then as a developer you can wait and slash the price until they can afford it. If they don’t have the means to play, such as a proper PC or they’re in a region where the game isn’t supported, then pirating the game isn’t going to equate in a lost sale anyway.

Of course, no matter how many positive examples of piracy exists, it’ll also be spun by media and corporations as the biggest evil in the digital etherverse. On the upside, at least there are developers like ShotX who recognize the plight of some potential consumers, and is hoping to make fans out of these people, which will go a long way in receiving support for whatever game he works on next.

(Thanks for the news tip spambot)