First of all you could only compare this game with its two prequels and you'd have to figure out when those prequels were cracked to determine the sales difference. Then you'd have to check for an incline in the sales curve between #1 all the way to #3 and see if the game is merely following the traditional sequel patter or if for some reason since #3 took longer to crack it had abnormally high sales. I do know people who will use a crack if that's the path of least resistance for them but I also know they'd pay for the game if they had the money.
The problem is that games are so low on the totem pole as far as things one needs to spend their money on. First of all they're of the most expensive you can indulge in for a single serving (one game vs. one movie or CD) and second of all which is a compounding factor is that they are time consuming so they eat up more energy than just about any other form of entertainment. You spend a huge amount of money and time when you invest in a game. I suppose this can be well worth it in some cases.
Anyway, I'm sure piracy does hurt sales to an extent. I know some casual people who would buy a game if that was the only option available. Just the same I'm sure the majority wouldn't even look twice at a game unless they could get it for free. Some hard sales statistics would be good.
The problem is that games are so low on the totem pole as far as things one needs to spend their money on. First of all they're of the most expensive you can indulge in for a single serving (one game vs. one movie or CD) and second of all which is a compounding factor is that they are time consuming so they eat up more energy than just about any other form of entertainment. You spend a huge amount of money and time when you invest in a game. I suppose this can be well worth it in some cases.
Anyway, I'm sure piracy does hurt sales to an extent. I know some casual people who would buy a game if that was the only option available. Just the same I'm sure the majority wouldn't even look twice at a game unless they could get it for free. Some hard sales statistics would be good.